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Excellent game, but not for everyone

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 18
Date: December 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I couldn't agree more with the last reviewer comparing Sands of Time(SoT) to a "Disney movie with an edge". Even if you hated SoT you HAD to respect it for it's integrity to be itself and do what it did so well, and for standing out in a sea of titles. However we now have a sequel... and no matter how well you do on a sequel there's going to be criticism comparing it to the original. So here's the ordeal, do you rehash the first one, and have critics complain about it being more of the same, and not trying anything new... or do you try new things, and have critics complain about you ruining what was good about the first?

Warrior Within (WW) seems to be catching a lot of criticism for stepping too far away from it's predecessor... and although I am a HUGE fan of SoT, AND WW, I have to agree. The fighting system has been revamped, and blows away everything else out there... the sheer numbers of combos you can perform is mind-boggling, and being able to use your environment (spinning around poles, and rebounding off walls, as well as other characters) is more than welcome... it's just plain cool. I've more than once replayed an area just because it was "just TOO cool!" I can't say I ever did that during SoT. Although the cutscenes are done pretty well (that's saying a lot) the voice sync does lack (but aside from the Soul Reaver series there's not a lot of good out there) and the camera angles annoy. However those are small prices to pay for such a great game. And you can actually HEAR the voice overs in this one... (and just in case you still can't, there's subtitles) On it's own, people would surely give it better reviews, but since it is a sequel to it's wonderful older brother, it has A LOT to live up to.

WW does everything that SoT did wonderfully, only the feeling has really changed. I feel like I'm playing a totally different series. I have to agree that it strays too far from the great formula that MADE SoT. Overall, to play this game, I don't feel like I'm playing a Prince of Persia game. Do you want to feel like you're playing SoT again? No. You DO want to feel like you're playing a PoP game though. WW is a lot faster paced than SoT, and the fighting doesn't slow the game down like it did in SoT. I used to want to get through the fighting to get to more wall climbing and rope swinging. Now, I want to get through the wall climbing and rope swinging to get to more fighting.

All of the climbing and light puzzle solving is back, and welcomed, but running into a huge group of opponents doesn't have you saying "Come on, hurry up and die".

I don't like WW because it's the sequel to SoT, I like it because it's a great game... and I'm picky when it comes to games. I can't say "If you liked SoT then you'll LOVE WW." I can't say you'll hate it either.

I guess I'm just not too helpful.

Sands of Time is Coca-Cola. Warrior Within is New Coke. It's just up to your taste.

Don't Believe The Lackluster Reviews

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 20
Date: December 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am a big fan of this series, and play many different kinds of PC games. I regularly read game reviews; consequently, pouring over the reviews of this game when it was first released caused me to wait a solid year before purchasing the sequel to my beloved 'Sands of Time.' I was foolish to wait, and foolish to listen to the naysayers out there. They whined about things like unintelligent level design, for example. Try CREATIVE and CHALLENGING. Whatsamatter, you don't like non-linear segments in your game play where you have to actually explore and think your way through a level instead of being led through it by convenient openings and 'go this way' landmarks? Too bad for you -- this isn't your game, then. And the very cool switching back and forth between the past and the present is interesting, not a programming shortcut. Some players also complain 'There's no persian architecture in this game -- whine whine whine!!' These guys must have missed the fact this game DOESN'T TAKE PLACE IN PERSIA!!! The set you're playing in is the Castle of Time -- OF COURSE it's going to look different!! Sheesh!! Another common rant about this game is 'it's just not like Sands of Time, whaaa whaaa whaaa.' Duh, a sequel is supposed to be DIFFERENT, not exactly the same game you just played with a few tweaks. I LOVED Sands of Time, and I LOVE this game equally because it's DIFFERENT. Stunning visuals, gorgeous graphics, atypical look and feel, and yet just enough similarities to remind you you're still playing the part of the Prince, albeit ten years older and embittered by disappointment. HELLO, critics, remember when you whined after the release of the first game that the Prince was 'too youthful, too innocent, too kindly?' Well, you got your wish for a battle-hardened, uncaring and angry Prince and now you're all whining about THAT. Another thing people complain about in this game is the voiced responses of the numerous enemies you must kill, calling them cheesy and badly recorded. I'm sorry, but again I must disagree. While I'm not calling this addition genius or flawlessly executed, I definitely appreciated the interest it lent the game -- no longer do I feel as though I'm playing totally alone, pitted against mindless monsters who can only shriek, squawk, and grunt. For those of you who waited to purchase this game as long as I did (it was a Christmas present to myself) ;) don't wait any longer, especially at this attractive price. If you like having to use your BRAIN and not just your fingers to play a video game, and if you don't enjoy cookie-cutter 'just like the last one' sequels, you'll love it.

