In the little time that I have for playing lately I've been playing a lot of shoot 'em ups (Resistance 2, Dead Space, Gears of War 2, etc) and smaller games (PSN downloads). I had a long weekend (requested time off for a trip that fell through) and wanted to dig into something meaty, but still short enough to really do justice to in a weekend. We usually don't rent games (too many stacked up not getting played as it is) but I figured "what the hell" and rented "Price of Persia".
Ended up keeping it for 10 days (and spending $14 - another reason I rarely rent - usually I'd rather wait and buy the game off the bargain rack). This game was also my second "Platinum Trophy" (a special trophy given for getting all other trophies in the game - if trophies matter to you, this is definitely one of the easier ones to get). Although I suppose that technically getting Platinum doesn't require multiple play-throughs I'd be surprised at anybody that could do them all in one (you really need to "know" the game and even then there's more that a little reload-and-try-again to be done). A speed run of the game takes maybe 8-10 hours or so while a methodical "see everything, get everything" run takes perhaps 16 hours. Thankfully (in my opinion) there really isn't much reason to play through multiple times - there are no alternate difficultly levels or end-game unlockables (beyond a few character costumes). The primary focus is the story and it carries the game extremely well. The game was immediately likable to me as the lead is voiced by the same actor that voiced the lead in "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" (coincidentally the other game I made Platinum in and hands down one of the best games on PS3 - or anything else). Although there are few characters in the game (primarily just the prince and his new lady-friend Elika) there is an enormous amount of conversation available. Happily little of it is in cut scenes: you can pause and have lengthy (and often interesting) conversations with Elika at any point. She'll usually focus on the challenges at hand, but will often tangent to her family and her childhood. Much of the work is non-essential but entertaining (as in an extended sequence where the pair play a "guessing game" to pass the time) and you quickly come to feel attached to these characters. My only minor gripe is that much of the Prince's dialog is too modern for my taste, too much of an attempt to sound "hip". It's not destructively poor, but noticeable in several places. The game-play itself is essentially split into two distinct elements: a pleasingly rich (but not too complex) one-on-one fighting game and a acrobatic platformer that reminds me of nothing more than a rhythm game. While there is some depth the sword-play the platforming segments are wholly linear in design. Except for a rare few extended sequences (where a single mistake sends you back the beginning) none are especially challenging but all are gorgeously rendered and mesmerizing to watch. Combat in the game is nicely defined and provides for a lot of choice in your approach. As noted all battles are one-on-one affairs and while there's little variation in the enemies (you must, in fact, fight the same four bosses six-times each) enough differences are introduced as you progress to keep the battles interesting. The game is quite casual - there is no "death" (Elika magically saves you from any missteps) and for the most part the acrobatic sequences are both short and forgiving. There is a basic collection quest which in turn grants new location-specific "powers". These new abilities grant access to new locations, but don't actually provide new options in the game play. The cell-shaded graphics and persistent, wide-open world make for an extremely attractive game but the excellent music and audio, coupled with the outstanding animation work really tie the experience together. The design of the world is amazingly detailed (if completely illogical from any but a game point of view). While the game is predicated on a collection of simple moves and abilities there is enough variation in the environments to keep things fresh. The addition of several set-pieces and some light puzzle solving also help to keep things from stagnating. While the ending of the game (no spoilers) is somewhat predictable it's emotionally solid and like the masterpieces "Ico" and "Shadow of the Colossus" provide you with full control but no real choices. As you carry out the only possible tasks before you are given ample time to consider the Prince's feelings. Apparently many people had problems with the ending (calling it trite and feeling out of control) but I loved it. The alternative would be yet another overly-produced FMV sequence (something used very sparingly in this game). There are some frustrating areas and (especially the first time through) more than a few irritating, cheap "deaths" but overall the game is an absolute joy to both play and watch. Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;207172674;29440083;f Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:295428 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
