prince of persia
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Metareview - Prince of Persia (PC, PS3, 360)
Devoid of generic rage and frustrating deaths, Prince of Persia marks quite an easy, effortless end to 2008's video game gauntlet -- at least, according to reviewers. Though the platforming has been simplified, most seem to agree that the expansive world and chemistry between the two lead characters make for a worthwhile experience. We're also seeing the word "magical" appear quite often. IGN UK (94/100) calls Prince of Persia an "incredibly polished, tremendously enjoyable and utterly lovable experience." It supposedly builds on the best elements of previous games to create an "absolutely unforgettable adventure" that's "magical in every sense of the word." Well, probably not the Harry Potter sense of the word. Game Informer (87.5/100) notes that the simplified platforming is an "elegant and simple way to show off thrilling acrobatics, but it also steals control away from the player." However, it deems the tradeoff worthwhile, as "the more relaxed control input still demands skill and careful timing." Either way, it's "unlike any other game you'll play this year." 1UP (B+) approves of Princess rescuing Prince, pointing out that while "this human safety net may seem counterintuitive in offering a sense of challenge, the entire process functions similarly to most other death-checkpoint systems (you die, you go back to a nearby checkpoint), but with the added benefit of giving the action a more seamless feel." Gamespot (80/100) thinks the "easygoing joy and visual beauty will charm you into forgiving a sprinkling of flaws." They call it "one of the easiest games you'll play all year," but one boasting "some truly impressive level design."
Princess of Persia plays dress-up as Jade from Beyond Good & Evil
Given the close working relationship between the Prince of Persia team and Jade Raymond's Assassin's Creed group at Ubisoft Montreal, our first thought upon hearing this news was that Ubisoft included a Jade Raymond skin for Elika in the latest PoP. It actually turns out to be – as Destructoid has discovered – a freebie that "tranforms" the Prince's sidekick into Jade, the lead character from the underrated platformer Beyond Good & Evil.The Jade skin is obtained simply by finishing the game, which goes on sale today. Creating an account on Ubisoft's site and registering your copy also provides an unlock for the Prince's previously revealed Altaïr (Assassin's Creed) costume. Considering that we've seen neither hide nor hair swine of Ubi's BG&E sequel since it was announced earlier this year, we'll consider this a consolation gift for the delay. (And, hopefully, proof that Ubisoft hasn't forgotten about the game.)
Nathan Drake voice actor for Prince of Persia 'entirely intentional'
Did you notice the Prince in Ubisoft's new Prince of Persia game sounds exactly like Nathan Drake from Uncharted? In a Q&A on the PlayStation.blog, Ben Mattes said the selection of Nolan North was "entirely intentional." North's portrayal of a Indiana Jones-esque character in Uncharted landed him the role of the Prince. "When we were designing the character of The Prince and trying to identify his personality, the two characters we returned to most often were Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Both, of course, played by Harrison Ford. Nolan North showed in his characterization of Nathan Drake an uncanny resemblance to Indiana Jones both in terms of tone and delivery. We thought it particularly appropriate given the heavy influence of these characters in the writing of The Prince that the voice actor we use be one who manages to capture the essence of the influencing characters deeply."With North returning in Uncharted 2 in the not-too-distant future, it seems like he has a pretty good voice acting career ahead of him. Prince of Persia will be available in stores this week.
Review: Prince of Persia
Arguably one of the last big releases of 2008, Prince of Persia from Ubisoft puts players in control of a new protagonist in a new universe. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the team behind the critically acclaimed 2003 title Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, this generation's Prince pairs him with a mysterious ally Elika as they battle the forces of darkness in a mystical land. Does this Prince of Persia stack up to the legend of the classic series or does it fall short of greatness? Jump in for X3F's full review and make sure to check out our screenshot gallery of over 100 new images from the soon to be released adventure. %Gallery-38323%
Video: Epic Prince of Persia gameplay
It has been far too long since the last time we focused in on Prince of Persia gameplay and, thankfully, today Ubisoft released a new "Epic Gameplay Montage" trailer that's, well ... epic! Set to an epic musical track, you'll witness the Prince of Persia swing, leap and climb through danger and hopefully prove to you why he's the acrobatic Prince you should be plopping $59 on. Did we mention the music is epic? Because it is.
