Last
year’s Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, was a masterpiece of a game, allowing
gamers to manipulate time as a means of defeating enemies and returning from
death. However, the sequel is setting out to give gamers even more control over
time itself, not just in the realm of combat but also in problem solving and
puzzles. Prince of Persia 2 (working title) will give the prince a much darker,
more violent look and feel as well as a revamped combat system and some cool new
time control features.
The
storyline is much darker than the first game as is the overall aesthetic of the
game. The prince, having used the Sands of Time to restore the world back to
the way it was at the beginning of the first game, has now found himself chased
by an undefeatable enemy. As it turns out, he broke the laws of the universe by
turning the world back and now must either flee across the world or suffer the
dire consequences.
The
combat system has been reworked, and as a result the prince has some cool new
moves at his disposal. He can now throw bad guys, use them as human shields,
and perform finishing moves like beheadings. You can also steal enemies’
weapons and use them against them.
More
moves using the Sands of Time have been added, as well. The prince can now use
delayed finishes for a cool ninja-like effect, and you can now slow down your
enemies while you move in normal time, kind of like a bullet-time effect. You
can also run along a wall and decapitate an enemy as you run by.
The
graphics were much darker, keeping with the game’s new atmospheric direction.
The prince character model has been rebuilt from the ground up, now sporting a
full head of raven black hair and a mean scowl. The environments looked
excellent and had some great lighting and shadow effects, as well as improved
water effects, like light diffraction.
The
Sands of Time ranks with many (myself included) as one of the best games
released last year, and Prince of Persia 2 looks to even improve upon the
first. Look for it Fourth Quarter 2004.
