Prince of Persia

GamePro

All told, this is a great debut for the Prince of Persia series on the PS3 and Xbox 360. [Jan 2009, p.74]

Cheat Code Central

A wonderful and nearly magical game. It's not very long but it's long enough, as it will entail around 10-14 hours of continuous platforming and fighting, even if you don't try to pick up the 1001 Seeds of Light. The flow and excitement of the gameplay as well as the dramatic visual style will get you hooked for hours to come. I doubt there will be many people who don't like it, as it's equally engaging for players and viewers sitting next to you.

IGN UK

Ubisoft has delivered an incredibly polished, tremendously enjoyable and utterly lovable experience here. It takes all the best elements of previous franchise entries then expands and refines them to create an absolutely unforgettable adventure. It’s magical in every sense of the word.

IGN

It has its shortcomings, but I already sense that Prince of Persia will be one of the few games from this generation that I carry with me for the next decade.

Planet Xbox 360

Prince of Persia is a game that tends to the casual audience while keeping the masochistic at bay. There are some hiccups that could have been fixed, but with a beautifully unique art direction that is unparalleled to anything previously done, dynamic and perpetually new environments with seamless acrobatic platforming, much can easily be forgiven.

Extreme Gamer

Prince of Persia has pulled away from its previous trappings to become its own true game.

Vandal Online

Its innovative visuals and its daring and well-made gameplay features make it not only a great action-adventure game but also a genre refreshing title. Only certain moments which cut the pace, and some problems in the fights which can become frustrating, blur one of the masterpieces of the year.

TeamXbox

A really pure gaming experience that will undoubtedly split gamers on the issue. Some will hate the controls, others will love them. Some will be bored with the game’s repetition, others will be enthralled by it. Some will love the voice acting, others will be on the right side of that issue. No matter. Prince of Persia is a gorgeous piece of work that may just pull more people into gaming by being as fun and easy as it is beautiful.

GameShark

If you are looking for a challenging platformer that will test your gamepad skill to its fullest – Prince of Persia isn’t that game. Still, despite its lack of overt difficulty, this game remains special, and while it didn’t take terribly long to finish, and replay value isn’t too high unless you get obsessed with seed collecting, it was definitely nine to ten hours well spent and is an adventure you should not miss.

GameSpy

The new title combines strong platforming fundamentals, Assassin's Creed's open-world structure, and some of Okami's wonderful aesthetic flourishes. What it introduces to action games is something truly wonderful. Since the Prince can't die, the pace and rhythm of gameplay is never lost, yet it still offers a challenge even for hardcore gamers.

GameDaily

The adventure ends sooner than expected (10-12 hours), but it's worth every breathtaking moment. This is one of 2008's best.

3DJuegos

Prince of Persia is an odyssey that manages to transmit the undeniable magic of its proposal. Ubisoft achieves the best adventure game of the year.

VideoGamer

Prince of Persia does away with one of the most fundamental game design rules and is all the better for it.

GameZone

Featuring the most seamless climbing, swinging and platform-hopping controls of any game, Prince of Persia is an outstanding sequel.

Xbox360Achievements

With a fantastic soundtrack and a unique and superb look, Prince of Persia is a platformer that you shouldn't miss. Granted, it's not the hardcore platformer that fans of the series yearned for, but if you're looking for a rich story in an even richer setting, then Prince of Persia is for you.

Video Game Talk

This is a highly polished hit that deserves to be checked out.

Kombo

However, so much of my enjoyment was based on admittedly subjective design choices that I can't give it an unconditional endorsement. As such, this is probably the highest score I will ever give alongside a strong recommendation to rent first.

NZGamer

Elika is awesome, as you may have picked up by now in this review. Sadly though, the same cannot be said for the hero of the story.

Gamervision

While it may not be the game of the year, it arrives just in time to at least contend for it. Who would’ve thought a fresh start on a new console was what this series needed?

AtomicGamer

While this one doesn't quite reach some of the stylistic and gameplay-oriented heights of Sands of Time a few years back, this re-imagined Prince of Persia delivers great thrills and plenty of accessibility inside a very pretty package.

Talk Xbox

However, if you’re not a fan of video game storylines or don’t really care about video games as a medium, Prince of Persia is still a great game. There’s plenty of fun to be had with the platforming.

ZTGameDomain

It isn't full of guns, aliens or even tons of gore and it certainly doesn't have the marketing muscle of some of the other games currently occupying store shelves, but it does have one thing most of them lack: character. The relationship between Elika and the Prince is easily the best duo found in a game yet and the developers have done an outstanding job of forcing you to care for Elika more than even yourself.

Game Informer

While the virtues of the control mechanics and gameplay are up for debate, the value of the presentation and production are not. A stirring orchestral score is the perfect accompaniment to the breathtaking environmental backdrops. Stop nearly anywhere in the game, and it looks like you’re staring at a still painting.

IGN AU

As much as we enjoyed our time as Prince and even gave into the somewhat forced love story, we came away wishing for a little more to do. Still it's by far better to do a few things really well than to try your hand at everything and succeed at nothing. Prince of Persia is arguably the best classic adventure game of 2008 – with a little room to improve.

