Its a Fresh game that strives to be SOTC as well as SOT and succeeds to some extent.
So what's Ubisoft done after Two Thrones?
Assassin's Creed was a terrible game and moreover was an Insult to the Prince Of Persia franchise. That Prince Of Persia Franchise which has sold 11 million units only to make Ubisoft rich enough to make Crappy Games.
Far Cry 2 was a good attempt and even though it was Better than Assassin's Creed it wasn't still upto the mark.
So it WAS EXPECTED. The Prince Of Persia Franchise which was compared to the leagues of God Of War and considered the Best Fantasy Action Adventure on the PC..............WAS NEXT.
The NEW POP could have been the Best Game Ever. It seriously had those potentials. But it turned out to be pretty Average, Bad or EVEN CRAP for many Prince Of Persia fans and Hardcore Action Gamers as well.
Even when i first played this game, i had Low Expectations as i knew this would be another Assassin's Creed. Luckily, it proved to be better.
The Good:
1) Amazing Landscapes and Top Notch Graphics
2) Great Story to start with.
3) On Demand Dialogs really kept you Involved in the Game.
4) Elika was an Excellent Character to be with. Never Got in your way. Always helpful.
5) Platforming even if it took me time getting used to is really Fun and the Green, Red and Blue Plates were also great.
The Bad:
1) Combat was one of the Best Things..........but only to watch. It was clunky to perform. Quick Time events were horrible.
2) The Yellow Plate was an absolute spoiler at times. Even if not it was the Least interesting of the others. We don't want a Flying Prince.
3) The Ending was like a Full Circle, back to square one. Really feel as if you have Wasted Time healing the grounds only for you to release the corruption again.
4) The Backtracking is fun for a while but gets really boring Later.
5) Puzzles are Good but they are all the SAME. Repetitive.
Story - 8.5 (Would have given 10 if not for that ending)
Gameplay - 8.5 (10 for the Platforming, 8.5 due to Combat)
Graphics - 10
Presentation - 10
Overall 8/10 as a Prince Of Persia Game
Overall 9/10 as a Game
Great Game but should not be compared to the Previous Ones.
How to make the sequel Better:
What Should be retained:
1) Elika
2) On Demand Dialogs
3) Platforming.
4) Red Green and Blue Plates are fine
5) Combat Scenes
What should be Removed:
1) Quick Time Events
2) Yellow Plate
3) Please no White Seeds or Orbs. Try to be a little original like the previous POPs next time.
4) Back To Square One kind of Ending should be avoided.
5) Repetition of Bosses like Assassin's Creed should be Avoided.
What can be introduced:
1) Better Combat System. More like a Real Time Combat system like Warrior Within.
2) Freedom to take on more than one enemy.
3) Choice of more weapons. Dual Wielding would be welcome.
4) Prince can also have powers like Elika.
So Overall the new Prince Of Persia is NOT in the league of its Predecessors. Hence the reason it should NOT be compared.
It was a Valiant attempt by Ubisoft at taking the Prince Of Persia Franchise to a new Direction.
They have not Failed. Its just their first attempt on the Next-Gen. Not all games are LUCKY like Assassin's Creed to get away. They can do a lot more in the Sequel. Just add a Hard Mode for god's sake.
The NEW Prince Of Persia is a Game that should be played if you want to Relax. Its Beautiful and easily the Most Beautiful Looking game of 2008. It can also go down like ICO as one of the most Adored games in the Later Years.
For now Ubisoft take your time for the Sequel. A Good Start. Just needs some Major Tweaking. I will wait for Prince Of Persia 2........