From side scrolling to 3D
Originally Prince of Persia was developed in 1989 as an MS-DOS side scrolling adventure, the series was revitalized in 2003 with the release of the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. As a continuation of the series the release moved the game into the 3D realm and firmly established the series as one of the greatest in the action adventure genre. Originally released for Play Station 2, the game was later released for other consoles, and also for PC. Though the PC version has a few minor drawbacks it is the easy choice for die hard PC gamers and a matter of personal preference for console junkies.
And then there was sand…
At the beginning of our story we find our hero, the Prince of Persia on a journey through India with his father King Shahraman (say that three times fast), on their way to Azad with a small battalion of men. During their journey they come across the palace of the great Maharaja of India, and with the aid and safe passage of the Maharaja’s back stabbing Vizier they storm the palace. When the siege is complete, the spoils, which include the Maharaja’s daughter (Farah), an hourglass, and the dagger of time; are all collected and divided amongst the victors. Upon returning to Azad the Prince is tricked into placing the dagger into the hourglass smashing it and releasing the sands of time. When the sand is released it baths the palace of Azad, and turns all its inhabitants into undead sand creatures; leaving only the Prince, the evil Vizier, and Farah immune from its curse. The prince soon after forms an alliance with Farah and must track down the evil vizier to collect the sands of time, and use his dagger to fend of the deformed sand creatures.
Game play
The Game consists manly of three types of game play; combat, puzzles, and acrobatics; all of which are extremely enjoyable. The Prince is light and very agile giving him the ability to run along walls to avoid traps, and dodge enemies quite easily. You not only are dependent on the prince’s physical strength and agility you must also rely on the Prince’s dagger to progress through the game. The dagger gives you the ability to rewind time; so if you fall in combat or are captured in a trap you can rewind ten seconds in time and undo the mishap. Not only do you need the dagger to push back the icy grip of death; it is also the only defense against the sand creatures; since they are immune to mortal weapons. The game is completely linear though you are trapped within the cursed palace and can only progress from room to room through a pre-determined path.
PC or Console – Apples or Oranges
For console gamers the first and major draw back to the PC version of Prince of Persia is that it is not compatible with a game pad, but the mouse and keyboard controls are easily adaptable. The other draw back is the PC version did not include any of the bonus materials the console versions had; which for any die-hard P.O.P. fan is a definite drawback. The good news is the PC version has the smoothest looking graphics; the atmospheres are smooth, and natural; not blocky. If you can get over the fact that the Pc version is not game pad compatible it is the easy choice when it comes to graphics.