A middle finger to the Prince of Persia franchise.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 25 / 38
Date: December 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Having just completed this game the question on my mind is: What were they thinking? Since it's early incarnation as an '80s 2d platformer Prince of Persia has been all about fluid animation, traps, and acrobatics. Now we have "Warrior Within" a game that's not even supposed to be played by anyone under 17. I'm an adult who enjoys a lot of "M" rated games. Prince of Persia should not be one of them. "Sands of Time" had a unique, Disney-with-an-edge feel that "Warrior Within" completely sneers at. Did the Halo guys call the Ubi Soft guys "wusses" at some game convention? Who knows. Something's got to explain the abandonment of nearly everything that made SoT a great game.

And if you buy this game be prepared to spend a lot of time looking at loading screens. But what about that rewind button? There's been some industry talk of doing away with the YOU DIED/RELOAD screens and "Sands of Time" took a huge step in that direction with it's innovative rewind feature. "Warrior Within" still has rewind but it completely negates the system in parts of the game by giving you no sand and forcing you to navigate long series of traps under a strict time constraint. Pause for a second and you're instantly murdered in a cut scene (no fighting back) and booted out to the YOU DIED screen for a reload that puts you at the beginning of the traps (no quicksave). There are times I reloaded many times just to get a one-second, pre-murder look at where to move next. Guess how much fun that is! It goes far beyond just negating the rewind--there's more reloading here than in the last 3 games I played combined (at least the load time is quick). It's amazing that Ubi Soft reversed direction and turned this sequel into a die-a-thon right up there with the worst Tomb Raider titles.

By far the worst part is the level design. By that I do NOT mean the rooms full of obstacles the prince must navigate--those are clever as ever. I mean the overall pathways you must take to progress the game. Or, more specificaly, the CONSTANT BACKTRACKING required. You can tell the developers were trying to stretch the game by reusing maps. But the frustrating part was that they didn't close off any of the wrong paths so you can burn an hour pursuing a dead end (enemies respawn, so no clues there). If that's not bad enough, there are two time modes for all the areas, so you can backtrack in the past as well as the present (the time modes want to be as cool as the shifting phases in "Legacy of Kain" but just aren't). I was constantly unsure of the path I was on, even when on the correct one. With so little feedback from the game even the fun parts were very worrying because I seldom knew if I was actually progressing. The "map" they give you is a total joke. Imagine navigating a tangle of streets with one of those kids jigsaw puzzles of color-coded states.

The one silver lining is the combat system. It's just beautiful. Much better than SoT, which got old quickly. Fighting in "Warrior Within" is like controlling a 3D ninja straight out of a Pixar movie. Even at the end of the game I was still pulling moves that surprised me. There aren't too many games where I spend 15 minutes killing a room full of baddies and immediately reload for the pleasure of doing it all again. That and the obstacle rooms kept me slogging through the frustrating parts. "Warrior Within" has many faults, but the work of the animators is beyond criticsm. Just put them under new management--hopefully someone who "gets" what Prince of Persia should be about.

Great game in need of minor improvement

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have not played the first Prince of Persia so I do not have anything to compare it to. This game, however, is a wonderful game on its own and I fully recommend it to anyone looking for a top notch action adventure. I think a good description for this game would be a cross between King's Quest and Tomb Raider. The intense swordplay combined with the acrobatics and mindboggling puzzles make this an intriguing and unique game. The graphics are great and the landscape camera option makes for some really beautiful scenery. You also get a first person view option for taking a gander at your surroundings although you can't play in first person.

