I tried and I tried my best at continuing to play Final Fantasy XII, but the lack of turn based combat leaves me unable to completely control all my battles. So I gave it up.

I had several games I could pick up; Shadow of the Collossus, Dragon Quest VIII, Rogue Galaxy and Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2. But these games are so long, and I wanted something a bit shorter. The other day, at the local GAME store, I picked up Castlevania: Lament of Innocence and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for cheap. Thus I decided to give PoP a spin.

The Sands of Time is a continuation of the landmark Prince of Persia game series for MS-Dos and Mac, created by Jordan Mechner in 1989. The original game took inspiration from "The book of Thousand and One Nights", with the setting changed to Persia. The main character, known only as "The Prince" has to escape a dungeon, avoiding traps, enemies and various pitfalls, in order to rescue his beloved princess, who is being forced by the Vizier Jaffar, to either die or marry him. The Prince has an hour to do, and the game is played in real time.

Fast forward to 2003 and The Prince is now a true prince, but is still as athletic as he used to be, being able to wallrun, walljump, leap great distances, tumble, swing on poles, climb ropes, ledges and battle enemies.

The game begins with The Prince standing on a balcony, in front of gently, wafting curtains. The prince begins narrating his story to the player.

Passing through India, on the way to Azad, King Shahraman, and his son, the Prince of Persia, attack the palace of the Maharaja of India, with promises of honour and glory. The Maharaja's vizier, old and dying, had betrayed the Maharaja and aided King Shahraman by giving him entrance into the palace. I is among the attackers; and eager to please my father, I rushe into the palace, armed with only a scimitar. A pile of rubble separates me from an escape route, and I must make my way alone through the palace.

Retriving the Dagger of Time had me running along walls and jumping over pitfalls, before I could finally lay my hands on it. A falling boulder nearly crushes me, but then I notice a certain talent of the dagger: the ability to control time. By pulling on a lever, on the dagger's hilt, I can rewind time and escape death.

In the mean time, my father has made his way into the Vaults, along with the greedy Vizier. The Vizier wants the dagger, but my father allow me to keep it, as I was the one who found it. The Sands of Time are removed from the palace, as a gift to the Sultan of Azad. The Maharaja's daughter, is captured and taken with us to Azad.

The Vizier, promising my father and I power by unleashing the Sands of Time, instruct me to plunge the dagger into an open slot in the gigantic hourglass containing the sands. The girl told me not to. I should have listened to her. The sands are unleashed, turning all living beings into hideous monsters. Only three people were untouched; myself, the girl and the Vizier.
Running into the hall, I encounter the monsters as they attack the girl. She escapes, but then they turn their attention to me. I fought valiantly, but whenever I struck them down with my sword, they would rise shortly after. Only by stabbing them with the dagger am I able to completely destroy them, absorbing the sands that created them into the dagger. After destroying the monsters, a vortex is created in the middle of the room, granting me visions of challenges to come.

The girl! I followed after her, calling out for her to stop, but catching only glimpses of her. I begin to question if I really did see her. Whenever it seems like I get close enough, ceilings and floors that seperate us collapse, putting further distance between us. I make my way through the palace by climbing walls and swinging on poles, battling monsters along the way. Scattered throughout the palace are clusters of Sands of Time, which can be absorbed into the dagger, granting the dagger more power.

Finally I catch up with her. Her name is Farah, but our conversation is interrupted by scarab beetles corrupted by the sands. She escapes and I make quick work of the beetles. But where did she go?
Out on a balcony I observe flying creatures move the Sands of Time to the top of the highest tower in the palace. The Vizier must be up there!

From a palace bedroom I find a secret passageway behind a cupboard. It leads down into the cellars of the palace, culminating in a large, circular room. A lone soldier, for now untouched by the sands, calls to me, asking me to manipulate axles and gears in order to activate the palace defence systems. With help from the soldier, the correct gears and axles are put into place, and we both pull respective levers in order to activate the defenses. The soldier's screams echo throughout the room as he finally succombs to the power of the Sands of Time.

