**Warning: this post may contain spoilers as it talks about stuff that happens after the main game ends. Also it may digress into discussions paying for content.**
So far, the only downloadable content for PoP worth speaking of is the Epilogue. It picks up exactly where the ending left off and carries the prince and Elika away from Ahriman's immediate control and into new lands. It also serves as a way for the narrative to explore the now damaged relationships and changed positions of the characters. The prince has found a faith (of sorts) while Elika has lost hers. She's also a little ticked at him.
The DLC is a couple of hours long, introduces a new power, a new acrobatic combination, and a new combat move.
The power is a variation on the Red plate from the main game (purple now) that launches you and causes temporary wall sections to appear. This is oddly pointless because there is no other way through, and they always appear long enough for you to use them.
The new acrobatic combination tacks the wall grind onto the end of a wall run. Not that interesting, just never used in the main game.
The new combat move is a QTE that you can initiate to rush the enemy. I could only get it to work sometimes and didn't find it that useful, because I spent most of my time trying to lure the enemy to a cliff edge, not rush towards him in the middle.
Narrative-wise, the DLC felt fairly satisfying. It answered some questions, posed some new ones, and did a much better job of setting up a sequel. The layout, however, left something to be desired. The epilogue is entirely linear (except one small 3-way puzzle section). There is little exploration, and all of the false choices from the game that provided a feeling of openness are gone. The difficulty has also be increased a notch, with some acrobatic sequences having an excruciatingly long time between checkpoints.
I'm also a little conflicted about paying ~$12CAD for the last chapter. I'm not sure that's a good precedent to be setting. I don't want to have to pay for each installment of a full-price game. Sure, the game didn't actually need it, but I have a feeling that the sequel will probably assume that it's cannon. I'd probably recommend you buy it, if only for the story. Or at least play it at friend's place if they've bought it.
Showing posts with label Prince of Persia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prince of Persia. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
µReview: Prince of Persia [-Ending]
**Warning: there are spoilers in this post. If you want to stay blissfully ignorant about the ending of PoP until you play it, STOP READING NOW**
There have been a lot of complaints about the ending to PoP. If you haven't played it, but don't care about spoilers, here's the synopsis:
Elika's father, the last king of the Ahura, has released Ahriman, the dark god of corruption. He did it to bring Elika back to life after she took a nasty fall somewhere in the decaying city. She came back to life with the power to re-trap Ahriman; which you set about helping her to do. You become rather fond of her during your escapades. But, of course, she has to die (again) to defeat the god.
This really should be the end of the game. It fits quite nicely and, while bittersweet, concludes the tale. Ahriman is trapped, the land is saved, and you are left to rebuild or move on. The credits even start to play as you carry Elika's lifeless body from the restored tree in the temple garden to the altar on the steps outside. It feels ended here.
Only the game doesn't end. Ahriman is trapped, but not for ever. The Ahura are scattered, the cities are crumbling, the land is dying, and Ormazd, the god of light, is nowhere around. Also, you may love her. So you undo everything: you cut the tree, bring her back to life, and free Ahriman again.
I actually don't mind that ending. It fits too, and it opens the game for the Epilogue (via DLC) and sequels. What chafes me is the false sense of choice you are being given. The entire game has been about false or shallow choices. Which way to go. Who to fight, and when. When to talk. All meaningless in the face of the linear and driving narrative.
Should you save Elika, and release Ahriman? You must, the game has no other ending. I suppose you could turn off the console, put the game on the shelf. Walk away. That is a choice, of sorts. Only you can't, otherwise the rest of the story makes no sense.
Don't tell me there was no way to write it. Elika could have come to life by other means. Arhiman could have gotten free on his own. It didn't have to be at my hand. I should have had the choice.
There have been a lot of complaints about the ending to PoP. If you haven't played it, but don't care about spoilers, here's the synopsis:
Elika's father, the last king of the Ahura, has released Ahriman, the dark god of corruption. He did it to bring Elika back to life after she took a nasty fall somewhere in the decaying city. She came back to life with the power to re-trap Ahriman; which you set about helping her to do. You become rather fond of her during your escapades. But, of course, she has to die (again) to defeat the god.
This really should be the end of the game. It fits quite nicely and, while bittersweet, concludes the tale. Ahriman is trapped, the land is saved, and you are left to rebuild or move on. The credits even start to play as you carry Elika's lifeless body from the restored tree in the temple garden to the altar on the steps outside. It feels ended here.
