Score: 93
Overall User Average: 9.24 / 10 (92.9%)
Gameplay User Average: 8.96 / 10
Graphics User Average: 9.56 / 10
Sound User Average: 9.08 / 10
Lone Wolf 4
Date reviewed: November 22, 2004.
Overall: UBI WHY!!!!!! I loved you other games(save Dukes of Hazzard) but I cannot for the life of me stand this game
Gameplay: Fast, too fast, and if you are an FPS fan like me, it's hard, and frustrating at times like the die and rewind theme, horray dead again
Graphics: Nice once more Ubi pushes visuals, curtains move and soft light comes in from windows, very effecient
Sound: Poor voice acting, and abysmal music neat battle noises, but it dosen't compensate for the lack of other sounds
Suggestions: Pleas include live and slow it down
Overall: 20 %
Gameplay: 30 %
Graphics: 60 %
Sound: 30 %
supmyman7
Date reviewed: November 20, 2004.
Overall: this is probobly one of the best games I've played besides Halo 2. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is gonna just be great
Gameplay: theres a lot of opitions to do like, doing stunts over enemies, wall running, basically everything that happens in The Matrix
Graphics: it was really good, we're talking about Ubisoft here, it already means its good already, look at Rainbow Six 3, it was good graphics and all and this is good too
Sound: the sword-clashing could have been improved but still, it's still a good game, and voice for the Prince is really good too
Suggestions: make Prince of Persia: Warrior Within online, or Prince of Persia 3 online play
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
haloaddict258
Date reviewed: July 21, 2004.
Overall: One of the best games for the xbox. The visuals are some of the best and the sound is just amazing. One of my favorite parts of the game though is the easy controls so you can pick it up and play
Gameplay: The controls are very easy to get the hang of. The whole game was just an amazing experience and the whole story behind the game is great.
Graphics: Great graphics in this game. I love the effects they added to the water and the sand. And all the characters in the game are very well designed
Sound: In my opinion this game had great sound. In fact in one part of the game you have to listen to the sounds to get to the next part of the game.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
FrozenGothDream
Date reviewed: July 5, 2004.
Overall: I think that this game was really cool. the graphics and the movement of all the characters was very impressive and I think that if this game had a sequel( i heard that there will be) it would be one of the best games of the season(whenever it comes out, i heard that it will come out next year) CANT WAIT! I beat the first one 2 times on normal and hard and i have to say that this game was a challenge to me.
Gameplay: Well. I think that the gameplay was ok but sometimes the fighting was getting annoying because prince didnt had too many moves so it was pretty much just repeating jump hit run, jump hit run.
Graphics: Graphic were awesome, great especially when you are outside the castles and you see the lands far far away. Also the sand creatures looked very real and they were done very precicely.
Sound: Oh the music was very original I loved the Arabic music and sounds, Only annoying sounds were when the sand creatures sounds were repeating constantly.
Suggestions: MAKE THE SEQUEL ASAP EVERYONE IS WAITING FOR IT!
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 80 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
herp510
Date reviewed: May 23, 2004.
Overall: this game is muy bonito, and i haven't finished it yet. From the very beginning you get evolved with the plot. It has great cutscenes between sequences. It is cool how you can rewind time and do it all over again because if you die you can come back to life if you have enough power spaces left. The game is not just fighting, but also problem solving. It is like one great big puzzle with many variations leading to one ultimate point.
Gameplay: The gameplay is awesome. You connect a vareity of moves to create one swing kill. You can jump over an emeny and then stab them from behind. If you like puzzles then this game is for you.
Graphics: It is great with the visuals they are so good. I don't understand how they did this. They created stupendous puzzple variations and enemy. Some enemies may look the same, but it would take too long so they did a good job. It deserves a 3.5 because of the stupid camera angles. It is agravating to be a in one stop perfectly right in front of where you need to be, but then you take a step and the angles change all of a sudden.
Sound: IN the cutscenes the sound is great the voice actually moves with the mouth it actually seems real unlike other games. the music i don't listen too so i don't know if anyone would like it.
Suggestions: fix the blasted camera angles if you make a second one. I hope you make a second one. I like the storytelling because it works perfectly. I just like to say thanks for making an awesome game. That's all.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 70 %
Sound: 100 %
Trento52
Date reviewed: March 21, 2004.
