Prince of Persia - The Fallen King

Can a 2D platformer work with just the DS stylus? I simply HAD to try that out!

Prince of Persia: The Fallen King takes a pretty bold risk, it attempts to be a platformer for the DS that you control completely with the stylus. Yes, I can feel all the cringing that statement just inspired. This is an idea that could have gone horrible, horribly wrong in the execution. Is it possible to achieve the kind of accuracy required in a 2D platformer with only the stylus? Could such a game manage to be challenging without delving into frustration?

GRAPHICS: Graphically, The Fallen King opts for a much more cartoony look than the console Prince of Persia games. In the artwork and cut scenes the prince is just… um… kind of adorable. His new ally for this game, the Magus, is also pretty darn cute too in a softened up Jack of Blades from Fable (they obviously shop at the same creepy white mask and red robe boutique) kind of way. Unfortunately, the rest of the game is done in 3D. It works, but with the art style I have to conclude that the game, since it is a 2D platformer, would have been much better in 2D with detailed character sprites and backgrounds that maintained the art style.

I also say that the game would have been better in 2D because all of the 3D, especially after the Prince and the Magus team up, can cause some MAJOR slowdown. Performance issues are unquestionably the biggest problem in this game. I never had it become unplayable but it did get close when there were a large number of enemies, moving traps, or magically-glowing objects on the screen.

GAMEPLAY: So, how does The Fallen King hold up to being a platformer controlled with the stylus? The answer is, pretty well. While there is some expected inaccuracy here and there the game does provide the prince with safeguards against too many unwanted deaths and you are able to consistently perform the sorts of moves and jumps that you want to. To give a quick explanation of the controls:

You drag the stylus in the direction you want the prince to move. To jump across a small gap you tap on the other side of it and the prince will make the leap. You tap on a ledge to make the prince grab it and again to climb up. Those are the basics but most everything is done with simple taps of the stylus. The prince also had the foresight to wear a glove with metal claw since he knew he was going to be in a platformer controlled with a stylus. The prince can use the glove to hang onto walls and descend them very slowly, often preventing death and allowing the player to scramble back up after a missed jump. 

The prince also wields a sword to defeat the enemies he encounters. For the most part, all of the enemies, even the bosses are easy. The difficulty in the game comes from the platforming. You will encounter all sorts of traps, blocked paths, and tricky jumps as you work your way through all of the levels in the game. In my opinion, the stylus control works. It also seems to provide a more fluid experience than buttons. However, I think the game would have benefited from an option to use a button-based control scheme for those who would prefer it.

A couple of problems with the stylus controls do stand out and are worth mentioning. Occasionally, you will have to jump up onto a platform you can also go underneath. You have to stand in just the right place or you end up walking or rolling underneath. The game also tends to have a problem with gauging a normal jump from one where the prince needs to grab the ledge and hang. 

This doesn't mean he doesn't end up grabbing ledges but that he will often jump and grab a ledge when it should have just been a simple hop and this can mess up the next jump or occasionally kill you if there are traps involved. Again, these problems weren't game-breaking but they were the main annoyances with the stylus controls.

Fortunately, the prince does not have a limited number of lives and checkpoints are liberally sprinkled throughout the stages. Rarely will the game not place one before a challenge you are likely to fail the first time. If you die the prince simply restarts at the last checkpoint and he can try again as many times as he needs to. This might sound like it would ruin the difficulty but with the stylus controls this system was almost necessary to prevent frustration.

Early in this adventure, the prince teams up with the magus. The magus is actually one of the better partner characters I've ever had to deal with in a game. He really can't die and you don't have to worry about leading him along and opening paths for him except in some stages where the game forces the two characters to work individually. The magus floats so he can't die from a jumping mishap or get stuck anywhere. His real role is to support the prince with his magic. The magic can be used to move platforms, trip switches, and push back enemies… along with several other handy uses. As you progress through the game the levels will contain more and more puzzle-solving elements in addition to platforming that almost always require the magus to use his abilities.

