Topic: The Prince of

[dus]

 The Prince of Persia: TSOT- The Definitive Review
By Dustin O'Neal

  Early this year, at E3, a little-known game called The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was sitting next to the seemingly ever-popular Splinter Cell and the next Rainbow Six. A few weeks later it was named "Best of Show" by E3 officials. A few months  later it was released unto stores worldwide, and like water on dry sand, the copies were drained from the stores, leaving only dry, boring tales of utter nothingness. If you are still thirsting for that water- the water of the POP: TSOT, then here- drink to good health, good friends, and most of all, gamers worldwide.

  The story in Prince is an interesting one; I would even go as far as calling it a love story. It isn't excessively detailed, or even very original. But it reminds me of a good18th century novel, during the Romantic period. The characters are memorable, and they contribute to this, well, magical story. I would even go as far as saying it is the best video game story since Star Wars: KoTOR, or even as good as Final Fantasy VII. That is saying alot.

 The cinematic feel of this game is thanks in no small part to the visuals and sound of Prince. This is a rather bold statement, but I would say this is the most beautiful third-party video game on GCN, ever. The animation is brilliant, the particle effects are dazzling to say the least, and the character and level designs are unprecidented. The main protagonist and Pharrah, his lovely female counterpart, aren't quite as good-looking as some of the other characters and effects in the game.

  The music and sound effects in this game are phenomenal- mostly. The music is symphony worthy, and the effects of the exotic evirons are also noteworthy. However, the voice acting (while stupendous for the main protagonist) are, sadly, below average when it comes to Pharrah. She doesn't seem to pronounce things correctly (ie. She calls "Scarabs" "scraps"). This isn't a huge deal, but it definitely stands out when compared to the other facets of the gameplay.

  The controls- for the most part- are very nice. The R shoulder button is used, possibly overused, and your trigger finger will start to wear eventually. The controls on the Xbox and PS2 versions control much nicer, and if the GCN controllers were just slightly larger, this game would've perfected platform control.

Pros-

- Stunning animation, gripping story, and great music

- Suprisingly deep combat and replayability

- Best visuals for a third-party game of all time on GCN

Cons-

- Pharrah- Great to look at, bad to listen to

- Control could use a little bit of tweaking

Graphics- 9.5
  While not as beautiful as say, Metroid Prime, it is still one of the most beautiful games on any sytem

Sound- 8.0
  Very good music, very good ambient effects. Very bad voicework for Pharrah, very bad enemy cries

Control- 8.0
 Pretty good- not as good as PS2 and Xbox incarnations

Gameplay-10.0
  This game excels in this department. As soon as you find yourself leaping from shattered column to column you'll be hooked

Lastability- 9.0
  This game could easily be beaten in under six hours on the normal setting, but you'll keep coming back again and again

Final Score- 9.5 (not an average)
  I can't promise you'll love this game. The final battle smells fouler than an ancient Persian toilet, and the ending isn't the happy ending I wished for. But I can promise you'll never forget this adventure. Let's hope for a sequal!

Buy it now!

- By Dustin C. O'Neal