Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time has finally arrived on Xbox and GameCube. The game was delayed on these formats in Europe due to a deal between Sony and Ubisoft. So has the wait been worth it for Xbox and Cube owners? Harry takes a look at one of the best games you will ever own...

Like all third-person view games there are camera issues. Most of the time, the player is able to move the camera around with the right stick. Two other camera views are available with a button press. One being a first person view, which is very handy when trying to get a good look at particular obstacles or puzzles. The second additional view is a wide angle look, this is useful when faced with a succession of jumps and traps and the player needs to get an idea of how to tackle several moves in a row. At times though the camera becomes fixed. One can see why this is the case, for example when showing off a location or when highlighting the next move. This works well at times, for example, at one point the Prince has to swing from a rope, jump against a wall button to lower a drawbridge, jump back against the rope, then repeat against another button to open a door. The whole puzzle is shown from a camera a view in the top corner of the room. But at times, the hazy lighting and fixed view makes progress a little difficult.

This is most apparent in the level An Underground Reservoir. The Prince has to make leaps from one rope to another but at some points, this is not exactly clear. The high fixed camera view and haze combine to make it very difficult to see where the player should go next. At first it seems like two alcoves should be where the prince needs to go, but hidden in the gloom is another rope – it's just very hard to see. Luckily, these moments are rare and on the whole, the camera issues are minimal compared to some other third-person games I've played recently. And at times the automatic shifting of camera view is most welcome, occasionally when leaping over enemies the camera shifts to an angle above the proceedings, the Prince hurtles up towards the camera then back down again to attack the foe.

The animation of the main character is the best you'll see in this generation of games. The Prince boasts over 700 animations and these are used to ensure a smooth transition from one action to the next. So no matter what the Prince is doing he can effortlessly slip into another action without a jarring moment when one move becomes another. And the animation isn't there just look pretty. When walking along narrow ledges the Prince tries to keep his balance realistically, and the player can tell how to shift his weight by the subtleness of the animation. Some of the best animations appearing during combat, when the Prince leaps over enemies, launches himself from walls over the heads of his foes or when using his sword to block even when lying on the ground.

[Harry]

As you can see, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time has been given a score of 10. Is it perfect? No it's not. But there's no point having scores from one to 10 without being able to use the full range of scoring. There's so much thought and care put into this game it puts many other releases to shame. From simple touches such as the ability to move crates in any direction without moving around the item, to the wonderful hazy soft lighting that fills the levels – everything about Prince of Persia screams quality. The game is a genuine milestone in game design and will put many weaker games into sharp contrast. If you haven't got hold of the game on PS2 or PC yet and have bought other games since the autumn, shame on you. If you own an Xbox or GameCube then this game really should be your next purchase. The Xbox version is the prettiest of the console games, but GameCube is not far behind. Since the downward spiral of the Tomb Raider franchise, I've become a little disillusioned with the platform adventure genre, but Prince of Persia has reinvigorated my love for this type of game. Some games get by on enticing the player to continue through the promise of unlockable items, but Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is one game that will make even the most jaded game feel sheer joy from just swinging from one pole to the next. A true classic that will stand the test of time.