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the prince returns!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

like many who loved the sands of time, i was anxious when i learned of warrior within's release. i picked it up without any second guessing, and i've already beaten it.

so here's the good, the bad, and the ugly.

i think that warrior within is a HUGE improvement from the sands of time. the story is good (although i think they went a little overboard with this whole "time" storyline), you play the same prince although for some reason ubisoft decided to make him evil, however i found that overall this doesn't effect the games play.

the fighting is DRASTICALLY improved, there are so many more enemies of different varities, from your typical guards, to dogs that travel in packs and attack you vicioiusly when you are down. you dont have to stab anyone with the stupid dagger to kill them, you simply beat them into submission and they fade away into sand automatically. the dagger is replaced with a secondary weapon, which you can either throw or attack with. the acrobatics are also improved, with a bunch of killer combos and tricks.

the puzzles don't seem to be as challenging as SOT, but the traps are a lot tougher, with some new traps (such as stone crushers), you really have to stop and think about how you are going to get around them, bringing more strategy to the game. the new dahaka chases are really intense becuase they really test your skills.

of course, this game isn't without its flaws. its very frustrating when you have to use 3 sand tanks because the terrible camera angles have you missing a pillar you're supposed to jump to, and considering you can only get a max of 6 sand tanks, its even more annoying when you have to start over an area constantly.

the game also isn't very long, i beat it in about 6 or 7 hours. this game has little to no replay value (unless you feel like beating it on every difficulty) the boss battles aren't really anything special, and sometimes feel like your fighting a boss straight out of a zelda game.

my last complaint is that the game can be glitchy, for instance, every once in awhile when you die, when you go to restart, the game will freeze, the prince will occasionally miss a ledge or pillar when he clearly should've grabbed onto it.

other than thse few complaints, this is a great game and a must for anyone who loved sands of time or are looking for an original, fun, and challenging game to add to their collection.

Change is not always good

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 12
Date: October 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

These opinions are strictly based on the demo.

Ubi's version of Prince of Persia came as a surprise last year, because this franchise had so many bad sequels that nobody really thought it still has a future. But, Ubi managed to create an excellent game, with a distinct look and excellent controls and level design. They also brought and implemented perfectly the concept of 'controlling time', thus avoiding the main complaints about the POP games (most of them dealt with frustrating jumping puzzles and instant death).

Unfortunately though, even if it was a critic darling, Sands of Time (SoT) did not sell as expected - mostly the effect of having so many bad sequels. So, for the second installment on XBox, Ubi was forced to listen to the 'complaints' and change the game. This though is the main problem with this sequel. While changes tend to be good in general, these ones do not apply.

The main change is the fighting system. Warrior Within (WW) made the transition from a Tomb Raider type of gameplay to a Ninja Gaiden one. For some, this may be a blessing and especially early magazine reviewers seem to enjoy it. To me though, this pretty much ruined the game. From an intelligent and interesting game, this became nothing else than random button pressing, trying to get the 'perfect' combo. I would have preffered to have more exploration, not a Mortal Kombat fighting. In fact, PoP always seemed to be more about avoiding traps and solving puzzles, than about doing combos. And while the fighting system in SoT was indeed flawed, at least it was not a big part of the game. Now - like it or not - you will have to either learn these combos or avoid the game entirely.

The second change is with the graphics. What made SoT so special was its distinct look and gorgeous graphics. WW should have improved on this, but instead this is a step back. The 'blur' effect and vivid colors are gone, replaced by two colors: black and brown. The game looks common and uninteresting and the lack of 'blur' makes the textures look very poor. Why would Ubi change - again - something that was working, still a mystery to me. Especially now, when the 'blur' effect is copied in all games (Fable being the latest).

In the end, it looks like a group of players and reviewers changed the direction this game was following and WW is the end product. While some may enjoy this changes, for the fans of exploration and solving puzzles, this is a major step back. To me, this game was dumbed down to appeal to the masses and in the process, it lost its identity.

I will not buy this game, but I hope the sequel - if there will be any - will return to its roots, as captured in SoT.

Aggravating like no other

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: January 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Let's first be clear: I own the first Prince of Persia game and love it. I could not put the controller down with that one. Warrior Within is another story altogether. It is easily the most irritating game I've ever played. The graphics and sound are fantastic, some of the best that I've seen and heard. But that's where the good things end. The control is obnoxious as it seems not to matter which direction you are aiming towards, the prince will attack wherever he chooses. I found it next to impossible to accurately position and move the prince during even the most simple moves, let alone during intense combat. Save points are few and far between, carefully placed at the end of very difficult stretches of game play. I often found myself doing and redoing the same 15-20 minute stretch of game ad nauseam. I can only assume that this was done to lengthed the total time of gameplay, but it serves only to add frustration, not enjoyment. Finally, enemies require far more swipes with the sword than the Prince himself does, and considering they outnumber him about 1000 to 1, you better be prepared to invest heavily in some depressant of your choice to ease the irritation.

