The Prince returns to the exotic Persia. 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, mysterious, and potentially untrustworthy ally, players guide the Prince to recapture the Sands of Time and restore peace to the land.
Gravity-defying acrobatics, ferocious fighting combos, and the ability to bend time to fulfill destiny. Erase the past, behold the future, and freeze the present in real-time for unlimited gameplay variations.
Uncover the mysteries of a world never before explored in action-adventure gaming. Ancient, mythical, and deadly, Persia holds a staggering array of landscapes and kingdoms to explore and conquer.
Age requirements: ESRB Rating: TEEN with Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence. PEGI Rating: 12+ with Violence.
Minimum system requirements: Windows XP or Windows Vista, 1 GHz Processor (1.4 GHz recommended), 256MB RAM (512 recommended), 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 9, Mouse, Keyboard.
You probably have heard of (and played) the original "Prince of Persia". It was a megasuccess that was ported to almost every game system in existence, including cell phones and whatnot. This game is a very successful translation of its formula to full 3D, after the very disappointing "Prince of Persia 3D".... full review
This game is adapted for the tastes of modern, more casual gamers, so here a small mistake leading to death doesn't mean you have to replay the whole level. Ubisoft Montreal had the idea to implement a "rewind" feature that allowed to undo failed jumps and stunts so you can try them again instantly. Jordan Mechner, designer of the original game and screenwriter for "Sands of Time", took this idea and ran with it, creating one of the most memorable game experiences ever seen. The story is very well integrated in the game (with cutscenes thankfully kept to a minimum), and your banter with the female interest/sidekick, Farah, makes you care about both characters much more than in most videogames.
The next games were technically better and had some improvements in the formula, but the script wasn't as involving as this one, making this the better game, and for me at least, a classic. This one is the one with the heart, and the game that I keep going back to.
Terrific Time Travelling Tomfoolery
(by
ShmenonPie)
I'll start off by quoting 'Yahtzee' Croshaw of Zero Punctuation fame, who said that the Prince of Persia trilogy was the best series of the last generation of consoles. While I wouldn't go as far as that, I can't deny that this game is phenomenal, and I can't wait for the two sequels to be GOG'ed.... full review
The gameplay mechanic of playing with time is incredible - it makes you wonder how the developers of Timeshift can moan about the problems of implementing time reversal when this game did it several years before. It never gets old seeing yourself epic-leap up a cliff, get unstabbed and backflip over an enemy whilst going back in time - getting killed becomes a 5 second entertainment, in a way. Of course, when you run out of sand tanks so you can no longer rewind, getting sent back to earlier in the game seems irritating, but this is only notable in how little it happens so long as you pay attention to the environments.
There are a few moments that make players want to shed both their tears and hair, but these are very few. The most notable is when you are locked in a chamber with a proverbial ton of enemies, and after battling all these you must defeat your father. This can take about half an hour to an hour, but for the player that perseveres, the game becomes gradually more rewarding from this point onwards.
The style of the game is excellent - from the crazy black and white visions to the enemy sand monsters to the giant aviary level, the design is consistently outstanding. The soundtrack is nothing too memorable, but it's enjoyable to listen to, and I can say, having played both the PS2 and PC versions of this game, this version visually rips its console brethren apart.
To conclude - you should prioritise this over almost anything else on GOG, with the possible exception of Beyond Good and Evil.
I loved and truely enjoyed playing every part of this game. It was challenging and fun, unique and interesting throughout every minute.
Remember the last time you sat down to play for only an hour or so, and forgot completely about the time, realizing that you've been there over 2 hours?
Danda)
ShmenonPie)
ninjaholic)