As for how the game is organized, expect to see a very familiar set up for a 2D platformer here. (I had a friend refer to is as Prince of Mario.) You have a map with glowing circles on it that represent individual stages. You complete one to move onto the next. When you get to the end of the map you confront a boss and move on to the next area. Sure it's not an original formula, but it works well. Each 'world' has a slightly different theme as well though I won't argue that the game could use more variety in its environments, especially early on. Boss fights are not overly difficult but you have to figure out what to do first and this can be tricky. They are an excellent addition to the game.

STORY: The Fallen King doesn't focus on its story and it's a pretty basic one to tie everything together. The text is silly to match the cartoon characters of the game and it's probably a good thing in the long run that the game doesn't take itself very seriously. To give you the basic plot, the prince is trying to get help from a king who it turns out has been corrupted, hence the title. The prince must get rid of all the dark magic to save the king from this corruption. Simple, huh? At least it's presented well.

REPLAYABLE: While The Fallen King doesn't have any true replay value, chances are you are going to need to go back and revisit levels you have completed to unlock all of the available secrets especially health power ups. This game is also a platformer and chances are you might come back to play it through again just for fun in the same way you might replay a classic Mario or Sonic game several times just for fun. The genre just lends itself to replay better than others. It isn't exactly a short game the first time through either.

OVERALL: Prince of Persia: The Fallen King is a very fun platformer for the DS. It does suffer from some performance issues and while its stylus controls aren't perfect, they do prove that you can make a traditional platformer controlled with just the stylus and have it actually work. Personally, I really enjoyed this game and think it will appeal to anyone who likes a good platformer or the Prince of Persia series. 

The Fallen King also feels vaguely similar to Assassin's Creed DS (though Fallen King is greatly improved it looks like they were built on the same framework) so if you were one of the people who actually enjoyed that game, there's a good chance you will like this one.

NAME: PRINCE OF PERSIA - THE FALLEN KING

SYSTEM: Nintendo DS

FEBRUARY 1st - DAY "D"

NEW GAME - NEW RULES


On the 1st FEBRUARY new posts will be launched, including games, consoles, controllers and even the equipment that we use to play those games, like for multiplayer on a handheld device, PLUS we will have character bios like the Prince from the PoP, Goku from the Dragon Ball serial, also, new to this blog, Anime & Phone reviews!

Anime because some anime is based on games, like the Devil May Cry Anime, or Dragon Ball games that are based on the anime!
Phone reviews, well, that's somehow hard to explain, let's just say there are a lot of mobile games out there, so I wanna review the devices that run them, that's why!

The info is gonna be, for a 100% sure source, the internet, like the Wikipedia sites!


Ahem... OK, there will be 1 post per day, 2 if I'm in a good mod!


That's all folks!
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What? It's not much, but at least something!

Prince of Persia (2008)

A fun but misunderstood game!

I don't know if I'm getting old or what, but the idea of "difficulty" in a video game seems to be something that I've developed a large dislike for, though maybe not for the right reasons. Lots of games seem to think the only way to challenge a player is to piss them off to no ends, resulting in screaming and broken controllers. Prince of Persia is not one of those games, but that's not a bad thing. 

GRAPHICS: Even the people who dislike Prince of Persia seem to agree that it's art design is amazing. And it is. I've combined the Presentation and graphics categories into one for this review because Prince of Persia's graphics -are- it's art design. The game looks like it was all hand drawn, as if it's some sort of more respectable sibling to the ever-popular cel-shading. The views in the game are varied and beautiful, and it definitely has it's share of areas to make you stop for a moment and just check out your surroundings.

The animations follow suit, proving to be very flowing and smooth. The prince, while extremely skilled in what he does, stumbles as he jumps from wall to wall and it all looks very believable. If you've played Uncharted, you may get the haunting feeling while watching the prince move that he's really just a time-traveling Nathan Drake (more on this when I discuss sound). The combat in the game is also a visual treat, ending up looking very cinematic. The boss fights look as boss fights should: epic struggles and not just some guy slashing wildly at a bigger guy for five minutes. 