Overall: This is a great game that was sadly lost in te piles of other games released at the time. I picked it becasue teh demo was cool but the truth is teh whole game is great and gets better and better. In all departments it is pretty good. This is a great game not like the other generic titles around.
Gameplay: I wasn't sure about teh fighting system but the time controlling gets this game a 5. The effects, and feel was great. SIlky smooth animations and cool, intriging enemies and puzzles.
Graphics: I will give it a five especailly since it is multiplatform. The cities and enviroment were so well done so beautiful everything was so great i really want a sequel. The style characters everything was superb. During some cut scenes though close up's of there faces looked alittle choppy but no way am i gonna let that wreck the game.
Sound: The sound was one of the key points in this game. Not only were the effects good but vioce acting was great, it was clear and the envirometn added alot of sounds. I am not making sence it was well done. The music now that was good. Perfect for this game.
Suggestions: Make a sequel. Also make it abit harder but come on this game is good make a sequel just be sure to release it and advertise it more and you got a great and hopefully good selling game.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
guns_a_blazin'
Date reviewed: February 21, 2004.
Overall: This game has it all. Responsive gameplay, geat help system, beautiful graphics and amaing moves and that's not even going into the amazing story.
Gameplay: After seeing all the reviews on this game on tv I though I should really pick this game up. When I saw it bundled with Splinter Cell, there was no way I was going to let it go.
The game is easy to get into and a treat to play. Some of the jumps are insanely hard to pull off gut having the ability to reverse time sure helps in trying things over. It's also nice to have save points in nice places through out the game.
Graphics: This game is a visual masterpiece. The environment is amazing from the character detail right through to the castle walls. It's just awesome to go into landscape mode and look around.
Sound: The sound in this game is sweet. I tended to focus more on the visuals but that is not to say that the sound didn't play a big part of this game.
Suggestions: Did find a bad camera angle now and then when in the middle of a fight sequence. Not a major flaw but something to look at.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
GuiltySpark
Date reviewed: February 21, 2004.
Overall: It is a really fun game with good gameplay and well done animation. The controls are simple enough to learn, and when you do learn them well then you will look very cool playing this game.
Gameplay: Simple controls. Easy to learn how to play. Also has really good way to get rid of button mashers: you button mash, you lose your combo.
Graphics: Most beautiful game I have ever seen on xbox. Fluid character animations make Prince of Persia look very nice. Don't forget about the 480p.
Sound: Good sounds. All sounds are where they are supposed to be. Very good voice acting. Sound is extremely immersive.
Suggestions: More playability after it has been beaten. Mini games. REAL XBL support.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
BunnyRabbit
Date reviewed: February 12, 2004.
Overall: Prince of Persia is a great action/adventure game. It made me think alot of it as a Zelda for the xbox. Being the puzzlish game that it could at times be. Many have said that this game was repetitive puzzle fight puzzle.. Rinse. Repeat. Although it may seem all so very the same, its alot of fun. Simple good fun. Another thing people have said is a minus, is the short and easy to beat thing. This is true, but it also comes with unlockable old versions of the original POP that add extra fun to playing it.
Gameplay: Gameplay could be repetitive, but the fights were beautiful. Both the fights and the puzzles were amazing. The agility shown in fights and such is amazing to watch. I was smiling the first time I ran across the walls or swung on a pole. Its amazing to do and alot of fun. Not to mention using the dagger of time. Alot like blinx, time can be rewound, fast forwarded, paused, and slowed. Another beautiful addition to the beauty in gameplay.
Graphics: I think the visuals were awesome. The graphics were all so smooth and everything depicted a perfect picture. The palace was an amazing site and view from the outside and just as well from within. Not to mention the visualizations in combat and interaction of environment. Oh and the beauty of sight when the dagger went into use was also sweet.
Sound: Not too much to say here besides the sounds were excellent. Good enough that if you closed your eyes you could distinguish what something was buy the sounds it makes.
Suggestions: Comment: Hialrious! Great Ending. Bwahahaha!
