Wow, Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time is really a tough game for me to describe. The game is great. It has one GLARING fault to be sure. But the amazing thing is that this fault never stops you from wanting to play this game all the way through once you have it in your hands.
I'll give a run down on what I think this fault is. The fighting system. Most of the time its VERY easy which is a good thing since the goal of the game is exploration, not combat. But when the combat gets tough, there is no slow ramping up in difficulty. Its just BAM, spend the next hour or two dying while trying to fend off the 10 sand guys that won't go away because they keep re-spawning. And to make it worse, you have to babysit an AI controlled partner. UGHH!
Ok, I know that will seem petty to some of you. And in another game, it wouldn't even have been mentioned. But the style and pace of this game is SO sweet otherwise, that it makes this fault stand out like a zit on the end of a beauty queens nose. But as I said, this will in no way stop you from wanting to finish this game.
Now on to the good things. This game is gorgeous. Its like a Saturday morning cartoon, or like watching Disney's Aladdin. Everthing from the way the Prince moves, to the architecture, to the way the light shines through windows or wall cracks , to the way the enemies lumber along like some sand zombie might, its perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Speaking of the Prince's moves, this guy is Spiderman's ancient relative. He can do it all. Any move you've ever seen another character do can likely be done here. Flips, long jumps, rope swinging, pole climbing, wall jumping, hand sliding on ledges, its all here. And these moves are done with incredible ease. Give the game a half hour and you'll be wall running, somersaulting and back flipping like second nature. And the best thing (thank you UbiSoft) is that the Prince will never fall unless you intentionally make him. Run straight at a precipice and and he'll grab the edge at the last moment before falling off. Definitely eliminates one of the major frustration factors from other games.
My final and favorite part is the way the story is told. Apparently, the events of the game happened a long time ago because the Prince himself tells the tale. And its cool. For instance, when/if you die the Prince will say something like, "No, no, it didn't happen like that" or "Thats not what happened. Shall I begin again?" A small touch, but just one more thing to draw you into the story of the game and not let go. Plus, if the game wasn't good enough on its own, you get the entire Prince of Persia 1 ans 2 on the game to unlock after you finish the game.
As you can tell, I love this game. Its not perfect, but what in life ever is. This is a close as it comes and as good as it gets. UbiSoft is on a roll this season with Rainbow Six 3 and now Prince of Persia. You've wasted enough time reading this, go get PoP. Now.
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