Making my way into the next room makes me realise that activating the defenses wasn't a good idea. Spinning blades, poles with spikes and spiked floors were now putting me in as much danger as the sand creatures did. Yet, the palace defenses are also armed with fail saves. Levers and glowing sigils on the walls open doors back out of the palace cellars.

Finally I meet up with Farah again, but she is under attack by sand creatures. One of them had been my father, the king, before the sands corrupted him. The fight is difficult, as sand creatures reappear when one is struck down, but by manipulating time, slowing it down and rewinding it, I am finally able to plunge the dagger into what once was my father. A new vortex of sand appears, and I leap willingly into it. A violent cascade of images assult my mind's eye and I know what I must do next. Our destination is the highest palace tower.

Farah insists on following me, and she seems capable enough on her own. She even aids me in combat, by firing upon enemies with her bow. The downside? She can hit me by accident. We make our way along balconies and gardens on the outside of the palace, in order to find our way up to the tower. On several occasions I have to leave Farah on her own, as I attempt to work my way around gates and doors, in order to open them for Farah from the inside.

Several times I encounter holes in various walls inside the palace, which lead through corridors and into darkness. When I wake up, I'm at an unknown location, with a fountain in the middle. I can't explain it, but when I drink from the water, I can feel my vitality and life force replenishing and increasing in potency. Then, darkness comes, and I wake up where I initially found the hole in the wall.

Reunited with Farah, we make our way down into a warehouse, manipulating levers in order to shift platforms and walkways into place. Inside the warehouse we discover yet another sand vortex.

I will continue my story from here, next time.

Tags : PlayStation2 : prince of persia : ps2 : Sands of TIme

Comments

By: Dragonfly

Video Game Chat Member Avatar

On: 07:23 Aug 16th, 2008
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LOL @ FFXII remarks. Poor Magus. <3

Don't expect much fun out of Lament of Innocence. PoP: The Sands of Time on the other hand, is one of the last generation's best games.

How are you enjoying it so far?

By: Snake Plissken

On: 10:06 Aug 16th, 2008
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LoI aint so bad.

As long as you don't have high expectations and are not a fan of the original Castlevania games. :P Still i has Joachim and he is quite cool and playing as him is fun.

Prince of Persia rocks end of story and I love the way your doing this diary. Look forward to more entries.

By: Magus

On: 10:37 Aug 16th, 2008
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Dragonfly;56842

LOL @ FFXII remarks. Poor Magus. <3

Don't expect much fun out of Lament of Innocence. PoP: The Sands of Time on the other hand, is one of the last generation's best games.

How are you enjoying it so far?

I suck at real time RPG combit when I've got a party of more than 1.

So far it's alright, although I'm hating the sand monsters for almost continously respawning whenever I kill some of them. I'm loving the acrobatics mechanic though; vaulting over enemies and slashing them in the back. But I'm having difficulties when enemies gang up on me, and I'm unable to block, dodge and counter their attacks.

Snake Plissken;56881

LoI aint so bad.

As long as you don't have high expectations and are not a fan of the original Castlevania games. :P Still i has Joachim and he is quite cool and playing as him is fun.

Prince of Persia rocks end of story and I love the way your doing this diary. Look forward to more entries.

I have an inkling about what to expect from Lament of Innocence, but I figured I had to give a 3d Castlevania a try. I just hope it's better than that atrocity Castlevania 64.

I tried to write this diary from the viewpoint of the prince, and I wanted to avoid writing a lot of "I ran across the wall, jumped to the opposite wall, then I jumped back after running some more". This is why it jumps forward a few times.

By: Magus

On: 02:22 Aug 18th, 2008
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I shall continue my story from where I left off.

