Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (2010)

I'm annoyed how the tone seems to be "POP 2008 lost you, but this will bring you back". I loved POP 2008. It was Warrior Within that lost me.

 

I love both the illustrated style of the 2008 one (even though I haven't played the home console/PC version of the game) and the Sands of Time series. The thing that keeps bugging me about The Forgotten Sands is the way they did the character model of the Prince. The character artworks look fine but the in game model just bugs me.

Overall it should be a fun game.

EDIT: Found an article about the composer for the game. It a shame that they are not using Stuart Chatwood or Inon Zur for the music. I love the music they did for the previous instalment (not so much the electric parts of Warrior Within), I wonder what the music for this one be like.

 

Ubisoft have shown off the trailer for the Wii version of the Forgotten Sands.

The Wii exclusive powers looks fun and I think I prefer the Prince character model in this version than the other ones. For the visuals... at some sections it looks as though Rival Swords looks better and that was done a few years ago.

 

I don't like the graphics in that trailer. I might get the 360 version just for better visuals.

 

I thought that I'd give the heads up that Aussie-Nintendo.com were lucky enough to have a hands on play of the game on Wii.

The preview is positive and saying that it is a solid effort by Ubisoft. The Wii version is indeed different from the PS3/X360 versions in terms of story and gameplay. It goes into more detail so I'll let the hands on preview speak for itself.

 

Gamespot has a video of the opening cinematic for the PS3 version.

Some elements reminds me a little of the Sands of Time opening.

 

I really liked the more subtle musical pieces from Warrior Within and The Two Thrones. Here's hoping that the new soundtrack will have some tracks that sound genuinely Persian. I really hope they do a track where they use a Santur in one way or another. Really only the slower tracks sounded like traditional Persian music. The more pumping fast and loud pieces were more stereotypically Arabian sounding.

 

Anyone else feel like this was one of the easier PoP games? As I can recall, there were several puzzles in each game of the SoT trilogy that took me a decent amount of time to figure out. In this game, the only one that gave me pause was when you have to close the fortress gate, and even then it's only because I initially thought you had to line up all of the L-brackets properly before moving the cog from its start point straight to the end. Took a while before I realized it had to be done incrementally, but once I did, even that one wasn't super difficult.

 

It would have to be pretty darn easy in order to have a lesser amount of difficulty than PoP '08.

 

I made myself get every damn one of the 1001 Light Seeds in Pop '08, so I guess that's why I considered it harder than this one.

 

I've recently got the Wii version and it is surprisingly a more polished title than the screenshots and video footage out there for it. It does look good and an solid effort from Ubisoft Quebec. The Wii one is a different story from the HD versions and has a different composer for the music too.

I am enjoying it a lot, the gameplay is solid, the new moves are fun, controls are quite good. There are some camera issues but it works most of the time. Without giving it away, the story throws you right into it at the start and slowly builds up. The combat is fine, better than Sands of Time but not as great as Rival Swords.

I feel that the character model of the Prince on the Wii is better than the HD version in terms of his likeness. You are able to change the character model to the Sands of Time (game version) Prince if you prefer his look instead, there are other choices too. There are lots of unlockables, secrets and achievements which gives a longer lastability. To keep as spoiler free as possible, the unlockables don't feel like they are thrown in for the sake of it and more variety and fun.

I haven't finished the story yet but as a fan of the series, it is safe to say I am loving it. I recommend giving the Wii version a decent go if you get a chance.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that iTunes has the soundtrack to the HD version available to download.

 

I just ordered this on Amazon ($10 brand new!). I'm getting the 360 version but your post is making me consider switching to the Wii version...

EDIT:

There is something I'm wondering, though. Is this game a sequel to the Sands of Time trilogy (ie, taking place after Two Thrones)? If that's the case, shouldn't the Prince be a king? Does this game refer to the events of the Sands of Time trilogy at all?

 

I love the Wii version of the game and has the elements that I love about the series. I am currently in my second run and trying to unlock more of the unlockables which some are hard to get. I hope there be more Prince of Persia on the way, it be cool to try it on the 3DS.

The Forgotten Sands takes place within the 7 year gap between Sands of Time and Warrior Within, I'll say before the events of Battles of the Prince of Persia (a turn-based/card strategy DS game also set in that period). Both stories from the HD and Wii version fit in the timeline but I'm not sure if Ubisoft had officially stated which takes place first. I am not as familiar on the HD version but there are small nods to the Sands of Time and the Warrior Within in the Wii version.

