The Wii enhancements don't add a whole lot to the game, though they are interesting at times. The hook of the game is found in three Wii pointer-controlled powers. The Spirit Hook, used on walls, allows you to place rings so you can bridge gaps; the Whirlwind, used on the ground, shoots you up into the air to reach new areas; and the Magical Sphere, which you get late in the game, gives you the ability to save yourself from missed jumps. The game doesn't overwhelm you with these powers, and their introductions are very well-paced. The first few hours of the game even throws on a form of training wheels, as you can only use the powers in specified areas. After that, you're allowed to use the powers at will.
For the most part, the pointer control of each power are based on context and work well, except when the Magical Sphere shows up and occasionally causes you to place a Spirit Hook on a wall in the background instead of saving your skin. The powers also have combat uses, but the jerky camera control in combat makes it difficult to train your pointer on a foe.
Wii controls also factor heavily into the combat, which is the low point of the game. Basic gesture controls are used for attacks, which works most of the time. The best part of the combat is the upgrade system that adds more powerful moves as you defeat enemies and complete Heroic Challenges, which are more or less a form of Xbox 360 Achievements. The boss fights sprinkled throughout the game are large in scope, but really boil down to quick time events.
The platforming is spot on. You can move around from area to area with great ease, narrowly avoiding the different obstacles. If you're familiar with the series, it isn't anything too terribly new, but newcomers to the series will likely be wowed by the quality.
Graphically, The Forgotten Sands is hit or miss. The art direction is appealing, but the technical quality of the graphics is lackluster, looking more like a middle-of-the-road GameCube game than a Wii game. The sound is in a similar vein, with some sections having good sound design, and other sections lacking sound in some places.
There are a number of unlockables scattered throughout, including the Super Nintendo version of the original Prince of Persia. Unfortunately, that version is pretty awful, but the rest of the content is solid. The highlight of the unlockables is a retro-styled 2D bonus level that is reminiscent of - and better than - the Super Nintendo game that's included.
The Forgotten Sands is a good game, but it's really just more of the same if you've played a recent entry in the Prince of Persia series. The Wii additions aren't essential, boiling down to basic Wii Remote pointer control. If you're hankering for a new Prince of Persia experience this game is worth it, but it's not going to win any accolades for originality.
Pros:
Lastability: 8.5
Clocking in at more than 10 hours, there's a long quest to go through. Throw in the Heroic Challenges and the numerous unlockables, and you have a complete game experience with a decent amount of replayability.
Final: 8.0
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is a quality experience made exclusively for Wii, and that fact shines through despite lackluster graphics and poor combat. The excellent platforming that made the Prince of Persia series classic is ever-present, making this a good game for any fans of the series.
It doesn't have anything to do with the movie (and Disney has zero control over the game), Ubisoft just decided to capitalize on the press from the movie by releasing a new PoP game at the same time.
I have a feeling Arkham Asylum 2 might go in this direction.
You know they were hoping to play off of the whole Middle-Earth craze that was going on at the time.