Out through the warehouse, Farah and I came to a garden housing the sultans zoo. A gigantic birdcage, several stories tall, rose up out of the center of the garden. The birdcage could be accessed through a gate in the wall. The sultan's birds, once majestic creatures of the skies, had also been affected by the Sands of Time, mutated into huge, black beings with the appearance of vultures. Onyx feathers fell from their wings and they dove down, attempting to attack us, though they were quickly vanquished by my sword.

I find the design and layout of this palace more and more peculiar, but I believe the entire palace was locked down when I activated the defence systems in the cellars. In order to open the way further into the palace proper, I had to make my way to the top of the birdcage, a feat easier said than done. Thankfully, the birds old perches were perfect for climbing and swinging.

The door out of the zoo lead through some underground passages, eventually leading to the royal baths. As we continued on together, I found my thoughts drifting more and more towards Farah, and I came to realise I was growing fond of her. Leaving her behind in order to open the way for her was done with more and more worry in my heart.
The traps in this place are still active, and it is with a profound sense of dread that I have to manipulate levers to open doors, but those same levers also activate traps for me to avoid.

The underground passages finally culminated in an open area by a waterfall, before leading into the royal baths themselves. Two bridges made from simple rope and wood crossed a great chasm, with a natural pillar having formed in the middle. Palms had formed around the waterfall to our left, allowing those with the skills available to climb them. More of the sultan's once majestic birds perched on rock shelves along the side of the chasm, at times taking to their wings and attacking as I drew nearer, in my search for a new lever to open the door into the baths.

The royal baths had been used as an area of relaxation by both the sultan's soldiers, and the soldiers my father had with him as we passed through India. Not one of them had been spared by the Sands of Times effects, as dozens of sand creatures attacked us when we exited the first hallway of the bath house. We had entered an antechamber for the main baths. Thankfully most of the creatures instinctively came after me, in stead of Farah, who quickly escaped through a crack in the wall.

A sand vortex showed me the way into the main baths, a huge room with square, man-sized, individual pools, filled by water flowing through pipes coming out of the walls and celing. In the middle of the room was a bigger pool, also square, but large enough to fit 10-15 people. In this room as well, there were several sand creatures. I had discovered that by plunging my dagger into their bodies, I could freeze them in midair, allowing me to cut them in half with little to no effort. By absorbing enough sand into the dagger, I could freeze time itself, allowing me to quickly dash between the frozen beasts, cutting them down. When the battle ended, another vortex appeared and Farah joined me at my side once more, having hidden from the beasts on a ledge overlooking the baths, firing upon them with her bow.

I shall continue my story from here, next time.

By: JPolito830

On: 08:00 Aug 20th, 2008
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Nice story...Keep us updated if you can!

By: Magus

On: 02:19 Sep 11th, 2008
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I will continue my story from where I left off.

"There's something glowing up there!"

Farah had noticed a shelf on the far wall of the main bath hall, something reflecting the torchlight being cast down upon it. Yet no apparent way of reaching it opened up, so I focused on the tasks at hand. The sand vortex had, yet again, granted me visions of what I should do. A layout of switches could be found in the more shallow pools, as well as some mounted into the walls themselves. Through the sand vortex, I saw myself activating levers hanging from the celing, yet having to wade through the pools in order to reach a wall to jump off of, made my clothes wet and heavy. I found no traction and couldn't get a good run up the walls. I had to find a way to drain the water out of the pools.

A wall switch could be easily pressed by an adjacent statue. Having to push it towards the wall wasn't as easy as it seemed, but Farah's assistance seemed to help. I instructed Farah to hold down a switch within a wading pool, while I would climb up a wall to hit the final switch. The doors to a small chamber opened, presenting me with a lever. Upon turning it, the pools were quickly drained.

The levers hanging from the celing opened a small outlet in one of the walls, allowing me to manipulate a marble block through it, shifting it into an adjacent room. As I returned to the antechamber, I found the block could be used as a platform, allowing me to reach a balcony high above the main chamber. The ledge Farah had seen before was far off, on the other side of the room. Broken columns and poles allowed me the forward momentum I needed in order to cross the room. Looking down was not an option.