DS releases for the week of December 1st
The holiday march continues, bringing with it legions of new games. Well, not quite legions. A solid unit, perhaps. Half a unit? Okay, Slingo Quest and some mushrooms that specialize in pummeling animals while wearing big, puffy gloves. It's better than Elf Bowling, at least. Animal Boxing Dreamer: Puppy Trainer Emma at the Farm Emma in the Mountains Happy Cooking M&Ms Adventure Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi My Fun Facts Coach Prince of Persia: The Fallen King Slingo Quest The Tale of Despereaux Wordfish
Shipping this week: Scaling, scailing edition
With week after week of nothing but big releases (and a short breather last week) it looks like it's finally time to round out the big holiday gaming schedule. The biggest release this week is, without a shadow of a doubt, Prince of Persia. After the Prince took a questionable turn to the Dark Side (which followed his jaunt to the Emo Side), Ubisoft decided the entire series needed a refresh and the result is available this week. Here's hoping the Prince manages to scale those obstacles with panache and aplomb rather than falling to his death with all the grace of a stone. Here are all of this week's releases: Prince of Persia Destroy All Humans! Path Of The Furon The Tale of Despereaux [Via Joystiq]
New games this week: Prince of Persia edition
Well, that's wasn't too hard of a choice, was it? Honestly, if we didn't have Prince of Persia to elevate to that honored slot, we don't know what we'd do. The next closest is probably Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon or maybe the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV, which all good citizens have already partaken in (spoiler alert: Niko is a criminal).If you think that's rough though, just wait until next week, when we're betting we'll be choosing between the "Imagine Babiez edition" and the "Imagine Babysitterz edition." :shudder:
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of November 30th
This week marks the end of the brutal end-of-year release period. We're ending on a high note with Prince of Persia's worldwide release. We've been looking forward to this one for quite some time, so hopefully it'll live up to expectations. Europeans are advised to preorder from Play.com for a bunch of free extras (as seen above). More details available on the website. US gamers can also get a free LE upgrade. Here's the full release list:US Games SingStar ABBA Prince of Persia - Get a free Limited Edition upgrade EU Games Prince of Persia Brain Challenge Asian Games Brain Challenge Prince of Persia Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 Kanzenban Saints Row 2 PS3 games are region free, so go ahead and import any games you fancy. Try to keep in mind, however, that DLC is always region locked. So your US game will only read content downloaded from the US PSN Store. Prince of Persia has been confirmed to have DLC coming in the future. Release dates are constantly subject to change, so check with your local retailer if you have any worries.
Altair, Sands of Time's prince make Prince of Persia cameos
It appears the stealthy assassin Altair has left his creed for greener pastures. First his likeness finds its way into Metal Gear Solid 4, and now he's moving on from the shores of The Kingdom to ancient Persia. Ubisoft have announced that a special Altair costume can be yours for free in the soon-to-release Prince of Persia. Gamers who link their Ubisoft.com account to their PlayStation Network account can grab the costume as soon as they load up their copy. Create an Ubi account here. According to IGN, you can also unlock the prince from The Sands of Time some time in the future, too. With all this info, Prince of Persia looks to be a rather entrancing buy. Well, the fact that Ubi is offering free costumes, Trophies, a free Limited Edition upgrade for pre-orderers and, oh, just an all around freaking great looking title, should be more than enough to sway any PS3 owner. PoP hits North America on December 2 and Europe on December 5.[via press release]
Pretend you're Altair in Prince of Persia
We don't typically like to register our video game consoles with game publishers. After watching Enemy of the State, we like to stay off the grid, even if we don't exactly understand what the grid is or why it should be avoided. This may just be enough to turn us though: Ubisoft says that those who register their Gamertags or PSN IDs with Ubisoft.com will be able to download a free Altair skin to use in Prince of Persia. Or, if you demand a princely protagonist, you can download the hero from Sands of Time. Is it a classic example of brand dilution? Sure! But is it a cool enough case of brand dilution to make us ignore that? Absolutely. %Gallery-37668%
Virtually Overlooked: Prince of Persia
It's actually kind of insulting that we don't have a version of the classic Prince of Persia on the Wii. Ubisoft, who currently holds the rights to the series, went so far as to (hire Gameloft to) produce a high-definition 3D remake of the game for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, and we have nothing. There are at least five separate versions of the original Prince of Persia available on systems that the Virtual Console supports -- although there's probably a matter of permission from the original publishers and developers of those versions. We know that Ubisoft isn't against porting Prince of Persia games to the Wii, since one hundred percent of the currently available PoP games on the system are ports.
