"The Prince? I think not! Try the King!"

Prince of Persia: SOT can be described in two words and those are freaking sweet. This game blew me away, it always had a new trick up its sleeve. It always had new enemies and its funny moments ("Why am I talking to myself!?"). Witty story telling, and straight up fighting sequences. It has its flaws, but I still loved it. Here is my full review

The Story is a very well done 9/10

It is kind of a twist on the typical story. The prince is a young warrior who has just survived his first battle and as a souvenir he takes the dagger of time, A device in which opens an item called the hour glass of time. After the battle the Vizier tells the prince to insert the dagger into an hour glass. In the background, a woman who is the Salton's daughter (Farah) is telling him not to. He of course being arrogant, not wanting to listen to a women, puts the freaking dagger into the hourglass. He should have listened to Farah. The hour glass released the devastating sands of time, turning everyone and thing into monsters. Only 3 people survived the accident. Farah, The Prince, and Vizier. Each one had an item that protects them from the sands devastating effects. A medallion (worn by Farah), a Staff (used by the Vizier who if you haven't figured out yet is the main villain), and the the dagger of time of which is used by the Prince himself. Now the Prince and Farah must work together or perish to the sand creature (who were once soldiers who guarded the palace). However it is somewhat common, hell he even gets the girl. But what does his stripping as you go along have to do with anything?

The Gameplay is a Perfect 10/10

Although I never tapped the full potential of gameplay (like rebounding off walls to attack and attacking using the sands) I still loved it. The silky smooth threading of each attack, stringing them together in one move. Priceless. The sands of time also help you fight, like in a battle with to many enemies (there will be many), in which you can summon an attack that uses all of your sand tanks (they are what allow you to attack using the sands of time. They are shaped like crescent moons). The sands have two attacks I used. I used the freeze attack in which you stab your enemy, which freezes them, then you hack them with your sword (there are 3 upgrades for your sword, the last one kills enemies in one hit). The second one rocks and matches anything Neo can do. When your sand tanks are loaded press L and R on the (Gamecube) controller it will engage in a scene where tou press a button (I don't remember if it was A or B, possibly something different). The attack uses all your tanks, but it is a sweet way to kill in style, it is one hit kills. The final way is Zelda style (Hack and Slash and Maim). You can vault (jump) over your enemies (the sand people) however enemies dressed in blue can block your attack.

I give the graphics a strong 8.5/10

The graphics are stunning but not using the Gamecube's full potential, however (certain) the cutscenes are full of life. Luckily unlike most games the faces aren't set in stone with a stupid look. You can read emotions like a book, like when the Prince is worried you can clearly tell. However it really irks me that only specific cutscenes are done in the style that makes it look like a movie. None the less the game is still cutting-edge, even two years later.

The voice acting (VA) is very top notch with a 9/10

The characters are British. It was made in Montreal so I'll let it slide, however the voice acting is almost empowering with the way they capture the characters. It makes it seem like their real, hell the prince will be a smart mouth at points in the game. You will be thinking "Wow, it's like he is a real person". The only problem is that for a grown man the prince has a whiny high pitched voice. He sounds like he just hit puberty. However Farah's voice fits her perfectly, its lady like and it also shows she has a strong will to survive. She alone saves this area from going down a notch, I just hope the reuse her old voice in the new one (Two Thrones).

The Final Score:
9+10+8.5+9=36.5/4=9.1 (Rounded) It is a 9

A well deserved 9 at that. This game deserves as much praise as it can get. I have only played the first one, but will be receiving the 2nd one, which I hope will be as good as this one. It has big shoes to fill. Expect a review of that from me in a few months. This game is worth more then its current price point ($20), so buying it now is a steal. I hope this has help you in anyway.

Sincerely,
Poikes

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/14/05