This game is what begun the "Sands of Time" series, distancing itself from the original series that started in 1989, capturing the same platforming elements of the original game, while graphics are rendered in 3D. This happens to be one of my favorite video games created by Ubisoft, the same company that brought video games such as: The Michael Jackson Experience, Splinter Cell, and Assassin's Creed games.
Plot. The King of Persia and his son, known as The Prince, travel through India to conquer a city and steal the Maharajah's treasures with the help of a traitorous Vizier. The Prince is determined to win and bring honor and glory ti his father, in which he succeeds by obtaining a magical dagger known as the "Dagger of Time", which can rewind, freeze, and speed up time in any environment. In Azad, the Vizier, now in the service of King Sharaman, tricks the Prince into using the Dagger to release the Sands of Time from the Hourglass. A horrific sandstorm engulfs the kingdom and the Sands of Time turn all the occupants of the palace into monsters. Only the Prince, Farah, and the Vizier remain unchanged due to their possessions; a dagger, a medallion, and a staff, respectively. Amid the catastrophe, the Vizier demands the dagger from the Prince, who refuses and manages to escape. Now, the Prince and Farah team up to undo the terrible mistake that has been done, and stop the Vizier and prevent his greedy schemes.
The Dagger of Time has many practical powers, especially when obtaining sand tanks, which will become more helpful later on. Players can rewind time when they are in trouble, slow time to make the enemy have a disadvantage, and also freeze time to simultaneously kill all enemies. Players must be careful when swinging on bars, jumping onto ledges, because if they don't time their movements properly, then they will fall to their deaths. And the only salvation they have is when they rewind time. Secret sand upgrades are scattered everywhere in the palace, as well as secret fountains, which will raise health.
Concept. The players must guide the Prince throughout the palace fighting many enemies, avoiding traps, and teaming up with Farah to get to the top of the palace, and stop the evil Vizier from achieving his greedy achievements. Players rely on acrobatics and agility to get quickly through places, and easily take down their enemies. However, some enemies are quite annoying and players have to time their movements and attacks. The Dagger of Time can be a major life saver, as players have the ability to control time, and restore it's sands by stealing it from the monsters.
Design. In the past, the Prince of Persia series was always rendered in sprites with two-dimensional sidescrolling elements. Ubisoft decided to breathe new life into the action-adventure genre by creating a 3D Prince of Persia video game. And for all intents and purposes, they have succeeded in creating a great game. The developers are the same company that brought Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed to life.
Voice Acting and Sound. Stuart Chatwood, of the now defunct Canadian rock band The Tea Party, was selected as composer for the game in early 2002. He began drafting and writing material in late 2002, and began the recording process in January 2003. Included also in the writing process was Iranian composer and violionist Ali Tajvidi and Bijan Mortazavi, Oud band Le Trio Joubran and Karl Sanders of Technical death metal band Nile[citation needed]. The vocals of Maryem Tollar are featured throughout the game. (Source: Wikipedia). The game also featured voice acting. Yuri Lowenthal (Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XII, Assassin's Creed II), voices the Prince, and he did a very good job. Joanna Wasick was the voice of Farah and Barry Dennen (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty) voices the Vizier.
Memories. I played this game back in 2004 in New York when I was 18, it was a great game to play. My cousin bought it on the Xbox, and it was fun to play. But the biggest insult to injury is that other consoles only had the original game after beating the game. Sometimes we would take a break from playing Prince of Persia and play Halo 1, ah memories.
History. Prince of Persia series began in 1989, created by Jordan Mechner and meeting with major success. The game spawned a sequel for various consoles and also for PC, which featured voice acting only in the PC. Prince of Persia 3D was released in 1999 on the PC while in 2000 it was released on the Dreamcast, but it was not successful. Three years later, The Sands of Time was finally released meeting with success. This started the sands of time series, which spawned two sequels and an interquel: Warrior Within, The Two Thrones, and The Forgotten Sands. There was also a movie based on the Sands of Time video game, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, and the game was faithful to the game, unlike many movies based on video games.
Rantings. The monsters that I truly hate are the Blue Sand Guards and Generals, they always pissed me off whenever I got far. These were very persistent, and were not afraid to outnumber you and Farah. The other ones that pissed me off were the female sand guards as well. Also, some rants I have is that Farah gets the easy way out while the Prince is stuck in the harder parts.
Good Aspects. The developers did a great job in making this game, I really enjoyed playing it when I was 18 on the Xbox with my cousin. The game has high replay value, and you can download this game on the PlayStation Network, also you can download Warrior Within and the Two Thrones. Also, developers were geniuses in bringing Prince of Persia to a 3D environment, distancing itself from sprite rendering and 2D. The story, gameplay, music, and graphics are amazing, and the voice acting is memorable.
Overall. This is one of my favorite old games of all time, I give this game a 10 out of 10.