Prince of Persia Trilogy HD

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I played Prince of Persia: Sands of Time back when it was on PS2 and loved it. I tried playing Warrior Within on PC but it wasn't fun playing with a mouse and keyboard, a console controller is key for this sort of game. Years later I heard that the story arc of the series was really good, so I wished I had kept trying Warrior Within and then played The Two Thrones, but was I really going to dig out the PS2 and play them when I was already playing amazing HD games on the PS3? Of course not.

The HD Trilogy solved this problem, and I was very excited to re-play SoT and finally play the remainder of the series. The games themselves are a lot of fun, however this HD remaster by Ubisoft has some serious bugs. The sound is pretty poor in SoT, it starts and stops mid-song, and it's rather distracting. But the BIG problem with this game is that it freezes my PS3. Right after the first save point I was wall-running and it froze. I couldn't even shut off the system with the PS button, I had to manually reboot the machine. I figured it was just one of those occasional freezes and re-loaded the game with little consideration of the event...until it froze again in the exact same spot.

I returned the game to the retailer and exchanged it for another copy. I re-loaded and this time it worked fine great!

...until it froze again, a couple of levels later. Again, when I was wall-running. It appears to be when you're wall-running and the game wants to show a tip at the bottom of the screen, for whatever reason, it can't handle it. I searched the boards and found many people had the same problem and it seems the fix is to disconnect the PS3 from the Network/Internet because any background downloading or Internet activity screws it up. I am writing this review to confirm that this does indeed fix the problem, and it's not a huge deal, but I don't believe I should have to do this in order to play a game.

SUMMARY: TURN OFF YOUR PS3 NETWORK CONNECTION BEFORE PLAYING THIS GAME OTHERWISE IT WILL PERIODICALLY FREEZE.

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I'm gonna level with you: This review will probably be a little tough to follow. Why? Because I both love and hate this trilogy of games, and I have even stronger feelings about this HD re-release. So let me give you a quick background:

* I believe "The Sands of Time" is a good game, but was badly overrated with all of its Editor's Choice, 9s and 10s, and Game-of-the-Year consideration back in 2003. It was always worth a gamer's time, but it was no masterpiece.

* "Warrior Within" is easily the most divisive game of this trilogy, and rightfully so. I don't hate the game, but I have some very strong criticisms of it.

* I actually think "The Two Thrones" is the best game of this collection, because it took the best aspects of the previous 2 games, and also innovated on the formula.

It's hard to know where to begin with this review. I'll get into some technical details, and then explore each individual game, and see where we end up.

TECHNICAL STUFF

All three games have been allegedly remastered. I say "allegedly" because I don't consider this an upgrade. "The Sands of Time" has some serious sound issues, where the dialogue is almost impossible to hear and sound effects feel misplaced. There are echoes when the characters are outdoors, and the sounds of swords clashing are 100 times louder than the music. I never had a problem with the hard rock music from "Warrior Within", but those annoying shrieks of your enemies haven't aged well. In any event, the music is also very difficult to hear, as can be the dialogue in certain sections. Thankfully, "The Two Thrones" has a perfect balance with all of its sound aspects. The music, dialogue, background, and other effects are tuned properly and don't require any adjustments with your sound system or settings. But it's a real shame that "The Sands of Time" and "Warrior Within" have such shockingly awful sound quality, where the way my camera is aimed can determine whether I get a crisp clear sound or a soft whisper. And no...it's not my TV or system, because none of my other games or consoles have this problem.

It is true that all 3 games have had the graphics redone, but I am not convinced this is for the better. What I found more often than not is that while the environments have better textures, the buildings and architecture feel more fake now. "The Sands of Time" and "The Two Thrones" don't have this problem too much, but the Fortress in "Warrior Within" can look very unconvincing in certain areas (especially that long staircase where the Prince enters for the first time). The character models look a little more fake too, with "Warrior Within" showing some seriously baffling issues (the Prince has a different skin complexion on the right side of his mouth). The pre-rendered cutscenes have always looked good, and they hold up today.

Loading times haven't improved, but they were fine to begin with. I've read that some gamers experienced some serious glitches with "Warrior Within" back in 2004 when it was first released, but I never encountered those problems even back in the day, so I couldn't say.

I haven't tested the 3D feature yet, but I'm honestly not interested. I haven't bought into the 3D gimmick yet, having tested it with a few movies and games.

Oh, I know this isn't a huge deal, but this Trilogy has some of the dumbest Trophies I've ever seen. "The Sands of Time" has one for playing over 10 hours, when a new gamer can finish it in 7 hours. Why do I get a trophy for completing the defense mechanism puzzle but not the torturous library sequence? Why is there a trophy for using my Rewind ability less than 20 times in 1 game, yet I'll get a trophy if I use it over 200 times? "Warrior Within" gives me a trophy just for landing on the island at the end of the first sequence, but not another story-related trophy until I destroy a random giant boss about 75% of the way through (even though I've killed 2 similar giants earlier). "The Two Thrones" trophies are a little more reasonable, involving the number of enemies killed using stealth, or the number of enemies killed as Dark Prince, but there are still a scant number of story-related ones. And why are the trophies for these games mostly Silver or Gold level? And why doesn't "The Sands of Time" have a trophy for not dying when the 2 sequels do? Man, I'm think too deep into this.

