Prince Of Persia

Ever since its debut on the archaic Apple II machine in 1989 (and its subsequent transfer to the popular console machines of the '90s), Prince of Persia has been one of the most fondly remembered games of its era. A reboot of the franchise in 2003 saw it become popular for yet another generation, moving the game onto the more modern consoles and proving its longevity in its new format.

Now in 2008 we see Prince of Persia undertake another reboot, this time for the "next-gen" consoles, PS3 and 360. An entirely new Prince in an entirely new setting, the game benefits from a new art direction, as well as new gameplay elements. The art direction is the first thing you'll notice, the menu screen alone presented in the form of a fluid oil painting. Once you actually start playing the game, you'll realise that all the marketing hype of a "painting in motion" has definitely been lived up to. The world you find yourself in is a glorious, richly textured beautiful one, but at the same… more »

Ever since its debut on the archaic Apple II machine in 1989 (and its subsequent transfer to the popular console machines of the '90s), Prince of Persia has been one of the most fondly remembered games of its era. A reboot of the franchise in 2003 saw it become popular for yet another generation, moving the game onto the more modern consoles and proving its longevity in its new format.

Now in 2008 we see Prince of Persia undertake another reboot, this time for the "next-gen" consoles, PS3 and 360. An entirely new Prince in an entirely new setting, the game benefits from a new art direction, as well as new gameplay elements. The art direction is the first thing you'll notice, the menu screen alone presented in the form of a fluid oil painting. Once you actually start playing the game, you'll realise that all the marketing hype of a "painting in motion" has definitely been lived up to. The world you find yourself in is a glorious, richly textured beautiful one, but at the same time can be dark and menacing, depending on what stage of the game you are in.

As for gameplay, the guys at Ubisoft seem to have taken all the best bits from the Sands of Time trilogy whilst adding their own positive elements. The acrobatics and agility of the Prince return, this time in a completely open and non-linear world. All paths do eventually lead to the same goal, but it is down to you how you get there. Wall-running, cavern traversing and pillar climbing is both fun and a necessary requisite and thanks to your partner Elika's magical skills, you won't very often be left wandering without aim.

Elika herself is one of the most positive additions to the game, providing some witty banter between her and the Prince, as well as a vital partner in traversing the world and seeing off its enemies. The combat system itself is wonderful, moving away from the frequently used horde of enemies to fend off and towards a more gallant one-on-one style battle. It makes every fight seem like a challenge, with four different attacks (including Elika's magical ability) to string together in any form you want, leading to some magnificently satisfying and beautiful battles.

Much as been made of the fact that you cannot die, with Elika saving you from any potentially fatal falls and stepping in if enemies get the upper hand. However what at first maybe seems like the game holding your hand in times of need, just proves to be the same as in many other games where you die and spawn at the last checkpoint. The only difference in Prince of Persia is that you don't have to sit through a load screen and so it keeps the game moving at the intended pace.

Just as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time did in 2003, this current reboot has breathed fresh life into an already invigorated franchise. With an engaging storyline, a great script and most importantly beautiful visuals and fun gameplay, it may not challenge you in the most innovative gaming sense, but it is sure to keep you entertained for the 10 or so hours it provides.

Being a VERY long fan of the PoP games since the very first ones i been looking forward to see what would be next in store for us (True hearted PoP fans) after the magnificent Sands of Time Trilogy. The new prince of Persia is a whole new story,world & Prince. After seeing a few screen shots and trailers from E3i was just caputured by how beautiful the grahpics were of the healed lands. Alot of people were hateing the new look the new Prince ,people where scared about new direction PoP was going people wanted SoT Prince back with a new story but no...Ubisoft wanted a new Prince new story new gameplay,which was a very good move it would of been boreing seeing the old Prince on the next-gen consoles with same old moves few ne magic powers and a new story and better graphics...that would of been boreing and would of killed the game. So once the game out,i began playing let me just say there is sooo much to explore in this game its great fun looking for the hard to reach light seeds. I… more »