Suggestion: PoP2 I eagerly await. Make it have some DLC or just make the whole game generally longer and more varied gameplay.
Overall: 90 %
Gameplay: 80 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 80 %
m4nea
Date reviewed: February 8, 2004.
Overall: Overall, good job. Storyline is great, nice twists and great concept. LOVE the bonus classic POP games; nice touch. Also, the camera control, and the auto camera angle switches...very enjoyable.
Gameplay: Nice acrobatics, and nice idea for the fight engine. However, i agree with some of the other guys on how the sand creatures just appear at the end of a save point. Not really enticing how the final boss is easier than most of the first weaklings. Also, the time control has little effect during a battle, being only 10 seconds of support. Other than that, running on walls is freakin sweet.
One thing that I was wondering is how anyone can find this fight engine hard. I've heard complaints that when you get knocked down, you get pummelled by the other creatures. however, as soon as you are knocked down, they leave you a nice little gap in the action to get up.
Graphics: Best graphics I've yet seen overall in an xbox game. Only complaint: (tho it might just be my tv) is that the blood looked like more of a fushia than a red to me...
Sound: Great music. Love the persian/rock style. Especially noted is fight music, and a nice little touch: when you drink, a sultry little number comes to your ears...
Suggestions: Definitely adjust the fight engine. not to be made an rpg, keep it this way, just maybe give him more moves. Got tired of either slashing or vaulting after a while. Other than that, you've made an amazing game.
Overall: 90 %
Gameplay: 80 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
BG_Master
Date reviewed: February 7, 2004.
Overall: its an action/adventure game set in ancient persia (well, obviously).... you play as a prince and for most of the game you have some chick named farrah following you around... plot: great, puzzles: great, battles: great, cutscenes: great, learning curve: ok, basically anything you can think of: great.
Gameplay: you follow a linear path and run into sand-monsters and puzzles.... throughout most of the game, the puzzles get harder.... but the battles, in the beggining, they are really easy, then all of a sudden you are at one of the hardest battles in the game, then easy again, then progressively harder, then you get better swords and they start to get easier... WHAT!!!??!??!?!?!!! i was seriously dissapointed with the last battle, when you have to kill you dad in the beginning was harder (that part pissed me off).... anyway, the battles are always intense and, surprisely, somewhat stategic, though in real time.... you have to try to save your life, but then you see farrah getting her a*s kicked, so you have to run to her, but by then you almost dead so you have to get a drink but then the stupid sand-monsters slash at you when you are drinking.... and someimes when you go in to suck up the sand, they dont let you cuz they attack you, its crazy....
Graphics: HOLY CRAP!!!!! this game has some of the most amazing graphics ive ever seen.... man, they're just so !&%$@#* good... SERIOUSLY!!!! everything fits with the theme, too, so there is nothing out of place that ruins your whole day....
Sound: sound is just amazing.... im used to hearing sh*tty, annoying music all the time, repeating itself over and over again and again... this game, it is fresh and the music fits the mood, whatever situation you may be in (intense music for battles, laidback music while you just walking, etc, etc.).... sounds in the game are great, too... i can't remmeber one sound where is was like "what? that doesn't fit!".... voice acting, ok, but who cares?
Suggestions: i would say.... umm.... well.... i dont know what i would say.... this game is too great to improve on, seriously... well, if i had to say something, id say.... more progression throughout the game with your skills (maybe add a hint of an rpg element, i dunno)... up the graphics, longer... thats about it...
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
Acid Snow
Date reviewed: February 7, 2004.
Overall: Very good graphics despite being a PS2/NGC port. Good progressive gameplay. Excelent sound effects, acting and music. Though PoP is an excelent game, I wonder if "Buying" it would be a wise choice considering that it can be beaten with in 15 hours. Replay value is strong though. A highly recomended rent. This is a high quality game!
Gameplay: Interesting puzzles, and progressively learned attack moves. Interesting in-game time-altering slow motion and rewind features lets the charater alter time. Enemies are pretty good, fighting is not just hack and slash, skill required. Maybe too many flips and tricks required by the player to advance in the game. Camera angels can occasionally get obscured.