Only the game doesn't end. Ahriman is trapped, but not for ever. The Ahura are scattered, the cities are crumbling, the land is dying, and Ormazd, the god of light, is nowhere around. Also, you may love her. So you undo everything: you cut the tree, bring her back to life, and free Ahriman again.
I actually don't mind that ending. It fits too, and it opens the game for the Epilogue (via DLC) and sequels. What chafes me is the false sense of choice you are being given. The entire game has been about false or shallow choices. Which way to go. Who to fight, and when. When to talk. All meaningless in the face of the linear and driving narrative.
Should you save Elika, and release Ahriman? You must, the game has no other ending. I suppose you could turn off the console, put the game on the shelf. Walk away. That is a choice, of sorts. Only you can't, otherwise the rest of the story makes no sense.
Don't tell me there was no way to write it. Elika could have come to life by other means. Arhiman could have gotten free on his own. It didn't have to be at my hand. I should have had the choice.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
µReview: Prince of Persia [+Narrative]
PoP presents a fully realized story backdrop to accompany the decaying vistas that populate your sightlines from horizon to horizon. It is a story of a trapped evil god, freed though despair and loss. You fight his four acolytes, men who have bargained with him in the past, and lost their souls in the process. Each tale is a wonderful digression, exploring classic themes and stories. Each allowing for redemption or damnation.
And exploring each of the Corrupted reveals a little more about your companion, her people, their past, and your future. Sometimes we even get a glimpse into the mind of the enigmatic "Prince".
The voice acting is tight. In fact, it's wonderful just to sit and explore the story, as it's told almost entirely through conversation. Which you are given control over through an on-demand talk button. Press the left trigger to talk to Elika as little or as often as you want.
Sometimes you get history on the area you are in, or the Corrupted you are fighting. Sometimes you talk about Elika's history, or people. Sometimes she tries to find out about the prince. Sometimes there are clues about where to go next, or what to do. Sometimes they just banter, which is often hilarious and witty.
It was so much of a treat that I would press the button again and a again just to see what they would say. Every new area entered or task completed. I couldn't imagine not knowing. I'm probably going to press it even more if I play again because I just found out that you can use the same button to taunt enemies during fights.
And exploring each of the Corrupted reveals a little more about your companion, her people, their past, and your future. Sometimes we even get a glimpse into the mind of the enigmatic "Prince".
The voice acting is tight. In fact, it's wonderful just to sit and explore the story, as it's told almost entirely through conversation. Which you are given control over through an on-demand talk button. Press the left trigger to talk to Elika as little or as often as you want.
Sometimes you get history on the area you are in, or the Corrupted you are fighting. Sometimes you talk about Elika's history, or people. Sometimes she tries to find out about the prince. Sometimes there are clues about where to go next, or what to do. Sometimes they just banter, which is often hilarious and witty.
It was so much of a treat that I would press the button again and a again just to see what they would say. Every new area entered or task completed. I couldn't imagine not knowing. I'm probably going to press it even more if I play again because I just found out that you can use the same button to taunt enemies during fights.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
µReview: Prince of Persia [-Combat]
The combat is a negative point for me, but not for a lack of trying. I think with a little more play testing and some adjustment the cinematic quality could have been preserved without the unnecessary punishment for not being psychic.
I applaud the combat for using the same button contexts as the movement in the game. Jump becomes acrobatics and dodge. Grip/Glove becomes grab and toss. Magic still equates to Elika (whom you now toss at enemies for damaging effect).
The difficulty keeps the gentle slope of the rest of the game. As you progress, the game adds additional "forms" that the enemies can take. These forms are not intermittent and random. They only serve as a reason to switch up the attack type you lead with.
The combat is really all about cinematic combos. There's that word again: cinematic. There really is no other word for it. You can start with basic sword moves, progress to magic, then add an acrobatic fair or a toss, and finish with a big strike.
Except that there is no real indication of flow to it. Too often I found myself stalling out of a combo because of missed timing or wrong follow-up selections. I wound up just button mashing to try and start a combo, often deflected at every slash. Some indication of rhythm would have made this a lot easier to follow, especially when time slows down and speeds up for dramatic effect.
And then there are the QTEs. The only time, in an entire game of glorified QTEs, they make themselves a nuisance is during combat. Often they had too little warning or lagged as the animation for them started. Failing them usually resulted in the enemy recovering most of its health. Even succeeding only served to recover you, not do any damage or provide much advantage.
Combat was designed, very obviously, with the intent to make it feel large than life. The moves are over-the-top impressive, and the camera does everything it can to accentuate the action. However, the flow is constantly broken by the sheer frustration of trying to intuit the right timing and button presses to make it happen. Fortunately, if you get good at the movement game, you can pre-empt all of the non-essential battles.
