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Much different approach

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 56 / 58
Date: December 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was pleasantly suprised by Ubisoft's other Prince of Persia offering--the Sands of Time--when I picked it up on clearance several months ago. The game had an undeniable charm, and, while the level structure needed some work, it was a great game.

The Warrior Within, however, takes a drastically different approach, both graphically and story-wise. Gone are the magnificent towers and palaces that filled Sands of Time, replaced instead with dank, gritty dungeons and fortresses. The game is much more dark, reflected in the voice acting, the music, and the overall story. I, for one, don't mind this change as much, but I know that it's a sticking point with some other gamers.

Graphics--I was actually slightly disappointed by the character models when I first started the game--they seemed a little bit too stiff for my liking. Perhaps it's because the FMV sequences are truely excellent. However, I became used to the graphical style quickly. 4/5 stars.

Gameplay--the game really shines here, as it's possible to pull off insane combos. I was worried that I would be relegated to simply mashing buttons, but I picked up on the "free-form fighting" system relatively quickly, and before I knew it, I was swinging around posts, bounding over enemies, propelling myself off of walls, and chopping off heads with the best of them. 5/5.

Sound--this is where Warrior Within suffers. The soundtrack is bearable in most locations, although industrial music is a very weird partnering for a game set in ancient Persia. I happen to like industrial music, but I can see how this would irritate some. Voice acting is OK, but the Prince has a new voice actor this time around. Some of the lines--particularly where the Prince curses--seem forced. 3/5.

Story--the story is interesting, although Ubisoft seems to have gone off the deep end. Sands of Time offered a very satisfying story that wrapped up neatly. But with Warrior Within . . . BOOM, just like that the Prince is running for his life. The story isn't bad, it's just that it doesn't jive with the previous game like I think it should. 4/5.

Well worth the $50 I spent on it, I'm hoping that Ubisoft continues the Prince of Persia series.

A Darker "Prince," Not a Better "Prince"

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 15
Date: May 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" was a phenomenal game, and delivering a follow-up in just under a year is always a tricky proposition. However, that is exactly what developer Ubisoft Montreal did with "The Warrior Within," a mostly worthy successor that unfortunately takes about as many steps forward as it takes backward.

In a strange turn, "Warrior Within" trades in the storybook style of its predecessor for a hard-edged vibe, denoted by the series' switch from a "Teen" rated game in "Sands of Time" to its current "Mature" verdict. The prince continues his adventure as a darksome pirate, less boyish and more sinister, haunted by his past and the beast his actions unleashed. This beast, known as the Dahaka, pursues him relentlessly, it seems, giving him not a moment's rest. It devours everything in its wake, and the only way it can be stopped, the prince decides, is to find the mysterious Empress of Time... and kill her. It's an interesting switch in tone from the first game, but not an entirely successful one. The mood of "Sands" was considerably more original than what's offered up here, and the absence of Farah as a pivotal character is a sad loss to the franchise. Still, it suffices even if it's easy to mourn the alteration.

Gameplay remains much the same, which is a great thing. The prince still has all the same nifty moves at his disposal (plus a few more), and is as nimble and easy to control as ever. In a curious plot hole, the character now lacks the dagger of time but can still rewind it provided he has enough sand in his possession - which is welcome, because this was the stand-out feature of the game's predecessor, and given the harder difficulty of this follow-up it's more useful than ever. Whether or not it makes logical sense from a story perspective is relatively moot. In any case, more time-shifting abilities crop up as the game proceeds, most of them aimed at helping the prince survive in battle.

Speaking of battle, this is an area of "Warrior Within" that has seen much improvement, as combat was the weakest link in the "Sands of Time" chain. The new blood and dismemberment options still seem remarkably out of character, but the action itself is integrated much more skillfully into the gameplay - which is good, since combat plays a noticeably larger role this time around. The moves at the prince's disposal are much more effective than they were previously, allowing for more interesting combos and environmental attacks that sometimes prove necessary in surviving some rather challenging fights.

