A classic of the PS2 era (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2)
Date:	06/09/09 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun combat and great gameplay engine

Disadvantages: Too easy and short

I have fond memories of playing the Prince of Persia series in its 2D age when I had an Amiga. The thought of a remake made me a little worried that they'd ruin the spirit with a bunch of gimmicks, but I'm happy to report that this outdoes the original game in every way. This is a technical landmark with a genius gameplay engine, and is also visually impressive to boot.

The visuals are appropriately baroque given the subject matter and setting - character animations, especially during fighting and the Prince's awesome acrobatics, are superbly rendered. The physics of the jumping elements are in particular very well motion captured, and it's a nice touch that articles of clothing actually sway in the wind as opposed to looking like planks of wood like they used to. The aural design must also be mentioned for its impressiveness - the sound effects are very over the top but in a fun way, making this something resembling a very entertaining B-movie with lavish "set" design. The actual score is fairly rudimentary "lounge"-style atmospheric stuff, but it works within the tone and mood of the game, so won't get any criticism from me!

The premise involves The Prince fighting to gain his father's honour by discovering a magic dagger that is able to control time. However, the whole mess gets very complicated when he is tricked by a Vizier into unlocking the Sands of Time, which may ultimately result in the end of existence if they get into the wrong hands. Thus, The Prince endeavours to get them back, and quickly, you come across the time dagger, allowing you to correct yourself if you get into trouble - for instance, if you mis-time or mis-judge a fall, you can simply rewind with the trigger button and attempt the jump again.

This is an immensely fun game that's got a wealth of features, and although rather short, and not terribly challenging, is so fresh and exciting that I don't really care! It's a given that a game which centers around something that allows you to correct yourself is going to be pretty easy, but the fact that the game remembers your movements is mind-blowing to me - I'm astounded at how this technology was implemented - it's very clever indeed. It will also allow you to freeze enemies, and even fastforward time a little bit. On the other side of the coin, though, your luck will eventually run out, as you have to collect sand to be able to rewind time.

This is clever and original gaming that should be played by everyone who wants a smart outing along with their action and acrobatics.

Summary: An unchallenging but extremely satisfying game nonetheless