Posted August 30, 2009
"Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" is one of the most infuriating, irritating, and aggravating games I've ever had the PLEASURE of playing! Nearly everything about this game is great, except for the poorly-conceived camera system.
First, the good:
This is a fantastic update to the original "Prince of Persia" game(s), retaining the charm of the original while adding a whole new level of modern sophistication. The 3D graphics are great, having a colorful, cartoonish charm, and still look spectacular even without some modern enhancements like bump-mapping and motion-blurring.
The plot, characters, and voice acting are very entertaining, keeping the player interested enough to want to play the game to its conclusion. Special mention must go to both the Prince himself and his female companion, Farah. The Prince has a youthful, cocky charm, making him a fun player-character. His non-player companion, Farah, is one of the most wonderfully-conceived NPC's I've ever seen in an action game! Her spunky charm makes you hope/want to see her and the Prince hook up at the end, and her skills are complimentary to the Prince's, making her a valuable ally and not a hindrance.
The animation is superb! The prince is able to perform some amazing acrobatics that are exhilarating to watch, putting circus performers to shame, yet the acrobatics remain believable. The prince can run up walls, swing from ropes and flagpoles, tumble forwards, and do spectacular leaps, and other stunts that would have Jackie Chan seething with jealousy!
The action elements are very fun, alternating from fighting, dodging, climbing, swinging, running, and puzzle-solving. The puzzles are often head-scratching at first, but never so obscure that you won't figure them out or defeat them after some trial and error. Some puzzles and traps do require a fair amount of dexterity with the controls, though. This is an action game, after all.
The bad:
THE CAMERA POSITIONING IS OFTEN CRAZY! For most of the casual parts of the game, the camera viewpoint seems to work, but at many critical points, the camera switches the viewpoint in the middle of the action, leading to many a frustrating death. For example, there's a point where you must cross a bridge by running forward as the bridge collapses behind you. You push the joystick forward (up), and the Prince runs forward. Suddenly, midway across the bridge, the camera switches to the SIDE VIEW of the bridge. Guess what? Pushing forward (up) now sends the Prince off the side of the bridge, plunging to his screaming death! That was extremely frustrating to the point of insanity!
This camera positioning problem is my only major gripe. Often times, the switching camera viewpoint makes playing the game almost "Dragon's Lair-esque," where you have to time your movements against the switching camera at critical moments. Only the greatness of everything else in the game was able to compensate for this frustrating "feature."
Another minor "bad:" I thought that the end boss was a bit too easy to defeat. Not enough to make the ending unsatisfying, but just a touch of a let-down. Still, this is an extremely minor gripe, especially compared to the "camera" frustrations.
Overall: The camera problems nearly made me quit the game many times in frustration, but EVERYTHING else in the game is classic stuff, possibly making "Sands of Time" one of the greatest games ever made! The very fun play mechanics and swashbuckling action, along with a great story and a wonderful NPC in the form of Farah makes this one of the best games I've ever played.
I consider PoP:SoT to be one of the best games ever made, despite my hatred of the camera system. I STILL recommend the game highly, but be forewarned that the game may push your frustration threshold to the limit.
First, the good:
This is a fantastic update to the original "Prince of Persia" game(s), retaining the charm of the original while adding a whole new level of modern sophistication. The 3D graphics are great, having a colorful, cartoonish charm, and still look spectacular even without some modern enhancements like bump-mapping and motion-blurring.
The plot, characters, and voice acting are very entertaining, keeping the player interested enough to want to play the game to its conclusion. Special mention must go to both the Prince himself and his female companion, Farah. The Prince has a youthful, cocky charm, making him a fun player-character. His non-player companion, Farah, is one of the most wonderfully-conceived NPC's I've ever seen in an action game! Her spunky charm makes you hope/want to see her and the Prince hook up at the end, and her skills are complimentary to the Prince's, making her a valuable ally and not a hindrance.
The animation is superb! The prince is able to perform some amazing acrobatics that are exhilarating to watch, putting circus performers to shame, yet the acrobatics remain believable. The prince can run up walls, swing from ropes and flagpoles, tumble forwards, and do spectacular leaps, and other stunts that would have Jackie Chan seething with jealousy!
The action elements are very fun, alternating from fighting, dodging, climbing, swinging, running, and puzzle-solving. The puzzles are often head-scratching at first, but never so obscure that you won't figure them out or defeat them after some trial and error. Some puzzles and traps do require a fair amount of dexterity with the controls, though. This is an action game, after all.
The bad:
THE CAMERA POSITIONING IS OFTEN CRAZY! For most of the casual parts of the game, the camera viewpoint seems to work, but at many critical points, the camera switches the viewpoint in the middle of the action, leading to many a frustrating death. For example, there's a point where you must cross a bridge by running forward as the bridge collapses behind you. You push the joystick forward (up), and the Prince runs forward. Suddenly, midway across the bridge, the camera switches to the SIDE VIEW of the bridge. Guess what? Pushing forward (up) now sends the Prince off the side of the bridge, plunging to his screaming death! That was extremely frustrating to the point of insanity!
This camera positioning problem is my only major gripe. Often times, the switching camera viewpoint makes playing the game almost "Dragon's Lair-esque," where you have to time your movements against the switching camera at critical moments. Only the greatness of everything else in the game was able to compensate for this frustrating "feature."
Another minor "bad:" I thought that the end boss was a bit too easy to defeat. Not enough to make the ending unsatisfying, but just a touch of a let-down. Still, this is an extremely minor gripe, especially compared to the "camera" frustrations.
Overall: The camera problems nearly made me quit the game many times in frustration, but EVERYTHING else in the game is classic stuff, possibly making "Sands of Time" one of the greatest games ever made! The very fun play mechanics and swashbuckling action, along with a great story and a wonderful NPC in the form of Farah makes this one of the best games I've ever played.
I consider PoP:SoT to be one of the best games ever made, despite my hatred of the camera system. I STILL recommend the game highly, but be forewarned that the game may push your frustration threshold to the limit.