I guess when it comes to this PS3 collection, I recommend trying to find the original 2003-2005 discs instead. They honestly look and sound better, in my opinion. Games this old won't ever look as sharp as what gets released today, so why try to convince anybody otherwise?

THE TRILOGY

"The Sands of Time" is indeed a true pioneer in action and platforming. The combat is fluid and unique, and the death-defying and escapes the Prince endures are always exhilerating. Where I think "Sands of Time" needs to be put in its place is the story. The concept itself is very good, with a Prince using a powerful dagger with time-altering abilities to reseal a deadly magic. And there are some very compelling story moments, especially in the final hour or so of the game. But the fact of the matter is that between say the 20%-80% mark, this story goes absolutely nowhere. The Vizier (main villain) is nowhere in sight. The confrontation with the Prince's father isn't nearly as dramatic as it needs to be. I don't expect long, drawn-out sequences. But as I think I can show with "The Two Thrones", there is a way to merge this exciting gameplay style with a good story in small doses. "The Sands of Time" has always been a strong game, but I don't think it's ever been a great one.

"Warrior Within" is like the prequel trilogy of "Star Wars". It's the one game that "Prince of Persia" fans like to make fun of, even though there are plenty of fans who like it. This 2nd chapter has some fundamentally strong attributes that its haters forget to address. In fact, I think I love what most people hate about "Warrior Within", and hate what most critics praised about it. I love the hard-edge rock music. I love the darker color palette and more disturbing enemies. I love the way this game makes the Prince self-centered without being an annoying smart aleck. I love the expanded combat engine, with dual weapons and bloodier results. What drives me bonkers with "Warrior Within" is that it involves a ton of backtracking between two timelines, and frankly, it's a confusing mess. The map feature is almost useless, and there aren't enough clues to tell you whether you're heading the right way or not. Exploration is one thing, but "The Sands of Time" and "The Two Thrones" were wise to keep things linear with a few secrets to discover. "Warrior Within", on the other hand, is such a jigsaw puzzle that getting the good ending isn't even likely without a strategy guide. Get this, there are 2 endings, and the slightly-happier one isn't reachable unless you find all the hidden health upgrades. I wouldn't mind this conundrum if "The Two Thrones" didn't begin with the happier ending, but it does! I guess my big beef with "Warrior Within" is that I was willing to appreciate all of the risks it took with its style and story, but I feel like my favorite aspect of "Prince of Persia" --the platforming and exploration --got turned into a backtracking chore. "Warrior Within" is a solid game, but it's sure to test your patience, for one reason or another.

"The Two Thrones", in my opinion, is the pinnacle of this trilogy. The story is constantly in focus, with the player always feeling like something is developing. The combat is just as tight as it was in "Sands" and "Warrior". The Prince character is rightfully returned to the persona that he was in "Sands of Time", though mature enough to sympathize with him. The platforming is as tight as ever, with more tricks and obstacles to discover. The gameplay mechanics are changed up a bit, with a few chariot sequences and the option of attempting stealth Speed Kills. Players will also get to use The Dark Prince from time to time, almost like a brand new character to experiment with. I especially love the lush outdoor scenery of Babylon. Indoor exploration is fine, but navigating the rooftops and streets was often a pleasure. My big gripe about this chapter, however, is the villain. I won't give away anything, but frankly, the villain undergoes a drastic transformation almost immediately, and it's frankly very silly looking. The whole time instead of awaiting my deadly nemesis, I kept thinking, 'This punk looks like an annoying boss battle waiting to happen.' But the psychological torment going on in the Prince's mind more than makes up for that issue. I always enjoyed listening to the narrator's telling of the story, and the Prince's mad inner discussions. I don't know if I'll play "The Two Thrones" (or any of these games) very often, but it's a hell of a first-time playthrough.

OVERALL

Should I give this disc 5 stars because it's exactly what "Prince of Persia" fans are asking for with a great price? Should I give this 3 stars because of all the repetition and technical inconsistencies? I giving this 4 stars because even though I'd rather play the original PS2/GameCube/X-Box versions, this is a solid collection of games in one place.

"The Sands of Time" 8.25 / 10

"Warrior Within" 7.75 / 10

"The Two Thrones" 8.75 / 10

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The good:

Great HD remakes of the original games. Graphics are pretty good for a remake, the only thing giving it away is the low poly count of the main characters.

FMV have translated very well and are full screen.

Even after all these years, these 3 games still are the best in the series. Challenging and difficult, although you can adjust difficulty in the 2 newer ones.

There is a 5-7 minute hard drive install required, but afterwards, the games run smooth with minimal, unintrusive loading times.