Boss encounters are another new addition in "Warrior Within," as there are several interspersed throughout. These are interesting in that while they are, for the most part, a welcome feature, the majority of combos are discouraged thanks to each boss's uncanny ability to block these kinds of attacks. Instead, defeating these nefarious characters basically involves lots and lots of rolling and flipping while occasionally coming in for a simple stab or slash, then repeating the process until they eventually die. These could have provided a great opportunity to rely on the game's new, more complex maneuvers, but instead they dissolve into a stick-and-move routine that's only so exciting.

Perhaps the coolest addition to the game, however, is the Dahaka itself, which periodically pops up and forces the prince to flee for his life, usually over lots and lots of obstacles that get in his way. This provides a nice change of pace, adding loads of tension when it works at its best. Unfortunately, sometimes the camera's positioning during these sequences works against you, cropping out the dangers you're fleeing towards. Mostly, though, it's a rush of intense gameplay that shakes up the experience in a positive way.

But despite the new and improved combat and the occasional Dahaka-haunted obstacle course, "Warrior Within" is a mere shadow of its predecessor's former glory, thanks in part to the shift in tone, but more importantly to its overall less impressive design. The hub system in the game artificially lengthens the experience, and not in a good way. Lots and lots of backtracking is required, and prepare to see the same environments over and over again during the course of the journey. What's more, sometimes it is extremely unclear what you are supposed to be doing, and where it needs to be done at, and given the massive environment, which you can roam almost freely, it can become rather mind-boggling and out and out aggravating. The first game just felt tighter, like a well-oiled machine. Not so with regards to the sequel.

All in all, "Warrior Within" is certainly a very good game, but a disappointment as well. Hopefully a third installment will find a happy medium in terms of its tone, but more importantly add the much improved combat to a game that is less confounding and sharper in its design. In the end, though, "Sands of Time" is a tough act to follow, but, for the most part, its successor does its job admirably.

A preview of a worthy sequel...(rating based on first-look)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: November 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you enjoyed playing Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time, then you will be spellbound by its sequel "Warrior Within". This game no doubt, ups the ante of the previous rendition by a huge scale. Since I am not in a position to review it yet, let me state my first impressions of the game in the context of the videos and files I've gone through.

Firstly, the protagonist. The Prince in the first game was an up-and-coming warrior of immense skill and heart. Though naive, he had the courage to set things right . But he had no clear idea of what to do except restore the order of time.
In Warrior Within though, the Prince is 10 yrs older. And more mysterious. He is the ultimate warrior, having experienced countless battles since restoring the Sands of Time. He is dark, broody, independent and utterly dangerous to the point of being manic. And he knows exactly what to do now.

Sands of Time has a very brightly-lit atmosphere to it. All the surroundings are visually breathtaking and there is a soft aura of appearance to it, probably showcasing the transient beauty of the Arabian landscape.
POP-Warrior Within is the exact opposite in appearance. It has vivid and awe-inspiring landscapes, no doubt, but it is creepy, foreboding and unforgiving. It rather showcases the effect of the Sands of Time's disastrous effect on the world. It also has a completely re-worked graphics engine which looks terrific. The terrain and the characters looks extremely realistic and fluid in movement.
I wish to state that if there is any reason POP:WW might have a fallout with you, it could only be the environment itself. Take it for granted that the game will have a very dark, menacing look to it, all through. It will be gorgeous to look at, no doubt, but somehwere down the line, we might start asking "Why is it SO dark in concept?". This could turn us off quite a bit coz' we would want to relate this game to the fantastic feel of Sands of Time. Let's face it. Sands of Time had the most uplifting level design to date. I surely hope Ubisoft has not taken the word 'bleakness' to the extreme.
I also noticed that the Prince is not the same naive, likeable guy we know off. Hopefully he doesn't have a total makeover in his personality.

Neverthless, POP:WW has a lot more to offer.....

Sands of Time had the bubbly Farah as your companion. In Warrior Within, you seek no one's aid in combat. But a few new mysterious characters do help you at times, in achieving your objective. Variety is one thing you can expect.

