PlayStation 2

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

"Warrior Within" não é um jogo ruim, muito pelo contrário. Mas depois de ter jogado algo do calibre de "Sands of Time", é triste ver tantos aspectos de um game parecerem que foram feitos pela equipe de marketing. Enquanto o potencial abandonado deixará muitos revoltados, a jogabilidade clássica do original garante que a experiência continue divertida.

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within again goes the road less traveled in game design. It doesn't compromise what it is for the almighty dollar, but it also doesn't rehash its old themes to take the easy way out. Anyone who fell in love with the elegant Sands of Time (that being anyone who actually played it) should place Warrior Within at the top of their holiday must-play list. Once again, it exemplifies the very definition of a boundary-pushing video game.

Perfection. Every once in a while, usually a looong while, a game bursts on the scene that causes gamers and reviewers alike to proclaim, “Perfection.” For me, the original Prince of Persia (Sands of Time) was one of those games. Here was a game that perfectly melded incredibly fresh, visceral gameplay, with some of the most breathtaking visuals ever seen in gaming, combined with an engrossing, compelling story holding it all together like industrial strength super glue. That isn’t to say that some didn’t find fault with it. Some complained about the lack of boss battles, while others griped about its length, while more yet found the combat to be somewhat repetitive.

There are some companies that just know what it takes to make an incredible game. And not only do they know how to make a good game, but they know what it takes to make the sequel surpass it. Such is life when you work for UbiSoft. Let's think about this for a moment. Ghost Recon, Rayman, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell; we all see exactly what happens when you get those minds focused on a sequel, and how you go about improving on the original. Well, you have to add one more to this list. And this could be yet another award winner.

The sequel to last year's critically successful, yet overlooked smash isn't a massive step forward for the action-adventure genre. Largely an upgrade on the original, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is still one of the most polished and imaginative escapades we've played. Like a blockbuster movie, the tale delivers on almost every count from dazzling pyrotechnics to deft storytelling.

At the start of Warrior Within the Prince learns that his fate is to die as a result of unleashing the Sands of Time. He resolves to oppose the fate that has been written for him and travel back in time to stop the sands being created. The resulting story is set mostly in the large castle complex of the Empress who created the sands, and is played in both the past and the present with players switching between the two periodically.

Warrior Within is not quite as good as The Sands of Time. Elements like the combat and bosses are inarguably better, but lack of evolution in the Prince and the action-oriented slant are not as good as the basic platforming mechanics that were the star of the show in last year's game. These elements don't hurt Warrior Within too much, but it's still a better platform game than the action game it seems like it's trying to become.

When Ubisoft sees success in a franchise, it doesn't waste any time preparing a sequel--as proven by the many games that start with "Tom Clancy's&" on the market in recent years. Best of all, the sequels are usually as good, if not better than, their predecessors. That's certainly the case with this year's Prince of Persia, subtitled Warrior Within.

There are a lot of platformers on PS2 that PoP:WW has to compete with. You have Sly 2, Jak 3, and Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal to take into consideration. All these games happen to be excellent, but PoP:WW is the most contrived, leaving gamers thinking, "Prince, dude, just be yourself." Really, the new direction doesn’t affect how fun the game is, as the fighting system and levels are better than the last game, which was excellent in its own right. Also, no other platformer matches the flowing, acrobatic sequences of PoP:WW. Look past the bad-boy façade, and you’ll see that this new iteration is even better than the last.

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is an excellent sequel to a game that caught many by surprise last year. Those who enjoy navigating through beautifully designed levels, complete with clever puzzles and traps, will definitely get their fill of them here. Moreover, the combat has improved greatly, although it's still not the principle strength of the game. However, those who primarily enjoyed last year's The Sands of Time for its original charm and subtle character development may not find quite what they're looking for in this sequel. But even with this caveat, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is easy to recommend for any action adventure fan, and its lengthier campaign should keep players busy for a lot longer this time around.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ranks among the very best console action-adventure games of this generation. Despite the critical acclaim, Ubisoft decided to tinker with the formula in hopes of attracting a wider audience with Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. The result is a much darker Prince, who speaks in a gravelly voice, travels through a rather grim labyrinth of saw blades and spiked floors, and is solely concerned with saving his own butt, no matter who he has to take down in order to do so. In the process, Ubisoft Montreal re-invented the combat system, added a few new traps, lengthened the gameplay experience, and threw in a number of bosses. So, with all of these improvements, how is it that Warrior Within isn't as good as The Sands of Time?

Sands of Time was, among many things, a really pleasant game that, in spite of the odd frustration, managed to be everything a great game should be –entertaining, memorable and fun. Warrior Within is less of all these things. Oh it’s still a very good game, no doubt, but even when you discount the fact that Warrior Within retreads a lot of old ground, it still doesn’t compare favourably to its parent.

C'est avec joie que l'on retrouve le héros le plus agile du moment. Courir sur les murs, se balancer sur tout ce qui bouge, bondir et rebondir est toujours un plaisir immense. Mais quelque part, la claque n'est plus aussi monstrueuse, la surprise fait moins effet. Heureusement pour compenser, Ubi Montréal a su apporter quelques modifications de bon aloi. Il est alors bien triste de constater qu'en contrepartie, d'autres défauts du jeu original persistent encore et toujours. et quoi qu'on en pense, l'attachement au personnage du Prince était pour beaucoup dans le charme du jeu original. Ici, il faut avoir envie d'incarner cette brute épaisse au vocable rustre... De quoi relativiser un peu la qualité de ce qui reste néanmoins une très bonne suite.

En cherchant à attirer un plus large public avec une atmosphère sombre tendance gothique, Prince of Persia a bradé son âme, au risque de perdre ce qui faisait son identité. Des décapitations sanglantes au ralenti sur des riffs de guitare lourde, on est effectivement bien loin de ce qui faisait le charme du premier en terme d'ambiance. Maintenant, difficile de nier que L'Âme du Guerrier corrige les nombreuses erreurs de jeunesse des Sables du Temps, pour venir peaufiner un gameplay, qui, notamment dans les phases de plates-formes, reste toujours aussi brillant. Une valeur sûre.

In trying to appeal to the mainstream, while holding out the occasional olive branch to their faithful, Ubisoft run the risk of satisfying neither. The distinct style of Prince of Persia has been extracted, almost surgically, but in doing so they have unwittingly exaggerated flaws rather than correcting them.

When it's all said and done, PoP: Warrior Within is the latest sequel to fail to improve upon, or even live up to the standards of the previous game. Many of the additions feel like things that they didn't have time to add to the last game, and the whole experience feels uninspired. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but Warrior Within is one big letdown.