The bad:

Bugs, bugs, bugs. When you select a New Game in Sands of Time, the loading screen showed 2 gears moving, implying the game is being loaded. In reality, the game locked my PS3. After 3 reboots, it worked fine and the loading was immediate. The second bug also happened in Sands of Time, after the first save. You have to wall run a couple of times and the game crashed again. Two reboots later, it worked. None of these bugs were in the original. My PS3 is the newer 160 GB, updated to latest OS. Warrior Within and Two Thrones had no crashes to this point I am about half way through both.

Sound: Difficult to control the sound. The reload screen has very loud music, while in game sounds are a lot softer. Worst is Warrior Within, the best is Two Thrones.

Sands of Time fights: Always hated the teleporting enemies, hate them as much now.

Overall this is a great value and a much welcome remake. You get 30 hours of content for a very good price. If you have never played these games, be aware they are more difficult than the latest PoP installments, although they have better stories and puzzles.

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Like a lot of people who bought this game when it came out, I've been a fan of Prince of Persia since PS2. I've played it on both PC and PS2 and I can definitely tell you that it has more bugs in PS3 than the other 2.

Good part -

Much improved graphics during gameplay. Aside from a little bit of lag once or twice, the game plays just fine when it's not crashing.

The gameplay is still one of the best out there: simple and challenging at times.

The controls for Two thrones is the best out of the 3 games. Sands of Time is very simple but fun.

Bad part -

The worst one for me is the BUGS! Let me tell you how frustrating it is. I had to repeat Warrior Within from the start when I didn't get the Life Upgrade in sequence because I couldn't continue my game. That's only in Warrior Within. For Sands of Time and Two Thrones, it will sometimes freeze your game (I had 5 freezes in 1 playthrough for TT), or sometimes your screen will just turn black and you have to turn off your PS3. Some of the bugs from PS2/PC are still in PS3 plus they added more!! You would wish they would have fix it by now after 5+ years... Right?

The cutscene is still in standard definition. The gameplay actually looks better than the cutscene itself.

The SOUND from Sands of Time is VERY low. You could not hear what the Prince is talking about unless you mess around with the Sound Control (lowering some parts etc.)

Overall -

Like a lot of people, I enjoyed this trilogy because of its platform, puzzles, simple fights with good alternatives/combo, and not to mention you get trophies for this. I've played all 3 games in PS3 for over 50 hours+ combined now (platinum'd 2 of them), and its just sad how the only thing they improved in this remake is the graphics/details. If I were you, I'll buy the PC version (if you haven't played it before) like someone else said for less than $10. It will have everything in this version with less bugs. Get this if you prefer Trophies, and better graphics. Enough said~

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As one of the few gamers that never played the original Prince of Persia releases, I eagerly anticipated this HD Trilogy and purchased it yesterday after a significant price cut.

Even with the price cut, this collection is a blatant slap in the face to gamers. The sound quality in all three games is atrocious, to the point of making the games completely unplayable.

The sound fxs are WAY too loud: scampering bugs and cries drill into your skull with a series of repetitive onslaughts. The music is WAY too soft: unless the other tracks are turned completely down it is inaudible. Lastly, the volume of speech differs between in-game cinematics and cut-scenes. Therefore, it is either blaring or completely underwhelming.

I've encountered less than perfect sound mixes in the Tomb Raider Trilogy (HD collection) and Call of Duty: Black Ops; however, I was able to adjust the sound levels within those games and find an acceptable balance. The mixing in the Prince of Persia Trilogy is not the worst issue. The REAL PROBLEM is the quality of the audio.

EVERYTHING sounds like it is being broadcast through a tin can and then transmitted with reverb set to +11. Effects are also frequently absent or out of place: explosions and rock slides may have no audio whatsoever, while a water fountain at the end of a hallway booms with the verocity of Niagra Falls. Between the abhorrent tonal qualities and discontinuous sounds the audio is beyond mere mediocrity. Not only that, dolby digital doesn't work properly and the sound needs to be set to 2 channels.

I have many HD collections: Metal Gear Solid, God of War, God of War: Origins, Jak & Daxter, Tomb Raider Trilogy, and Ico & Shadow of the Colossus. When I purchase an HD collection, I EXPECT the same sort of HD treatment.

Graphically the HD 16:9 looks on par with other collections. The menu system is terrible though, and will not let you choose from other games without quitting to the PS3 home menu. They also forgot to add sound effects for choosing between the 3 games or options.

All in all, this is a LAZY, AWFUL port that should NOT have made it through Quality Assurance. As a big fan of the Assassin's Creed series, I expected more from Ubisoft. I've eagerly anticipated playing these games for a long time, but playing through them with this sound quality is absolute torture.

The Prince of Persia Trilogy is the worst port, or "upgrade" release I have ever purchased. If Ubisoft had any respect for its fans it would patch the issues or recall the original versions. If this was a film release of a classic, people would be in an uproar!

For newcomers, the sound is an immediate disconnect from the series. For longtime fans, this release is the equivalent of gaming blasphemy. So let me ask you, WHY have people allowed this to happen to a classic trilogy without more negative feedback?