In Sands of Time, the Prince has only a few but effective combat moves to his repertoire. In one hand he held the Dagger of Time and in the other, he had a Scimitar to deal primary damage and he could piece together a few combos to deal some effective damage.
In Warrior Within, the combat is truly groundbreaking. Just like Ryu Hayabusa in Ninja Gaiden, the Prince has some amazing combos to showcase his skill. Not only can he dual-wield weapons this time around, but he can also grab his assailant's weapon and counter target his enemy. He can also contextually use his environment to good effect, for instance, latch onto a pole and revolve-slash multiple enemies. The effect, I tell you, is something to be seen. Warrior Within is the first game to introduce 'free-form' combat, meaning, you can create your own combos and latch them together to deal some truly unique and incredible attack manoeuvres. Imagine. Think of all the weapons that he gets his hands on and the combos you can attach them to. The though itself is whetting my appetite.

Sands of Time had a sense of grandness that not many games could even think off, particularly the level design. Even Halo cannot compare itself to it. But Warrior Within is very similar to its predecessor. Though darker story-wise, it has the same sweeping sense of scale the first rendition enjoyed and provides a lot more than that. Ubisoft has been clever not to expose everything just yet but it is safe to say that Warrior Within is much bigger than Sands of Time.

The enemies in Sands of Time were few and all of them were zombies. With some understanding, they could be easily disposed off. Not so in Warrior Within. I believe there are all-together 9 types who range from the fast Executioners who attack in co-ordinate pairs to the massive Brute who can crush you with one swipe. There is another creature called the Griffin that could put even some Ninja Gaiden bosses to shame. All sounds exciting.

Phew !. If I go on, this preview would probably never end. Since this is just a general description of what you can expect in Warrior Within, I'd be hard pressed to discuss its finer details. It is astonishing how Ubisoft has managed to change the game completely in just over a year after the first game. I would be very surprised if you aren't impressed with its technical aspects. They are truly Next-Gen and among the three consoles supporting it, the XBOX version undoubtedly looks and feels better. But it is safe to say that Prince of Persia : Warrior Within will be a must-buy for any console.

PS: Thanx for going through the preview. If you are interested in my review, you can check it out in the Playstation version of the game.
Have a nice day.

Read this if you are considering buying Warrior Within

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: January 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This review is a little long winded, I apologize, but I feel the need to rant a little. Most reviews here are pretty positive, everyone can have their own opinion, of course, but consider this a warning if you are thinking about buying this game: not everyone will enjoy Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and some people may even hate it.

I really, really wanted to like this game. I never played Sands of Time, but I like the old side-scroller Prince of Persia games and the idea of a good bloody hack-and-slash game is always appealing. Reviews on Gamespot and other websites were very positive. The only bad thing anyone mentioned seemed to be a new, darker tone that detracted from the game. Well, I never played Sands of Time, so the change in tone was meaningless to me. Reassured by all this good press, a couple weeks ago I went out and plunked down fifty bucks on the game and went home to fire it up. I figured I couldn't go wrong.

Well, I did. Given all the positive buzz, how could I suspect that this is one of the most tedious, frustrating, poorly designed games I've ever had the misfortune to play on Xbox? The "dark tone" is the least of Warrior Within's problems.

Let's see... where should I begin? First off, the free-form fighting system is hype. The combat sequences are flashy, but all you're really doing is stringing left- and right-hand attacks together by hitting the X and Y buttons repeatedly--little more than button-mashing. There's no real depth or technique involved, and it's often inadequate for the fights you face. Combat tends to be either boring or excessively difficult, depending on what type of enemy you're fighting and how many there are. The problem is exacerbated by the game's sluggish, poorly designed control scheme. The Prince has an excessively long recovery time and is generally slow in combat. You can't interrupt or abort your moves and attacks, which results in the Prince leaving himself open to long, unblockable attacks by his opponents, and he automatically "locks on" to any enemy in his field of view which makes it very difficult to pick up weapons and sand powers when you need them in combat. It also makes it difficult to simply avoid enemies, which you'll want to do after the millionth pointless swordfight.