SOUND: The music is pretty good, for lack of a better description. It matches the theme and feel of the game nicely, though it's nothing pulse-pounding. The voice acting is great, for one reason: Nolan North. This is the man, and I'm beginning to think I'll end up buying every game he voices a main character in. However, as I noted earlier: if watching the prince move makes you think you're really just Nathan Drake, hearing the prince talk will convince you that you're really just playing Uncharted 2: Prince of Persia. 

North has used the exact same tone, sense of humor, wit, and everything else he used to create Nathan Drake. The strange thing is that it works, extremely well. If you enjoyed Uncharted then you will instantly like the new prince, and if you never played Uncharted then you will still like the new prince (given a little time to get used to him). Music and voice acting aside, the sound effects in this game are great. The sound of launching off walls and landing into a slide on a ramp is very satisfying. I couldn't get enough of the grinding noise the prince's gauntlet makes as he slowly "gripfalls" down a wall.

GAMEPLAY: So, why is this game disliked by so many? Because they expected something they didn't get, that's why. I've been reading a lot of peoples reactions to the game and it seems like the call for "more challenge" was unanimous. However, I died a lot during the game. The mechanic remains in place that you need to find the correct use of techniques and chain them together in order to traverse an area, and it still works well. So why is it different from Prince of Persia games of old? 

Because it's no longer frustrating. Gone is the idea that if you fail so many times it's all over, and now you can continuously try until you get it right. This is where the complaints of "you can't die!" come in, claiming the game has no danger or consequence. If danger and consequence are defined by failing something 20 times in a row, becoming extremely frustrated, and returning the game to the store, then I'd rather play something "easy" any day.

 

Prince of Persia takes its platforming roots and refines them into something much more fluid and smooth. Something that, while still requiring multiple attempts at times, translates into a much better-flowing experience with less interruptions in the gameplay. Because let's face it, challenge is good but when the pace of gameplay is sacrificed for cheap attempts at difficulty, the game's overall quality suffers. I already mentioned combat, and it's not very common so I don't think there's much to say about it. It's simple, fun, cinematic, and the enemies provide interesting challenges. My only complaint is that you can only walk during a sword fight, no running allowed, which can be somewhat annoying at times.

STORY: I only comment on story in reviews if it's an exceptionally relevant part of the game, and in Prince of Persia, it's not. The story is quite generic and obviously a tool to get you to continue on, feeding you the whole "we must seal a dark being (not Gannon) by visiting various locations (not temples) to reassemble some magical relic (not the Triforce)" routine. So why am I writing a section on story? The ending. 

While a majority of the hate for this game is directed towards it's gameplay, there seems to be another school of nerdrage directed at it's ending. Read user reviews and internet forums and you're likely to soon dig up complaints that the ending "undoes all the work I did during the game!" People who complain about this seem to be missing the point of the games story, a point that I myself didn't even grasp until I reached the end. 

The story about the evil being needing to be sealed may be the plot of Prince of Persia, but it's not the focus. The real focus of the game is the characters. When this realization comes to you, assuming it comes to you at the same time it came to me, you'll appreciate the story so much more. Not since Metal Gear Solid 3 have I had a game ending stuck in my head for days after beating it, but Prince of Persia pulled that off.

REPLAYABLE: I see no real reason to play this game more than once. The developers claim that you can tackle the areas and bosses in a different order for a different experience but it seems minute to me considering you'll still reach the same end. Unless of course you never grasped the real intent of the story, in which case yeah, you should probably replay the game.

OVERALL: I'm beginning to believe that, much like with movies, expectations are everything in gaming. Everyone seems to already know what they think of a game before they play it. People expected Prince of Persia to be thumb-numbingly difficult, hoping (again, I must be getting old because it baffles me as to why) for an experience where the slightest mistake in timing would cause them to have to repeat one small segment of the game an infinite number of times. 