 

Wait. So the stories are completely different between the HD and Wii versions???

Honestly, I prefer to play with the 360 controller, as I find that playing with the Wiimote becomes tiring after a while. So I stuck with the 360 version since it's what I'm comfortable with. But I didn't know it was a completely different game with the same name. Odd!

 

The stories are different, I guess to make it more unique between those versions and were developed by different studios. Quebec did the Wii version, built from the ground up to take advantage of the system while I think Montreal worked on the HD ones. The music is different as well and I wonder why series veterans Stuart Chatwood and Inon Zur did not return.

Hopefully you'll enjoy the X360 version as much as I am with the Wii version. I am curious to know how the HD story plays out. If I could run the PC version, I would have gotten that too but I think it is silly and a bit extreme that you require a permanent internet connected at all times to play it.

 

Just got the 360 game today and just made it to the Vaults before I stopped. So far so good, though I wish the fighting was better. The combat is definitely more enjoyable than the last Prince of Persia title, but it doesn't have the fluid, viciousness of the Sands of Time trilogy. I was hoping that they would have done something similar to Ezio's fighting style from Assassin's Creed 2/BH.

The acrobatics are top notch though. While Ezio might demonstrate superior combat skill, the Prince shows who's boss when it comes to acting like Spider-Man without a radioactive spider bite.

In regards to the story, so far it seems like the Prince went to go visit his brother only to find his brother's palace under siege. No reference to the Sands of Time yet though. No Farrah, no Empress, no Dahaka.

 

I am loving this game. The combat has gotten better now that I can do aerial attacks and combos. But the acrobatics is where this game totally pwns. So much better than that last one in which the prince was more thief than prince (never bothered to finish that one).

This is definitely worthy of the Sands of Time trilogy, which were, imo, some of the BEST games of the last-gen consoles.


The one thing that bothers me is that I'm still trying to figure out how this fits in with the SoT games. I have unlocked the rewind ability, but it's very weird without the dagger. If this game supposedly happens between SoT and Warrior Within, shouldn't he have the dagger with him? Maybe I'm mistaken, but didn't he use the dagger in all three SoT games?

 

No, he didn't have the dagger in Warrior Within. He had Farrah's amulet in his chest piece, and the sands got absorbed there after kills, if you remember.

Of course, it is not explained how he convinced Farah to give the amulet to him in the first place. Surely, with his acrobatic skills and him already knowing the way in to the treasure vault of the Indian sultan, it would be easier for him to just sneak in and steal the dagger again than to convince Farah to lend him his amulet.

 

Oh. Okay. That clears things up, then, I guess.

 

To my understanding, after that brief 'oasis' they shared in the first game, she took the dagger and left him her amulet to protect him from the effects of the sands. When he reversed time, the dagger and a version of the amulet could have remained on him.. unless it returned it back to her. At the end he gave her the dagger but not the amulet back (even though one is around her neck) so I guess the reversal of the sands allows for more than one amulet in that altered timeline... sounds like Back to the Future... unless for some other reason it is a different amulet/sand artifact.

I find it odd that the rewind ability is in the HD version. It's not in the Wii version but there was something kinda like that that Zahra bestows upon the Prince as well as the other abilities. I love the acrobatics and stringing moves together for a flawless run.

How are the unlockables? Are there challenges/bonus levels/skins in the game or too soon to tell?

 

Ah. I had forgotten that little detail. Now it makes sense.

 

No skins yet. From what I understand, only the Wii version has extra skins.

As for abilities, so far I can rewind time, freeze water (thereby creating platforming objects), create an aura of fire around myself...and that's it so far.

 

That's a shame about the skins not being available. There are bonus maps and challenges on the Wii version. Speed Run can be extremely difficult and I haven't gotten past Silver just yet.

The abilities, not counting the weapon/combat skills, are Creation powers:

Spirit hooks allows you to place a ring to grab hold to in certain locations at first then any suitable surface. Usefully for climbing and can trap/freeze enemies.

Whirlwinds lifts you up into the air, can also be used to launch enemies into the air.

Magical Sphere is a like calling upon bubble. Use it mid air, it becomes a temp platform or can be used as a shield


If playing co-operatively, the other player is Zahra. Can slow down enemies and traps, boost value of some things and can guide the Prince. Kinda similar to Super Mario Galaxy's co op.