Graphics: Excellent i must say. And i don't say that about a lot of games. PoP looks really great. Probably one of the better looking games on all of the systems. Everything just flows together real well. As for XBox specific traits, i don't know of any. But still PoP looks excellent.
Sound: Voice acting is very good. Music adds good atmosphere to the game. But it seems that the music can be a bit limiting in some areas of the game. Sound effects are quite good but not amazing.
Suggestions: More music and sound effects.
Overall: 80 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 80 %
Yellowlab
Date reviewed: January 24, 2004.
Overall: I like what Ubi Soft has been developing lately, and Prince of Persia is no exception. It reaks of a quality game with good graphics, excellent attention to detail, and solid gameplay. It follows a good story that keeps you interested until the end, and mixes in some humor with the action. The game does take a couple of missteps, but overall it's a worthwhile game. Oh, and there's also POP1 and POP2 to unlock...a nice bonus!
Gameplay: The controls and fighting engine were good. The level design was a mixed bag. After about 60% through the game, the puzzles get ridiculously hard -- in particular there are 2 levels involving mirrors that drove me nuts -- although, to be fair, I generally am not a fan of puzzle type games. For most of the game you have a 'dagger of time' and can rewind time, which greatly helps with the complicated platform jumping -- you miss a jump, just rewind and try again. The fighting was good, but through most of the game you have to keep the princess safe (I hate 'escort missions'!!!).
Graphics: The graphics are one of the games strong points. Terrific environments, great cut scenes, and an awesome attention to detail. I liked how the Prince would still be 'dripping' when he got out of the water, and his feet would slip if trying to run up a wall if they were still wet. Lots of very nice subtle details like that can be found.
Sound: Good voice acting, and standard Middle Eastern style music are what you'll find here. Good use of 5.1 sound.
Suggestions: Make the puzzles a little less difficult, and the gameplay a little more straightforward. But, overall another teriffic game from Ubi Soft!
Overall: 80 %
Gameplay: 80 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
ArsenicPants
Date reviewed: January 23, 2004.
Overall: Prince Of Persia for the Sega Genesis (Masters System) was one of the only games that I kept playing, long after they stopped making Genesis games at all. It's puzzles and laid back attitude kept me coming back, again and again. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time can certainly carry the POP name with pride, but I don't think I'll be playing this one for quite as long as it's original predecessor.
Gameplay: Gameplay was hit and miss for me. While I enjoyed the thoughtful puzzles and well laid out level design; with it's trickeries having you run from place to place, up walls and cascading down waterfalls, the fighting engine really wasn't enjoyed at all. I always hated the points where I came to a fight scene, as it was ludicrously more and more difficult to even make it halfway through the battles as the game went on. The princess you're playing alongside really isn't any help either, as she only stands around and gets hit by the sand creatures attacks. she tries to hit the monsters with her arrows, but usually ends up hitting the player and furthering his folly. I'd only get through the battle scenes in order to get back to the puzzles and, in my mind, the heart of the game. Control was also difficult, as it's directional orientation changed with the movement of the camera, having you jump and move in directions you really would rather not (like during a jump from pole to pole, or when moving a turning switch). But, with it's hidden bonus' of POP 1 and 2, I may just be playing the game for a little while longer than expected.
Graphics: The game's graphics are beautiful. The player's animations are seamless and wonderfully animated. I watched the 'making of' movie supplied in the extra features menu, and really applaud the designers for making such a smooth animation set for each character. The lighting effects are also top notch, as are the wonderful level designs and architecture. this is certainly one of, if not the shining point in this game.
Sound: sounds were great. The music, with it's mix of "Arabian Nights" meets "Metallica", really keeps you into the game. Sound effects were also well done, and were apparently, (again, by watching the 'making of' movie short), recorded using a number of quality voice actors, singers, musicians, and sound effects engineers. The only qualm I have about the sound was that it was difficult to hear the princess character , even at a few feet away from her, or if the camera wasn't facing directly at her. Sometimes it would seem the prince would be talking to himself, because the princess was behind a wall, or running behind him too far, or was just barely too distant to hear. This sometimes effected gameplay, as she sometimes gave you hints as to where you needed to go, but it wasn't truly a big deal.
