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Review: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
by VGLN Staff
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
The Sands of Time is perhaps one of the best adventures games of our time.
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Title:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
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Platform:
Xbox |
Publisher:
Ubisoft
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Developer:
Ubisoft Montreal
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#
of Players: 1
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Genre:
Action/Adventure
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Origin:
Canada
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Expected
Release: November 18, 2003
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Grapevine:
"Good graphics, audio, cinematics, and unlockables make this game a must have for any action/adventure lover." |
“Most believe time is like a river, that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you…they are wrong. Time is like an ocean in a storm.”
-Prince of Persia
Time…man has battled it since the beginning of his existence. Life is nothing more than a constant race against time. But what if one could control time…slow it down, speed it up, stop it, or even rewind it? What if one could undo the already done and do it a different way? Well, those questions have been answered in the latest installment of the Prince of Persia series, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. In The Sands of Time, you take control of a young Persian prince trying to prove his worth to his father in battle as they overrun an Indian Maharajah’s city. During the battle, you come across a strange dagger that a Vizier, treacherous to the Maharajah, desires. He tricks you, convincing you to insert the dagger into the forbidden Hourglass, and in consequence, you release the Sands of Time. The Sands overrun the kingdom, turning anyone in its path into a vicious sand monster, except the Vizier, Farah (daughter of the Maharajah), and the Prince, for they all hold certain artifacts as ancient as the Hourglass itself (the Vizier’s Staff, Farah’s Medallion, and the Prince’s Dagger). Now, to redeem himself, the Prince, with the help of Farah and a time-controlling dagger, must foil the Vizier’s evil intentions and return the Sands of Time to the Hourglass.
Ok, now that you all know the story, let us look at the gameplay. All I have to say is…wow. I have never been a fan of games in which one must run, jump, and avoid huge holes in the environment, which is exactly what this game includes. However, unlike most of the games that fall into this category, PoP has found a way out! “How?” one might ask. Well, let us consider a few things. How many of these games do you know allow for wall running, wall jumping, flips, spins, and all kinds of different acrobatic techniques? Few, if any. The ability to control time also really helps this game become more than a simple jump-over-holes type game. If one finds themselves falling to his/her death, they can activate the Dagger to rewind time and try again! Amazing! The controls are easy to get under one’s fingers. The combat system is very well developed, allowing for a number of different acrobatic attacks and evasions. In terms of aspects such as acrobatic characters and camera control, PoP is very similar to Ubisoft’s other recent release, Beyond Good and Evil. Speaking of similar camera control, though PoP does give the player camera control (most of the time) like BGE, it also can have some weird angles in combat. It also can become very…resistant in some areas, whether it is being blocked by a wall, or it feels it “knows” a better angle than the player requests. Anyway, simply put, the camera is a little more than adequate, due mostly to the fact that most of the camera control is given to the player, who can choose to turn or zoom the camera in and out, as well as get a first-person view and a landscape view.
The Prince is able to pull off some fancy moves while in combat.
The graphics are very appealing. The environments include beautiful water animations, crumbling walks and ledges, and fun with lights and mirrors. The characters are all very detailed, from the Prince’s facial expressions to Farah’s big, bouncy…bow. Anyhow, the game runs at 30fps and in progressive scan. To put it simply, the game’s graphics are above satisfactory.
The audio is very appealing as well. The game’s soundtrack has a Middle-Eastern feel with some modern influence, including present-day guitar riffs and drum beats. The audio is smooth and real, as the Prince winds up talking to himself many times in the game, especially when he becomes frustrated with a situation. The sound effects are great, from the sound of the Prince walking to his grunts while moving something across the floor. Once again, a major plus for the game.
The presentation is just as good, for it combines the beauty of the graphics and the appealing feel of the audio to form brilliant cinematics. The game itself is the Prince telling his account of the adventure the player is participating in. This story-telling type of adventure keeps the game very linear, but well orchestrated. This game is well put together and shows it off.
The replay value scores high for this non-multiplayer game for a number of reasons. The first reason…no one ever gets tired of running on walls! The second reason would be the unlockables! When one beats the game, they unlock the original Prince of Persia! If one beats the original Prince of Persia, they unlock Prince of Persia 2! The only PoP game left out is Prince of Persia 3D…that’s too bad…Anyway, all three of these challenging games can provide hours upon hours of fun, if not frustration (Fans of the original, you will know what I am talking about).
In conclusion, Ubisoft has made yet another winner. Good graphics, audio, cinematics, and unlockables make this game a must have for any action/adventure lover. Grab the Sands. Control time. Redeem the Prince of Persia!
--- Jeremy Gard
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