Well, I for one am glad that has been done away with. Prince of Persia is a great game, the art design and characters are great, the boss fights are great. But perhaps most importantly, the main gameplay experience is fluid and flows as it should, without interruption. If I wanted to get angry at a video game, I'd go play Devil May Cry 3.

NAME: PRINCE OF PERSIA

SYSTEM: Play Station 3, XBOX 360, PC, Mac OS X

Play Station 2

More successful than the first Playstation, and more fun.

Review By Claud

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INTRO: After the long-lived Playstation, Sony had the very wise decision to create a follow up to it's original console which would be aptly named ''Playstation 2''. Sony decided to create a new console with new technology because their first console was so successful and they wanted to keep up with times. A lot of the first PS2's were found to be defective in some way or another, but that's because Sony wanted to hurry up and start selling their Console.

SOUND: With an optical output for a surround sound system, you could receive killer sound from your PS2. Without the optical connection, you can still receive quality sound from a surround sound system or even from just your television. Most PS2 games boast game music and soundtracks as well as a wide variety of sound effects. Some games stream music from the game disc, while others store songs in the Console's RAM(Random Access Memory). If you really want to know which way a game stores audio, you can tell by simply opening the disk tray when a song is playing and it should repeat around the last 5 seconds or so over a few times then just stop, or even just ''freeze'' the audio so whatever noise was playing will become never ending. If not, then it's in the RAM. Playstation games generally stored audio in the RAM.

GRAPHICS: Earlier Games had poor use of PS2's power in the graphics department. However, now some games have almost made full use of the PS2's power. Make no mistake, PS2 has a lot of power to be used. For Example, look at Gran Turismo 3. According to OPM(Official Playstation Magazine), Gran Turismo 3 apparently only used 25% of the PS2's power, and it already looks incredible! There are some games that look horrible, but that's the developer's fault, not the PS2's. The PS2 allows developers to make believable games because of the PS2's power, so now we need some quality developers. Maybe Sony should make PS2 games instead of just publishing them. Konami is another Developer that makes good use of the power at hand, with games like Metal Gear Solid 2 and Silent Hill 2 that look incredible. As technology gets better and better looking Game engines are made, games in the future will surely look more and more realistic.

CONTROLS: The outside is just like the first Playstation controller(besides the Color (PS - Gray, PS2 - Black)) but it's different on the inside. The controller accepts commands much faster and is more lighter than the first Playstation's. What is really good about it, is that it is light and comfortable, which will come in handy when you play for a long period of time. It just seems to fit in your hands perfectly and the Analog sticks are in good position for driving games. Not only that, it looks cool and you can now get colored controllers.

PERIPHERAL CAPABILITY: Playstation 2 is by far the most capable of extras than any other system. The PS2 has 2 USB ports which can be used for almost anything. Steering Wheels, Keyboards, Headsets, Modems, and it also has an i-Link port which can be used to link up multiple PS2's to play together. Gran Turismo 3 uses this feature, so you can race with up to 6 people on 3 PS2's. The controller ports can also be used for things like the Infrared Receiver for the DVD Remote.

3rd PARTY SUPPORT: The PS2 was made in Japan, and that's where a lot of it's games come from, even more that you think. Most games don't make it out of Japan, because they were made with the Japanese gamer in mind. Most of the games are very original and just simply wouldn't sell in the U.S. A lot of Peripherals come from Japan too, mostly being 3rd Party controllers. Most of the 3rd Party Hardware comes from the U.S. like controllers, steering wheels and the like. Sony makes Controllers, Multi-taps(for multi-player games) and memory cards and there is at least one other company that makes each of those things. 3rd party hardware generally sells for cheaper. It's not Official so it doesn't have to live up to the quality that Sony hardware does.

THE LOOK: All PS2's are black, except for the Special Edition ones or newer ones currently released in Japan. The PS2 looks good, but the Memory Card and Controller slots can be hard to find if your PS2 isn't in the light(Due to both the system and the slots being Black). What is cool though, is that the Controller, DVD Remote, and the Network Adapator are also black and they(except for the controller) are styled like the PS2(with the edges on the sides).

