Review: Prince of Persia

And with the release of next generation consoles, it was only a matter of time before the gaming industry’s most popular group of series were making the leap of faith. Luckily, for games such as Metal Gear Solid and Call of Duty, their bravery was rewarded with huge sales, and a great reception. However, classics such as Unreal Tournament and Smackdown took the leap, but then slipped and smashed their faces all over the sidewalk; both were shocking in comparison to some of the games being blurted out by new and old developers.

When Prince of Persia was announced, you can imagine that fans of the series were up for another time bending adventure in awesome next-gen graphical output. However, as trailers and gameplay videos hit the net, it was evident that this new Prince of Persia wouldn’t be the same as it’s elder brethren, instead adopting a younger and more unique persona. As Christmas came and went (a bit too soon as well if you ask me) I was lucky enough to grab a copy for my birthday, and as I slid the disc into my big black, I sat back and wondered whether everybody’s doubts about this new change were well placed.

The first most noticeable feature of this new title is that the Montreal team have cast away the mindblowing graphics we had with Assassin’s Creed back in 2007, and in with the cell shaded comic effect. At first I thought it looked a little cheesy, textures lapped with black drawn lines and characters looked like something I might see on a Nintendo DS system, but sure enough, you will get used to the new look. Also with this change comes a new prince, ditching the old good prince gone bad (ass), and coming up with something quite extraordinary. The new prince, I would argue, is definitely the best thing that could have happened to the series. Voiced by the legend Nolan North (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune), the comical prince is back, replacing the bitchy old one. His presence alone makes the game more comfortable and enjoyable to play.

The setting of the game isn’t entirely clear, but we can assume it is set in a land of fantasy. The prince is trekking home after he robs a tomb, when a sandstorm whips up and he loses his beloved donkey, Farah. Stumbling into an opening, he meets the beautiful and mysterious Elika who is on the run from a band of men. After escorting her to a desert temple, it turns out that Elika is a princess, and her father, the king, has come to halt her escape. The importance of the temple becomes evident as soon as the king slices down a white magical tree in the centre of the ancient building. From the depths rises untold darkness that had been sealed for a thousand years, the dark God Ahriman is awakening...

Elika and the prince set off on a journey throughout the land, now corruptive by the dark presence of Ahriman, in order find and heal the Fertile Ground. These are certain waypoints that trace back to the temple, and once all the grounds are healed, the seal will be active once again.

At first the gameplay will strike you as odd if you were ever keen player of the old prince games. Simple tasks such as wall runs and climbs used to require the player to move the prince around, but in the new Prince of Persia everything is done in auto-pilot, you simply jump against the wall, and a wall run will follow. I wasn’t too keen on this new style at first, but you will come to appreciate it, as it makes the whole game a lot more fluid and fast than the previous ones, making the most daring of jumps seem like nothing. The fighting has also changed completely, instead of tackling hordes of characters, there is a perfect divide of platform jumping and combat. Whenever you are faced with an opponent, the camera will fix onto a few of the duel, all battles always being one versus one. Just like the other features I have described, it’s hard to adhere to at first but you will come to like it as you progress. There are four ways of attacking in combat, each allocated to the triangle, square, circle and cross buttons on your controller, signifying the four types of attack; Sword, Arobatic, Gauntlet, and Magic. Combat is as fluid as it gets, the prince and Elike move as one combining attacks to deliver the ultimate sword fighting experience, despite there is hardly any variation in combos.

The game spans over four main regions, each with five unique locations hosted by one of the four in-game bossed simply named as: The Warrior, The Alchemist, The Hunter, and The Concubine, each offering a unique challenge. Each zone is designed differently, from castles and spires, to windwills and construction yards, each looking amazing. Prince of Persia offers a new free roaming gameplay style in which players can now simply travel from area to area instead of tackling a one way game-style, meaning you can play which levels you want.

Apart from being your triangle button buddy, Elika also plays a key role in how the game plays out. Every time you slip from a ledge, plummet into darkness; get knocked down by an enemy or many other instances, Elika will ALWAYS save you. That’s right, the prince never dies, no matter how much of a noob you may be. Also, I was a bit dumbstruck by not noticing this, but unlike EVERY other PoP game there has ever been, time bending is not present. Shocking? No as without it, the game can deliver on the more finer points of the game.

It’s been a few days since I finished the game, giving me ample time to review it fairly, and I can tell you that it is one of the best games I have ever played on the Playstation 3. Everything is just so new and fun about the newest instalment, that it surpasses every game in its series combined. It’s a bold statement to make, but the game shocked me so much. Despite everything the series has ever abided to (time stopping peril), Montreal have taken that leap of faith alright, landing on both feet in the pages of next gen gaming history.

Story: 9/10

Gameplay: 9.5/10

Graphics: 9/10

Sound: 9/10

Total: 92%

Review: Shaun White Snowboarding (DS)

If there is one of my three consoles I have come to like more in the past year, it has to be the Nintendo DS. With the console, I decided to go with the classic choice of picking up a Pokemon title, at the time I thought it would be a good time to reminisce on the old days, but with a shocking roster of dull and cloned monsters, and the fact that I’m all grown up, it wasn’t the game for me. Final Fantasy IV was amazing, I must say, and I even drop in to visit Dr. Kawishima every now and then for a spot of Brain Training. However, with all this said, I am here to talk about a recent DS that I have attached myself to, Shaun White Snowboarding.

I haven’t been huge on snowboarding games (SSX fans, my apologies) but something about Shaun White caught my eye. Originally, of course, I had set my eyes on the Playstation 3 version, in which you create your own snowboarder and free roam four different mountain ranges with friends online, but the DS version, I figured, was worth a spin (or should I say FS Misty?)

The DS version has the same initial concept as the console version; race, and complete set challenges on four different mountain ranges throughout the world, but it’s not what the console version had promised. Instead of offering a free roam experience, you start the game with a number of tickets, and four pre-made characters to choose from. Winning races and completing challenges gains you more tickets which will unlock MORE races and challenges, and will eventually take you to different regions. The four ranges account for each of the following regions; Europe, Japan, The States, and South America. There is no sense of free roaming whatsoever in the DS version, you will be pitted on a one-way track similar to arcade snowboarders such as SSX. Multiplayer is available, but your fellow tricksters had better be in a ten foot range or your going nowhere.

The range and your character are displayed on the top screen, and your board on the touch screen. As you watch the race unfold, you will need to rub your stylus in an down and then up motion to launch off of the ground; once in the air, any variation in how you slide your Stylus across the screen will result in performing tricks, the bigger air you get, the more daring tricks you can pull off. Grinding is also present along with a few bonus half-pipes that open up huge point racking opportunities.

Customisation isn’t present either; the only choices you can make are that of character, board, and perks. Perks are small bonuses that boost the stats on your boards; each board having three ability ranges in Speed, Trick, and Balance, these add-ons are simply obtained by boarding through them during play. Graphically, I personally thought they did a grand job. The cartoon output fits the casual sporting theme, and is accompanied by a plausible soundtrack of 90s rock, whereas the actual in-game sounds aren’t needed, your only slipping through snow, remember?
What can I say? I haven’t given the most elaborate insight into how the game plays out, but it’s god damn addictive, I can tell you. Replay value is there, if you’re interested enough to battle all of the challenges, if not a single play through of the races is enough...

Graphics: 8/10 – Creates an appropriate theme but could still use tweaking here and there.

Gameplay: 9/10 – Tony Hawks watch your back, some killer moves bustin out here.

Sound: 6/10 – Nice soundtrack, but no vocals for the in-game characters.

Score: 8/10