Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

"The greatest series ever finally ends with one of the best games ever!"

The new Prince of Persia games have really surprised everyone. The Sands of Time won numerous game of the year awards and the second game, Warrior Within, received glowing scores as well. So how do you improve on an already stellar franchise? Well, taking the best elements of both games and mixing them all into one is a way to end with a bang. The sound that The Two Thrones isn't a bang though, it's more of a nuclear explosion. Even if you have just a slight interest in video games, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones will make you proud to be a gamer. Why? Because it is quite literally one of the best games of all time.

Graphics: 10
If you hated the "badditude" of Warrior Within, then you will dance with joy when I say that this game is WAY more lighthearted then that game. This does have an effect on the graphics despite what you think. The environments are brighter and still richly detailed with various light bloom effects and a large world that stretches beyond what the eyes can see. The attention to detail is amazing. Objects shatter into various, smaller pieces and enemies dissolve into bright and burning sand. The character models are very well done too. The characters look less like squares forming human figures, and more like real people. The movement seems to be a lot more flexible this time around with characters making quicker movements. The graphics are the best the series has to offer and that is really saying something.

Story:10
The Prince returns to Babylon with his new love, Kaileena (you did get the alternate ending in Warrior Within right?) only to find it in flames and a massive invasion is taking place. Kaileena then gets kidnapped and murdered in front of the Prince which unleashes the Sands of Time. The Prince then has to find the person who killed Kaileena (I won't tell who it is) so he can turn things back to how they were. Also the Sands of Time have infected the prince, so sometimes he turns into the Dark Prince, the crazy alter ego of the Prince who wants to take control of the Prince's body. This part of the story is very unique and surprisingly funny. The arguments between the prince and the Dark Prince are some of the best scenes in video game history. The story, though still slightly dark, has more humor then previous games. Sand monsters taunt the Prince, the Dark Prince makes sarcastic remarks, and even the main villain has a couple funny lines. The humor never feels forced and works despite the serious plot line. So overall, the story is the best in the series with some previous characters returning to boost the story.

Sound: 10
The Prince of Persia games are known to have top quality sound and guess what? This game is not an exception. Swords clash and echo, battle cries rage in the distance, and various little details, (like birds fluttering away or the sound of water) all create a quality of sound that is unparalleled to any other game. The voice acting is rock solid too. The original voice actor of the Prince (the one from Sands of time) returns and is better then ever. The voice of the Dark Prince is also very good with his creepy and echo ridden voice. Every character shines and no voice actor sucks. As for the music, the rock heavy soundtrack is replaced by music similar to Sands of Time. That's right folks, orchestrated and Arabian music conquers the majority of the magnificent soundtrack. It truly enhances the already wondrous sound.

Game play: 10
The Two Thrones takes the best parts of the previous games (Sands of Time's puzzles and atmosphere with Warrior Within 's combo heavy combat) and molds it into a game that is familiar but new at the same time. Many puzzles are very clever and will keep you guessing until you finish it. Also, the platforming elements are just as good as before. That's right kids, more running, jumping, and ledge grabbing throughout! The combat is the same as Warrior Within but with some new elements. The speed kill is a new system that, if you move undetected, will let you do a timed and speedy kill. Don't mistake this game for a new Splinter Cell game though, the speed kills move the game along. No more mindlessly hacking away at enemies, instead speed kills get rid of your foes in a fun and genius way. It is really fun!

Throughout the game, the Prince will transform into the Dark Prince, his selfish and battle hungry alter ego. During these sections, the Prince has a long, metal chain with tons of spikes on it that lets him rid his foes with ease. These sections aren't easy though. The Dark Prince's health constantly drops and is only replenished with sand. You can find sand in jars or defeated enemies. This creates a feeling of urgency. These sections are fast and very fun.

Of course, this wouldn't be Prince of Persia without powers from the Sands of Time. Luckily, rewind and slow motion are back along with a couple others. Though this time around, there was less emphasis on the powers and they took a backseat to the action and storytelling. The only one you will use a lot is the rewind power which is as useful as always. Don't worry though, there is enough use of the powers to keep any fan happy.

There are also a few extra sections that weren't in the previous games or improved on a certain formula. Boss fights fall into the latter. The boss fights in Warrior Within were a good start, but the boss's in this game beat the crap out of any previous bosses. Many require you to perform a speed kill and there is even a boss you fight while you are the Dark Prince. The constant health loss made this a very fun and suspenseful fight. Also new are the inclusion of chariot sequences. During these sequences, the Prince races down the streets of Babylon, dodging obstacles and fighting of various enemies. Though these sections sometimes rely on trial-and-error, they are fast and furious fun.

If this game has ANY problem, it would be the odd save point placement. Sometimes, they will be down the hall from each other and sometimes you have to wait 20 minutes until the next save point. There is checkpoints that ease the pain, but they don't save. This is only a real problem if you are terrible at this game. If you have played the previous games, then you won't even notice this slight problem.

Replay: 10
You can unlock extra weapons, movies, and artwork in the gallery. That may not be a lot, but the story mode is long and worth going through multiple times.

Buy or Rent: BUY!
This is easily one of the best games to ever come out. It does almost everything perfect and barely anything wrong. The killer graphics and sound mixed with superb combat and puzzles downright deserve your hard earned cash. If you don't own this game (or any of the previous ones) then you are missing out on one of the best gaming experiences ever.

Overall Score: 10.0/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/06, Updated 10/31/08

Game Release: Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (US, 12/01/05)