Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

[Lehesu]

Having now finished the game, I can say it's disappointing to start off with due to the frustrating lack of the rewind move for the first hour or so, but it picks up soon afterwards and is great the rest of the way through. Thankfully using cheap moves to kill enemies is slightly more difficult than in WW, but it's still possible too often. Also, I'm not that keen on the lacklustre exposition of the final movie in WW was all about. Seemed a bit tacked on at the end, although the final parts of the game are some of the strongest in the series.

So, a real good game, but not quite as good as its predecessors.

Good point. The "all yours is mine" thing was rather tacked on. Someone obviously didn't think things all the way out before making the end of WW.

[jeffreyLebowski]

i'm currently in the middle of the two thrones. i'm utterly impressed. the plot seems quite cool, and the stakes much higher than in the previous installments. the music has returned to great arabian tunes, and the level design is brilliant (both artistically and gameplay wise). i love the speed kill system, it rewards you for being clever in your approach and not simply running in and slaughtering things (although you can do that if it's your thing).

i'm also gaining a new appreciation for the combat system. in WW, i basically button mashed to bypass the combat and continue on to the next puzzle. in TTT, i've taken the time to learn to block, time my attacks, and use most of the combat combos. not only does it make the combat look like a well choreographed fight scene, it makes it much more enjoyable. you simply feel like a bad ass when you flip over a sand creature, steal his sword, and proceed to remove his head from his shoulders in one swipe. same goes for running up a wall, backflipping and slicing someone in half on your way down. the combo's are WAY more powerful than the regular slash attacks, and it's clear that the designers intend you to use them... it makes combat much more fun and way less tedious.

[Geoffrey S]

Combat's almost impossible to lose. Which is a pity.

One thing I missed was the blood/dismemberments; some may find that debatable, but it added a bit more punch to the combat in Warrior Within. I don't think it is necessary all the time, but perhaps after speedkills or after defeating the final enemy in the area, to indicate that combat is over.

[Avicenna]

Sorry to bump this thread.. but how exactly do you do all the jumping? I got sands ages ago but I could never jump up between the statue's legs, so I'm stuck in the tutorial...

[frogbeastegg]

Um ... hard to describe. From the ground, hold the stick towards the wall, hit jump, then hit jump again just as the Prince's feet touch the wall. Now hold the stick towards the next wall (quickly! Or you don't quite make it to the next wall properly) and hit jump again as his feet just touch the wall. Repeat until at the top. It's very close timing; I hate wall jumping, always have trouble with it.

[Geoffrey S]

There's a button which makes the prince run along walls (the R button on the gamecube version) when running parallel to a wall; the same button makes the Prince run straight upwards when pressed when running straight at a wall. Before the Prince backflips off the wall press the regular jump button and the Prince will jump away from the wall. Just before the Prince makes contact with the opposite wall press the jump button again and he'll rebound; repeat when at the next wall. As frogbeastegg says it's pretty tight timing, but there seems to be margin for error just before you make contact with a wall so press a little early rather than too late.

[frogbeastegg]

There's a button which makes the prince run along walls

I'd forgotten about that; been months since I played it

[Avicenna]

Thanks! I'll try to do this the next time I can get my hands on sands.

[The Wizard]

While I've only played WW, I must say I suspect that going back and playing Sands after WW would not be a good idea. Why? I think it would be too easy. Certainly the combat would be a lot easier, but from what I've heard the environmental puzzles in Sands are a lot easier than those of WW.

Besides, I liked WW. Only reason why I'd go back and play Sands would be for the story, but looking at WW that isn't all that much, considering how unclear the situation is sometimes. I think the halfway point between the two -- Two Thrones -- is a better choice.

[orangat]

A little OT but how does WW and TTT stack up to SOT?

I've played only SOT and found it ok. It really sucked in the beginning at the first early big battle was very difficult (for myself) and that battle was really the highpoint of the game action-wise. Enemies didnt get any tougher beyond that first battle and all the skills learnt to get past that point was sufficient to coast through the rest.

Also the pc version had problems with camera angles and it caused quite a bit of pain - eg. an unseen enemy just off to the side getting ready to do a big swing.

[Geoffrey S]

I loved SoT when I first played it, particularly the fantastic endgame. WW I enjoyed even more at the time and it was arguably the more ambitious game, but it tended to involve too much backtracking; some excellent plot moments and the desperate Prince more than made up for that though. TT looks beautiful and contains some of the best moments of the series, but also some inexplicable gameplay mechanics; a lack of sands, late gaining of rewind, the frustration of the Dark Prince slowly losing sands and constantly dying because I lost five seconds somewhere along the line... the ending could have tied in with WW far better too. But the best moments are certainly better than the predecessors.

Fairly recently I've played SoT again, expecting it to be underwhelming after its sequels. This was definitely not the case. The lovely presentation and the fantastic style and developing lovestory made it a joy to play again, with simpler mechanics barely an issue; indeed, a case could be made for minimal moves. So definitely give it a try, if only for the most endearing story and characters you'll see for some time.

But I'd say play them all. An excellent series which stands out as having provided more solid entertainment than many other games I've played.

Orangat, the later games become more combat-oriented, particularly Warrior Within; that one became too easy though due to some very cheap moves. TT strikes a decent balance, but has some other offputting faults I already mentioned. Still, I found both enjoyable if only for the presentation and the ongoing story and development of the Prince, particularly TT.

[orangat]

...............
Orangat, the later games become more combat-oriented, particularly Warrior Within; that one became too easy though due to some very cheap moves. TT strikes a decent balance, but has some other offputting faults I already mentioned. Still, I found both enjoyable if only for the presentation and the ongoing story and development of the Prince, particularly TT.

Cheap moves I don't mind since all one has to do is avoid using them. In the same way I can never understand how people derive any real enjoyment playing VH but use cheap moves to exploit ai flaws.

I don't like the circus portions which involve a timer since I never do well at them. Ubisoft probably thought that the game would enjoy more sucess if it broadened into the hack and slash genre.

Is WW/TTT more forgiving at the jumping parts?

[The Wizard]

Is WW/TTT more forgiving at the jumping parts?

If anything, the environmental puzzles get harder as the series progresses. Sometimes the darkness and strange camera angles in WW can be a real pain in the ass, but it doesn't take that long before you figure out the solution -- especially if you've gotten into the game and feel a bit more experienced.

[Geoffrey S]

If anything, the environmental puzzles get harder as the series progresses. Sometimes the darkness and strange camera angles in WW can be a real pain in the ass, but it doesn't take that long before you figure out the solution -- especially if you've gotten into the game and feel a bit more experienced.

Yep. Jumping sequences tend to be very straightforward in SoT, whereas they're often more confusing in WW or TT. Not only that, but the lack of frequent sand refills and the late gaining of the rewind ability in TT mean you warp back to a previous save point too frequently.

Cheap moves I don't mind since all one has to do is avoid using them. In the same way I can never understand how people derive any real enjoyment playing VH but use cheap moves to exploit ai flaws.

If you can avoid using cheap moves that's perfect. For me, the repetitious nature of the combat and rather dumb AI made most prolonged fights too much of a chore, ending in me often throwing enemies off a high cliff.

[orangat]

If anything, the environmental puzzles get harder as the series progresses. Sometimes the darkness and strange camera angles in WW can be a real pain in the ass, but it doesn't take that long before you figure out the solution -- especially if you've gotten into the game and feel a bit more experienced.

I played the WW demo and didn't like it. The graphics is better but the dark gloomy settings is unattractive. The odd camera angles are still as bad or worse. I'm probably skipping WW or TT unless I get it for free like my bundled SOT.