To ubisoft: Thank you for the not too subtle reminder of why you should always TRY before you BUY, regardless of how good the prequel was.

To anyone considering the purchase of this game: I would suggest you do the same.

HTH

The Prince Is Back

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I would like to start out by complimenting Ubisoft this is a game that is in every way just like SoT while at the same time adding a better look to the series. I have never before played a game with such an awesome fighting style including using the environment against enemies chopping off heads and cutting bodies in half! For fans of SoT you will get all of the princes moves back (icluding time reversing and wall running) and instead of having the same boring puzzles over and over again they give the game much cooler environments.Every inch of this game is as cool as the front cover looks! I look forward to the next Prince of Persia game!

Hardcore Action

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: March 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As a worthy sequel to Sands of Time, Warrior Within dishes out the pain with brutal bling. Ubisoft Once again proves that they're out to make great games for GAMERS. The prince's loyal subjects will find their ruler a darker characer this time around. Love him or hate him, he's back for a final act...

Graphically, Warrior Within shines among the dank decreped ruins of ancient temples. Every character is lovingly rendered with detail and fluid animations. As for the fluidity of the gameplay, frame rates never drop. The CGI movies are beautiful and imaginative, however in game cutscenes could have used a bit more work.

Sounds are also amazing. Swords clatter and crash, enemies slice and dice and the backgrounds offer an entertaining ambient atmosphere. The only personal problem I had with the score was the inclusion of the alternative rock. Thats just something I dont like when I'm playing a game. Not to mention it brings back memories of "The Scorpion King". Those who have played Warrior Within and seen Scorpion King will join me in shuddering; and for those who enjoyed the poor man's Conan rendition via The Rock- I'm sorry for the last comment.

The gameplay itself feels easy and deviates little from the original. Gone is the nifty-swell blade of time. The prince sports his own death dealing bling in the form of a visceral scimitar like sword. He also has the ability to pick up and use the weapons of fallen enemies. Although these weapons aid and offer new moves-isn't duel wielding great?- these weapons can be thrown or used until they are destroyed. Time play is still at the heart of the gameplay. The prince will still use his command over time to get out of some sticky situations. Warrior Within feels much like Sands of Time, just darker. The one frustrating problem with the game is finding out where you're supposed to be and how to get there. Players can expect to pull some hair for a while before they make progress to new areas.

All in all, Warrior Within is another great title from Ubisoft. Althoguh some people will be turned away by the newer darker prince, a majority will bond with the character and newcommers will find the experience enjoyable. Great graphics, reallistic sounds, intuitive open ended combat- it all adds up to a great game.

The Prince Returns!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Lest you think that I have a negative view of this game, I will state up front that this game (in my opinion) could easily be in contention for game of the year. However, it seems that Ubisoft decided not to upgrade the graphics for the Xbox. While they are good, they come no where near to the capabilities of the Xbox. Also, there are times that the game can freeze up which is rather frustrating. (I had this occur three times during the game.)

For those gamers that were expecting a continuation of the gameplay presented in PoP: Sands of Time; this game may let you down. Also, the music track will be a positive or negative depending on the style of music you like. Godsmack does a couple of the lyrics based songs and the entire game has a definite rock flavor to it. Whether or not the instrumental tracks are all done by Godsmack, I do not know; but the soundtrack is definitely in that vein. I, personally loved the music; but I am sure that there are a lot of people that may not.

The game is definitely harder than the first and if you just can't stand seeing: "Game Over" then you should probably try something else. I think the fighting is vastly improved over the first game. While it doesn't quite become the free form fighting that Ubisoft claims; it does come close. Every once in a while after I thought I had performed all the moves that I could, I pressed an extra button or two and the results were spectacular. Different enemies will require different combinations which adds to the variety and enjoyment of the game. There is a menu of the combinations and acrobatic moves as well as some time based effects that you will need to know. This can be somewhat confusing at first because you will not be able to use all the moves that are listed, but they will become available at some point as the game continues.

I think the story is compelling enough to keep you playing, but it is not a deep and twisted plot. The ending I played to, left room for a continuing story in PoP III (I sure hope they make one!). I completed all the life upgrades. I can't say that they were easy to find, but there are enough clues to find them all without a strategy guide. There are also times when the camera will not quite cooperate, but these times are generally few and far between.