Then there's the platform gaming. The jumping and acrobatics are sometimes fun, but generally frustrating. The camera angles seem to be chosen for cinematic effect rather than usefulness, and the camera is limited and difficult to control. I found myself dying or being forced to waste precious sand tanks frequently because I couldn't see where I was supposed to go, or it simply wasn't clear. This problem is worst during the "dahaka chase" sequences, in which you have to escape a monster that will kill you if you stop or slow down. In these sequences you often have to wait for the camera to get to the right angle so you can see where you're supposed to go, wasting precious seconds.

I found the level design generally dull and uninteresting. I know it's a matter of taste, but I don't think endless stone corridors that all look exactly the same are enough for a game in this day and age. There are some great outdoor areas, and the "garden tower" level is a pleasant departure showing what could have been if the developers had been more imaginative, but in general it's the same bland environments over and over. More to the point, it's often unclear where you need to go or what you need to do. This tends to be annoying, given that the game is almost completely linear. Perhaps the worst thing, however, is the checkpoint system. I am of the opinion that all games should have some sort of save anywhere feature, and this is a game that especially needs it. In this game the environments are dull and the player dies a lot, forcing him to replay the same dull environment over and over because he hasn't reached the next checkpoint/savepoint. Unfortunately, health and save points are few and far between in some parts of the game (this is especially true in the middle section of the game) while in others they are unneccessarily frequent.

All told, it's not a *terrible* game. The platform stuff can be fun, the graphics are decent, and the combat is aesthetically interesting. The game is very cool for the first few hours of play, until the novelty wears off. I have managed to play through to the last boss, and will probably finish the game soon if for no other reason than to get my money's worth. However, it could have been much, much better. It's surprising that in all the hype about it, I haven't seen much criticism along the lines I raised. It may be it's simply not my type of game--oh, did I mention it's glitchy, also?--but if you're considering buying it, I would strongly suggest renting it first. Whether or not some people enjoy it I think it has some major issues. You should not simply spend your hard-earned money and time on it without considering its deficits, which may ruin the game for you as they did for me.

I am the first perso to actually review the game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: December 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I just got this game yesterday, November 29, 2004, when it should have came out on December 2, and stayed up all night with it. Let's start with the basics:

1. Opening movie/graphics: My mouth literraly dropped open, i on't know how it happened, it literally dropped, it was like watching a fast-paced action sequal

2. Controls - There are many, many, MANY, combos, that are extremely easy to do, so you'll hardly ever pull the same one twice, whil creating your OWN fighting style, (Triangle, Triange, Triange, Square - see easy). Then the sensetivity is so right on the dot, it feel like i'm the prince, moving, sliding, spinnng, jumping...

3. Story- fair, but i'm just saying that couse i heard it so much, but i do suspect there's more to it then that

4. Gameplay: OMFG - damn that good gameplay, i already explained the FFF (Free for fighting) which is totally revolutioary) where you can creat your own fighting style, you can't even begin to imagine how good it seriously is

5. Gamestyle - the stylwe is pretty brutal, but now how the Toys'r'us people make it sound like, you can do thing like pull your enemies over traps, strangulation, and cut'em'up decapitation technichs, but it is a little Residend Evil style creepy, huge dark rooms, alone hereaning your eart beat...

Pro's

The whole game

Con's

Little diferences would hae givin it a perfect ten, but somthing like that doesn't exist.

what did they do?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: January 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

so....i was really looking forward to this game.....man....what a let down.

graphics: not nearly as majestic and awe inspiring as the last

story: eh....decent concept, fun idea....however, over the top.

character: this is the biggest issue for me, although i am one of the few who loved the prince's voice work in SoT, they totally switched it now...so the american from persia? really? who swears? ok? no not really a good idea...whoever made this decision to not use the same voice artist was a moron.

and we lost ALL of the charm from the first one....the jokes, the prince talking to himself....everything...done..gone...ruined.

