Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Review
Prince of Persia's rebooted franchise has established a very familiar formula at this point. Put a kingdom in peril, insert the prince, make him jump ,roll,dodge, leap and parkour about, whilst fighting baddies then the stir in a great narrative and epic final battle.The result is usually a stunning game which will keep you enthralled for hours.
The Forgotten Sands is no exception, although I felt that it plays it too safe. This is the old prince and game play style you may remember from previous games and I think fans of the series will enjoy this "episode" short as it is.
Graphics - This is a great looking game. The palace is remarkably detailed from giant tapestries and minuets to detailed stonework and gorgeous water effects. One could easily overlook the care that went into the backgrounds and models as they blast through the levels . Maliq and side characters also look spot on. And from an animations standpoint the Prince is too. Every detail of his movement is lifelike and well executed.
That said, the prince apparently visited Janice Dickenson' s plastic surgeon. Not sure what happened here but he looks like a different.....and much uglier dude. Now of course this may be partly the fact that he is in "HD next gen" for the first time. Thankfully, the voice is familiar and you will probably forget this minor snafu early on. Besides, you spend more time looking at the back of his head than his ugly mug anyways.
Audio-
This game sounds great, but the really star of the show is the music..which really makes many dull moments come to life and it certainly stands up to rest of the series. Epic music-thumbs up there
Controls-
Right off the bat you already know these controls if you have played a POP game which a few exceptions.
1. I had to invert the Y axis in the menu- not sure but I could have sworn that this setting was default on previous games- no biggie-
2. You will be using allot of shoulder buttons later in game. Your hands will cramp up so get the tiger balm ready and give your digits a break after a while.
Gameplay- Well its very standard POP - The game incorporates a few new moves and new mechanics. The core of which is freezing water, well freezing is not really correct. You make water solid, so it's like freezing minus the cold. This mechanic is great because it offers some challenging new puzzles where you have to time the freezing , on and off to get through one waterfall than jump to another etc. There are a few other new mechanics but this one is the most frequently used.
Combat-
The combat is an issue, I can see that they wanted to streamline and simplify it however I think they over simplified it. The enemies are a total pushover.Sometimes they just stand there waiting for you to cut them down while holding their swords likes they are about swing but first they want to give YOU a chance to kill them....???? W T H ?
The addition of powers like the fire trail and freeze blast thing makes this WAY TOO EASY. Combat is almost an annoyance in this game and certainly takes backseat to platforming. Which is OK,...but Warrior Within was able to balance this and I don't see why they chose to go the opposite way here. I prefer the deeper combat system and I question this choice by the developers .
Also- I couldn't help but notice that all the mid-bosses are all the exact same enemy...roll away let him hit the wall the slice his ankles, jump on him stab him and repeat- Including the Efreet-
wow talk about lazy, if there had been more diversity this may have salvaged the combat a bit.
One last thing on game play; I thought the boss fight in the last game was WAY TOO HARD.....this game it was quite the opposite.....in fact I cant recall a recent game where the final boss was such a push over.
Story-
The story is pretty straightforward and has very few twist turns or anything interesting to it that would actually make me care. The only dynamic is the whole "Brothers" thing and even that falls flat. It almost seems like the story was an after thought.
This is a shame because in my opinion it's the games biggest issue. The thing that made "The Sands of Time" a great game was the AMAZING narrative . It was as if a story from Arabian Nights had come to life and put YOU right in the middle as the hero. This series is built on a great character and great storytelling but sadly here it really fails to sweep you up. This is a minor "Episode" of the princes life and rather mediocre one at that.
Conclusion-
This is not a bad game, it just suffers from a few minor issues and a mediocre story. Fans of POP will be right at home with this game and I suspect will find some enjoyment with the new freeze water power. My advise--->Rent it-
It is a good game just not up to snuff with the rest of the series....don't waste 60 bucks -- because although it has some unlockable modes etc. chances are after you beat this game you'll move on. It had allot of potential but I felt it was just short of the mark of being a rightful heir to this series throne.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Feature
- From huge-scale multi-enemy combat to dizzying feats of acrobatic prowess in gigantic environments enhanced by the Prince?s ability to control nature and time, The Forgotten Sands will push the Prince?s prodigious abilities to a not-yet-seen level.
- With all-out war at the gates of the kingdom, the Prince?s abilities will be challenged like never before through the course of epic wow moments, be it by scaling a castle tower collapsing under bombardment or combating foes hundreds of feet tall.
- Wielding powers of nature and time, the Prince will have unparalleled mastery over his environment and his enemies. The Prince will discover that harnessing the forces of nature itself will prove to be a devastating companion to his ability to rewind time.
- Powered by the Anvil Engine used for Assassin?s Creed 2, The Forgotten Sands promises to bring a Prince of Persia experience like never before seen. Battle hordes of enemies at once, explore life-like settings, and experience a more powerful Prince.
- Set between Prince of Persia ? The Sands of Time and Warrior Within, The Forgotten Sands provides fans with a new chapter in the saga of the Prince, and an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the events from this series.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Overview
Marking the next-gen console debut of Ubisoft’s critically acclaimed series, Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands is the next chapter in the fan-favorite Sands of Time universe. Visiting his brother’s kingdom following his adventure in Azad, the Prince finds the royal palace under siege from a mighty army bent on its destruction. His brother Malik decides to use the ancient power of the Sand in a desperate gamble to save the kingdom from total annihilation. To save the kingdom, the Prince must embark on an epic adventure in which he will learn to bear the mantle of true leadership, and that great power often comes with a great cost.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Specifications
Embark on an adventure to an exotic land and unleash your legendary moves on enemies as the acclaimed Prince of Persia: Sands of Time story line makes its return. Unfolding with the mystery and powerful narrative that have become classic elements in this series, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands challenges you to unleash powerful offensive attacks and destroy your enemies. Race against time in an unforgiving world as you experience the return of the vaunted Prince of Persia.
 Stunning visuals.View larger. |
 Cinematic storyline. View larger. |
 Confront the danger. View larger. |
 Battle against enemies determined to take you down. View larger. |
Synopsis Journey to a land of legendary combat and mysterious circumstances in this new installment to the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time franchise. Prepare yourself for impossible battles and know that you will come face to face with death as you engage in deadly combat. Experience many of your favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations. The mystery and magic of the old-as-time fight between good and evil comes to life with all its rewards and consequences in Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Features:
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jun 27, 2010 04:50:28
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