I applaud the combat for using the same button contexts as the movement in the game. Jump becomes acrobatics and dodge. Grip/Glove becomes grab and toss. Magic still equates to Elika (whom you now toss at enemies for damaging effect).
The difficulty keeps the gentle slope of the rest of the game. As you progress, the game adds additional "forms" that the enemies can take. These forms are not intermittent and random. They only serve as a reason to switch up the attack type you lead with.
The combat is really all about cinematic combos. There's that word again: cinematic. There really is no other word for it. You can start with basic sword moves, progress to magic, then add an acrobatic fair or a toss, and finish with a big strike.
Except that there is no real indication of flow to it. Too often I found myself stalling out of a combo because of missed timing or wrong follow-up selections. I wound up just button mashing to try and start a combo, often deflected at every slash. Some indication of rhythm would have made this a lot easier to follow, especially when time slows down and speeds up for dramatic effect.
And then there are the QTEs. The only time, in an entire game of glorified QTEs, they make themselves a nuisance is during combat. Often they had too little warning or lagged as the animation for them started. Failing them usually resulted in the enemy recovering most of its health. Even succeeding only served to recover you, not do any damage or provide much advantage.
Combat was designed, very obviously, with the intent to make it feel large than life. The moves are over-the-top impressive, and the camera does everything it can to accentuate the action. However, the flow is constantly broken by the sheer frustration of trying to intuit the right timing and button presses to make it happen. Fortunately, if you get good at the movement game, you can pre-empt all of the non-essential battles.
Friday, April 24, 2009
µReview: Prince of Persia [+Difficulty]
The positive aspect isn't so much about the PoP's difficulty, as it's about the unique way it handles the difficulty curve: it doesn't really have one.
The intro teaches you the basic moves: jump, wall climb, wall run, rings to extend moves. After that you are quickly given teaching on the additional moves: vine crawling, co-op jumps, and the ceiling crawl. A little later you will unlock the "special moves" in the game which open up the various areas. These moves only work on coloured plates, all work with the same button, and only two of them actually require you to do anything.
The challenge is combining the moves in the correct order with the correct timing. Press the wrong button, or get seriously out of time, and you will fall... I'd like to say to your death, but that would be many Prince of Persias ago. Fall in the new PoP and you will be immediately saved by Elika, your companion, and reset to the last place you could safely stand on.
Despite not having a difficulty curve, each area feels like a new challenge. By using different artistic and acrobatic focuses, the levels don't get repetitive. Each area has a unique look, and the moves to navigate it have a flow that reflects the architecture and layout of the space. You can feel transitions from city to city by the combinations of moves you use to navigate.
The only difficulty comes with self-mastery. As you improve so does your sense of flow, and I found myself becoming further immersed once I could ignore the controls and simply move and run through the world without pause.
Of course, some of this ease of movement is belied by the combat, but that's another topic.
The intro teaches you the basic moves: jump, wall climb, wall run, rings to extend moves. After that you are quickly given teaching on the additional moves: vine crawling, co-op jumps, and the ceiling crawl. A little later you will unlock the "special moves" in the game which open up the various areas. These moves only work on coloured plates, all work with the same button, and only two of them actually require you to do anything.
The challenge is combining the moves in the correct order with the correct timing. Press the wrong button, or get seriously out of time, and you will fall... I'd like to say to your death, but that would be many Prince of Persias ago. Fall in the new PoP and you will be immediately saved by Elika, your companion, and reset to the last place you could safely stand on.
Despite not having a difficulty curve, each area feels like a new challenge. By using different artistic and acrobatic focuses, the levels don't get repetitive. Each area has a unique look, and the moves to navigate it have a flow that reflects the architecture and layout of the space. You can feel transitions from city to city by the combinations of moves you use to navigate.
The only difficulty comes with self-mastery. As you improve so does your sense of flow, and I found myself becoming further immersed once I could ignore the controls and simply move and run through the world without pause.
Of course, some of this ease of movement is belied by the combat, but that's another topic.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
µReview: Prince of Persia [+Length]
The game is short. It clocked in under 12 hours, including the Downloadable Content. Even for me, and I like to take my time to explore. Case in point: I got the achievements for collecting all of the Light Seeds, and doing the Speed Runs, and still got the achievement for finishing the game quickly. No internet help on them either.
