Prince of Persia on psp? (good or bad?)

User Rating: 10 | Prince of Persia Revelations PSP
By Shady04 | Review Date:
It's good to see the beloved Prince of Persia series finally getting a PSP iteration, and even better to see that the crux of the gameplay has made it generally intact. If you were worried that Warrior Within couldn't be successfully ported to a handheld and retain what made the games so satisfying in the first place, we can set your mind at ease: Revelations successfully recreates the slick platforming and puzzle-solving we've come to expect, and looks pretty good in the process. Not that we rightfully understand the choice to choose to port the awkward middle child rather than the excellent Sands of Time, ensuring that any newcomers to Prince of Persia are apt to be confused by a plot that assumes familiarity with the 2003 title. Still, the end result is a good translation that showcases what makes these games so much fun - but preserves all of the idiosyncrasies that made Warrior Within awkward. These flaws and some technical hiccups aren't so blatant as to withhold a recommendation, and fans are likely to enjoy the return trip, yet we can't help but wish that the PSP's initial entry was a version of the first title's glowing storybook world.



If you're already familiar with the trilogy, you'll need no introduction: Revelations is a port of last year's Prince of Persia: Warrior Within with a few additional puzzles that apparently merit a new subtitle. Aside from the new content, there's nothing to set it apart from its console cousin. The titular Prince is a Ringling Brother's dream come true, a circus acrobat on steroids. Using his innate agility and a medallion that allows him to bend the rules of time itself, the Prince must scale walls and battle sand monsters as he flees the Dahaka, which devours time and must eventually capture the Prince so he can meet his fate. The Prince, convinced that he can travel back in time to prevent the creation of the Sands he unleashed, sets out to kill the Empress of Time, therefore extinguishing the Dahaka. The story flips back and forth between the present and the past, which apparently annoys the Prince, since he's pretty cranky throughout the game. Indeed, much was made out of the newly adult flavor Warrior Within introduced; suddenly, our hero wasn't so heroic - just bratty.

As expected, platforming and navigation are the most pleasurable aspects of Revelations, and the Prince controls as smoothly as ever. The condensed screen is generally not a problem, thanks to clear, colorful graphics and the full set of camera options featured in the console versions of Warrior Within. You'll run across walls, leap from ledge to ledge and navigate narrow walkways while solving complex environmental puzzles. These portions are suave and silky, and remain the calling card of the series, never duplicated with any finesse elsewhere. At no point do you feel as if you are fighting the controls, which is a triumph considering the complexity of the moves and the hundreds of character animations strung together with uncommon grace. The Dahaka pursuit, easily the best portion of the game, underscores the ease of movement, and is still inspiring in compact form.

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