Suggestions: This was a great game, I enjoyed it very much. The only major dislike I have for the game is the fighting the sand monsters. A puzzle only game, with the odd 'level boss' would have been enjoyed by me much more, and I'm sure many other players.
Overall: 80 %
Gameplay: 70 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
Snowmutt
Date reviewed: January 6, 2004.
Overall: Amazing game! I loved it. Heard a lot of good things about it so I went out and bought it. The first 5 minutes of the game I wasn't sure I was gonna like it. But, after about 30, I was getting into it pretty nicely. This is a must get game!
Gameplay: The gameplay is half fighting, half puzzles. Loved the fighting! Very cool! Some of the battles are a little tough, but by your 3rd or 4rth attempt you should be able to get through them. (I like to use the arial view during combat..makes it a little easier to me) The cinematic feel of the game is nice. I like how my little bow and arrow friend kept finding 'cracks' to slip through...very funny!
Graphics: Graphics are great! Couldn't ask for much more. Lots to look at. Lots of different places to explore.
Sound: Sound is very accomodating. The music is appropriate and the sound effects and voice acting is perfect. No complaints here.
Suggestions: 1. Let the player be able to control the 'camera' better. There are some places in the game where it is hard to see where you're spose to jump due to the weird angle. (even using first person and arial view you still can't tell sometimes!)
2. The 'preview' of what's to come that you see after you save your game is too long and starts to get annoying about 1/4 through the game.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
gH0sT
Date reviewed: December 29, 2003.
Overall: **THIS** is what videogames are supposed to be like. Man, when they do it it looks so simple, yet titles have been missing the mark by miles for years. This game is just down right awesome.
Gameplay: Fantastic. From the over the top platforming elements and superb level design to the tricked out wuxia moves in battle. Control is always right on. Every now and then the camera can get hairy, but nothing that isn't expected from this kind of presentation. Man, if only all games were this much pure fun.
Graphics: Suh-uh-weet! Gorgeous in every way. The only thing that has impressed me more was Splinter Cell. The animations are killer the models are well done, the textures and what not are very detailed. Even the over-all blurry affect just feels middle eastern-ish. Hats off.
Sound: Good. I am not a huge sound nut, but the effects seem realistic and the voice acting is far better than most.
Suggestions: Shhh-yah. You guys should be shoveling out the advice. Keep up the great work!
Overall: 90 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 90 %
Sound: 90 %
Night Crawler 4
Date reviewed: December 29, 2003.
Overall: This game is a stratagy based game, and a pretty good one at that. The graphics and story line are great and the challenges are really good as well. If you do not have this game and you are looking to have some what of a challenge, then try this out. It just may take you a while to go through depending how well you game.
Gameplay: The gameplay is great and by far the best. The game is even in close comparison to The Matrix. Most of the moves in this game were based on The Matrix as well as a few snips from Buffy. The whole storyline is really good and the challenges that you have to go through are pretty good.
I, myself, never got into strategy games myself. Yet, when I got the game and tried it out I was instantly hooked. The whole game is just great and the action, when you get to it, is awsome. Plus this is probably the only game were you can control time. And the best part about that is to freeze it so you can kill everyone around you within 5 secs. That you just have to laugh at when your done. lol!
Graphics: The graphics of this game are not to bad. But when compared to Halo, they are a bit off. The grass is flat and some of the walls are just not as textured as they could be. But over all, when you stop looking at the small bits and pieces of the game it is one heck of a sight. And the ruins throughout the game is the best part of it.
Sound: The music in the game is fantastic. Like Halo, the music fits the game. I mean it is just perfect and it even gives you the feeling that you are right there in the action along with him. The music changed whenever things get intense, such as a fight, and slows down when not much is going on.
Suggestions: I would work on the graphics just a bit so as to not make some of look so flat. Though the look now is really good, it could be just a bit better.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 90 %
Sound: 100 %
xdragon
Date reviewed: December 28, 2003.
Overall: First off, I usually wouldn't write a review unless I've played a game a bit longer, like 20+ hours. Yet, this game I already know will be great. The setting, plot, characters and level of interactivity throughout the game is unlike anything seen on the Xbox so far.
