Prince of Persia Review: Beauty And The Beast

The long-time “Prince of Persia” fans that have followed it throughout its’ remake trilogy on the PS2 and XBOX have been anticipating the release of the PS3 and XBOX 360 versions. Those gamers that spent several hours playing through those games, already have an idea of what to expect in the new version’s story.  Sadly, I haven’t played any of the previous revamps for the series.  The last time I played “Prince of Persia” was on my PC back in the West Indies.  Before you brush me aside for this atrocity, consider that it is perhaps best to get an opinion from someone like myself, in its most unbiased form.  Like anything under the Sun, “Prince of Persia” is not without fault, even though it has a lot going for it in its current incarnation, but there’s always room for more.  The ending cements itself and sets up what could be another (at least) 4 years of wall runs, leaps, double jumps, and light seed collecting.

Perhaps holding back made this game easy, but nevertheless this game is easy. It may have been intentional by the creators to make it approachable, or it could have been a strong belief in not punishing users with the “Game Over” screen.  It’s odd, but just because you don’t ever see a game over screen, does it make a game easy?   Although, with “Prince of Persia” it might not be necessary; perhaps that’s when all the visuals kick in, and you’re stuck, stuck with it like staring at a midnight Gypsy dancer.  It’s perhaps the right  time for anyone to get aquatinted with the series.  In its current form it is an obvious amalgamation of technologies used in the PS2 titles, and newer systems like the XBOX 360.  Yet, for all the power available to the creators, I’m puzzled why the gameplay mechanics forces you on a set path, one that you are punished heavily for if you do not follow?  For instance, if you don’t perform a double jump when you are supposed to, even though there may be a wall near by that you could do a wall-run jump off of, you will … die or be saved by your partner Elika.  That’s where most people will begin to label this game as not easy.  And, let’s not forget that 14-hit combo that’s almost impossible to pull off for beginners.  In the hopes of keeping the flow of the game going, you will want to be saved by Elika, and every time you fall into a pit, you are almost satisfied that there will be no Game Over screen.  Think of Elika’s life saving cut scenes akin to the reviving chambers in “Bioshock.” At the same time, there is a trophy that you can obtain which requires you to use Elika less than 100 times, however, you’ll quickly find out that attempting this the first time around may seem more challenging that you originally thought. [Continue Reading]

Xbox 360 Achievement Whorage!

I have to admit, I used to be a fan of XBOX Live Achievements. Really. I was one of the early supporters for recording the milestones you’ve achieved during your conquests through videogamedom.

I remember the lunch time arguments about who had the high score in game a or b, or who had gotten all the Choas Emeralds in “Sonic the Hedgehog” or unlocked Super Sonic. Arguments usually went like this; Guy A, “Man the Rocket Launcher in “Resident Evil” was off the hook!” Guy B, “Yeah, and when you jumped off in the parachute and had to kill the Omega Tyrant – that was hot too!” Guy A. “Parachute? What parachute, there’s no Omega Tyrant” Guy B, “Uh Huh! You gotta do six back flips during the final boss battle!”

Obviously Guy B was lying about his supremacy. But with Achievements you could “PROVE” that you did what you said you did. In theory… [Continue Reading]

Nearly 10 Minutes Of Prince Of Persia Gameplay And Interview(Off-camera)!

The TrueGameHeadz crew had a chance to check out UBISOFT’s new Prince of Persia game at their 2008 NYC preview line-up event. I think it’s safe to say the game will be triple A wholesome goodness! Check out the nearly 10 minutes worth of video of the game in action. The Prince is back!

New Prince of Persia for NDS

So here’s the story, Facing imminent danger, the Prince flees to a deserted kingdom that seemingly offers sanctuary. Already touched by the evil Corruption, a dark substance that physically contaminates the land and the skies, the kingdom is filled with adventure, challenge and intrigue. As the Prince seeks a way to fight the spreading Corruption destroying the land, he encounters a partially infected creature that promises salvation. But is the creature truly an ally or merely an enemy in disguise? It seems this perilous alliance may be the only way for the Prince to face the forces of darkness and save the Persian kingdom from the Corruption once and for all.

The game is played with the stylus so pulling off attacks and acrobats will be fast and easy. You’ll travel across 50+ stages accompanied by a new character called “Magus”. The two of you will work together to complete puzzles and advance through the game. So this is a new direction Ubisoft is going with the franchise I just hope it gets more fans instead of losing old ones.

Jake Gyllenhaal is the Prince of Persia!

It’s official…the prince has been found and he aint’ no persian! Jake Gyllenhaal of Donnie Darko, Broke Back mountain fame has been cast in the lead role in the new Prince of Persia: Sands of time movie dropping next summer. Directed by the king of summer blockbuster explosions Jerry Bruckheimer and  Disney, PoP:sands of time will tell the story of prince Dastan as he battles an evil vizher from controlling the sands of time (which allows the user to travel back in time..duh!). The plot will be loosely based off the game of the same name, so you can expect to see creatures, signature traps, magic and some cool special fx’s. I can say that im pretty amped to see how this turns out especially being a fan of ol’ Bruckheimers past spectacles. And for those who worry, series creator Jordan Mechner has been heavly envolved in the script. So im sure he won’t let this movie end up utter crap…right? Hopefuly this will be a good videogame to movie translation and finally do justice to videogame movie in general. One thing’s for sure, i know Bruckheimer will take us on a wild ride thru persia!

Prince of Persia is Back!

Our boy is back! Look at the “Fresh” Prince in these ill screens from French Mag Joypad. It looks as if this title will be a “restart” for the series. With the story having nothing to do with Last-Gen’s trilogy. Based on the French Translation done by Eurogamer, the story is based on “The tales of the Thousand and One Nights” in lieu of the Arabian Nights of the past games.

One thing I do know, or I would pray for is that it’s nothing like Assassin’s Creed. The game play in AC took awhile to get used to and it was downright boring. I’m glad that the prince is back and judging by these screens he’s coming with a nice visual flair.

Dave out

P.O.P Sequel Due [In 2008??], HAZE Delayed … again!

Ubisoft is one of those strange companies, and not because they are French, to release really great games that are loved by most and hated by others. Regardless of your stance on the company, it remains a fact that they bring out solid titles for a multitude of gamers. Founded in 1986, Ubisoft is currently under the helm of Yves Guillemot, who founded the company at the age of 26. Ubisoft was a third party software company at first but slowly expanded its reach across the globe, even purchasing Red Storm Entertainment in 2000. Red Storm Entertainment are the guys responsible for the Tom Clancy games.

[Continue Reading]