Click the ‘save media’ link at the bottom… --- for the hi-def trailer! Long load time, though… :(
Prince of Persia 3– Back to Babylon (tentative title) preview
By: neo_ragnarok
Ever since the Prince of Persia’s debut in 2003, Ubisoft has steadily altered the course of the Prince’s life, from an innocent young heir to the throne, to a mature, Godsmack loving, killing machine. Based on a freeware 2D (EXTREMELY DIFFICULT) game, the new 3D adventure challenged you to navigate all manner of hazards on your way to rescue a fair maiden. The latest installments of the PC original series is developed by the well respected Ubisoft Montreal sending the prince off as a swashbuckling action hero with mystic-fueled time powers. To date, there have been two entries starring this new prince--The Sands of Time and Warrior Within--that have made strides to establish and evolve the budding action hero. While The Sands of Time was universally embraced, Warrior Within actually polarized fans who either loved or hated the new game's direction, due to the gore and mature themes displayed. The third and arguably most exciting outing, tentatively titled Prince of Persia 3 takes the game in a totally new direction that will combine elements from both Sands of Time and Warrior Within. As stated in the trailer, “He thought he had left his past behind him. He thought he had a future. He was wrong… the prince must now face his greatest foe yet --- himself.” With these words and a Hi Definition trailer (link at bottom) to go on, I set out on a quest to find as much info about the latest installment from Ubisoft Montreal.The seasoned developer seeks to fuse the mature themes from the second game with the simply complex style of the first game into a whole new journey, to be released in the Q3 of this year. The game stays true to its platformer style, and like its precursors, employs the ‘help’ of time travel. At the finale of ‘Warrior Within’ we see the prince return to his home, and for a moment it seems as though he may live a long and prosperous life with his companion, Kaileena, but that’s not where the game starts. The game ACTUALLY starts off immediately where the alternative of Warrior Within put players, but I don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t gotten it yet (to get it, find ALL of the magic fountains in the game). However when the prince gets ‘Back to Babylon’ (tentative title) he encounters new and more powerful enemies than ever before. The once great kingdom has been devastated by the wars that ensued in the prince’s absence. Some one, a leader of a rebellion no doubt, has turned the people and the monstrous soldiers that reside in the outskirts of the kingdom, against their powerful prince, and when he is captured and tortured by the people, Kaileena does the one thing she believes will save him: sacrifices herself and unleashes the sands of time. Her sacrifice saves the prince, but the alteration in the fragile threads of time creates a dark replica of the prince (hence the ‘his darkest foe yet – himself’). They’re anger and hatred towards each other is terrible, but in order to stay alive, they must work together (Jak II anyone? Anyone?).
The gameplay is reminiscent of Jak II: you can switch on the fly to the Prince’s darker counterpart, with all the puzzle solving, over-the-top acrobatics, and hordes of enemies from the original Prince of Persia games. The ‘evil’ side of the prince will have powerful magic attacks, and when you control him, your speed increases and power doubles (um… Jak II… heh heh… sorry). The gameplay remains the same in the fact that it is centered more around amazing athletic feats and avoiding enemies, but the Prince is considerably powerful on the field of battle (but not even a tenth of the power Kratos from ‘God of War’ harnesses). However, the prince’s dark side has a sharp hook blade attached to a small chain called a ‘daggertail’ that can grab enemies silently from afar, or take out a circle of enemies surrounding you, and is essential to traversing the dark streets of Babylon.
Although the dark prince speeds up when utilized, to finish a kill, you must think quickly, but act slowly. Reminiscent of Splinter Cell balancing on a chain high in the air, and then drop on the enemy quickly for a kill. You must think exactly when to drop, but you must still balance yourself and not fall to your demise. Ubisoft has hinted at new time powers, but have yet to reveal the details. I just hope one of these includes summoning a sand creature!
Free-roaming is encouraged, unlike the linear form of ‘Sands of Time.’ The dark prince is playable as well as the prince so you'll have a choice to which one you want to play as and when. The prince, with a long beard and gray bags below his tired eyes is the one you will choose when you want to hop rooftops to access secret areas, but when you just need some time to kill some dudes in the bazaar or in the main street while trying to reach your objective, darkie is the way to go. A big story point, though, is that you must walk through fire to alter your form from light to dark, and you must drink water from a life-giving fountain to change from dark to light. Fire? Hmmmmm…. There are many other alterations to the story, such as chariot races. These sequences will be used to transition players between areas of the vast city of Babylon created for the game. Level designer Stephen Logier says that the controls for the chariot races are designed to be simple, and the races are created to be nothing but large-scale adrenaline rushes. The game’s presentation is stunning, as can be seen in the trailer, and the visuals are even more spectacular. If you know anything about Mesopotamian history, you know that Babylon had a powerful military, but their leaders were corrupt and there were many rebellions. We have seen very little of the war-ravaged empire, but it can only get worse. Most of the visuals are from the beginning of the game, and thus the beginning of the plot. Already, the streets are in shambles, as though they had been abandoned many years earlier, but this leaves just more places to sneak around, and kill! The soundtrack thus far is epic, but has a mixture between the two original games, with some metal and rock aspects included.
Ubisoft seems keen on making this game appeal to all gamers --- but the rating at the end of the trailer says 16+! Hmmmm, could this mean a new rating from the ESRB? With awesome visuals, a great narrative and varied action are making this sequel look like an epic, action hit that will appeal to fans of both previous PoP games. Prince of Persia 3 is slated to ship this fall for the GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, so look for more on the game here on Gamer World in the coming months!!
Go here:Prince of Persia 3 trailer
Click the ‘save media’ link at the bottom… --- for the hi-def trailer! Long load time, though… :(