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| | Title:
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Third Person Action
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Publisher:
Ubisoft
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Developer:
Ubisoft
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Release:
December 6, 2005
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Mature (M)
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Ubisoft understands how to fix mistakes, especially when they come from inside their own walls. Prince of Persia Warrior Within, while a good game, did not come close to capturing the wonderful experience the original Prince of Persia brought so many gamers. Ubisoft’s attempt to make the Prince more of a darker character through swearing and metal music backfired. Ubisoft knows this thanks to the negative feedback many fans of the series have put forth. So what does a company like Ubisoft do in a situation like this? They go back to the drawing board and attempt to make the true sequel fans of the original Prince of Persia have been waiting for. Prince of Persia Two Thrones may be that game. While there is some influence from Warrior Within (specifically the Prince’s look), Two Thrones is bringing back the elements that made the original Prince of Persia a classic.
Whenever a story involves messing around with time the results are always confusing. The opening cinema that starts off Two Thrones really shakes up the storyline by revealing that Kaileena is alive (how we don’t know why). She doesn’t survive for very long since as soon as the Prince and Kaileena arrive back in the Prince’s hometown of Babylon they get attacked and Kaileena is ultimately killed. The death of Kaileena brings about one of the many new gameplay elements found in Two Thrones; the Dark Prince.
Gamers will now be jumping between two versions of the Prince; the normal one and the Dark Prince. Both look to play the same and the only difference seen thus far is the weapons both versions of the Prince use. So how did this Dark Prince come about? The details have not been totally revealed by Ubisoft (and probably won’t) but it does have something to do about the Sands of Time. It seems they have corrupted the Prince and the result is an evil version of himself that he will transform into based on where he is in the story. It is said that fire will play a role in the Dark Prince transformation, walk through it and out comes the Dark Prince. What other new gameplay mechanics the Dark Prince will offer besides his new weapon and what he will use to access areas the normal Prince couldn’t has not been released by Ubisoft at this time.
A new addition to the combat this time around is the idea of “Speed Kills,” (not the official term for the mechanic). Basically these are ways the Prince can take out the opposition by sneaking up behind them and silently killing them. Speed kills will not only be a new fun way to deal with enemies but be integrated into the platforming elements of the game. The result will be a mix of flips, jumps and dead bodies that look to be offering up some of the satisfying moments the original Prince of Persia was known for. Both the normal and Dark Prince will have the ability to perform quick kills but as typical for an evil version the Dark Prince’s quick kills will be much more gruesome. When fighting normally Two Thrones promises to bring back the freeform fighting of Warrior Within (one of the better aspects of the game). Many screens have been released showing the Prince with dagger in hand dealing out the hurt on numerous enemies.
Finally, Ubisoft has also added a vehicular element into this Prince of Persia in the form of chariot races. While not much has been released about this part of the game it is known that the Prince will be involved in combat when driving the chariots. Whether quick kills or the Dark Prince will be behind the reins is unknown but so far all screenshots point towards no.
The Two Thrones is something fans have been waiting for since the release of the original Prince of Persia. Not only is it making the Prince a likeable hero again (as his goal is to save his kingdom) but is also is bringing back the brilliant platforming moments that made the original so great. Factor in the Dark Prince, speed kills, chariot races and it looks like Ubisoft has a sure fire hit on its hands.
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