Fighting....well...i enjoy some of the new moves, the two weapon fighting...but there is too much fighting....

the great thing about SoT was that it was a platform game...a big puzzle with story and purpose....this one seems to have lost sight of all of that.
although the platforming in this game is challenging....it's not nearly as much fun as SoT...

saves....a decent idea to have the fountains be saves, but a few more fountains placed throughout would have been nice....yeah i'm a pansy when it comes to my game play, i like to be able to heal without having to start over the whole level from the last save....

sound...GET YOUR OLD COMPOSER BACK....AND HAVE HIM KICK THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF WHOEVER DID THE MUSIC FOR THIS ONE....AND IF IT'S THE SAME GUY.....end his career....now.

other than crap dialogue and REALLY crap voice work.....sound effects were great.

SoT is one of my favorite games EVER. and it hurts to not like it's sequel....if i had the ability..i would go back in time and tell the people at Ubisoft to scrap the idea and start over.....

ahhh if only i could rewind.

A poor follow up to Sands of Time

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 14 / 26
Date: December 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Ubi's Prince of Persia Sands of Time was a wonderful surprise for many. Beautiful to look at and with some fabulous platforming sections it was the kind of game that all who played it talked endlessly about. Not a perfect game however, the combat was repetetive and generally dull, but the game's charm shone through.

The sequel takes a radically different aproach. Gone is the magic, the fairy tale settings, the Sinbad/Harryhausen feel. Instead, Ubi have created a game that sets out to be as obnoxious, loud, and unpleasant as possible.

The platform elements are still good, but the fighting is more frequent and still dull, and without the magical atmosphere of the first, this is a hugely disappointing sequel.

It's worth mentioning the soundtrack in Warrior Within. Imagine the worst US rock music possible, the kind of brain dead trash angst ridden spotty teens listen to. Warrior Within is full of such music, it's enough to make your ears bleed.

Buy the original instead, and sit this one out. Hopefully the franchise will get back on track with the next one.

Prince of Persia-Warrior Within

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 16
Date: December 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I just picked this game up the day it came out. It rocks, and I believe they only had a few left at the store. Go for it...you will NOT be dissapointed.

For starters, I believe this game is much better than the Sands of Time. It is comparable to the first, but in Warrior Within the action and use of the sword is awesome. The Prince seems to have more of a bad attitude and it shows in the gameplay. He is all over the place along with a lot of sarcasm from him while in fighting mode.

So far, the gameplay is great. It seems a little difficult at times, but you can keep trying from the last checkpoint which is the water fountain (as it was in Sands of Time). The graphice are excellent.

I really do recommend this game to everyone. A lot of violence and hacking of his sword to the enemy. More blood, so please go out and purchase this game.

Cleveland, Ohio

A sequel with poor taste.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: January 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

PRINCE OF PERSIA: WARRIOR WITHIN is a solid, entertaining adventure game. Unfortunately, it's also a bland sequel when compared to POP: SANDS OF TIME, one of my favorite games on Xbox.

Ubi-Soft Montreal made a few critical errors in the development of this game. First, it's mature rating. While I personally have no qualms with blood, language and sexuality in games, WARRIOR WITHIN fails miserably at all three. The blood is gratuitious and unrealistic looking. The language, well, awkward sounding. And the attempts at "sex appeal" in the game are atrocious and childish. While I commend the effort to have the character evolve and give the second game a new feel, I wish it hadn't been done in such a contrived manner and hamfisted manner. Everything "new" about WARRIOR WITHIN feels forced, as if it shouldn't be there, but is being crammed in anyways. I don't quite know how else to explain it. The attempts to bring "darkness" and a gritty edge to the series are by in large laughable failures, and done in poor taste.

Second, speed. Everything about the games pace feels sped up and rushed. Compared to SOT, which built the story up piece-by-piece, with lengthy and suitable introductions and exposition, WARRIOR WITHIN just sort of tears through at a breakneck pace. Cutscenes are far too short and vague to provide any credible backing for the story. It leaves the story feeling superficial and tacked on, as if it were merely an excuse to link the action. Even the animation is faster this time around, making the Prince quicker to move, but choppier. Gone is the silky-smooth animation and pace of the first game.