I do have a couple of complaints about the game:

First, most of the music is horrible. I usually give the music track a gander and then turn it off because how realistic is it to be on an adventure with music playing in the background anyway? Warrior Within often features a heavy metal track playing in the background. Come on people, this is ancient Persia. Something suspenseful and ambient would have been much better. I suppose it is targeted to a certain audience. The cutscenes are on the music track though so if you do turn the music off, keep the subtitles on.

Second, the forced camera views can be rather annoying at times, especially if you are a keyboard player like me instead of a gamepad player. Also, the movement keys correspond with the camera view and not the character. This can be a real pain when the camera changes into one of the forced views and players may find themselves leaping into oblivion or jumping in the wrong direction right into a trap (which there are plenty of in this game.)

These are minor issues however and should not deter one from buying the game. Another reviewer talked about replaying a certain area because it was a lot of fun and I have found myself doing that as well. Lots of secrets and hidden areas are to be found here and that gives the game some good replay value. I may end up investing in some cheap gamepad just to ease my woes with the camera issue.

Not at all disapointed...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: February 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and I Like it, but the major faults with it are the camera, fighting and the prince looked like a ponce, becouse of his hair and clothes (the pants made him look like a goat). But POP:SOT was still a good game overall.

I heard about POP:WW coming out and I was really excited becouse I heard it was a much darker sequel.

It is. You start off the game with the prince running away from a vicious beast, showing off brilliant cutscene graphics. You are then on a ship, fighting against unknown demons, with a thong-wearing (human)woman leader.

Ok, now its time for the review to start

GAMEPLAY:
10/10- The acrobatic moves are mind boggelingly cool! They really will amaze you! The fighting is HUGELY IMPROVED! The Combos you can pull off are amazing and get better and better as the game goes on. There are a variety of different weapons on offer, such as axes, daggers and mases. YOU CAN EVEN HOLD TWO WEAPONS!!! If you see an enemy far away, you can throw a weapon at him and you can see his head chopping off!

GRAPHICS:
9/10- The strong point of Sands Of Time, they are even MUCH BETTER in this game! When you use the time powers, the screen blurring is amazing.

LIFESPAN:
8.5/10- It will keep you hooked for over a month becouse of the extra unlockables hidden in-game!

OVERALL:
This game will not disapoint, as long as you stick with it, as some puzzles might be very hard and frustrating at the start, but it becomes second nature later.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST ACTION/PLATFORMER GAMES EVER!!!

Best game series I ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Prince of Persia is in my opinion, the best game ever. I played all of them except The Two Thrones which is waiting patiently on my desk for me to finish WW. I played the POP 3D and I thought: what could be better? I bought Sands of Time and my computer was 2 old for it, so I built a new 2400$ system just for that. It was definitely worth the money... Sands of Time was a step up and I tremendously enjoyed that. When I started POP WW, I thought that really, the game is evolving exponentially. An unbelievable combination of swording skills, great story, fast running and ingenious acrobatics on crazy heavy metal music!!! I don't know what else could beat this. The graphics are great, warming my 7800 GT... During the game, can find treasure chests that can open extra art, like movies, drawings, characters, weapons etc...
I am really impressed by the artistic depth of this game, congratulations Ubi!!!
My wife, otherwise a normal woman, dumps the TV and pulls a chair near my desk and watches me play Warrior Within for hours. Gets very upset if I touch the game when she is not there.
Now I am trying to find the music to put on my ipod, because it really drives me insane.
I just bought a 24 inch LCD and I wish the game could run widescreen, but still looks great.
Conclusions: guys, forget the brainless FPS games (which I admit I play sometimes), and play something special for a change.