ONLINE: In 2002, the Network Adaptor for Playstation 2 was finally released. There were a few games that could be played online before the NA came out and if you also had a USB modem, you were ready to play online. Most people didn't so they had to wait until the NA and the online games started rolling out. None the less, the PS2 is finally Online, and there are many great games to play Online against your friends or others. You don't have to have Broadband Internet to get online on your PS2, you just need an Internet connection. 56K can be used to play online but with it you can only usually play 2 players, and you can only play other people who have the same connection as you. There are some games which are Broadband only but only few. In the future, the 40 GB PS2 Hard Drive will be released which Sony says, can hold downloadable games(you'll have to pay a fee) and other things to come.

EXTRAS: Since the PS2 was made with DVD games in mind, it can also play DVD movies. If you don't have a PS2 DVD Remote then you'll have to use the controller to navigate. It's not so bad but the remote is better. There are only two bad things about the DVD player. One is that it was made for games, so some DVD movies don't play, skip or freeze. There aren't that many DVD's that do that, so it doesn't matter that much. Secondly, if you have the Remote and an older PS2(Before 2002 or so), then you'll have to use around 1/4 of your Memory Card's space for a file that allows the PS2 to recognize the Remote. As well as playing DVD movies and DVD games, the PS2 can also play the first Playstation format games. So if you had to sell your Playstation to buy your Playstation 2, then you can still play your Playstation games on your newer PS2.

OVERALL: If you were skeptical about getting a PS2 before reading this, I hope I have assured you that it is worth every cent, especially because the PS2 (as well as the Microsoft Xbox and Gamecube) lowered in price in 2002. The best thing about the PS2 is it's huge game library and backwards compatibility with Playstation games. Also there are a lot of must have Games on PS2, ''killer apps'' if you will.

WonderSwan

A great system that's an inexpensive alternative to Nintendo's GameBoy.

Review By Handhealder

The WonderSwan is a portable gaming system released back in '98 in Japan and a few other Asian countries. The WonderSwan is inexpensive, costs around 4800 yen ($50), about the price of a new game, and the games aren't much more expensive, and are around $35-40. Also, battery life is the longest of the portables I've played, so this is a good portable for a person that doesn't have much money, and want a portable gaming system.

SIZE, b BUTTONS & CONTROLS: The WS is a small system, at around 74.3 X 121 X 17.5 milimeters, it is smaller than the GBA, and will easily fit into a back pocket. If you use an AA battery, the size increases to a 74.3 X 121 X 24.3 milimeters, but it isn't much of a problem. The only thing that might be problematic is that there is an area that is protruding in the shape of a battery and it gets in the way of the grip, but you'll probably live with it. The button layout for the WS is odd, as there are two buttons and two D-pad like buttons. Most games will pay like the GBA, which is horizontally, and the lower D-Pad, the X-Buttons will serve as the directional buttons and the two buttons, A and B, will serve as action commands. But in other games, the upper D-Pad, the Y buttons, will serve as the directions and the X buttons will serve as the actions, just like the classical Game Boy.. so the WS has an interesting concept of being able to play games horizontally and vertically. There are two other buttons, one being the start button and the other being a sound button, which controls sound. Also, the WS has an ON/OFF switch on the left side, and a contrast wheel on the bottom of the console. And finally, in the top right corner, there is a hole where you can put a wrist strap on.

SCREEN & GRAPHICS: The screen for the WS is bigger than the Game Boy, and just as big as the GBA, maybe a teeny bit smaller. You'll see that the graphics are way better than the Game Boy, and almost as good as the GBA in Black and White. You can also control the contrast by using the wheel on the bottom to make games darker or lighter. Most games look decent, but not many push the hardware to produce the best.