Gameplay: The controls do a great job of helping you navigate the prince like it was you in the game. While it may take some time and practice(again and again) to pull off advanced moves and the right timing with some jumps and in combat, it pays off. The princes moves in combat and traveling across levels are cool to behold, and the time affects also make it so you can prolong play instead of having to do the die/reload shuffle alot.
Graphics: The time affects, enemies, environments, characters and detail in movements and interactions are sometimes jaw-dropping. As well, the cut scenes get the job done superbly.
Sound: While not the best by far, the indian/persian, whatever, type background sounds make you feel like a sultan and. The time affects also sound cool, yet the enemies don't seem to have much in the way of a voice, except dying.
Suggestions: I dunno how the XBL will work aside from maybe some form of chat or multiplayer, but I have no other questions or concerns past that.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 90 %
Graphics: 90 %
Sound: 80 %
Sharky53
Date reviewed: December 15, 2003.
Overall: Prince of Persia is an outstanding game and stands head and shoulders above the other Xbox offerings in the genre. The intuitive control systems will surely be duplicated and immitated for years to come and certainly should be. It was the game that was supposed to catapult Ubisoft out of the Rayman era and into the future and it did just that even before it got here. Thanks to the innovations of Ubisoft's Montreal development house, its legacy has already been felt in games like Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six 3 and their outstanding lighting and soft physics techniques.
Gameplay: Spectacularly intuitive, fun, challenging, and extremely satisfying. The only flaw -- if it can be called that -- is that combat is not quite as refined as the rest of the game.
Graphics: Stunning. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Stretching architecture, unparalleled animation and ambient environments. Very rare framerate hitches and a sometimes cumbersome combat camera. Otherwise, a showpiece.
Sound: Atmospheric, fitting music, clear and thumping sound effects and crisp, witty dialogue in full surround sound.
Suggestions: wicked job. AWESOME!
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 90 %
Sound: 90 %
juvie2k01
Date reviewed: December 15, 2003.
Overall: PoP is a great platform game, great gameplay, great big levels, good graphics which makes the game addicting.
Gameplay: Fun levels with different puzzles to solve, and if it gets hard you can have visions to see what you can do to solve the level. The enemys can get to hard to beat but when you acomplished it you get a cool feeling like you really were in the game and acompolished it. Cool game!!
Graphics: A Ubisoft game, so yea its good in the graphic department, very great detailed levels that sometimes make u stop to look at the levels in more detail.
Sound: This is were the game shines,the sound in the game is great, the part were he drinks from the water fall to get his life back and you hear him slurp, it sounds very true to life.
Suggestions: Great Game!! Make Another
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
pottsee1
Date reviewed: December 5, 2003.
Overall: This game has amazing graphics. What else would you expect from a game by the game at Ubisoft. My only complaint the difficulty level involved. This game is hard. Very hard. Don't be suprised if you find yourself throwing your controller on occasion. At times you'll feel like the game was unnecessarily hard for no reasons. Two things have been promoted regarding this title. First the ability to alter time (rewind, slow motion etc.). This it not that big of a feature. In a fight it is almost useless. If you don't jump on the time button the instant you start getting outnumbered you'll just be rewinding to what your but get beat again in a new way. This is my complaint with the fighting mechanism. The game spits out 3 or 4 enemies at a time. If you get knocked down by one enemy before your character can get up the others started wailing on you. Trust me if you wanted to know what it feels like to be a rag doll this game will show it to you. The time mechanism is useless unless you start the rewind the instant you get hit initially or your just backing up time to try and escape the pummeling you just took. Blinx didn't really win anyone beside critics over with the time thing and I can't see it being a huge benefit for this game. During the puzzle areas the rewind mechanism is nice because it speeds up the "try again" ability. In the end though it is little more than a fast method for "do over". The second major selling point for this game was the graphics. This is where the game shines. Ubisoft does it again. Excellent environments very creative. The game just shines on Xbox, not sure if the other consoles will look as good. Overall I can't recommend this game for purchase since I've almost beaten the game and I rented it a day ago. It is addictive mostly because it is so frustratingly difficult. Definitely worth renting and sure to be a classic just like the original was so long ago. As for the other reviews calling this the game of the year, well they say it is an honor just to be nominated.