In short: If you like a challenging action and puzzle game: This title is hard to beat. I don't like the limitations that are inherent in a 1-5 star system so to be a bit more precise, I would give this game about a 9.2/10 even though I definitely have to give it a 5 instead of 4.

The harder edge to this game will limit the popularity of the game, but this is a game you should defintely play. As far as the "M" rating...I have seen more television shows in prime time that were much more graphic as far as blood and gore goes. The language is fairly tame for the most part. It's not even close to what you hear in "Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay". For that matter the Playstation 2 game: "Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne" has many more "cuss words" than does PoP: WW.

This is one of the better games on any platform that has been released in 2004. You may want to rent it before buying; but I like the changes from the first game. It will appeal to a far less diverse group of people than did PoP: Sands of Time. Despite the bugs and other minor flaws in the game, if you fall into the group of people that are described above: Buy it!! If not, at least: Try it! I recommend it highly.

Disappointed

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 10
Date: January 20, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I cannot express how much I adored POP: SoT. And it was mainly the story that made me fall in love with it. The whole idea of the game being narrated at the same time it happened... wow! And the Prince was charismatic! Farah was awesome. The bickering between the two, the creative construction for the relation, the Prince talking with himself... Damn. The acrobacies and puzzles were fun, despite getting repetitive some times- but hey, it isn't much better in WW- the combats a bit tiring. But the game ended in the right moment: it made you wish you hadn't finished it.

Then I go play WW, with great expectations. And what do I find: an ugly, not an itty-bit thematic dressed Prince - and what's worse, he doesn't take off his clothes as you go playing ;b. I could have gone with it, although it's hard to play a game with a character you can't stand looking at: this is the same Prince??? He's been totally screwed up!

IMO, the fights haven't become much better. Still the same hit all buttons you can and you will survive, with repetitive enemies. But ok. This isn't what I thought most important for the game, albeit is, apparently, what the developers did, seeing how they pretty much ditched the puzzles and platform stuff- the coolest thing.

The Prince's voice and new personality were shocking to me. He's a total ass. And the grim ambient sucks. It tries to copy something from Resident Evil- or is Doom? Maybe Duke Nuke, or that other one I don't recall the name... because honestly, this is an already used technic. What was so good in SoT were the gorgeous places to see. Because as I think Farah said once, the way the emptiness made all more beautiful... the good looking scenary was rather ironic, when contrasted with the desperate situation. It seemed to mock the Prince, for he mentions he had always dreamed to explore the palace.

WW then brings you a dull enviroment, tiring. Over used. And a lone, silent CLICHE hero, instead of the original an exquisite Prince from the first game.

I was thinking about buying this game. But luckly EA set a stand in my shopping mall and was letting people play their releases: WW, FIFA, LotR: BfME, NfS: U. And I got to see how the game goes. My money is going into FIFA 2005, for sure.

On a side note, I really really really really want the Ubisoft people to read these reviews in this site and see how the screwed up big time. I hope that they may then make a third game, faithful to SoT, that at least doesn't lack the historical theme - e.g.: music, sights, vocabulary - that also explains WW was just a nightmare the Prince had. Because I refuse to believe he has become such an ass. I understand that people change and etc. But the game would have been far more enjoyable if oyu had made him change through this game. Or made a game that shows him changing. SoT is about him getting mature. Not this total mercenary.

I must agree with the guy who said that Ubisoft sent through WW a good remind to always play a game before buying it.

Warrior the could have been...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Sands of Time was one of the best games of 2003, and was in contention for Game of the Year on numerous websites and TV award shows. So this "sequel" to SoT had high expectations to live up too.

Gameplay: The new grittier direction was unnecessary, and actually takes away the inherent cool factor found in SoT. The new combat system is hardly worth memorizing, when repeatedly hitting A and Y will down enemies just as well. There were a few times when the camera angles where horrendous and actually hindered gameplay. The platforming elements of SoT are still here and just as fun as ever. The time control is intact and basically the same. The second weapon option is novel, and throwing it was helpful in a few situations.

Sound: The metal music didn't bother me as much as others, but the Arabic feel of SoT was sorely missed. I did experience Audio glitches twice during cutscenes when the sound completely dropped out, so leave the captions on if you want to know what is happening.

Graphics: The graphics are very high quality, although the light halos and blurry feel of SoT is toned down quite a bit. I will say the pre-rendered cutscenes seemed to be of low quality rendering. They appeared to have very low contrast, and noticeable distinctions between colors instead of smooth transitions. Its pretty rare for the in game graphics to look better than the rendered narratives. I played on a 48" progressive scan TV - fyi. Don't bother watching the unlockable videos in the "extras" menu. They are extremely low in quality, and even pixilated.

