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When gamers first beheld the original Prince of Persia 10 years ago, they were astounded to see the most fluid, lifelike animations ever to grace a PC game. The story wasn't exactly original - it was basically Arabian Nights - and the 2D running, jumping, and climbing had been seen in plenty of games before this one. But the animation was so darn realistic and the graphics so much better than anything done before that it just didn't matter. Prince of Persia was arguably the first hint at the sort of animation magic the right person - in this case, the now-legendary Jordan Mechner - could squeeze out of the computers of that era, and proved that the PC was truly a legitimate platform for first-rate arcade gaming.
A sequel in 1993 added SVGA graphics and backgrounds that created a pseudo-3D depth of field, but the action was still essentially 2D. Now, a decade after he hit the PC gaming scene, the Prince steps boldly into the world of 3D graphics - and while the action, story, and puzzles are solidly enjoyable, the latest version doesn't quite have the full dramatic luster of the original. Part of the reason is that the past couple of years have seen a slew of good games that revolve around the same sort of acrobatics featured here; another is the technical glitches.
The story this time still has plenty of that Arabian Nights flair: the Sultan has been tricked into promising his daughter's hand in marriage to the son of his Vizier, who for some reason is now a Kilrathi-like tiger-man. Since the princess is already married to our hero, the Vizier frames him for murder and tosses him into a dungeon; just like the first two games, you've got to find a way out of your cell, save the Princess from a couple of close calls, and kill the cat guy to save the day.
Prince of Persia might be his title, but our hero looks more like a samurai these days as he wields his deadly blade, decapitating enemies and running them through with reverse thrusts that would make any warrior proud. He also gets to use a pike, double blades, and a bow and arrow, the last being crucial for solving certain puzzles. There's no spurting blood, and combat is pretty rudimentary, but it's surprisingly fun; it's certainly much better than the lame swordfighting sequences of the first two games.
Unlike the first two installments, Prince3D takes you away from the Sultan's city to new vistas, using a Tomb Raider-style perspective: a twelfth-century dirigible, snowy mountains, and a couple of very eerie temples, many filled with huge machines made up of gigantic cogs, wheels, and gears. The level design is excellent throughout, and it's probably the game's strongest suit because it's here that the biggest benefits are reaped by the move to 3D. Besides dealing with all the usual traps (pressure plates, floor spikes, crumbling walkways, guillotines, and so on), you've also got to master new techniques such as swimming and swinging on ropes. Still, the gameplay emphasis remains squarely on the big three: running, jumping, and climbing. And while there's definitely much fun to be had just doing that, Prince3D can be maddeningly frustrating at times.
Take the insanely long load times: on a 450MHz Celeron with 128MB of RAM, it takes nearly two minutes from the time you launch the game until you finally start playing (quick-loads within levels are almost instantaneous, however). While the Prince has never been a speedster, constant animation slowdowns make it look as though he's moving underwater (and I'm not referring to the swimming scenes). A combat glitch causes the Prince to tuck his weapon away whenever he changes planes - by stepping onto stairs, walking up or down ramps, or jumping from a small ledge - and you'll frequently get sliced and diced as you struggle to re-arm him. Add in a few random crashes, and it's easy to see how your enthusiasm can start to wane.
These aren't fatal flaws, but they do keep a very good game from being a great
game. Even so, action fans will definitely get their money's worth - as long
as they're not expecting this game to shake up the genre.