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Hands-on: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (360)
Regardless of how you felt about Ubisoft's 2008 Prince of Persia, it represented a clear departure from the acclaimed Sands of Time trilogy -- an experiment, even. And although, on a granular level, The Forgotten Sands modifies the formula through the addition of elemental powers, they primarily strengthen the game's familiar basis of linear platforming mixed with light combat. It's a solid basis and one that Ubisoft clearly believes to be worth pursuing again this May (especially with movie buzz in the air), but it hasn't been swept clean of old problems. Even in the short snippet of gameplay on show at PAX East, the combat feels like filler. It's competent -- and the Prince's agility adds an exciting flourish to every strike and finishing blow -- but it never feels complex enough to stand out as anything more than "that thing you do between platforming segments." That's a problem Prince of Persia often shares with Tomb Raider.
PoP: The Forgotten Sands getting new mode with GameStop pre-orders
Let's face it, buying a game is just too simple. You don't want to just walk into any store and know that you'll get the same game you would get somewhere else. No, you crave complication. Sensing this innate need, Ubisoft has announced, via the Prince of Persia Facebook page, that those who pre-order Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands from GameStop will receive an exclusive new game mode. The offer, incidentally, applies only to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, so PC and Wii gamers are out of luck. The bonus mode is entitled Forgotten Arena and tasks players with defeating "waves of relentless enemies" in classic survival mode style. There is no time limit, killed enemies will regenerate health and the number of enemies increases over time. The description also notes that players who can defeat 100 enemies "may have what it takes to become a real Prince of Persia," though it's unclear if doing so will unlock any actual rewards or any actual royalty. [Via Destructoid]
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands dev diary demoes Wii version's features
Wondering how Ubisoft's upcoming Wii iteration of the timeless royal platformer, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, will implement the system's decreasingly unique control scheme? Wonder no further -- just past the jump, you'll find the first installment in a series of developer diaries for the game, which shows off the motion-controlled powers at your disposal, as well as the title's light co-op mechanics. Man, if New Super Mario Bros. Wii almost tore your family apart, we can't imagine what PoP's shenanigans will be capable of.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands gameplay footage revealed; game coming to PC in June
Phew, we can all relax now. According to this first gameplay footage from Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, all concerns that the new game would forgo elements of exploration and environmental puzzle-solving -- and just go all-out "Bruckheimer" -- should be allayed. Plus, The Prince totally has some Andy Gibb hair going on. That's awesome, right? The Forgotten Sands puts our Prince in his brother's neighboring kingdom during a great conflict. As a last-ditch effort to ensure the survival of the kingdom, the two release the Sands of Time, which saves everyone ... but also unleashes dark horrors. Uh-oh. In PoP news, Eurogamer reports the PC version will release in June, a month after the console installments (due May 18). This is nothing new for Ubisoft, as the publisher followed the same protocol with staggered releases of both Assassin's Creed games. And if waiting an extra month hasn't deterred your goal to play The Forgotten Sands on the PC, know that it will also include Ubisoft's internet-based DRM solution -- something to keep in mind.
Impressions: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
For no apparent reason, the Wii version of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands wasn't playable at Nintendo Media Summit in San Francisco. I take that back -- it was playable, just not by anyone whose paycheck doesn't have an Ubisoft logo on it. Still, I watched and learned as a live demo was given. And hey, it looks solid so far. (Well, except for ... well, I'll get to that in a moment.) The game looks like a mash-up of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and the most recent (and more simply titled 2008 reboot) Prince of Persia, featuring the environments of the former and the saturated color palette of the latter. It also runs really well; it's locked at 60 frames per second. What doesn't look so hot: The stiffly animated Prince himself. Given the fluidity of the action, I expected his movements to be, well, more fluid. Said to have been in development for two years now, The Forgotten Sands seems to make good use of the Wiimote for performing fantastic feats with the Sands of Time. Much like in Super Mario Galaxy, players will be able to aim the Prince's magic independently of his movement -- using the cursor to place "sand rings" anywhere on walls for handholds, "sand columns" to reach new heights and a "sand sphere" that lets the Prince hover in-between leaps, planning his next move. The result looks to provide a lot more freedom in the ways that levels can be navigated. I just hope the Prince ends up looking cooler while sand-magic-ing his way through the world in the final release. %Gallery-85713%
Prince of Persia SNES included with The Forgotten Sands on Wii