Story: The story does tie into SoT, but it is not necessary to have played the previous chapter. There are some interesting use of time shifts and different points of view of the same event used in the latter portion of the game. Overall it was adequate.

I'd say if you liked SoT, you'll enjoy Warrior Within, although you may feel it's a bit over the top in a few instances. Although it is supposed to be 4-5 hours longer, it took about the same amount of time to complete as SoT. There are two different endings/final battles, and the Xbox version does offer two extra novelty modes to play. Still a great platformer, but a little disappointing in terms of following one of the best games of 2003. I suspect it was rushed to get it out for the holidays, and the shorter production time lead to the shortcomings. Hopefully Ubisoft will return to the Prince's roots for the next installment.

Worth Its Weight in Sand

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Well, not really. I don't know how much sand goes for these days, but the game box and disc can't weigh all that much. Basically, the Prince of Persia 1 was truly the unsung hero of all times. After playing it, Prince of Persia 1 became the template upon which I judged other games. However, Ninja Gaiden changes things (I've said this before, and you weren't paying attention); and Prince of Persia 2 is existing proof of it.

Prince of Persia 2 has the adrenaline-injected combo-based action of Ninja Gaiden (and yes, the Prince does battle a ninja or two this time around. At least, they looked like ninjas, and I don't think the Prince of Persia would lie to me), but with the same old time trying puzzles of the first game, not to mention the outstanding character and background detail and design, and rich, smooth control.

The multiple (and creative) enemies are a little more battle savvy this time around (so are the bosses (hey! Bosses!)), but luckily, so is the Prince. Yes, the old problem of being grounded by enemies (those who played the first game know what I'm talking bout) has been revoked. The Prince can pick up an extra weapon should he so desire, and the sword upgrades feel more like upgrades this time around. And the old "hit X until the enemy dies" based combo system of the first game has been replaced by "free form fighting," which isn't quite as impressive as it sounds, but is still cool. The balance between health and sand seems a little more...balanced this time around.

The Prince himself has changed. You can immediately feel that he is an empty shell, no longer driven by redemption, but by desperation. Cause, he's gonna die. The game's difficulty will make sure of that. Yeah, that's another nod of the hat to Ninja Gaiden; if you don't know what you're doing, this will be one of those break-down-on-the-floor-crying games. But when you're in your groove...

A word about the plot: it is not necessary to have played the first game, but I do suggest you play it. This game seems to answer some of the questions in the first game (like, "what the heck happened in those fountain places?). Also, certain events in the first game are brought up a lot, and it kind of helps. (I don't know about you, but I don't trust the Old Man) The plot is a little predictable at times, but you won't really care.

Aside from that, the only spot on the plot is that it teeters dangerously close to a "Terminator" style grasp on time travel. And yeah, the dark Prince is pretty dark, and you might wonder what happened to the happy-go-lucky Prince from the first game. However, the rest of the game suffers not from the gloomy atmosphere; the Dahaka and the Crow Master and even the fortress itself are all worthy adversaries in both style and story (if you're wondering where this style and story comes from, watch Bram Stoker's Dracula by Coppalla, trust me).

As for extra features, eh. Not too much of an improvement from the first game. The movies deal with the creation of the game, as well as a trailer now and then. The image gallery is nice, but confusing to fill. And this game could not have suffered from an unlockable soundtrack; the blaring annoying rock soundtrack is a bit different from the original, but, dare I say it, appropriate at times.

So, all in all, I'd say that this is one of the few sequels I have ever played that lives up to the original. It is one sweet ride from super cool fun action time first scene, to frustratingly frustrating final boss. But, something is lost. The fairy tale feel of the first game is not totally gone, but it is drenched in shadow. And, to be perfectly honest, I miss the British accent.

Do not support buggy games

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 15
Date: December 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I would not reccomend this game to anyone for the simple reason that it's buggy. I could live with the voices cutting in and out or the random hits but I can't live with a game that messes up and requires you to start over from the beginning to (hopefully) not get the bug the next time through.

The game itself was fairly fun. However, going through the same areas, even if they are present and past versions got really boring.

Also, the fighting system doesn't always work too well. The prince has some cool new moves but there's an auto aiming system that just doesn't leave a person in control of what they are doing and frequently resulted in him jumping off a ledge or striking towards a distant enemy rather than the one in the direction I was pushing.
Don't buy it.

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