theman61890's Full Review: Prince of Persia: Rival Swords for PSP
I love this series ever since I Played Sands of Times for the Playstation 2. The fresh gameplay along with the Prince's phenomenally ingenuous moves make the games of the Prince of Persia series must plays. I bought this game as it was seemingly the conclusion of the Sands of Time trilogy, even though the game is essentially a watered down version of its counterpart Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones on the typical home consoles, this portable version is very good.
Story
This game is the end of the Sands of time trilogy. The Prince returns to Babylon and shockingly he found out that its has been destroyed by an old rival, whom has now received immortality. As Vizier reeks havoc the Prince must rely on himself and some of his past allies to defeat his recurring nemesis. As the Prince tries to kill Vizier he becomes infected with enchanted sand which causes him to fight with his inner hate, famously known as the Dark Prince. Throughout the game the Prince will transform into this form which is really wicked. The story is phenomenal considering that it is really slid and is full of disambiguation and many plot twists.
Graphics
The graphics are certainly sub-par if you have played the rest of the series on any of the other home consoles. This was surprising since the PSP has inspired some stunningly beautiful games such as Final Fantasy V11, God of war and who can forget the visual glories that are Patapon and Loco Roco.
Anyway the game has many rough edges and is very sketchy. Sometimes you will mistake some items with each other. Also the blurriness of scenes will cause you to die since you don't know or cant recognize some of the ledges you are suppose to grab on to progress in any given level. Also the character models are a bit blurry, even our Prince.
Another problem I have with the graphics is that the game will slow down whenever you fight one of those immensely huge bosses. the game will essentially run for slow motion for a while as you try to defeat the large foe. Even though there are many setbacks the game is still decent visually.
Sound
The sounds in the game are sub par as well when compared to the consoles versions. First off the voice acting was really pitiful to be honest. Also some of the sounds of the game just sound weird. Some foes sound like they are little girls as they chase you. Even though some sounds sound awful some sounds sound great. I especially love when you battle. the sword wielded by the Prince sounds perfect as its comes in contact with an enemy, an environmental piece or another blade.
Like the graphics there are lapses in the music. Sometimes the music will just stop playing leaving a really eerie feel as you wonder through the landscape. The sound in this game are bearable, but the sound is definitely the worst part of the game.
Gameplay
This is certainly the bread and butter of the game. The game follows suit with its counterpart version. The player uses stealth and quick aerial moves to defeat obscene amounts of soldiers. The main point of the game is to destroy Vizier and his empire of henchmen.
The game heavily revolves around your ability to change times. During the game you will move about collecting sand bonuses which in turn gives you opportunity to redo any situation. So lets say you jumped through a cloud based area and you end up falling to your certain demise, if you have enough sand bonuses yo can reverse time and be safe for one more go atleast. The only problem I have with this feature is that accruing enough bonuses to do a reverse in time is very easy and make you really complacent of you ventures throughout the game since you have a parachute to catch you whenever you make a mistake.
Another great part of the gameplay are the fantastic combos you can do in the game. Alongside chopping and dicing your opponents with your sword in this game there are speed kills which allow you to slit the throat of a lullygagging foe. Also another part of the gameplay includes chariot races. During these races you race a chariot while fending off henchmen of Vizier. These are really fun, but one in particular, there are three races in all, is very long and gets repetitive as you try to complete it.
My favorite part of the gameplay is definitely when you transform into the Dark Prince. The Dark prince has a whip that is used to menacingly destroy your opposition. the Dark price i actually much faster and agile than the already fast and agile Prince. The only downside is that as the Dark Prince you lose energy as time goes on, so every time yo transform you need to end your task at and rather quickly before you die.
The controls are layed out really well considering the lack of buttons and one joystick on the PSP. If your used to the controls from the PS2 you should be fine except fro some minor difference in the controls. the learning for PS2 players would be about ten minutes while for everyone else the curve could be upwards of about one hour since some moves require alot of precise button mashing.
Replayability
After beating the game thats really it. there is really nothing to do after expect playing the game again. Also the multi player option is pretty fun and will certainly extend gameplay.
Overall I must recommend because of the fantastic story and terrific gameplay. Even though the game does glitch occasionally and the sounds are really bad the game is really good and should be picked up by the fan of the series and any casual gamer who wants to get lost in a great adventure game.
In Prince of Persia - Rival Swords, the Prince makes his way home to Babylon. With him, he bears Kaileena, the enigmatic Empress of Time, and unspeak...More at J&R Music and Computer World
Versus play in timed races as either the Prince or Dark Prince : Interrupt and impede your opponent s progress by activating switches in your own leve...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
PSP GAME PRINCE OF PERSIA RIVAL SWORDS MULTIPLAYER! NEW Now Lower Shipping Fees! C lick here to see all of our items for sale on eBay! We have over 50...More at eBay
Versus play in timed races as either the Prince or Dark Prince Interrupt and impede your opponent's progress by activating switches in your own level ...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.