WonderwallWeb

Prince of Persia may not be for everyone due to it’s repetitive nature, however anyone who does buy it will certainly not be disappointed.

GamingExcellence

It’s a really fun game to play, with good characters, controls, locations, and objectives, and is truly an evolution of the series.

PALGN

Prince of Persia makes some bold design decisions that manage to come off well and they provide a great new start for the evergreen franchise.

InsideGamer.nl

The Prince returns, and does so with a fresh new style, a phenomenal game world, and in stunning visual detail. The addition of Elika is a nice touch, but takes away some of the initial challenge in the game. The fact that you can’t die is a real shame, but the choreographical fighting mechanics keep the gameplay interesting and fun, and turn Prince of Persia into a small masterpiece.

XboxAddict

I’m afraid that Prince of Persia fits right in that group of games like Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space where they’re really good games whose only shortcomings are that they’re moderate length single player games.

Pelit (Finland)

Prince of Persia looks simply amazing and plays almost as good. Prince’s compation Elika gets sometimes annoyingly in the way of free jumping and the combat relies too much on heavy God of War style button smashing. Otherwise it’s great fun. [Jan 2009]

Armchair Empire

It’s a short game, clocking in at 14 hours tops for most gamers the first time through, with at least a quarter of that time padded with “light seed” collection tasks that require you to re-explore levels after defeating bosses.

GameFocus

Ubisoft Montréal took an enormous risk by taking a whole new direction with this new Prince of Persia. Although the final product could have included greater difficulty and more emphasis on combat for the non-casual crowd; we can safely say that the risk was indeed worth it.

Worth Playing

Prince of Persia is fun. It isn't really challenging, and it isn't really lengthy, but when you play it, you're going to have fun.

MS Xbox World

It’s got all the right ingredients to make it well worth playing and remembering once the game disc is placed fondly back into its case after completion.

Kikizo

As quick on its feet as you'd expect and glorious to behold, but not quite the earth-shaking return to form we were hoping for after the disappointments of Warrior Within and Two Thrones.

1UP

Prince of Persia delivers well-crafted gameplay that borrows elements from its predecessors (and plenty of other titles) but makes great strides in developing a new identity for a series -- and a character that isn't as completely annoying as you might think from the first few lines of dialogue -- that seemingly lost its focus over the past few years. Of course, some issues here and there disrupt its goal in surpassing The Sands of Time, but it's an incredibly enjoyable journey nonetheless.

Gamer 2.0

Unless you’re a hardcore fan of the Prince of Persia games, you can beat the game in about 14 hours or so in a rental to get all you need out of it during the holiday season.

HellBored

The Prince’s debut on the PS3 and 360 may be impressive, but changes in the formula mean that it’s not going to appeal to everyone.

NTSC-uk

Prince of Persia turns out to be a worthy justification for once again restarting the franchise. It brings the series back to its essential roots, stripping away the superfluous muck that had gathered during the last few outings and at the same time having enough new appeal, charm and content to make it worth trying.

Cynamite

Elika and the Persian prince are like Lady Di and Prince Charles – the love dies abruptly. About a year ago we criticized Ubisoft Montreal for a lack of diversity. Back then it was about Assassin’s Creed, but the criticism is all the same.

Game Positive

While Prince of Persia is definitely flawed and can even become tedious at points, it creates a dreamlike world that keeps you interested. It is an interactive extension of what good fiction tries to be, and while it's not for everyone, it can often leave you with a desire to come back for more.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

It's still quite a good game--I just wonder why it feels like a step back from the previous trology. [Jan 2009, p.69]

games(TM)

Our dissatisfaction comes in the finding that the Princes adventurous new gameplay elements simply don’t play to his strengths, resulting in an experience that often wavers between intense highs and irritating lows. [Jan 2009, p.94]

Meristation

Once Again, Ubisoft Montreal takes us to Persia, this time an arid desert where we will face great dangers. With its cell-shading graphics and the incredible platforming areas, the Prince is better than ever; also, this time he has a great companion, Elika. A huge adventure, beautiful and great, but with some technical issues, extremely easy and very straightforward.

Yahoo! Games

Prince of Persia's stunning delivery yields quite a few breathtaking moments. Flaws aside, credit this prince for breaking many of the rules his ancestor set forth some two decades ago. He's just not quite ready to wear the crown.

Games Radar (in-house)

Once you understand enemy attack patterns and the game’s slightly slower than you’d expect timing, the level of challenge decreases dramatically. This, combined with the fact that Elika literally won’t let you die, could make things feel too easy and auto-piloted for some die-hard hardcore players.

Official Xbox Magazine

It’s immediately tangible, even from the title screen, that Prince of Persia is a labor of love, meant to bridge luxurious aesthetic and spitshine polish with emotional investment. And despite its overly repetitive structure, we found ourselves compelled to fight our way through to see how it all ends — donkey or not.