This is good, because the game doesn't outstay its welcome. There is enough game to convey the narrative but not so much as to stretch the gameplay thin. The areas don't feel padded and even fighting the same bosses feels okay because it's been nicely tied back to the story and the level design.
The game is also broken down into manageable chunks that could easily allow you to play it in 15-30 minute sessions. There are four city areas, each with six neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood is fairly independent and even has two distinct phases: heal and collect. It's to the game's credit that you just don't want to stop playing.
This is good, because the game doesn't outstay its welcome. There is enough game to convey the narrative but not so much as to stretch the gameplay thin. The areas don't feel padded and even fighting the same bosses feels okay because it's been nicely tied back to the story and the level design.
The game is also broken down into manageable chunks that could easily allow you to play it in 15-30 minute sessions. There are four city areas, each with six neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood is fairly independent and even has two distinct phases: heal and collect. It's to the game's credit that you just don't want to stop playing.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
µReview: Prince of Persia [+Visual Direction]
The first thing that hits you about this game is that it's bloody gorgeous. Actually, maybe not. I'm trying to think back to when I first started playing the game. You begin with a short cut-scene where The Prince (note: not actually a prince) is trudging blindly through a sandstorm. He promptly falls down a cliff and is landed on by a beautiful woman.
The game is pretty nice looking at this point, but nothing to really phone home about. The world is currently painted in grays and browns, but with a half painted, half cell-shaded look. In fact, until you heal the first Fertile Ground, the game is pretty grimy and depressing.
Of course it's covered in the corruption of a long-trapped god of darkness. That tends to dampen any landscape.
The more you play, and the more of the land you heal, the more fantastic the world becomes. Not just by pallet swapping the oily textures for greener, livelier ones either. As you push further into each of the areas, you get a chance to see how they link together. You get a chance to view the breadth and scope of the world. Many of them have heights from which you can see the whole vista, what you've healed and what you haven't.
It really is quite stunning. I could probably continue gushing for another couple of paragraphs, but I'm trying to keep this short.
The best part of the visual direction in Prince of Persia is that I didn't have to squint at my Standard Definition TV once to appreciate it. It probably looks even better on an HDTV.
The game is pretty nice looking at this point, but nothing to really phone home about. The world is currently painted in grays and browns, but with a half painted, half cell-shaded look. In fact, until you heal the first Fertile Ground, the game is pretty grimy and depressing.
Of course it's covered in the corruption of a long-trapped god of darkness. That tends to dampen any landscape.
The more you play, and the more of the land you heal, the more fantastic the world becomes. Not just by pallet swapping the oily textures for greener, livelier ones either. As you push further into each of the areas, you get a chance to see how they link together. You get a chance to view the breadth and scope of the world. Many of them have heights from which you can see the whole vista, what you've healed and what you haven't.
It really is quite stunning. I could probably continue gushing for another couple of paragraphs, but I'm trying to keep this short.
The best part of the visual direction in Prince of Persia is that I didn't have to squint at my Standard Definition TV once to appreciate it. It probably looks even better on an HDTV.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
µReview: Prince of Persia Overview [++++/---]
Ubisoft Montreal's re-envisioning of Prince of Persia has far more qualities than flaws. The beautiful world design, coupled with the fantastic voice work and competent narrative create a highly immersive world that feels like playing an action movie.
I played the entire game, with the DLC Epilogue in a couple of weeks with no sessions longer than 3 hours. I found a few parts frustrating, but not overly so. I was also able to get 50 out of 60 achievements in my first play through with no internet assistance. I found the game forgiving and fun. It has a casual appeal while providing an opportunity for immersion through flow and story.
I would highly recommend it to many types of gamers. Hardcore gamers may find it a little light on challenge, but may enjoy it for the narrative or graphics. It's also too short to bore them for long. Casual gamers will find it forgiving to begin with, but may find it frustrating at times. Players looking for story will find a well crafted narrative that has some lovely nuances to it.
It is certainly a game worth seeing. It is also a game worth being immersed in. The story really only plays one way, but the game drives forward with such force and determination that it is easy to be swept away by it.
Further Posts
[+Visual Direction]
[+Length]
[+Difficulty]
[-Combat]
[+Narrative]
[-Ending]
[+/-DLC]
I played the entire game, with the DLC Epilogue in a couple of weeks with no sessions longer than 3 hours. I found a few parts frustrating, but not overly so. I was also able to get 50 out of 60 achievements in my first play through with no internet assistance. I found the game forgiving and fun. It has a casual appeal while providing an opportunity for immersion through flow and story.