SOUND: The Sound in the WS can get a little annoying, as there isn't a switch to control the sound, but a button to choose from three levels of sound. Loud, Medium, and None. So it's essential to buy an earphone adapter to play games without bothering others, but the music and voice samples are great on most games. But again, not many of the games push the hardware, so it's not easy to see the WS's full potential. Just expect average portable device sound here. The WS has a rectangular shaped cartridge, and the data port is exposed, so you'll either need to keep the game in the WS or in a case. Ive heard the WS's cart has something like 3 or 4 times a Game Boy Color's Cartridge, so the game has more possibilities.

BATTERY LIFE: This is the WS's strength point: Battery Life. Ive really never went over 30 hours on a game boy pocket, which requires two AA batteries, and never over 25 with a Game Boy Color. The GBA SP's mileage is 10 hours with the backlight, and 18 without. The WS's surpasses all. I've went over 30 with this baby, I'm sure it can achieve far more in a different contrast. that's 30 hours on one AA, more than doubling the GB, GBC and GBA SP's mileage, and it also doesn't compromise any features that have been shown to this point, except for the backlight, but you can just put a flashlight in your mouth and lower the contrast and... ta-da! You'll be able to play in the dark!

GAME LIBRARY & EXTRAS: The WS's horsepower quite doesn't match up to the GBA or the NGPC, so it can't really support frantic action games, although they have a few really good titles like pocket fighters. So what does this leave us? Strategy games and turn based games like Card Games and RPG's. I only have one WS card game, and that is Tekken Card Challenge, but there are plenty of RPG's like Digimon Ver. WonderSwan and more. The WS heavily relies on the japanese market, so there arent too many games with english in them. So if you understand Japanese, go for those RPG's, but if you don't, well... your library will be limited. Just get a driving game or an action game.

I've heard the WS supports connection between the PS2 and the PocketStation, I do have a Japanese WS and a Japanese PS2, so all i need to do is to bribe my friend to give me his Japanese PocketStation. I don't have a clue what this connection may do, but it sounds fun to me!

OVERALL: If you're in the market for an inexpensive portable, the WS is a must, because the System and the Games aren't expensive, and the battery life is the best ive seen so far. But if you do not understand Japanese and are an avid fan of RPG's, you'll most likely be disappointed with this experience, unless you don't care about the storyline. I have to say the WS isn't really import friendly, but it is a great system after all.

Prince of Persia - Warrior Within

To the island of time! And while we're there, let's turn back time long enough to get back to development!

The second game in the new line of Prince of Persia games brings back our favorite protagonist. But not exactly in the way we loved him in Sands of Time. "Huh?" You say? Relax, just read along and you'll see why.

STORY: The story is supposedly a continuation of the one in SoT. So now the prince is being chased by the Dahaka, Fate's answer to deviations in the time line. That's the prince, in case you didn't notice. So now, the prince has to go to the Island of Time, the island where the Sands of Time were created by the Empress of... Time. Jesus. Couldn't they have made up a better name? Maybe the Persian words for Island of Time and Empress of Time, maybe? And how is she an Empress? It's just one small Island of Time. Either way, expect some plot twists. Some pretty obvious ones though. You'd get the hint from watching the images in the installation.

The Character Design here is lacking. Well, Let's take a look at the new Prince. Never mind that he looks like Jesus Christ, because he's anything but Jesus Christ. He now looks more "bad ass", and by that I mean angst ridden. Just look at him. It's like he's going to lash out at anything if it bothered him enough. Didn't he rewind time back to the point where he didn't release the sands? So no need to be angst filled or mad. Or maybe he didn't get some from Farah? After all that hard work...

Anyway, there's the metal thong wearing lady who likes to walk naked in the cold rain. I won't make anymore jokes because metal thong jokes have been overdone. But you do get to see a gratuitous view of her metal thong ass as she ascends from a ship. Alas, I'm too old to fall for this. Then there's Kaileena, who is a servant to the Empress and aids you in your journey for reasons known only to her. She also has a lot of cleavage. 

And the Empress, who is, well, just as un-fulfilling as Kaileena and metal thong girl. Enemy designs, are just uninspired . Especially when they open their big mouths. Most annoying are the ninja girls who not only damage your gaming with their annoying acrobatics, but also damage your ears with their tasteless bondage taunts. I'm here to play an adventure game. Not a soft porn one. The only cool enemy design was the crow swordsman. And that's it.

