Prince of Persia vs Dunce of Persia

Being such a nostalgic fan of the original Prince of Persia, I was decidedly eager to get my hands on the latest 3D treatment of the old classic.
Upon completion of the game I must admit my feelings are a little confused. This is probably down to the mix signals I received from the whole experience. Don’t get me wrong, the game isn’t at all that bad – but it’s not wholly exciting either. Let me surmise my experience.

First – the good things:

Marvellous graphics
I’ve always said that the cornerstone to how much effort a developer has put into a game lies in the presentation. The graphics in Pop3D are simply breath taking. The nature of the game involves the use of large open spaced environments, often inside grand locations like that of an Arabian palace. On this score the games is top notch, utilising lush and lavish colours to create an environment of awe-inspiring brilliance. Additionally the artwork on the manual and in-game is top quality.

“Ears were made for me!”
Similarly the sound and music in Pop3D is beyond words. Perhaps one of the only things that kept me interested in the game was the fascination with the musical score. So good is the music that I gave the review an extra STAR just for that.
On occasion, Full Motion Video sequences are used to help stitch levels and the storyline together. These are also of very high quality and a nice breather away from all the action.

Now – the bad things:

Weird controls
The control system in Pop3D is hideous beyond words. Being a game very similar to Tombraider – using a 3rd person perspective – you would think that the controls on a gamepad would also be very similar. However this is not the case. I spent a great deal of time sorting out the controls (even with the Microsoft Sidewinder gamepad as illustrated in the manual) and at the end of it I still wasn’t happy. Because your character in the game has so much interaction with the environment you have to configure the controls to act in both modes of combat and movement. As a result many of the buttons act as hot keys. After a while it becomes second nature, but the difficulty in getting used to them does detract from the game play and does not bode well for replay value.

“Hello – My name is Arthritis…..Prince Arthritis.”
In sticking very close to the original games, the developers have almost mirrored the same step-by-step movement of the prince. The shuffling and creeping movements that made up the originals have been retained. I think this was a very bad idea – very bad indeed. In traditional 3rd person games the character moves in perfect fluidity, Alas, Our Prince does not. In fact he has the worse case of Arthritis I have ever seen. Whatever you do, be it side shuffling or creeping forward he is in a constant state of rigid and jerky movement. It gets quite silly after a bit.

Smile – You’re on Camera...'yeah right.'
The camera in Pop3d had a life of it’s own. As with most games of this genre there is a camera that follows you around and adapts it’s position to suit your place in the environment. As a result you are constantly looking at your side or even the front as you progress. A dangerous thing since a trap may be lurking around the corner. During combat the camera flies to the side attempting to give you a better view – oh if only they knew! It makes things impossible!

Dangerous bugs
Perhaps one of the biggest flaws in the game is its buggy nature. Although the music and video are very nice – they are hardly ever synchronised. Once you enter combat mode the music will change about 5 seconds later. Similarly, any grunts or noises you make during combat also have a delay. The control system has also caught this disease. Very often, our good old Prince will refuse to do what you ask him to. The buggy nature of the game makes any available patches crucial. In fact I did come across several positions in the game where it was so bugged that I became stuck or confined within a section of the environment. What makes it worse is that I have heard the first patch is useless – it does not correct problems so much as make the game a bugs paradise, causing crashes and everything. The second patch is understandably better.

Features

One of the things going for Pop3d is the variety. Lots of weapons are available to you as well as the classic potions. By the end you will have mastered the sword, staff, bow and various arrow types. Similarly, there are also many enemies as well as the always-official bosses. But the biggest enemy is the environment. There are traps galore in this game. Traps, traps and more traps. And then some more! You have a recognise a trap, if not develope a gut-instinct before you fall into it, otherwise you’re a gonna. Not just that but the game is actually very difficult, even on the lowest setting. Before you get used to the combat system, you may find that constantly save and load.

The story of the game is pretty good. There is a lot in the manual relating to the story too and although not original, the plot does keep the gamer interested. Level design is also very impressive, from the palaces to the flying cities – there is always something interesting to see. However, don’t be surprised if you start searching for a walkthrough guide on the Internet once the game pulls you in. Some of the puzzles are very abstract and difficult to understand. The game is long though and I imagine it will keep the average gamer occupied for sometime.

If you can buy the game very cheap or love good game music and top quality FMV then this game is for you. On the other hand, if you are impatient and loathe a camera and control system that is more of a foe than friend – keep well away.