Joystiq interview: Prince of Persia producer Ben Mattes
Following our recent hands-on with the soon-to-be-released Prince of Persia, we sat down with series producer, Ben Mattes, to chat about how (and why) this new installment – and, in some respects, direction – for the iconic franchise came to be. Mattes wasn't afraid to cite his team's influences for the project, nor to lavish praise on the competition. He spoke about what wasn't quite right with follow-ups to the acclaimed Sands of Time and how, in a variety of ways, Ubisoft Montreal tried (and sometimes failed) to nail it this time around. Re-creating Guitar Hero-like Zen in the platforming? He thinks that worked. Read on for Mattes' insight into the game's creation; early hurdles (and lessons learned); the new prince (and what people think of him); and designing combat that doesn't try to compete where, in his words, God of War has already "won." %Gallery-23908%
Ubisoft 'hope' to see Prince of Persia game on Wii
With the odd exception, the Prince of Persia series has maintained an enviably high standard throughout its nineteen-year run. Sadly, it's not something we've seen enough of on the Wii, apart from a slightly idle Ubiport. We want more of his royal leapiness on Nintendo's machine, and now Ben Mattes, producer of the cel-shaded Prince of Persia on the HD consoles, has sparked hope in our fanboy hearts.Although he admitted that a version of the latest game wasn't heading to Wii, Mattes told Destructoid that he admired how the Wii port of Rival Swords (which he produced) felt with the Wiimote and Nunchuk. "I hope that we will see another Prince of Persia game on the Wii," he said. "Because [...] I really liked the way the Prince's movement translated to the Wii controls. I think that it's really kind of a natural fit."Another natural fit is Prince of Persia games and our money, so get cracking, Ubisoft.
Prince of Persia may have 'significant' DLC
The DLC planned for Prince of Persia is to be of "significant value," as noted by Ubisoft producer Ben Mattes in an interview with Gamercyde (at the 19:12 mark). Mattes doesn't believe the PoP DLC will be character skins or weapons, but will be "a new story, a new experience, maybe a prequel, maybe a sequel." This is all said under the caveat of "if" the team decides to do DLC. If the team does decide to do some DLC, it will arrive sometime next year, but the whole thing is "still in discussion." We'll worry about DLC later -- right now we're itching for the Prince and Elika to make their way onto our consoles in two weeks. Source - Ubisoft plans 'significant' PoP DLC [Eurogamer] Source - Video of interview [Gamesyde] %Gallery-23908%
Get a sneak peek at the Prince of Persia movie, for a price
No, dear readers, we're not charging you for entry to this particular post (though we do hear that subscription-based content is the wave of the future) -- the price we speak of is an intangible one, but a costly one nonetheless. After the break, we've posted a behind-the-scenes look at Jerry Bruckheimer's first foray into game-to-movie adaptations, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time -- a look which is offered through the mind-numbing lens of Entertainment Tonight. So if you want to get a look at the film's impressive backdrop (which, according to Bruckheimer, is of Lawrence of Arabia quality), you're going to have to sacrifice a few of your lesser-used mental faculties. Seriously, if you have any important long division to do today, we suggest skipping ahead.
Joystiq hands-on: Prince of Persia, the 'it's done!' version
click to enlarge Stick a fork "do not sell until Dec. 2" label in on it, because Prince of Persia is done. The game has been submitted to Sony and Microsoft for certification and will, we've been promised by series producer Ben Mattes, ship the first week of next month as planned. Mattes, seemingly as eager to get it in our hands as we were, freed up the controller for a private play session of the game in advance of last night's (for all intents and purposes) wrap party. We unfortunately had to put it down ... eventually. But not before taking in the beginning of the game as you'll experience it in only a few couldn't-be-longer weeks. %Gallery-23908%
Prince of Persia story trailer lays it on thick
A new trailer for the upcoming refresh of the Prince of Persia series has been released, and it's a doozy. Clocking in at nearly five and a half minutes, it pretty much covers everything you need to know about the game. An ancient evil god wreaked havoc on the world, said god was imprisoned in the Tree of Life with a warrior tribe sworn to watch over it for all time. Fast forward 10,000 years and the evil god escapes, presumably because the warrior tribe fell asleep at the switch. Thankfully, the Prince is here to help the last Princess of the warrior tribe put the evil god to rest once more. The trailer has a bit of a Zelda feel to it, which is by no means a bad thing. Find it after the break.Oh, and in case you're wondering, the song featured in the trailer is "Breathe Me" by Sia.
Trophies: Prince of Persia
Read more 'Prince of Persia' stories The Prince is back, and more cel-shaded than ever. The new Prince of Persia takes the series to a new direction. Check out what you'll find on this journey, after the break. View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
The Best Thing You'll See Today: The Prince of Persia mo-cap tapes
Though it may seem crude these days, Jordan Mechner's original Prince of Persia animation was state-of-the-art in 1989. But the method by which he got it is even more impressive. Mechner shot his kid brother, performing the moves he needed, on a video camera and then, using rotoscoping, plopped them directly into his game.Now, you can watch the actual home movies and it's positively shocking how closely they resemble the final moves the prince was performing way back in the late '80s. Watch it just below the break and just try not to get a little emotional. Try![Via Giant Bomb]