GRAPHICS: Simply put, the graphics are better than compared with SoT. But that doesn't exactly mean it makes the game good. Though on a plus side, people with video cards who couldn't play SoT should now be glad to hear that you don't need a card that supports pixel shading. Good news for you MX 440 users. Just don't expect it to be fancy. The graphics aren't the best in the market, but then again, you don't really need good graphics to make a game great. You would notice that the atmosphere of the game is a little dark. It even shows in the graphics. All part of the plan to make Warrior Within mainstream and cool. And there's a lot of blood, if you like blood.

SOUND: Here lies the bane of the game. Well, most of it anyway. The audio is nothing like SoT. The music in this game has been replaced with hard metal. The only people who actually think this is good news are either hard core metal fans, or the ones who know not yet upon which trend they must follow. There is only one track that is passable, and that's because it has at least a Middle East tune to it, how subtle it may be. The music here isn't even a very consistent thing. It just seems to pop in and pop out. And at the most inappropriate times, as it may seem.

Then comes the voice over's. The game is really mature in that department. Seriously. In the demo, with the really bad voices, I was hoping that the prince was saying 'witch'. Alas, it turns out he was saying the 'B' one. Then there's the enemy voice over's, which is worse actually. It's like some bad 80's space flick concerning aliens and leather clad women. "Harder, prince, HARDER!" What the hell? What does this have to do with me fighting you? I feel guilty. It feels like I'm fighting mindless thralls, which they probably are.

The voice acting is decent most of the time. There are a few lines that sound... well... forced. I lack the proper word, but it shouldn't bother you much, now should it? I mean, after all, you're already listening to ninja chicks discredit your sexual merit.

GAMEPLAY: This is the most important part of any game. Well, it's a mixed bag. This time around, to go with the prince's degeneration into a generic "bad ass" hero, we get a new battle system that that guy in the movie section calls "Free Style" fighting. What this means for the gamer is that you can kill an opponent in numerous ways since you can do different combos. Like right, left, right, left or left, left, left, right, etc. What depth this new system has. Sure, it may be cool at first, but I'm the kind of guy who looks at the long run. And well, the novelty wears out after a few hours. In fact, you'll be finding yourself running from most encounters unless it's really necessary to fight. The game is more fight centered now. Which is just plain annoying. Thank you gamers who didn't enjoy the fights in SoT.

Luckily, the platforming that was so well loved in SoT is still here. Controls are still okay, though I have to whine about the camera. Sometimes, it just gets pretty bad angles. And that sucks when you're low on sands and need to do one risky jump. Eh, but still, it's fun and provides a good challenge. This is by far, the only real good thing about the game. And it should be since this is what made the first one great.

The game is pretty bloody too. The sad thing is, the blood looks so out of place. The only ones who should bleed are the human characters. Those that revert too sand, in my humble opinion, should not ever bleed. Sand and blood is just… too weird looking. And whacking an enemy with a wooden stick causes them to bleed? I don't think so. The levels are recycled too. 

In the later part of the game, you'll find yourself backtracking to places you've already passed, since the game just uses the same old levels. Oh, and along the way, you can smash treasure chests to unlock hidden artwork. Could serve as a fun little distraction. The only reason I'd want wo do it would probably be to fap to the metal thong lady. But then again, I think that it's just too much effort. Though on a plus side, there are different endings. So it should serve for good replay value. Considering that you're up to the challenge.

OVERALL: It's a good game. Hidden away under layers of stale gimmicks that the developers thought were cool. There is also a ton of glitches in the game. Some that require you to reload a save game to work out, or like me, start over. Yeah. And I was about to end the game too. But minus all that, it's a decent game. I suggest renting it.

NAME:  PRINCE OF PERSIA - WARRIOR WITHIN
SYSTEM: Play Station 2, Play Station 3, XBOX, Game Cube, PC