Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was undoubtedly one of the best games of 2003/2004. It was charming and witty, set in a beautifully airy palace where dust-motes danced in beams of sunlight shining through the windows. More important than all this, it was thought-provoking and highly enjoyable, in a market currently flooded by grisly, brainless first person shooters.
So where can you go from there? Sadly, despite everything it had going for it, Sands of Time didn't sell many copies. This has caused Ubisoft to run in completely the opposite direction with its sequel, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. I can imagine the design meeting going something like this:
Designer: So, we have a game which people really enjoy, but it didn't sell that well. What can we do to improve this?
Marketer: Semi-clad leather-wearing women! Preferably in thongs!!!
Marketer: Pant
Designer: O......kay, and what about the gameplay?
Marketer: Well, we had a game before that was all about finding your way to the next section, with occasional fighting. How about we create a sequel that's all about fighting, with a bit of not-very-interesting exploring and a lot of confusion. That can pass as pseudo-intelligent and will keep people playing longer.
Thus, the problems with this game are numerous and huge. Combat, the weakest aspect of Sands of Time, is now the main focus. It crops up everywhere, and the large number of combos you are provided with reduces the whole process to a button-mashing mess. The sandstone palace has been replaced by a gothic castle, grey and dark, with a sound track to match. The whole game in fact is seeped in bloody grimness, with much more emphasis being placed on decapitation and cleaving animations than on exploration and enjoyment. The script, such as it is, ranges from cheesy to downright painful, with the Prince's charm and wit so lacking that you could be forgiven for thinking that Warrior Within was written by those responsible for the brain-dead offerings of Need For Speed Underground.
It doesn't end there either. The camera, which caused most of the frustration in Sands of Time, remains unchanged. You still can't pan through walls, which occasionally forces the player into unnecessarily claustrophobic environments, or makes you fight against opponents who are off the edge of the screen. The fixed camera angles can also be problematic - to pick a specific example, on one occasion you have to run up a wall and grab a rope. The camera is fixed in a position which makes this difficult, but makes accidentally running along the wall and out over the edge of a cliff much easier.
Sadly, this game is a disappointment from the very first cut-scene. Boycott it - go out and buy Sands of Time instead. You won't regret it, and you will be giving an under-sold game some much needed support.
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