Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

PS2

??? - 2003

I for one can not comprehend why people like this game so much. Penny Arcade gave it game of the year, and so did EGM. But here is what I think of the game, since we all know my opinion is infinitely better.

First off, picture that one job you had once, everyone has had one, where you went in to work every day at the same time, and did the most benow job possible. Whether alphabitize videogames or shampoo dogs, perhaps sort mail or even sell candy. Now, picture having to do this same thing each and every day. Sure, at first this seems like an ok job, or even a fun one. But how many days does it take for you to hate it? 2 weeks? 5 days?

That is what POP feels like. Sure the game has some great ideas and innovation. Let's wall run guys! Woohoo, wall running is fun! Ok, let's swing on poles and jump from high point to high point! Fun! Ok, let's have it so the character can't fall more than 3 feet without dying! Fun... no. Not fun. But that's besides the point. Back on track - POP presents great ideas, but loves the idea of REPITITION. Sure, wall running was fun, the first 2 stages. But by room 100, where every room follows the pattern, run, jump, wall run, jump, swing, climb, wall run, perhaps fight, go to save point, repeat, this gets quite annoying quite fast.

The other awful thing about the game is the fighting. Sure, the combo system is fun, well made and simple, but the battles are about an hour long of 20 billion enemies, 5 at a time, where if you don't "suck" them fast enough, the respawn. Sounds like fun? No. That's why SundU and I had a plan to actually beat this game. I played the platforming, and he did the fighting. That way we both got to play, but could switch off when the other was tired of the REPITITION. But this pattern didn't work very well because the fighting lasts hours longer than the platforming. So I always just ended up playing GBA games while he fought, then paused for a few minutes while I jumped, wall ran and swung.

The one last thing I need to mention: The save points. Sure it was a cool idea to have save points actually tell you what to do in a sort of precognative glimpse of the future, albeit black and white, fuzzy and choppy, but the future spasms that left your main character in the fetal position (eww) every time were just a little too obvious. What ever happened to the old "keep trying until you get it right" idea. The save points gave away what you had to do next. Sure you had to find the box to move, or what ladder to climb, but shouldn't we have to do that ourselves? Back in the old days....

What liked: Matrix-ripped off "Sands of Time." Getting to rewind your death.

What disliked: Rewinding not enough and wasting a sand as you watched yourself still fall, so you had to rewind again. That and the fighting. LONG

What to expect: LONG fighting. Fun wall running. REPETITIVENESS.

What not to expect: Living when you fall from anything.

What's so different from this and other games of it's genre: Well it has the silly matrix like effects, but they are done well. It has the fighting system of Zelda-esque games, but done pretty well. It has the platforming of Mario, again done acceptably. It has the "run around a castle, opening drawbridges and stuff" of Ico, done not AS well, but pretty well. But no game can compete in... REPETITIVITY!!!!

Ratings on:

Control: 5 - Great at some times, others just make you cringe as you fall again.

Graphics: 8 - Pretty graphics. Awesome nude scene. Umm... I don't remember much other than boobies. It seems that is all the prince thought about anyways. (I should probably mention that the game keeps track of the percentage through the game. Between most save points is about 2-4%. We got to about 75%, then had the "Nekkid" cutscene, then saved again and we were at 92%. Apparently that booby section was so important, and so long, to the Prince that he had to relive it for 18% of the game.)

Sound: 9 - It is cool how the hero would talk to himself as you ran around in the game. I would expect someone in the same position as the prince to be talking to himself after a few hours "alone" in the castle.

Style: 5 - Everything has been done before. But it is a nice mix of the different kinds of gameplay. Still, I must remind you... REPETITIVE!!!

1st hour: 9 - This is pretty fun. Wall run again!

5th hour: 7 - So why are we still wall running? Are we still on the first stage? Do we leave this castle? Do we fight bosses?

1st week: 4 - Answers: We are wall running b/c that is all you do. There is only one stage. No. No. But you fight BILLIONS OF ENEMIES.

5th week: 6 - slightly above average. I don't know if I would ever play it again. It was... fun... I guess.

#1 reason why I hate this game: Do I have to say it? Ok, I will, but only because I love saying it so... REPETITIVIOCITY!

by Hawke