Gameplay: Hard, but if it was easy would you be interested? Puzzles are challenging but nothing you haven't experienced before in Tomb Raider. A good example of the difficulty level are the vultures that you'll face. They attack you from above but you have no ranged attack or up swing with the sword. Unless you count a three button/three swing combo ending in a vertical slash a air attack. You won't be able to hit the vulture until it hits you first. Then you'll only get a shot it if it doesn't knock you off of a ledge first. Oh well rewind and try again. Another issue I can't stand with games are the camera angles. This disease of the next gen third person video games strikes again. Try starting a major battle stage with a view of your character from the front with his back to a closed door and four enemies coming at him from just off screen. You'll know it when it happens to you. I can't criticize to much as this is a problem with many games like P-o-P. The game is fast paced which is a nice change and the story is good too, not something that can be said for many games.
Graphics: EXCELLENT when not noticing the camera angle issues. Very detailed very large areas(levels). The sections are continuous from one to the next with no noticable load times. Props for the integration of loading to the save process after each major save section is completed. You'll never get the 20 second let down while the next area loads. Ubisoft is one of the few games development groups who are really taking advantage of the power of the next gen consoles. I just wish other developers were as fowardly focused. I don't like the idea that the next generation of consoles is being planned and we have bare begun to get games that exploit the capabilites of the machines that are out now, primarily the Xbox. (enough of my soapbox)
Sound: Sounds are great right down to the clap of our characters hands when he runs into a wall. As if written in other posts the best sounds are the ones that work and you don't notice them. This game is perfect at creating the right background to the action.
Suggestions: Find a way to fix the camera angle issues if your can. Don't deliberately make a game overly difficult or at least add a difficulty level selector and leave the choice up to the gamers. Keep up the innovation. Your group is hitting home run after home run lately with game releases.
Overall: 80 %
Gameplay: 70 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
The Jackal
Date reviewed: December 4, 2003.
Overall: This game is one of the best ive seen of its kind in a very longs time. I wouldnt recommend buying it as me and my brother beat it in the 3 days we had it rented for. But it is a perfect renting game
Gameplay: Very fun game to play. Action and you have to solve ways of getting around the level which is an element games lack today. Theyre all just mindless fighting but this is more. And the anti-gravity element is a nice touch as well.
Graphics: This game is visually amazing. It looks like youre in a dream almost which suits the storyline. The cinematics are unreal as well.
Sound: The sounds are very good in this game. I have no complaints about it at all. Swords hitting eachother and the boxes breaking are nice.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
sleeve
Date reviewed: November 26, 2003.
Overall: I'll second that Game of the Year nomination. This is a stunning piece of work. Unlike the Wind Wanker for the Gamepurse, this is a game you actually want to finish and will finish.
PoP combines enough puzzles to keep those who hate combat games from shelving it, and enough combat to keep action fans from tuning out. Progressing through the game brings new abilities, much more difficult enemies and much less obvious puzzles.
BTW, while you're playing, you can choose to appear online on Live. Friends can invite you once they are online. Hopefully, we'll see this feature in every game soon, maybe even in games by developers that strongly boycott Live like EA.
Gameplay: There are almost too many good things about PoP to mention. This is the best hand to hand combat system ever released. The diversity of moves and the ability of the enemies to adapt to repetitive movements turns buttonmashing into brainmashing, you've actually got to have a strategy more than a twitch. The enemies are so greatly overpowered that panic sets in when you're surrounded, not once you've been diced and left to rot.
When you do get cornered, being able to stop time and reverse it ten seconds to stand on better ground makes for much longer gameplay. We're not talking tacky Blinx and the Timesweeper here, either. Since the enemy has a huge power advantage and you have a huge speed and time advantage, there's nothing cheap-feeling about using your ability to try a parry over again. Cheap would be the hundred Mission Failed screens in a row. Wham, back to Blockbuster.
In addition to not dying, you have to protect an arrow-slinging woman from these sand beasts that regard the arrows as little more than flea bites. If she dies, you get to start the current scene over. Fortunate outcome #1: You can use the sand dagger to reverse time then protect her better. Fortunate outcome #2: unlike harsh platformers, you don't lose all your progress since your last save-point, you only lose your progress in the current scene.
