Game Review: Shaman Plays Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands!

The latest chapter of Prince of Persia came out on all three top consoles yesterday and after having seen the game’s trailers, I just had to snag a copy for my own PS3. I have to say that I quite enjoy this chapter as opposed to the last two Ubisoft had released. Plot wise, it's slightly fresh yet VERY similar to the first game on the PS2 called "The Sands of Time" which became an instant classic on the day it was released. Players that don’t enjoy “re-imaginings” might feel the need to turn a cold shoulder to this one but in my opinion they seem to have gone back to their roots so to speak, and that is actually somewhat of a good thing. I prefer the “grit” of the last two PS2 chapters (Warrior Within being my very favourite… Godsmack anyone?) over the lighthearted fantasy setting of the first, but this last one seems to be up the right alley in regards to action adventures and sets itself up to be a brilliant tag-team partner to what I hope to be the best video game adaptation to ever grace the silver screen. Although I have to say, it SHOULDN’T be that hard of an accomplishment. The first Prince of Persia game on the PS3 seemed to be a somewhat failed attempt at a reboot of the franchise but The Forgotten Sands seems to succeed in that aspect for the moment.



The only "beef" I have with it so far are the controls. Not that the character's abilities are any different from its predecessors, but the moves are very much more stiff, slower and heavier in terms of their execution. The “stiffness” is reminiscent of Assassin's Creed's realistic “free running” controls but I have to say that the fighting controls are oceans better than Assassin’s Creed's in regards to fluidness. It's not so much a "beef" per say since it takes very little time to get used to the new controls, but I don't get why it was necessary to incorporate more “reality” to the controls since you are playing in a fantasy setting after all. It just feels a bit like they took a small step back in terms of progress. The three PS2 chapters had the character extremely agile and athletic and I felt it worked fine the way it did so I didn't see the need to fix or downgrade what it was.

Now, even though your actions aren't as quickly executed as in the previous chapters, they did improve certain aspects of them. In the PS2 games, you could easily make mistakes either by running on the wrong wall and automatically back flipping into a pit or just basically jumping in the wrong direction to your death. But now, with the heavier and stiffer moves, your character seems to move more safely and confidently. The flow of the movements is more gradual than the abrupt one of the first games. It leaves less room for error and makes you waste less "rewind" power so that you have more of it when you actually need it. The back in time/rewind power also lasts longer than it did. That also prevents many mistakes without draining you of all your power. The levels are just as entertaining as any of the games and even though you are thrust into action from the opening sequence, the character development flows nicely with the games pacing, limiting “WTF?” moments to a strict minimum.



Comparing it to its previous editions, I have to say that it is the easiest version yet and that players shouldn't feel worried of choosing the "normal" difficulty instead of taking the easy route. I haven't experienced the new "elemental" abilities that you gain further into the game but I will say that I miss the "stealth kills" that quite frankly were the ONLY good part of the third chapter: The Two Thrones. I understood that the duel personality/alter ego was there to bring a new spice to an old recipe but it completely took me out of the adventure every time I had to switch personas. Some say it was no different than Warrior Within’s “switching time eras” gimmick but that didn’t bother me as much, personally. In short, this game is definitely a winner and I recommend it to every fan of the genre. If you’re a bit picky “originality” wise, wait for it to drop down in price but definitely get it ;)

I give it 4 out of 5 stars!!!