Ummmmm....Why Aren't You Playing PoP: The Forgotten Sands?!?

This new Prince of Persia is an absolute hoot! I am loving it. The environments are detailed, the action is satisfying and not too difficult, the voice acting is professional and believable, the boss battles manageable, the new powers real fun to engage, the story is...well..acceptable (let's say it's not going to win any awards for originality), and not a single operational glitch so far. Ubisoft did a fine job with this one.

For reference: I am about 1/3 the way thru and the games I enjoy are NOT pure shooters, and NOT RPG (why do you all memorize all that info?), but puzzle/action/adventure games like Tomb Raider (Legend, Anniversary, Underworld), King Kong, Batman Arkham Asylum, and Half Life 2 (all iterations).

I tried to engage all of you on Batman Arkham Asylum (there was absolutely no noise in here on that great game), and I have only seen gremlin mention this one. You all need to listen. You're missing some great stuff!
These games are what MYST was trying to be (but the technology hadn't matured yet), and now finally it's true.

My only complaints: 1) you have to be on-line to operate the game with a permanent internet connection (I believe it actually saves the game on their server) and b) sometimes the camera angle fixes in a spot that the third-person aspect of the Prince is a little difficult to control or figure out.

This is a similar post to the one you have on the Adventure Discusions Board.

And my answer here is the same as I gave there

Hm, I'm an action/adventure gamer, mostly survival horror and stealth games. I tend to avoid heavy platforming, due to all the inherent trial-and-error involved (and the constant die-reload-die again cycles that usually result from the "error" part). Anyway, I know enough to know what I'm missing, and for the most part that's fine by me. Different strokes 'n' all.

I find straight shooters to be a good, occasional "palate cleanser" from the more cerebral stuff. With RPG stats, creating a character of your very own, and watching them grow and improve exactly how you choose, is the main draw there, I think.

DRM schemes like Ubisoft's aren't going to have me rushing out and buying the games, either. Go, GOG!

It is always great to hear about the games that folks are enjoying. I've read some good stuff about this incarnation of the Prince, but I don't care to Have to be online to play a game that isn't a MMORPG.

Who knows though, at some point, I might give it a go.

I will probably be getting the newest POP but I have to play POP 2008 first. Have you played it and how does it stack up? I got 80% through Sands of Time but hit a spot I couldn't get past. I did enjoy what I played of it. It is a beautiful game and the animations are very nice.

POP was the very first game I played in PS3, it help me a lot to master the controller. I enjoyed the game very much but at the moment I don't feel like playing the POP 2. I guess hist is a game you have to be in the right mood to really enjoy it.

This new Forgotten Sands "sort of" builds on Sands of Time. If you liked SoT, the graphics are even more impressive this go around. I think this iteration is more forgiving than SoT also. I got stuck about the same place you mention in SoT too. So, I might get stuck with this one as well as it levels up a bit. It is getting more difficult as I progress thru the game, and I remember that from SoT also. Have to get back to you on whether I get stuck with the new one too.

That alone would be a deal breaker for me. Half the reviews at ***Amazon*** are complaining about having to be connected to the Internet at all times while playing the game. Way to insult your paying customers, Ubisoft.

I had hoped to be able to tell you that you only need your internet connection to save games on the Ubisoft server, or to start the game, but no, it really is that dense: you have to have your internet connection throughout gameplay, or the game suspends until you re-connect.

I just tried running the game, starting to play, then unplugging my connection from the back of my PC... about a minute later, the game suspended waiting for my connection to return.

But apart from that, I completely agree with BaldBob on the game itself. It's great fun - a definite sequel to SoT. It fits in the PoP chronology between SoT and Warrior Within.

I really enjoyed the new powers. The freeze water power is nearly as innovative as the original Rewind Time feature of SoT. (By the way, the Rewind really does provide a very good antidote to the platformers nightmare of try-fail-load-try-fail-load cycle because the rewind effect is much more immediate and non-destructive of your immersion in the game than a re-load, plus it fits with the story-line)

I think Forgotten Sands is an excellent addition to the PoP canon, and well worth a try, especially if you like Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver-type games.