Prince of Persia

One of the true gaming classics returns. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is truly a contendor of game of the year. Its gameplay innovations and seamless breathtaking gymnastics make it a tremendously compelling experience.

The original Prince of Persia stands as a genuine classic game. It's a surprise then that we haven't until now, seen a faithful conversion of the game onto next-generation systems. The closest we got so far was Tomb Raider's wholesale copying of Prince of Persia's gameplay mechanics.



In a sense, Prince of Persia's late arrival on modern consoles makes for a difficult task for the developers. If it followed the design cues and gameplay mechanics of the original game it would, ironically, now merely be labelled a Tomb Raider clone. For Prince of Persia to truly stand out among the crowd the game would have to be as innovative as the original and provide gamers with a new and exciting experience – just as the original did.

Happily, I can say that Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is one of the best games you will play this year. Its controls, artwork, gameplay all seamlessly mesh to create a wonderfully exciting and fluid game experience unlike anything around at the moment. Tomb Raider fans looking for a new home after the appalling fall in quality of that series should step over here and they will find the gaming experience they've been looking for.

Prince of Persia is full of great gameplay ideas but perhaps the best and most revolutionary is the Dagger of Time. Traditionally players of action platformers have had their risky gameplay rewarded with a bout of reloading save games and dire frustration. Not so here, on the contrary, sometimes it's almost a joy to fail in Prince of Persia. You see, the Dagger of Time enables the player to rewind the last few moments of gameplay and just continue as though nothing has happened. Compared to games that require wading through a couple of menus to load a save game file this is a complete revelation. Gone are those Tomb Raider moments where the player wonders whether to jump or not, dreading another save game menu session and level reload. The Dagger of Time inspires bravery in the player.

And you'll need that bravery. Because the game has the player leaping around the level with the kind of carefree attitude to long falls into spike pits that would have Lara Croft sobbing into her Pimms. The controls are so seamless, so easy to pick up that negotiating the levels is a pure gaming joy. This is pure gaming, the reward isn't some trinket like new weaponry, mastering the game plasters a smile across the player's face as they have the Prince rebounding off walls, leaping spikes and bounding up pillars all with a grace and athletic ease. PoP is light years ahead of this year's truly awful and clearly unfinished Tomb Raider game. The ease and fluidity of the controls sets a benchmark Crystal Dynamics should be very aware of as they begin to develop their first Tomb Raider game.

There's a unique and very beautiful look to the game. The lighting creates a very pleasing desert blooming effect that makes Prince of Persia look a lot different to other action adventures doing the rounds at the moment. Fans of the dramatic vertical levels of the first and best Tomb Raider game will feel right at home in the well designed levels. The animation is some of the best you will see in an adventure game – echoing the fluid movements of the original classic game. It is clearly a game that has a lot of love invested in it.

[Jen]

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is my favourite game of the year. It is such a joy to play. The controls combined with the super Dagger of Time rewind features makes it a game that rarely frustrates – it's just a real pleasure to go swinging, leaping and climbing around those beautifully created levels. The relationship between the Prince and the Maharaja's daughter Farah, is a wonderfully engaging tale that kept me glued to the controller until I'd finished the game.

[Alex]

For all the great controls, super animation and engaging story I still had problems with the game. The combat system certainly results in exceptionally well animated motions – but the combat can be so tedious compared to the rest of the game. Some of the boss fights, in particular, aren't fun at all. Yet, it just goes to show how great the rest of the game is that the weak battle system doesn't destroy what is otherwise one of the games of the year.

[Harry]

What are you doing reading this? Stop right now, march down to your local game emporium and declare, "Shopkeeper, furnish me immediately if you please with this year's finest game – Prince of Persia." It's seriously good folks, so seriously, go buy it.