The story picks up from where SOT left off. After defeating the evil Vazir, the Prince rewinds time to make things right. He saves his father, his kingdom and Farah. Everyone’s happy… except Fate: it was the Prince’s destiny to die and by avoiding death, he really messed Fate’s grand plans. Fate, a stickler for tidiness, sends a manifestation of itself, called the Dahaka, to clean things up. No man wants to die, so you play a Prince on-the-run, devoid of sleep or rest, which explains why he looks like someone killed his pet kitten.
Now With 100 Per Cent More Gore!
The game is tough, and no, it’s not only because of the crappy controls (if you want to really enjoy this game, play it with a joy pad). Right from the tutorial, enemies charge at you by the dozen. Thankfully, disposing them isn’t a problem, due to the new ‘Free Form Fighting’ system. Dual wielding is now in the house, hacking is, thus, twice as fun.
Pick up any weapon dropped by your foe and use it to your advantage (you can even throw weapons at enemies and cut their heads off. How cool is that?) Every action during combat leads to various opportunities. Grapple an enemy and you can (a) cut his head off, (b) cut him in half vertically, (c) cut him in half horizontally, (d) strangle him, (e) throw him at other enemies, (f) thrust your sword in his back, remove it, take his sword while he writhes in pain and cut his head off using both the swords, Ã la Gladiator.
The combat in this game is sweet, and will definitely bring out the sadist in you (it did for me). Mastering it may take you time as there are loads of combos, but trust me, it’s worth the wait.
The only grouse is that there are too many monotonous boss fights in the game-there’s even one in the tutorial level! That apart, the combat system in WW is one the best I’ve seen in any third-person action game.
The platforming isn’t that bad either. It’s more or less the same as SOT with a few new moves thrown in, such as the ability to slide down curtains using swords-slick stuff.
| ) Master of Swords Awesome combat system Stunning level design Good soundtrack (if you like metal) Fast loading times -) Master of Pain |
Puzzles aren’t that tough; they just take a little bit of thinking (which is true for most POP games). There is a fair amount of backtracking present in the first half of the game, which gets on your nerves because running from tower to tower, dodging the same traps over and over again just doesn’t cut it.
I Make This Look Good
Visually, the game is excellent. Just like its predecessor, WW is bathed in a light glow at all times; giving the game the same dreamy look that was present in SOT. Level design is mind-blowing, and levels load quickly. The Prince moves as fluid as ever, and watching him kick a** is certainly a treat.
Unfortunately, the same annoying camera angles that plagued SOT are back for the sequel as well; these being especially painful during sequences where the Prince runs from the Dahaka.
Bosses and their minions are well-detailed and move menacingly enough. So, few issues with the visual department; it’s the sound department that’s off. Firstly, the Prince sounds a bit cocky and some of his dialogues are seemingly ripped from a B-grade Van Damme flick (I guess the Prince got a bit too Americanised!).
Watching the Prince slice through his enemies is cool, but hearing them shreik like cats is not. Female assassins, for example, sound like they’re experiencing sexual ecstasy when they’re being slaughtered. It’s this kind of cheap commercialism that bugs you, but thankfully there isn’t enough present to hamper a perfectly good gaming experience.
Godsmack provides the tunes for the entire game. I like listening to metal while I’m decapitating people as much as the next person, but somehow the experience does not feel very Persia-ish (Not that I would prefer Cheb Mami screeching, but still…)
WW certainly has some annoying factors but then, which game doesn’t? I really liked the darker tone, the metal tunes and the, er, costumes this game had to offer. If you’re a die hard SOT fan who enjoyed the game for its charm you may feel let down initially, but trust me-give it a shot and you’ll be hacking and slashing and begging for more in no time.
Prince Of Persia : Warrior Within
Distributed by Milestone Interactive Software Limited
Phone : 28381614
Web site : www.milestoneinteractive.com
Price : Rs 1,499