frustrating at times, a little buggy, but rewarding at the end

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed the first game sands of time. True, it had a fairy tale title and perhaps that is what kept hard core gamers away from this title, but I was surpised at how fun it was. Warrior within is sort of a mixed bag. On one hand I did like the combat system, and some of the cenamatography was great. On the other hand, this version seemed to be a bit too long and frustrating at certain times due to various factors - minor bugs, quest driven camera angles (you can only view a scene from certain angles) instead of free form camera angles, unclear wear to go at times because of bad camera angles or because there are multiple locations to go, and also too many areas of the game where you are chased by the dahaka or the ledge falls under you (this is okay sometimes, but it gets annoying after a while). The story line is confusing, but the ending(s) (both of them) are great if you have the patience and time (and luck because of bugs) to reach them. This is not for the casual gamer. It took me about 50% of the game through before I mastered the move techniques of the game. You will definately want to search for the walk-through on the internet if you want to finish this game and view both endings.
Perhaps they were trying to compensate for the critisms leveled at the sands of time (that it was short and too childesh theme to be marketable). At any rate, these were both great games. I think they just overestimated the sophistication level and attention span of the average gamer, and also did not anticipate the oversaturated console market.

Hmm...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Hello,

To be honest with you, I'm a huge fan of this game. I absolutely loved the first game when I played it. Now down to what I think of this game "ON THE PC."

One thing I should mention before I say my opinions about this game is that the "Time Rewinding" isn't part of the battle as much anymore in this part of the story. So steady you finger on that rewind button, and learn to actually use combination attacks to SURVIVE.

1. The gameplay is by all means very confusing in the beginning. There is quite a bit of a learning curb to "actually" learning your "own" fighting style. It is possible by all means. This is like a 2D fighting game put into 3D perspective. However learning to do it right is the hard part.

2. The music...well lets just say I loved the first one for its more ethic feel. Heavy rock music just doesn't cut it after a while. NOTE, the rock music only occurs during battles. However they occur often.

3. The general walking about in the game is quite fun, and much more complex in comparison to the first Price of Persia. They actually made it much harder for you by not showing you where you have to go. You get an overview of the area, but you must be quick to take in details. The camera bugs me sometimes because I can't rotate it on the PC for some odd reason (Must be a setting I missed on my analog). In the beginning they are careful not to overwhelm you with puzzles because the scenery is a lot different from number one. Its also very dark, and hard to make out somethings at times.

I like this game because its challenging. Its rare for me to find a game thats actually difficult. I enjoy it for its unique fighting ability, general "walk-about" gameplay, and the course puzzles. I would write more, but I do not wish to bore you. I sincerely hope you found my review helpful in any way.

Have a nice day.

you need a joystick to play this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: January 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is definitely the best game I have ever played. And what a good price! I bought this game because I was looking for a console-like game on pc for my xbox360 joystick. I got more than what I wanted.

This game comes with a long storyline, and fortunately you don't have to go through all those puzzles and fights to get to an end. Very challenging, but sometimes frustrating (go to stuckgamer.com to find help then). I have spent 7 nights to work on it. At a point, when the prince fought the empress of time to death, I thought it had finally ended. But a second story came along and I had to deal with the even harder battles and puzzles. I need a good rest and get it on again.

I have tried keyboard once but give up immediately. This is a console game for pc, so be sure to get a joystick before you play. The only thing I would hope to add to this game is some more pc features like saving the game whenever you want, because the game play itself is already time-consuming.

overall, it's a great game, beautiful pictures, smooth 3d motions, decent design of enviornments, fine combat designs, and a good story line. Get ready for battles with your smooth moves and deadly killings!

Awesome Action!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Although I've only tried the demo version of POP:Warrior Within,but it totallt rocked!!!The two hand weapon system let me use different attacks depending on what second weapon I picked up.For example,if I picked up another sword,I can go near a collum to circle around it like a smoothie machine balde!!!And the woman boss is really hot!!!The POP:Warrior Within is going to be mostly fighting instead of puzzle solving like Sand of Time,but there are still some tough puzzles in Warrior Within,like the one with a giant spinning wheel in the side of the wall,and you have to walk through it using the power of slowing time.And last but not least,you can turn the blood on or off!

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