Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

"If you liked Sands of Time, you'll like Warrior Within"

Last year, Ubi Soft wowed us with the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The game was truly a masterpiece on all counts and deserved every Game of the Year award it received. Now, one year later, Ubi Soft has done it again with the sequel to Sands of Time, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. With a darker theme, a new combat system, and a longer single player mode, this game should not be missed this generation.

Story: This time, Prince is being chased by the Dahaka, a demon of Time whose sole purpose is to kill the person who opened the Sands of Time, which happens to be Prince. So, Prince decides to travel to the Island of Time in hopes of going back in time to destroy the Sands before they were even created. He is destined to die, and was told that he cannot change his fate, but Prince is out to prove everyone wrong, even fate itself.

Graphics: 8/10

There's been some improvements with the graphics compared to Sands of Time. Character models are a little more detailed and the textures are of highly quality this go round, but the framerate is a little inconsistent. The animations in combat and cut scenes are top notch. Certainly a great looking game, but nothing special compared to something like Ninja Gaiden.

Sound: 9/10

The music in the game has been a hot topic of discussion throughout message board communities. It's really a love/hate relationship. However, some people are confused with the fact that Godsmack provided a few tunes for the game. First off all, not every single musical rendition involves Godsmack, or rock music itself. Ubi soft also created some original music and tunes for the game, and it all works really well. The only time with the hard rock starts to play is when you start fighting with alot of enemies, or when you are running from the Dahaka (more on that later). Sound effects from sword play to voice acting are really great, and has been separated perfectly if you have a 5.1 set-up in your home.

Gameplay: 10/10

Continuing with the tradition of Sands of Time, Warrior Within's gameplay is what really shines. The addition of "Free form combat" allows alternate moves for each sort of combat situation you are in. For example, if you press Y at an enemy to jump over him, you could either press Y again to throw the enemy backwards, press X to slice the enemy's throat (sometimes decapitating him in the process), or hitting B twice to steal the enemy's weapon and use it against him. You can come up with some really good combos and develop a fighting style to fit your needs. Two weapon fighting has also been added. You can pick up any weapon that an enemy has dropped and use it accordingly, or use it as a projectile weapon. Platforming is still a big portion of the game, and does not disappoint. You still use the same moves from SoT, and you'll be using them alot in this game, as well as fighting. There's really a good balance of combat and platforming.

Lasting appeal: 8/10

There's an alternate ending and treasure chests to find throughout the game (which unlocks artwork to be viewed in the menu), so that warrants some replayability. With the Xbox version, the game also has a Time Attack and Battle Arena mode, in which you do certain missions and see how fast you can complete them. Then you can upload your stats on Xbox Live and see how you fair against other people in the world. And it isn't just something Ubi Soft slapped together at the last minute, some of the challenges are really fun and rewarding when you get a good time. Plus there's downloadable content to come.

Overall: 9/10

Like it says in the tagline, if you liked Sands of Time, you'll like Warrior Within. There's really no reason not to play this game if you enjoyed the first one. It's a must have for any game collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/04, Updated 12/10/04