Third, sound. As much the fan of metal that I am, distorted guitars are out of place in a fantasy game such as POP. The Persian/Arabic feel is drowned in distorted power chords, which again feel forced. The voice acting is also questionable at times (and suffers heavily from the superficial nature of the scripting and story). More questionable however are the Prince's combat "one-liners." Appalling. Idiotic. Irritating after even the first exposure. Listening to the Prince try and growl, "My blade sings for your blood," or "I don't have time for you," just hurts as both the voice lacks the Clint Eastwood growl necessary to pull it off and the lines themselves are so cliched and predictable.

Fourth, the much talked about Free Form Fighting or whatever. Over-rated. You can still get through almost the entire game by pressing X repeatedly or occassionally using A to jump then pressing X repeatedly. While the combos occassionally make for a neat show, overall the combo system is ironically slow and clunky. In other words, the difference between the combat in this game and the first is so minimal that I seriously wonder what the big deal is all about. Tecmo's NINJA GAIDEN features a far more complex fighting system that quicker, sharper, more effective, and way more fun to use.

All that said, the game is an entertaining run. The graphics, while they lack the flashy lighting effects and soft surrealism of the first game, remain quite impressive (though the character models could do with a few more polygons) and are elevated by the once again incredible art design. The gameplay is also more of the same, with more traps, more insane acrobatics and the odd puzzle here and there (though not as many as the first game). What is tragically missing are the "sand visions" from the first game, which gave you distorted clues as to where to go or how to get past a puzzle. They're gone this time around, and this can leave you wandering around without guidance a bit looking for a crack or something to jump onto. The number of enemies has also been increased to an almost annoying number, I guess to "showcase" the "new" fighting engine. Fortunately, just pressing Y twice will usually deal with an enemy, throwing them off the bottomless pits that seem to be the island's main tourist attraction.

If you're new to the Xbox PRINCE OF PERSIA games, I recommend you play SANDS OF TIME. It's just a better game, through and through. If you've beaten SANDS, and have a bit of a blood lust, then definately check out NINJA GAIDEN. If you've beaten both, then WARRIOR WITHIN should pass the time.

Well done!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: January 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First of all I hear alot of people complaining that the game is "buggy". There have been only a FEW instances on my xbox version. The ONLY bugs Ive seen is the game will almost stutter at times. It really only happens on occasion and doesnt really effect the gameplay.

I think because SO man people griped that the first prince of persia lacked "more fighting" and too many "puzzles" they changed the sequel. I find some of the battles very fun but eventually you get swarmed SO much that you resort to just tossing the enemies off of ledges etc to dispose of them EVEN the prince himself in the game says "I grow tired of this!". Its funny and you AGREE with him at times. The puzzles are GREAT and well thought out in this game. Now you can't really compare the two games as they both have similar control mechanics and its the same prince and thats the ONLY thing that ties them together. but in this game the controls are more complex button mashing and the prince is a darker character who screams alot "AHHHHHHH YAAAAAAAR!" quite often when fighting and breaking boxes etc.. I like the idea of traveling through time but some might find going through the same levels daunting. The neat thing is that every incarnation is unique in its own right. This one also throws BIGGER enemies at you this time making it truly challenging! You can also play this game YOUR way! You can pick your OWN method of fighting! You can also choose to kill EVERY enemy or run away from them to your next objective! Ive fought quite a bit of enemies but also have run from some also. You can run from SOME Of them and move on to your next objective etc. Another nice touch is the way the game makes you run from the Dahaka! its a nice touch. Upgrading weapons and dual wielding weapons this time around make the game more fun also! If you choose to throw alot then you dont use dual weapons. However if you choose you want more of a challenge then two weapons can help you achieve devastating combos!

Final thought. I don't think this game is "better" than prince of persia the sands of time. Its "different" and works well! Its a fun game with good graphics, decent storyline and well thought out puzzles etc. If you liked the original then you'll NEED this sequel. RERATE - It should have been 5 stars...

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