Prince of Persia Classic Hands-On Preview
Published by: Predtech on Monday, May 28, 2007
Tagged: Gaming, Live Arcade, Xbox 360,
The guys over at Team Xbox posted an awesome preview of the upcoming Prince of Persia Classic.
I personally remember the original game and i can say that it was awesome and also a valuable trend setter. Prince of Persia was one of my all time favorite platformers, up there with the likes of Super Mario Bros. Anyways, read on to see what Team Xbox had to say on this upcoming release.
When Prince of Persia came out in the late ’80s, it featured a revolutionary animation process called “rotoscoping” to make the character’s movement much more realistic. According to the lore, designer Jordan Mechner filmed his brother doing such things as running, leaping and swinging a sword, then used the frame-by-frame changes to better translate the actions into those of his game’s protagonist.
Now we’re on the verge of the ground-breaking title being launched on Xbox Live Arcade—under the title Prince of Persia Classic—and while the original would be a perfectly good addition to the catalog, Ubisoft decided that the old master could use some fresh brush strokes to bring it up to the present day. It’s especially fitting, though, considering how Ubisoft has enhanced the Prince’s repertoire of actions with its recent PoP releases, such as Sands of Time and Warrior Within.
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The initial game was essentially a 2-D platformer, though its design gave it more of a 3-D look than many of its era. In this Classic remake, the designers took full advantage of the Xbox 360’s hardware, adding 3-D character models; present-day shadow and lighting techniques; and extensive particle effects. When the Prince hits a section of the walkway that is unsupported (and will therefore drop away) or a switch plate, there’s a nice effect of dust dropping off the tile. Torches on the wall flicker, and naturally illuminate anyone who passes them. The exciting sword fights of the premiere title now include flashes when metal hits metal, and when the Prince dodges away from an opponent’s slash, the screen blurs in slowed motion, reminiscent of time effects in Sands of Time.
Part of what made the original game so appealing was its simplicity of design. While the Prince could make all sorts of moves—springing up to grab a ledge, rolling under a closing door and vaulting a channel over a spiky trap—each level was a puzzle that had players mapping out which walkway tile opened which door (and which ones closed them), the locations of health potions and the proper path to get to the level’s exit door.
What makes PoP Classic so much fun—at least, in the first five levels we were able to play—is that it seems to be a direct port of the original. If you played the first game and saved your maps, you’ll still be able to use them today. They’ll come in handy, as well, because this version also carries over the one-hour limit for you to take the Prince from his start in the prison to finding and saving the Princess. If you aren’t satisfied with your time on any particular level, you can go back and replay it to try and shave a few seconds off your best. It may be what you need to get through in less than 60 minutes.
But despite the time pressure, PoP Classic is just plain fun to play and replay. In fact, it’ll be necessary to get into the action repeatedly if you hope to pull down all 12 achievements that Ubisoft has put into the XBLA version. While the milestone for getting the sword is a snap, for example, you’ll likely have to scour the levels for a while to find all of the life potions.
Speaking of challenges, as you play through the main game, you’ll also unlock a couple of new game modes. Time Attack challenges you to finish the whole game in the least amount of time. While we didn’t unlock the Survival mode in the few levels we played, we have to figure that it swaps the pursuit of a fast time for getting as far into the game as you can without losing a life. If that’s the case, it should really put video-game completists to the test.
At this point, Ubisoft is keeping somewhat mum about when PoP Classic will be released, other than to say it’ll be out this summer. Frankly, we think it’ll be a hotly anticipated title for Xbox 360 players everywhere. We also don’t know how many Microsoft Points it’ll cost to snag it, but you can be sure it’ll be worth every virtual penny.
Be sure to check with TeamXbox for updates on PoP Classic as it gets closer to its launch. We’ll undoubtedly have more news for you soon, as well as a full review of the game when it’s ready to hit the Marketplace.
If you’re interested in the Gamerscore potential, this is the list of achievements we understand the game will feature when it comes out:
The Lost Weapon—You acquired the sword in the prison. (10 points)
The Immortal—You awakened the immortal in the catacombs. (10 points)
Seven Years—Break the magic mirror and free the dark prince. (10 points)
The Gate Keeper—Kill the chief guard. (15 points)
Feather Fall—Drink the float potion and glide down. (15 points)
The Mouse Trap—Receive help from the mouse to escape the trapped corridor. (10 points)
Upside Down—Drink both inverse potions. (15 points)
Slice ’n Dice—Kill a guard with a slicer or a spike trap. (20 points)
Elixirs of Life—Find all 9 life potions. (25 points)
Whole Again—Unify the prince and the dark prince. (20 points)
Final Embrace—Save the princess. (25 points)
Survivor—Finish the game without dying in survival mode. (25 points)
Personally i can't wait to get my hands on this title. If you know anything about the Prince of Persia series, you'll be right there with me.
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Prince of Persia for Xbox 360
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