Which Prince of Persia game features "superb graphic detail and incredibly fluid animation" and "more thrills than a saber duel with a thousand sultans"? If you answered, "Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands," you'd ... well, you'd probably be right. But that text first appeared on the SNES box of 1992's Prince of Persia, an enhanced port of Jordan Mechner's original vizier vanquish-'em-up. Nintendo announced at its San Francisco media event today that the SNES game will be included in the Wii version of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, which is slated for release on May 18. Earlier this month, rumors suggested that Prince of Persia Classic -- a direct remake of the original game, initially released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network -- would be included in The Forgotten Sands. Instead, Wii owners get classic Prince of Persia exclusively. Don't fret too much about the platforms, though. You're probably in for more thrills than a saber duel with a thousand sultans no matter what. %Gallery-85713%
Rumor: The Forgotten Sands may include Prince of Persia Classic
According to a BBFC listing, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands may include a special bonus -- Prince of Persia Classic. Unfortunately, the listing isn't enough to discern whether the classic version would be the same game now available on Xbox Live and PSN, or if it's part of some kind of special edition package. When asked for comment, a Ubisoft representative told Joystiq it would not comment on rumors. Although our questions remain unanswered, at least we can look forward to the Sands of Time prince coming to the HD era and answering a few other questions. [Via Destructoid]
First suspiciously nice screens of Wii Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands released
click to PoP into the gallery Want to see what Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will look like on Wii? You're going to have to wait a while longer. In the meantime, you can enjoy some ridiculously high-res screenshots that Ubisoft says are the Wii version. We like their optimism. In addition to these outrageous screens, Ubi released some new info about the game, which sounds both believable and neat. The levels will have alternate paths, some of which require acrobatics and crazy sand powers to access. The press release specifies 15 hours of gameplay in addition to unlockables, secret paths, and such. The actual Wii version, which we're guessing will display in actual Wii resolution, will be out May 18. %Gallery-85713%
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands screens seem too good to be true
Though IGN is calling the Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands images it posted screenshots, we're not sure we buy it. They're absolutely pretty, but the amount of motion blur and polish we're seeing leads us to believe that these are way retouched. We've asked Ubisoft for clarification. The bigger problem is, of course, that no matter what they are, the Prince doesn't look nearly enough like movie-Prince-to-be Jake Gyllenhaal. We need screens from this game to look so much like Jake Gyllenhaal that we're confused and worried for Jake Gyllenhaal's personal safety when we look at them. And no, we're not just trying to teach ourselves how to spell Gyllenhaal. Why would you say that?
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands fills in gaps before Warrior Within; new details revealed in developer interview
During a recent Ubisoft preview event, Michael McIntyre, director of level design for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, talked to Joystiq about the new sequel to the old trilogy, establishing its connection to the Sands of Time game series and the Bruckheimer film. The Forgotten Sands is a side story, based in the Sands of Time universe, bridging the seven-year gap between the original Sands of Time game and its sequel, Warrior Within. Clearly, Ubisoft has positioned the next game to piggyback on the Bruckheimer blockbuster and ideally generate renewed sales for the brand (which underperformed in its 2008 iteration). Forgotten Sands is also an opportunity for Ubisoft to finally justify the Prince's remarkable transformation from carefree hero to brooding, emo warrior. Continue reading for our full interview with Michael McIntyre -- after the break -- in which he reveals new (and rewinding revisited) elements in the game and the return of a familiar voice.
Spike VGA 2009 Wrap-up: The awards, the trailers, the premieres
As you can probably tell by looking at our front page, last night's Spike Video Game Awards show was a pretty prolific source of gaming news. From the big reveals of games like Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, to new trailers for Crackdown 2 and Halo: Reach, to ... well, the actual awards, it was a pretty busy night for all parties involved. We've collected all the stories, trailers, and winners of each award in this post to prevent you from hunting through our archives -- or our hateful, hateful liveblog -- to find what you're looking for. You'll find them all listed after the jump!
Get sandy with the first Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands footage
We're not sure if it's possible to Gyllenhaalify a game, but that's exactly how we'd describe what's happened to the Prince in the latest trailer for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Premiering last night on the Spike Video Game Awards, the first footage from the game doesn't show us much in the vein of actual gameplay, but it does remind us repeatedly of the everlasting nature of sand. Unfortunately, we won't get to control Prince Dreamboat through Sandland until sometime in May. In the meantime, we have the trailer for you just after the break.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands to continue 'Sands of Time' series
Ubisoft has just announced a new Prince of Persia -- but it's not a sequel to 2008's polarizing adventure (if desired, add unhappy emoticons to sentence). Instead, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will continue the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trilogy series, complete with "many of the fan-favorite elements" and "new gameplay innovations that gamers have come to expect from the Prince of Persia brand." Oh, and an accompanying film! You can catch the game's premiere trailer on Spike TV's Video Game Awards on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 8 p.m. EST. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is scheduled for release on "consoles and handhelds" in May 2010.