Landing on the ledge, I found the source of the reflection; a sword, resting upon a square pedestal. Made from a dark shade of steel, it seemed heavier than my own sword, yet despite its apparent weight, it was elegantly crafted. A beautiful and flowing pattern was carved into the blade, running completely from tip to hilt, which was adorned with colourful jewels. It made me wonder why the Sultan would leave such a sword on a pedestal overlooking his bath chamber.

I picked up the sword, taking a few swings with it, hefting it, testing it. Comparing it against my own, it seemed flawless, without a single scratch, but seemed to be sturdier. Leaving my own sword upon the pedestal, I sheathed the new sword, and made my way down to Farah.

Upon my return, I learned Farah had noticed a small fissure in one of the walls, and upon testing it, had discovered something hollow behind it. My own strength along wasn't enough to tear it down, but my newer, heavier sword tore it down eventually.

Behind the wall was a staircase leading down, the air becoming colder as we ventured down. The continous runs of up and down had made me disoriented. As we followed the passage outside, we seemed to be inside the stone foundations the palace had been built upon. Natural stone structures rose from deep chasms. Whatever fell down these cliffs would instantly be plunged into darkness. They seemed endless.

Farah quickly discovered a hole in the wall, escaping through it. Being stranded alone, I took a chance at leaping towards the first natural platform in front of me. The jump was too short, but the dagger's control over time saved my life. The second time, I had managed to grab a hold of a pole above my starting point, increasing my distance, though I just made it. The climb across was hazardous at best, but I made it.

We were surprised to find a chamber with adjacent corridors inside the very rock foundations. It seemed this palace had been built upon an older structure. I wondered what kind of area I had ended up in, but skeletons lining the walls told me rather quickl: the dungeons.

Following a corridor, climbing ladders along the way we finally managed to make our way into the real palace again. The way ahead through the corridor was blocked by a door which stood slightly ajar. Peering through it we found the soldier's mess hall. No one in here had been spared as well. If they had managed to avoid the Sand's transformations, they would have been killed by the creatures. I couldn't help but feel sorry for these men. A few hours ago they had been sitting here, merrily discussing their lives, possibly their futures, without any knowledge of their fellow impending doom. It would seem these particular creatures had been specialised soldiers, as they were bulkier, and carried heavier weapons than creatures I had previously encountereed. One of them must have been an officer. It carried a single, gigantic sword, and sported numerous tattoos running along his sand like skin, which was slowly flaking off.

Farah slowly tried to sneak through the door, and past the creatures, but before I managed to stop her, they swarmed upon her. While her bow could indeed inflict damage upon them, she was no match for any of them. I drew my sword, and the dagger, leapting into the fray. My previous tactic of vaulting over my enemies proved inefficient against these bulkier sand creatures. Their larger weapons and increased strength allowed them to throw me off and viciously slash at my body. Thankfully I did discover that by bounding off the walls, I could dive head first into them, hacking away at the open gaps in their armor, hitting what would have been vital organs if they still had been humans.

The officer creature was a challenge as well. He managed to block most my blows with his sword, proving he had been a worthy warrior in his prime. Yet, just like the other sand creatures, he was vulnerable against the dagger's power. He could be frozen in time, and once his massive girth hit the floor, I was there with the Dagger, absorbing the sands within him, vanquishing the final creature within the mess hall.

Though the battle was not without effect. A viscious gash ran down my right arm, and I was bleeding from a head wound. The mess hall's wash basins were still intact, as well as a drinking fountain. The water felt rejuvinating, and it seemed like my wounds were healing faster than they normally would. Perhaps this was a side effect of the Sand's power? The water's restorative powers quickly reinvigorated me and we were ready to press on.

I will start the story from here next time