Released in tandem with the rather tepid Sands of Time movie (3/5) last May, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is a standalone yarn that takes place within the acclaimed gaming trilogy featuring the titular monarch. Fans will immediately find themselves in very familiar territory as the Prince returns to his homeland to find it plagued by a terrible army of the undead (isn't the zombie trend in video games getting old yet?), and must traverse the ruins of an ancient fortress in the hope of fending off the hordes long enough to close the passage between life and death. I was never around for the Sands of Time trilogy on PlayStation 2, but rumour has it that the plots were complex and exciting romps, so The Forgotten Sands perhaps fails to stay true to its roots in that the story isn't really gripping stuff, bordering on being unlikeable given how predictable each twist is. You'll also be a little disappointed, too, with the graphics: while the locations the Prince travels to are exotic and detailed, the model of the character himself and others he meets are pretty hideous for a 2010 title. Thankfully, the game-play doesn't let up, harkening back to the days where the protagonist would traverse ledges and poles for no other reason than getting to the next room. The Prince's movement animations are fluid thanks to the use of the Assassin's Creed engine, but most gamers will be pleased to here that this is a lot more difficult than that successful series by Ubisoft, requiring lightning reflexes in later plat-forming challenges and mixture of magical powers in intense battles with the undead. The Sands of Time return to allow players a few chances to rewind their progress should they fall, but there is a limit so that things don't get too easy. My only real problem with The Forgotten Sands is that given its recent release, it feels more than a little dated with a mixed bag visually and an at times agonising camera that makes wall runs and jumps more of a pain than they should be, but at roughly a tenner in stores now it's well worth a look if you want a challenging plat-former that innovates in many respects.
OS Cover Image
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Review (7/10)
Released in tandem with the rather tepid Sands of Time movie (3/5) last May, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is a standalone yarn that takes place within the acclaimed gaming trilogy featuring the titular monarch. Fans will immediately find themselves in very familiar territory as the Prince returns to his homeland to find it plagued by a terrible army of the undead (isn't the zombie trend in video games getting old yet?), and must traverse the ruins of an ancient fortress in the hope of fending off the hordes long enough to close the passage between life and death. I was never around for the Sands of Time trilogy on PlayStation 2, but rumour has it that the plots were complex and exciting romps, so The Forgotten Sands perhaps fails to stay true to its roots in that the story isn't really gripping stuff, bordering on being unlikeable given how predictable each twist is. You'll also be a little disappointed, too, with the graphics: while the locations the Prince travels to are exotic and detailed, the model of the character himself and others he meets are pretty hideous for a 2010 title. Thankfully, the game-play doesn't let up, harkening back to the days where the protagonist would traverse ledges and poles for no other reason than getting to the next room. The Prince's movement animations are fluid thanks to the use of the Assassin's Creed engine, but most gamers will be pleased to here that this is a lot more difficult than that successful series by Ubisoft, requiring lightning reflexes in later plat-forming challenges and mixture of magical powers in intense battles with the undead. The Sands of Time return to allow players a few chances to rewind their progress should they fall, but there is a limit so that things don't get too easy. My only real problem with The Forgotten Sands is that given its recent release, it feels more than a little dated with a mixed bag visually and an at times agonising camera that makes wall runs and jumps more of a pain than they should be, but at roughly a tenner in stores now it's well worth a look if you want a challenging plat-former that innovates in many respects.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment