Topic: So I bought Prince of Persia 2008 on the 360.

[Pugnate]

I don't think the explory elements are as fun as Sands of Time. Sure, they exist, but you feel a bit less in charge.

[idolminds]

Yeah, its got a strange kind of vibe. In SoT you felt a little move involved with the acrobatics. Not sure if thats just my memory or what, but some of the stuff you do here feels almost automated. You just have to hit a button, let the animation run and hit another button to continue the run. Not saying its all bad or anything and it can still be challenging, its just something I noticed while playing.

Except those magic plates. Fuck those things. Its like a level design cheat. "There is no way to get up there from the ground and rebuilding the area to make it accessible will take too much time. Let him jump on a red pad and launch the player up there. I wouldn't mind so much except near the end when heading to the bosses its almost entirely magic pads so you just hit a button when you reach a pad and everything else is automated. I missed the big tower at the end of SoT that really challenged you to make use of all the platforming you learned during the game.

[MysterD]

Just passed 800 seeds. I assumed that after the end of the game they'd create a save with all areas unlocked and just let you go around collecting. I was wrong, and stupidly saved over some of my final saves during the end areas. Doh. So I have to convert 2 more areas and take care of the hunter boss. No big deal.

I've always done this, since CD/DVD burners became the norm...
After I finish my saved games for one run through, I copy them all to another folder "Back Up Folder". Im this folder, which I usually back-up at a later date, I put on the disc anything related to the game -- patches, save folders/save profiles, mods, walkthroughs, wallpapers, maps, SDK's, or any other crap related to the game. I usually burn this when I decide to uninstall the game.

[idolminds]

Got all 1001 and beat the game again. Good times.

[MysterD]

Rumor has it that PoP: Epilogue DLC is going to drop from 800 Microsoft Points to now 560 Microsoft Points today for Microsoft's Deal of The Week over XBL.

[iPPi]

I finally picked this up last week on sale for $14.99 and have put about 4-5 hours into it.  It's decent.  I won't say it's great, because it really isn't that phenomenal.  It might be because I've just finished up Assassin's Creed II and found the free running and platforming to be much more responsive and more enjoyable in AC2 than in Prince of Persia.  I guess I expected something more along the lines of AC2 style platforming.  It's gotten a lot better now once I got used to the controls, but sometimes my character will do something erratic like jump outward instead of climbing up and stuff like that.  Combat feels like an afterthought in this game.  I mean, all the mechanics work, but there just isn't a lot of combat at all.  If you're quick with the platforming, you can prevent normal enemies from spawning altogether, so that leaves you with the 4 major enemies that you fight like 5 times each.  These fights feel drawn out since you have to use certain attack types to damage them.  They're also way too forgiving.

I also felt like I was flying through the entire game as I moved from one fertile ground to the next until I realized that the developers decided to lengthen the game by forcing you to find lightseeds scattered around the healed land in order to unlock additional areas.  The only thing I like about finding the lightseeds is that it makes you to use your platforming moves in interesting ways in order to get to some of the lightseeds.

I guess in the end it's still a decent game, just not quite what I was expecting it to be -- I'm sure I would have loved the game if I played it when it first came out.  It's just that with AC2 out, which has several sections of the game that have PoP inspired platforming sections -- I must say that these work better than the platforming in Prince of Persia.

One question -- has anybody tried the Epilogue DLC?  I'm wondering if it's worth $9.99.

[MysterD]

I finally picked this up last week on sale for $14.99 and have put about 4-5 hours into it.  It's decent.  I won't say it's great, because it really isn't that phenomenal.  It might be because I've just finished up Assassin's Creed II and found the free running and platforming to be much more responsive and more enjoyable in AC2 than in Prince of Persia.  I guess I expected something more along the lines of AC2 style platforming.  It's gotten a lot better now once I got used to the controls, but sometimes my character will do something erratic like jump outward instead of climbing up and stuff like that.  Combat feels like an afterthought in this game.  I mean, all the mechanics work, but there just isn't a lot of combat at all.  If you're quick with the platforming, you can prevent normal enemies from spawning altogether, so that leaves you with the 4 major enemies that you fight like 5 times each.  These fights feel drawn out since you have to use certain attack types to damage them.  They're also way too forgiving.

I also felt like I was flying through the entire game as I moved from one fertile ground to the next until I realized that the developers decided to lengthen the game by forcing you to find lightseeds scattered around the healed land in order to unlock additional areas.  The only thing I like about finding the lightseeds is that it makes you to use your platforming moves in interesting ways in order to get to some of the lightseeds.

I guess in the end it's still a decent game, just not quite what I was expecting it to be -- I'm sure I would have loved the game if I played it when it first came out.  It's just that with AC2 out, which has several sections of the game that have PoP inspired platforming sections -- I must say that these work better than the platforming in Prince of Persia.

I played Prince of Persia AFTER the original AC - and I thought PoP was a much better game and had a much better story, overall. I like the original AC - but it just was very repetitive w/ its cut and paste side quests. PoP is the kind of game for me where I don't want much action/combat - PoP for me has always been about the platforming first and foremost.

I am lookin' forward to AC2 for the PC, when it comes in 2010. Can't speak on AC2 yet, since it ain't out on the PC yet.

One question -- has anybody tried the Epilogue DLC?  I'm wondering if it's worth $9.99.

Epilogue DLC was not released on the PC version - one of my big gripes w/ UbiSoft, since I loved PoP. Bastards.

[iPPi]

I played Prince of Persia AFTER the original AC - and I thought PoP was a much better game and had a much better story, overall. I like the original AC - but it just was very repetitive w/ its cut and paste side quests. PoP is the kind of game for me where I don't want much action/combat - PoP for me has always been about the platforming first and foremost.

I wasn't comparing it to the first AC; the first AC does not have gameplay segments similar to PoP...and how the fuck did you find the story better than AC?  PoP's story is so cliched and the lead character is very poorly written.  Unless something very dramatic happens at the end, I don't think this game holds a candle up to AC's storyline at all.

[MysterD]

I wasn't comparing it to the first AC; the first AC does not have gameplay segments similar to PoP...and how the fuck did you find the story better than AC?

I know you weren't comparing PoP to AC1 - though, I did. I'm comparing them b/c they came out close around to the same time.

AC1 was disappointing, namely in the entire last 1/3rd of the game, when it became more action-orientated...
AC 1 - ENDING SPOILERS

(click to show/hide)

...and one of the bosses turned into some sort of supernatural magic battle w/ Al Mulaim - which didn't feel like it fit w/ the rest of the game's content. And of all the enemies you had to fight in the end (or close to it), it wound up being the man you were supposedly working for - which is a cliche that has been beat-to-death in many mediums - from games to movies.

AC1 is un-complete in the regard that in a heavily story-based game, there were a handful of threads left hanging and a bunch of new questions left hanging - unlike PoP.

Yes, PoP had one hanging thread, in regards to...
POP - ENDING SPOILERS

(click to show/hide)

...Elika dying and that you can bring her back, it's hinted at w/ the Tree of Life's final puzzles if you complete it, after the credits rolled...

...but that one thread really didn't seem like a big deal to me in comparison to the original AC. AC left so much stuff hanging by the end, it wasn't even funny.

I expect AC2 to have learned its lessons and mistakes from the original AC, though...

PoP's story is so cliched and the lead character is very poorly written.

I love the character interaction and everything b/t Prince and Elika - I thought it was excellent and one of the things I loved about the game.

Again, I can't speak on AC2 - but, I'm lookin' forward to it. Given most reviews I've read on AC2 (i.e. GameSpot, IGN, GameSpy), sounds like AC2 is vastly superior to the original. Of course, once the game comes out to the PC and I purchase, I can't speak on that.

Unless something very dramatic happens at the end, I don't think this game holds a candle up to AC's storyline at all.

Hope you didn't read my tagged SPOILER then...

[iPPi]

I know you weren't comparing PoP to AC1 - though, I did. I'm comparing them b/c they came out close around to the same time.

AC1 was disappointing, namely in the entire last 1/3rd of the game, when it became more action-orientated...
AC 1 - ENDING SPOILERS

(click to show/hide)

...and one of the bosses turned into some sort of supernatural magic battle w/ Al Mulaim - which didn't feel like it fit w/ the rest of the game's content. And of all the enemies you had to fight in the end (or close to it), it wound up being the man you were supposedly working for - which is a cliche that has been beat-to-death in many mediums - from games to movies.

AC1 is un-complete in the regard that in a heavily story-based game, there were a handful of threads left hanging and a bunch of new questions left hanging - unlike PoP.

Yes, PoP had one hanging thread, in regards to...
POP - ENDING SPOILERS

(click to show/hide)

...Elika dying and that you can bring her back, it's hinted at w/ the Tree of Life's final puzzles if you complete it, after the credits rolled...

...but that one thread really didn't seem like a big deal to me in comparison to the original AC. AC left so much stuff hanging by the end, it wasn't even funny.

I expect AC2 to have learned its lessons and mistakes from the original AC, though...
I love the character interaction and everything b/t Prince and Elika - I thought it was excellent and one of the things I loved about the game.

Again, I can't speak on AC2 - but, I'm lookin' forward to it. Given most reviews I've read on AC2 (i.e. GameSpot, IGN, GameSpy), sounds like AC2 is vastly superior to the original. Of course, once the game comes out to the PC and I purchase, I can't speak on that.
Hope you didn't read my tagged SPOILER then...

You clearly do not understand the Assassin's Creed storyline at all if you found that out of place.  You also have to keep in mind AC is a planned trilogy and that the story isn't complete without its sequels.  By the same logic, I would assume that you hate Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Longest Journey, Mass Effect etc. because 'threads are hanging' and it doesn't end neatly with everything resolved.

The Assassin's Creed storyline is by no means perfect, but it's leaps and bounds deeper and offers more food for thought than Prince of Persia.

Anyway, I'm at the 7 hour mark with the game and am nearing the end.  All the plates have been activated and I only have two more of the major enemies to defeat.  I'll probably finish it tomorrow, if I get some time away from MW2 spec ops.

[MysterD]

You clearly do not understand the Assassin's Creed storyline at all if you found that out of place.  You also have to keep in mind AC is a planned trilogy and that the story isn't complete without its sequels.  By the same logic, I would assume that you hate Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Longest Journey, Mass Effect etc. because 'threads are hanging' and it doesn't end neatly with everything resolved.

Al Mualim Stuff

(click to show/hide)

I meant that it doesn't fit the gameplay - since most of the gameplay, there are not sueprnatural battles. Even though the AC stuff w/ Al Mualim doesn't fit w/ the rest of the gameplay (it's the ONLY supernatural battle in the game), it does fit the story that deals w/ the occult, secret societies, and of course The Templar's Knights.

No, I don't hate LOTR, SW, and TLJ. I actually liked all three - despite them not wrapping things up. Empire is my fav. of the SW movies; and KOTOR is my fav. of SW game. I like ROTK the best of the LOTR films - as I'm sure you might've guessed. And my. favorite of the TLJ games is the original, I might note - and even on my list of Top 10 Games of All Time. A lot of games and movies DON'T wrap up things, I know - and I've always found that annoying as hell.

Also, I loved Mass Effect....
Mass Effect SPOILERS

(click to show/hide)

...even though there's still the story of The Reapers left hanging...

Yes, I'll even toss Borderlands into the mix - I love the game and all, but the way it doesn't wrap up too much of anything is annoying as hell. Same goes especially for HL games, too - love the games, just not too fond of stuff left hanging.

Anyway, I'm at the 7 hour mark with the game and am nearing the end.  All the plates have been activated and I only have two more of the major enemies to defeat.  I'll probably finish it tomorrow, if I get some time away from MW2 spec ops.

Hope you enjoy the rest of it. I loved PoP (2008).

[iPPi]

Finished it up in about 8.5 hours and exactly 700 lightseeds.  I made an extra save after healing all the lands so I can go back and do some of the challenges (already done) and find the rest of the lightseeds (at 800ish already).  Trophies/achievements are great in the sense that they do add some more longevity to the game, if the trophies are well designed.

Overall, it's a good game.  It's just that if you were really hoping for something like The Sands of Time, you're in a for a big disappointment.  Sands of Time was just so amazing and provided challenging combat and perilous platforming.  PoP 2008 was so... simple and easy.  Hopefully Forgotten Sands will bring the old PoP gameplay back.