bit-tech Shopping: UbiSoft Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (GC)

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1

Strengths: Gaphics, Gameplay, and Sound are great. Overall great game.

Weaknesses: Controls can be strange at first.

Summary: It is a fantastic game that holds a swiftness that makes it feel like a dance. The movments and battle abitties are all incredibly smooth. Also via camera movements and including most of the dialouge in the actuall gameplay, the lack of cutscenes can be easily overlooked. The Time powers are incredible also, and they'll save your life more that once. This is no hack-n-slash game, although most of the cool music is during the battle sequences, but that's just what they are: Sequences. Your not constantly killing things. It gives you a feeling of living it that I can't describe here, but it is a wonderful game.

Rating: 6

Time with product: 2

Strengths: Unique Prince of Persia gameplay/moves, good graphics, paired with a good story.

Weaknesses: Unpredictable controls at times

Summary: One of the things that makes Prince of Persia stand out from other action games is the gameplay mechanics. Running up walls, dodging, climbing, these are all things that occasionally pop up in other games, but not with the complexity involved in PoP. The story is basic, but keeps you interested. One of the few things that annoys me with this game is the ability to dodge... right off of a bridge. It is certainly possible to avoid dodging in places where that is possible, but it seems that it should be part of the dodge action to not fall off a cliff.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2

Strengths: Great story, unique time control powers, unique puzzles and platforming challenges.

Weaknesses: Fights are somewhat repetitive, lack of "boss" monsters.

Summary: The Prince of Persia series is truly reborn in the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This is a very well designed and polished game. The graphics are good and the art direction is very well developed. I found this to be an engaging game, one of those that keeps your interest throughout the entire experience. This is done by the introduction and interaction with other key characters throughout the game that really makes you feel like you are driving the action. The story is well told but I think the defining feature for this game is the presentation of platforming puzzles. The Prince has a number of great acrobatic moves (unique when the game first came out) and challenges you to figure out how you need to interact with the 3d environment. Once you have figured out how to get to point "b" from point "a", you still must perform the necessary acrobatic moves to execute your plan. This becomes even more exciting when you have mastered some of the Prince's moves and are then challenged by collapsing flooring and other environmental hazards. In all, this is a great game. If you haven't picked it up yet and are looking for a unique game with an interesting story I would recommend this one.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: Solid graphics and audio, time manipulation powers, decent storyline, good platforming and combat, budget price

Weaknesses: Too much rock and roll, linear gameplay, short overall length, limited replay value and extras, frame rate issues

Summary: The Prince of Persia series began as a simple 2D puzzle and combat series on PC. Although previous attempts at 3D gameplay yielded mediocre results, Sands of Times finds the prince back in fine fashion. Gameplay is an equal mix of hand-to-hand combat and acrobatic maneuvering through a variety of environments. The ability to manipulate time provides a welcome new twist the typical Tomb Raider-type exploration, and occasional puzzle-solving further breaks up the monotony. The linear gameplay and short overall length mean you probably won't be back for more after your initial runthrough. Still, the innovative time manipulation gimmick, interesting storyline and solid platform/combat elements keep the gameplay interesting while it lasts.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Years

Strengths: Total package

Weaknesses:

Summary: Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time is an excellent game from Ubisoft, who is on a real hit streak. POP is a sequel of sorts to the eighties classic of the same name, now in 3d. The story follows a young prince and princess thrust into a struggle for the world after a ancient artifact unleashes horrors upon the world. Trapped in a castle, the prince and princess must get out and restore the Sands of Time. Prince of Persia really holds onto it's platforming adventure roots. Most of the game consists of leaping form perilous edge to precarious precipice. Figuring out how to get from A to B is half the fun, all the while having to fend off monsters and attackers. Much of the game deals with leaping puzzles, and devising a path through swinging blades, collapsing platforms and spike filled traps. This would make an excellent game on it's own, but not a very original one. POP: SOT has added an excellent variant on the original's formula: time manipulation. As you progress through Prince Of Persia, the prince will gain additional time manipulation skills. You will eventually be able to rewind, pause, speed up, slow down and otherwise manipulate time. This allows you to save a life taking fall, out run and fight a horde of enemies, and avoid the most deadly of traps. There is a hint of the matrix in all of this, but POP: SOT manages to avoid the matrix cliches that are apparent in many other games. Management of your time powers is essential to get through certain puzzles and traps. In addition to excellent gameplay and control, POP: SOT holds up extremely well in more superficial aspects. The graphics are really excellent, offering a design and art style rarely seen in games, the middle eastern inspired visuals are quite pretty. The music and sound is equally good. Voice overs are sparse, but well inserted into the game, advancing both the story and the player's sense of immersion. The sounds of clashing steel, crumbling walls and crashing rock also help the sense of immersion. Lastly the music is perfect, and instead of generic rock or electronic themes, POP aims of a middle eastern inspired string sound. Prince of Persia Sand of Time is much like Ubisoft's other recent work, Splinter Cell, Beyond Good and Evil-nothing short of excellent. The graphics and sound great, both in quality and originality. And the control is tight, making the crazy leaps and tense situations a ball to jump around in. Highly recommended.