PoP's puzzles and mazes rely on speed, timing and balance. Many of them are timed by levers pulled out from walls that tick down to blocking your goal. Getting the rhythm of kicking your way up through two parallel walls can be tricky, and running along walls takes a little patience over longer distances.
While you've got the primary goal of winning battles and solving puzzles, along the way you're looking for ways to upgrade. Once you kill an enemy, taking their sand allows you one more chance to turn back time, up to the maximum number of sand tanks you have. You add sand tanks by finding sand clouds that aren't obvious, but give off a telltale sound that send you searching. As you're killing enemies, you're also powering up your power tanks. One jab with the dagger when you have a full power tank can paralyze even the strongest enemy, then two whacks with the sword will dispose them. Tap the trigger when you have full power tanks, and everything moves in slow motion. If all your power tanks are full, you can fast forward, and there are puzzles that... uhm..., well..., you get the idea.
The only issue in gameplay is with the camera. As is the case with many third-person-camera games, the developers feel that the camera has to physically exist in the game space. As a result, if you're on a very short ledge and there's a wall behind you, but you need to point toward a wall at your left to walk on it, you end up having to dance around to get the camera to "fit" at the back of the ledge behind you. Ideally, the camera should auto-zoom to its back boundary rather than getting stuck. Otherwise, let the camera travel free and don't render the wall behind the character when the camera is over the shoulder.
Graphics: Gah!
The live action is as detailed and distant as any game, plus the cutscenes are the best in any game I have ever seen, even DOA.
This is the Splinter Cell look, slightly more polished, not as gritty. It looks like a Pixar piece rendered for hours.
Sound: The music is as good as Halo, starting with an equally haunting opening chant. Different music is used to signal different scenes, with good battle music that ends once the last enemy is defeated.
Numerous sound cues indicate nearby items to explore. The timing of the contact sounds in the battles is dead on and becomes critical to getting your strike timing right.
Farah, your archer-in-tow, will often spout off some annoying phrase repeatedly, but it seems the Prince isn't supposed to completely LIKE her. Farah isn't portrayed as your ideal woman hero, so expect the usual crap about the girlie character being a helpless bimbo from the significant other. Somestimes, you'd almost wish her dead if she weren't part of your goal, and it's mainly because of what comes out of her yammering trap.
One issue with the sound. On a DD5.1 system, in large rooms, it seems like conversation that should be in the center channel sort of gets lost. Even at high volumes, you almost can't hear Farah and the Prince talking. I'm not sure if that's by design, but I've heard some fairly relevant facts exchanged in these talks.
Suggestions: Do whatever you can to repeat this genius.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 90 %
memphissheik
Date reviewed: November 26, 2003.
Overall: Havey you ever really wanted to be a real swashbuckling limber legged young brad pitt with brown hair looking buy who swings a mean sword and has control over all present time? Well this is the game for you. Enough of the joking. This GAME IS SERIOUS GAME OF THE YEAR MATERIAL. It is that crucial, and it is that good. I'll try to make this short and sweet so listen up. This game rocks.
Gameplay: Apparently Ubi-Soft has been listenig to the complaints about most 3rd person camera shots. This....they decided to make simple. Left thumbstick controls where you go. Right thumbstick controls the camera. No muss no fuss and we're all happy. Honestly this is the best camera I've worked with in a while. Not to mention the fact that the button controls feel slick and tight all at the same time even down to the prince's occassional slides to a sudden stop. I never had a chance to play the original series, but this game made me wish I had a base to see how far of a leap this team made within the games development. What's most important is this game makes you want to play it. It gives you reason to come back for more and admit that you like the way it's serving up the goods.
Graphics: Absolutely beautiful. The cutscenes are amazing and the palaces and caves/temples are gorgeous. You have to see it to believe it.
Sound: If you don't have surround sound, you're doing yourself a disservice. The game brings the goods. Even if it's not your regular run of the mill safe hum drum music. It fits the game and thus works in your favor to keep you in rthym with some of the tasks that you'll be asked to complete.
Suggestions: Go out, buy every other game company so you can show them how it's done.
Overall: 100 %
Gameplay: 100 %
Graphics: 100 %
Sound: 100 %
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