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Game of the year? I've been keeping with Prince of Persia's development for a while now since the game looked great. I had the chance to play through the handheld game recently, and it was quite good. I had high expectations for the console editions, and luckily, they have been fulfilled.
The game's story is rather predicable. The King of Persia took over another castle, so the Prince wants to get off his shadow for a bit and gain some glory on his own. To do this he steals the Dagger of Time. Vizier, the King's disloyal assistant, later tricks him to unleash the Sands of Time. This made everyone except for the Prince, Vizier and a princess named Farah into sand demons. That wasn't part of the plan so it's up to you to get it back.
The gameplay in Sands of Time is simple yet effective. Ubisoft seems to have mastered using a difficulty curve because Sands of Time's difficulty curve is excellent. At first, you master your beginning moves and think the game will be easy. Gradually, you are introduced to more moves and tougher enemies. Enough so that the challenge is there but not so much that you're left wondering what happened. As you begin to master Prince's move set, Farah makes an appearance. This keeps the game fresh because you're now responsible for another person's safety. She isn't too bad though since she can sort of defend herself and is helpful in the puzzles. She doesn't last through the whole game, though.
Sands of Time isn't very long, you're first play through won't last more than ten hours or so. Nonetheless, those hours are excellent and its much better to play through a tight, short game than one filled with filler content.
The titular Sands of Time make an appearance in the game. I used it mostly for rewinding mistakes I’ve made. You can also use this to slow down time or even stop it completely. It’s pretty cool to attack an enemy the wrong way and simply go back. You’ll mess up quite a bit since the enemies in Sands of Time can be pretty relentless. Their difficulty level increases throughout the game, but hopefully you get better. There are a few boss fights here and there but they aren’t that hard, surprisingly.
I’m not particularly fond of cut scenes that take too long to get their point across. In Sands of Time, most of the story isn’t told through cut scenes. Farah and Prince talk to each other along the way, moving the story forward without making you put down the controller. The dialogue between them is pretty charming, too. The game’s cinematic qualities are further enhanced. When you first reach an area the camera moves around showing you a rough route. Same happens with the save points.
The game’s visuals are also breathtaking. It was developed by Ubisoft’s Montreal studio, also behind Splinter Cell, so that shouldn’t be a surprise. The areas are very detailed and full of life. They are also quite expansive but always look great. You’ll go everywhere from courtyards to dungeons, each with their own unique look. The Sands of Time effects are awesome; you have to see them to believe them. The character models don’t push polygon limits but the animation is intense. The Xbox version has the best frame rates, lighting, character models and textures. As expected, Progressive Scan is supported.
The audio is very strong. The soundtrack fits the game perfectly, being moody yet intense. The dialog is well written and sounds excellent. The sound effects are excellent and the quality is top notch. You can hear this all in Dolby Digital.
Xbox owners can replay Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2, not just the original Prince of Persia like the other consoles, as an unlockable. There's also a level from the original remade in 3D. They also get a behind-the-scenes making of feature. As an added bonus, Live Aware is supported so you can get invites to other games while playing this one.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is an excellent game. It’s a noteworthy contender for Game of the Year, to say the least. The visuals are excellent, sound is fantastic, gameplay is solid. Overall, it’s a must have this holiday season. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Nov 19, 2003
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