Official Xbox Magazine UK

Prince of Persia may not be a world-changing nine, but it is a fantastic eight. The look, the feel of the game, is one one that turns back time and makes what was once the waning memory of an ailing genre fresh once more. [Christmas 2008, p.58]

GameSpot

While its lack of challenge may lull fans, its ease of use will delight newcomers and draw in anyone who appreciates a touch of magic.

GamerNode

Marred by some inconsistent pacing and less-than-engaging action, PoP still manages to deliver a wondrous and open world through which players fight and fly to the game's exciting conclusion.

X360 Magazine UK

Big, dumb, and loads of fun. Enjoyable throughout, but even though it’s never quite intelligent enough to push the genre very far forward, it’s still worth your money.

DailyGame

All in all, the next-gen version of Prince of Persia is fun and even relaxing at times, but overall it's a little disappointing. And that statement is coming from one of the development team's biggest fans.

ActionTrip

In the end, Prince of Persia is nothing more than a beautifully animated and brilliantly directed ride through impressively designed environments. The problem strictly resides in its watered down gameplay mechanics, which, although well-executed, did not exactly meet our expectations, let alone provide a decent challenge.

Game Revolution

Even if there’s no particular reason for it, Prince of Persia is a fun romp through a desert temple. The parkour-heavy gameplay looks impressive and is satisfying without being too frustrating. So head on over to your local store and pick up a copy of Princess Elika and That Nameless Drifter Guy Looking For His Donkey.

Console Monster

If you’re looking for a charming, fun and relaxing title to sink some hours into after a hard day, then Prince of Persia is the one for you. This is not a title that’s going to challenge or compel you to replay over and over.

Da Gameboyz

Prince of Persia for the Xbox 360 is a pretty game and features many enjoyable and death defying moments. However, the combat controls suffer, the story is uninspiring, and the game is far too repetitive for my liking.

Play.tm

Despite cynically poking Prince of Persia in the ribs for a significant chunk of this review, there's little doubting that Ubisoft's latest offering is one of the year's most staggeringly beautiful releases.

GameCritics

The game's core mechanics are all still there, neatly created and presented stunningly. But underneath this evident beauty, Prince of Persia fails to deliver on any sort of a challenge, and instead of carrying on the proud tradition of the series, deviates to a considerable and damaging extent because of its simple gameplay and excessive accessibility.

Gamestyle

If you want a truly great 3D Prince of Persia experience, however, we’d recommend tracking down a copy of The Sands of Time instead.

Gamer.nl

Prince of Persia is a beautiful game that looks so good that you almost want to date your tv. Almost. Because the downside of the game is a total lack of intelligence. In an attempt to offer the gamer a incredible looking game with minor obstacles Ubisoft has made a game that reduced the roll of the player to an absolute minimum. If you have a weak spot for beautiful games than Prince of Persia will be your cup of tea. If you're looking for a challenge be sure not to buy this game.

Total Video Games

Continuing the theme of simplification that was prevalent throughout Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft's attempt to reinvent the Prince of Persia series is considerably disappointing.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Like listening to an old hippie telling lazy, stoned stories. He may remember some moving moments, but you'll probably already have fallen into a stupor.

Gaming Nexus

While admirably confident in its new direction, the Prince relies too heavily on the lifesaving Elika and the endgame story to carry the entire tale.

Computer and Video Games

Newcomers will get a kick out of it, but old fans will find the new Prince unchallenging and slightly shallow compared to the rest of the series.

Gameplanet

The amazing artwork struggles to conceal repetitive combat and a game that, at its heart, is incredibly easy. Kids will probably rate it highly, but those who have grown up with the series may tire of it quickly.

Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

Newcomers are likely to get more out of this new trilogy's opening than veterans, who know much better. [Feb 2009, p.74]

Thunderbolt

Never does it come close to touching Sands of Time in terms of majesty, and what you’re left with is a beautiful looking piece of art, masking a depressingly above average adventure.

DarkZero

Harking back to Elika for a second, I have to admit she is a fantastic addition to the series, and as gimmicks go she is significantly better than The Sands of Time.

Eurogamer

The platforming fluency is seductive, but it's a language of indifferent thumbing yawned through timing windows as wide as a house. The crushing thing about Prince of Persia, however, isn't this. It's that we're faced with yet another poor game planted in a bed of fantastic technology and interesting mechanics, which, rather than empowering the player to solve interesting problems in new and exciting ways, merely sends you for a long and elaborate stroll through a beautiful world devoid of challenge or variation, and marred by excessive repetition.

Totally360

As with Assassin’s Creed before it, Prince of Persia suffers from being one of the best looking but worst playing titles on the 360.

G4 TV

PoP is a group of interesting ideas searching for a stronger game to hold them all together.

Edge Magazine

Prince Of Persia’s overalls structure never quite compels, it offers too few distractions to qualify as a sandbox, nor does it possess the quick narrative impetus of more linear games, ultimately feeling a little shallow and repetitious. [Jan 2009, p.84]

Impulsegamer

Prince of Persia has flashes of greatness. Its production values are absolutely stunning – but the game designers need to take a long hard look at themselves.