I would highly recommend it to many types of gamers. Hardcore gamers may find it a little light on challenge, but may enjoy it for the narrative or graphics. It's also too short to bore them for long. Casual gamers will find it forgiving to begin with, but may find it frustrating at times. Players looking for story will find a well crafted narrative that has some lovely nuances to it.
It is certainly a game worth seeing. It is also a game worth being immersed in. The story really only plays one way, but the game drives forward with such force and determination that it is easy to be swept away by it.
Further Posts
[+Visual Direction]
[+Length]
[+Difficulty]
[-Combat]
[+Narrative]
[-Ending]
[+/-DLC]
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Hoorah
Last weekend I finished my first play through of Mass Effect, the first installment of BioWare's epic Space Opera. It is a rare occasion that I get to complete a full-sized RPG like this, and I'm still feeling inordinately pleased about it.
When I play, I like to get immersed. I lean heavily towards games with lots of narrative elements and large storyworlds. This used to be adventure games. Still is, on the rare occasion that I can find them. More recently this also lends itself well to epic RPGs (BioWare being a favourite developer).
The problem with my desire for immersion is that I like longer play sessions. I like to sit down and get lost in a game. Play for hours, then look up after a grueling task has been completed (and the subsequent story dump has been given) and wonder where the last 5 hours have gone. This is difficult because I don't always have either the time to commit to these marathon sessions, or the mental desire to be locked into a heavy game for that long.
The casual game has had quite the effect on me. Playing browser games takes maybe 30 minutes (unless they're ridiculously long and/or hard). Episodic games, the new golden format for adventure games thanks to Telltale Games, only take a couple of hours of time and feel less like epic stories and more like episodes of television. And I love it. Only needing a few minutes to play means I can play when I only have a few minutes to spare.
But finishing these quick-pop games doesn't give me the same feeling of satisfaction that beating a huge time-sink of a game does. And I don't think they should. There has been a lot of clamoring about casual spectrum of gaming replacing the hardcore demographic. Assuming "hardcore" can be partially defined as "any game that takes a significant investment of time to play", this would require breaking down what used to be epic into bite-sized bits of play.
Which works for some things. Like for the newest Prince of Persia, which I'm playing as a palate cleanser before delving into the wasteland of DC. I'll expound more about the game as I near completion, but suffice it to say that the game could easily be played in a series of sittings each no longer than half an hour. And the game would be no less for it.
However, I think that there will always be a place for the games of such scale and scope that they defy your sense of time. Games so large that they demand immersion, despite their flaws. Games that take time and commitment to play becuase they are trying to convey a sense of time and commitment. Games that make you glow with pride when you finish them (for every story should have an end) because you have made it through the trials and bested all the challenges. Games worth playing hard.
When I play, I like to get immersed. I lean heavily towards games with lots of narrative elements and large storyworlds. This used to be adventure games. Still is, on the rare occasion that I can find them. More recently this also lends itself well to epic RPGs (BioWare being a favourite developer).
The problem with my desire for immersion is that I like longer play sessions. I like to sit down and get lost in a game. Play for hours, then look up after a grueling task has been completed (and the subsequent story dump has been given) and wonder where the last 5 hours have gone. This is difficult because I don't always have either the time to commit to these marathon sessions, or the mental desire to be locked into a heavy game for that long.
The casual game has had quite the effect on me. Playing browser games takes maybe 30 minutes (unless they're ridiculously long and/or hard). Episodic games, the new golden format for adventure games thanks to Telltale Games, only take a couple of hours of time and feel less like epic stories and more like episodes of television. And I love it. Only needing a few minutes to play means I can play when I only have a few minutes to spare.
But finishing these quick-pop games doesn't give me the same feeling of satisfaction that beating a huge time-sink of a game does. And I don't think they should. There has been a lot of clamoring about casual spectrum of gaming replacing the hardcore demographic. Assuming "hardcore" can be partially defined as "any game that takes a significant investment of time to play", this would require breaking down what used to be epic into bite-sized bits of play.
Which works for some things. Like for the newest Prince of Persia, which I'm playing as a palate cleanser before delving into the wasteland of DC. I'll expound more about the game as I near completion, but suffice it to say that the game could easily be played in a series of sittings each no longer than half an hour. And the game would be no less for it.
However, I think that there will always be a place for the games of such scale and scope that they defy your sense of time. Games so large that they demand immersion, despite their flaws. Games that take time and commitment to play becuase they are trying to convey a sense of time and commitment. Games that make you glow with pride when you finish them (for every story should have an end) because you have made it through the trials and bested all the challenges. Games worth playing hard.
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