Being a VERY long fan of the PoP games since the very first ones i been looking forward to see what would be next in store for us (True hearted PoP fans) after the magnificent Sands of Time Trilogy. The new prince of Persia is a whole new story,world & Prince. After seeing a few screen shots and trailers from E3i was just caputured by how beautiful the grahpics were of the healed lands. Alot of people were hateing the new look the new Prince ,people where scared about new direction PoP was going people wanted SoT Prince back with a new story but no...Ubisoft wanted a new Prince new story new gameplay,which was a very good move it would of been boreing seeing the old Prince on the next-gen consoles with same old moves few ne magic powers and a new story and better graphics...that would of been boreing and would of killed the game. So once the game out,i began playing let me just say there is sooo much to explore in this game its great fun looking for the hard to reach light seeds. I really like the Prince his funny,cocky and a great laugh the relationship between him and the NEW Female character Elika (aka Dagger of Time as i like to call her) Basicly she saves you everytime you fall to your death...YOU CANT DIE!!! lol but its nots all bad the point of this was so that the game would flow through out no more crappy loading screens saying you died. It works really well i think for those who loved the rewinding time back in SoT will love the new angle no buttons need to be pressed she saves you automaticly. So yea the relationship between Prince and Elika is great through out thee whole game you can stop anytime and learn more about her by pressing L2 (PS3). The combat system is very cleverly created, for those who enjoy mindless button bashing will enjoy this to a extend but you will need to block time-to-time but fore those who are after more will have the wonder COMBOS. I pulled of quite alot of them in the game and let me tell you the satisfaction you get from pulling off a 10-14 hit-combo in one fight is epic! if your chain the correct moves togeather you can go in for one attack but hit up to 14 times and come out without a scratch while your enemy is left with a huge damaged delt! i was able to finish enemies in two turns with the help of the combos. There are no life upgrades,sword upgrades or any other weapon upgrades.....saying that the only new weapon you do have is the new GLOVE the Prince has which you can do long wall slides/runs AND gripfalls (slideing down walls) the glove is a very very good edition to the fighting and the platforming. My overall thoughts of Prince of Persia:
I really love the new PoP game Ubisoft have done a really awesome job of the game and have left plenty to improve on in the second PoP game. So if this Holiday your looking to sit in your cosy chair/bed and play a great game look no futher Prince of Persia delivers the story,magic,the wonderfull worlds and level designs,combat system. Grab Play.coms awesome offer £17.99!

Prince of Persia is back!

An aficionado of the third-person platform genre, I truly hoped that 'Prince of Persia' would abridge the distance between two titles of personal interest: 'Assassin's Creed', developed and published by the same company as Prince of Persia, Ubisoft, and the long-awaited 'God of War 3', which I have been craving for since completing the last installment of the series on Playstation 2. With the two aforementioned games as my measuring stick to all other platform games, I found it hard to enjoy this game as much as I had intended before looking into it. However, whereas the game has flaws, there are a few aspects to it that might just counterbalance the negative ones.

The story pivots on the seemingly fortuitous encounter between the protagonist, a quick-witted bulky adventurer who lost his donkey on his way back home from a troublesome tomb-riding ordeal and a sage yet mysterious young woman. As their paths intertwine, the damsel in distress discloses her regal lineage to her… more »

An aficionado of the third-person platform genre, I truly hoped that 'Prince of Persia' would abridge the distance between two titles of personal interest: 'Assassin's Creed', developed and published by the same company as Prince of Persia, Ubisoft, and the long-awaited 'God of War 3', which I have been craving for since completing the last installment of the series on Playstation 2. With the two aforementioned games as my measuring stick to all other platform games, I found it hard to enjoy this game as much as I had intended before looking into it. However, whereas the game has flaws, there are a few aspects to it that might just counterbalance the negative ones.

The story pivots on the seemingly fortuitous encounter between the protagonist, a quick-witted bulky adventurer who lost his donkey on his way back home from a troublesome tomb-riding ordeal and a sage yet mysterious young woman. As their paths intertwine, the damsel in distress discloses her regal lineage to her savior, explaining how her kingdom has fallen prey to the abrupt release of the malefic deity that her family has kept segregated for generations. Although an opportunist, the young protagonist eventually offers his help and embarks on an adventure that will take him and his newly found companion through a mythical world fraught of merciless fiends and demonic minions who will stop at nothing to champion the predominance of their evil divinity.

Whereas clichéd and repetitive, the story mode may still be considered innovative and fraught with several metaphors and life maxims, seeing how the player can learn more about the princess by asking her questions throughout the different stages of the game, and, as a result obtain a personalized encyclopedia of visited places and people, and discover how the protagonist and his guide gradually fall in love. As an innovation per se, I found particularly interesting the absence of the typical difficulty levels that are common to almost all video games. In my opinion, the philosophy behind this choice might be that the publisher wanted to provide its players with a game mostly centered on the interaction with the environment, expanding the usual pattern - jump, move, crouch, dive - to a wider range of acrobatics that will allow them to fly sky high through swanky Persian buildings, spiral into the air, run-wall over steep facades and much more.

In terms of gameplay, if the flawless interaction with the environment deserves kudos, the combat leaves a lot to be desired. Nicely hard and enhanced by magic elements, the number of combos, both the basic and the hidden ones, is ridiculously scant and inevitably reduces the game to a continual performance of similar manoeuvres; what is worse, the variety of enemies and main bosses is quite limited, as the player will rarely get into combat during the game and will feel as if he or she were playing the same opponent all over again.

On the whole, I will give this game three stars because the interaction with the environment surely warrants recognition. However, provided the shortness of the story mode and the easiness with which Playstation trophies can be achieved , Prince of Persia's longevity can get players going as far as a couple of days ( maybe three if players should decide to clear additional contents), and is surely not a game that will appeal to fans of online gaming. As my personal recommendation to fellow third-person platform aficionados, I do suggest to rent it out only to give it a go and see if their opinion upon it should differ.