Review
Release Date: 11.04.2003
Platform:
GameCubeDeveloper:
Ubisoft MontrealPublisher:
Ubisoft EntertainmentReviewed by
Wade Monnig on 1.8.2004
| Review Rating: 10/10 | User Rating: 8.59/10 |
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time has stormed all three systems with its mixture of platforming, puzzles and straight up action. For many gamers, the question isn’t if they should pick up POP: SOT but which system should they snag it for. Having played all three, I would personally rate them in this order: Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2. The Xbox version sports the best graphics with excellent use of shadow effects, two unlockable Prince of Persia games (the original Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2), the “Making of” DVD content, and the promise of downloadable extras via Xbox Live. The GameCube version has connectivity with the GBA Prince of Persia: SOT title, the original Prince of Persia is also unlockable, and the graphics stand up to the Xbox version is most respects. It does have a slightly longer load times when compared to the Xbox version, but nothing uncommon to the GameCube. The PlayStation 2 version has POP1 unlockable and the “Making of” DVD content. As you can see, none of these choices are “bad”; it is only a matter of what you are looking for in each release.
If you haven’t read either of our previous two Prince of Persia: Sands of Time reviews (Xbox and PS2) let me fill you in on why Sands of Time is one of the must play releases of this, or any other, year. POP: SOT takes place within a striking, mystifying world of masterfully rendered Persian architecture, animals and attire. After his father invades the palace of the Maharajah, the Prince, tricked by a treacherous vizier, uses a magic dagger to release the dangerous Sands of Time from an ornate hourglass. With the aid of a beautiful princess Farah, the prince sets out to regain his father’s kingdom from the disaster he unwittingly released.
The storyline is mostly comprised of voice-overs. Sure, there are movies between levels but the majority of the story is done via dialogue. The narrator is the Prince himself who carries the plot via conversations with you, the game player, and other characters within the game. The voice actor of the prince is flawlessly cast and really draws the player in. The only real drawback to this set-up is that, if you are playing on a mono television or a less than enthusiastic stereo TV, some of the voice-overs can be difficult to hear. In most other aural areas, such as sound effects, the volume is well balanced. You hear sand crunch underfoot as you move, listen to pebbles fall from a ledge as you creep along a crumbling overhang, and the heed the jarring ticking sound of precious seconds slipping away as you set the traps that open a door at the end of a level. On the same unrivaled level of the voice acting and sounds effects is the soundtrack: a rock/Persian/vocal mixture that sets the stage for everything from combat to taking a simple drink of water.
The controls for Prince of Persia give new meaning to intuitive. Wall Running? A single direction and button press. Leaping over an enemy is slow-motion Matrix style? Once again, a single direction and button press. Enemies vary in appearance and style ranging from humans infected with the Sands of Time to the animals of the kingdom fused with the same. However, each enemy type uses a different attack pattern and presents different tests for your skills. Early in the game, simple sword attack combos combined with the aforementioned enemy leap makes most adversaries easy prey. Switching between multiple attackers is as easy as moving the analog stick. After a few levels, you will find the biggest challenge comes from mastering the timing of fending off enemies while dispatching others by drawing the Sands of Time from within them. Later in the game, you come across the infamous “blues” who will swat you out of the air like an irritating fly if you attempt to vault over them. However, the prince is more than ready with other moves, such as the wall jump/attack, to pierce their defenses. Overall, the combat is simple but varied enough that I, unlike some other players I have heard complain, never tired of it. Considering I played through the entire game twice (once for the Xbox, Once for the GameCube), I consider that high praise.
A masterful mixture of both combat and puzzle solving, POP: SOT uses time manipulation in both areas. The Dagger of Time, the only weapon that can collect the sands of time and return it to the hourglass, has many functions. The most basic is the Power of Revival: Allowing you to undo your mistakes or missteps in combat and general gameplay, even if they ended in “death”. As you progress through the game, you also earn Sand Tanks and Power Tanks by collecting sand from enemies and sand clouds that, in turn, gives you new powers. You learn the slow-motion Power of Delay, the freezing Power of Restraint, and the enemy-devastating Power of Haste. The final power, though one you receive almost immediately, is the Power of Vision which gives you flash-back (or, in this case flash-forward) views of upcoming traps and hints on how to overcome them.
The levels within the game are mammoth and, by that, I don’t mean lengthy. They feature colossal architectural that dwarfs the player giving each levels a massive, yet devastated, look. If there is one flaw with the levels, it is that they are really one big puzzle. The vast majority of the time there is only one way to complete a quest set before you. Multiple solutions to the puzzles would have been an excellent addition but, in turn, would have taken away from mind teaser aspect of The Sands of Time.
A true contender for Game of the Year for 2003, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a masterfully executed mixture of puzzles, platforming and simple yet engaging combat.
