GAME
Prince of Persia
Warrior Within

Format: Xbox
Ubisoft
£39.99
3 307210 181480
Age Restrictions: 16+
Available
03 December 2004


The Prince embarks upon a path of carnage and mystery to defy his preordained death. His journey leads to the infernal core of a cursed island stronghold harbouring mankind's greatest fears. Dig into an arsenal of weapons that, when used in combination, create advanced arm attacks that verge on fatal artistry...

I never understood why everyone went crazy over Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Personally, I thought it was a substandard gaming experience with very flashy graphics. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is more of the same - so I'm expecting to be in a minority when I state that I felt cheated by this game. There is no real sense of the gamer being able to explore the world they are immersed in. Instead you get the feeling that you are just going through the motions.

Other problems include the fact that - and this usually occurs at critical moments - the camera angle suddenly changes and remains fixed. This usually happens in order to draw your attention to a part of the gaming area that you might have otherwise missed, a part where something vital is hiding, but it also seems to happen when you are in the midst of a fight, or trying to balance. And, while we are on the subject of the camera angles, it's sometimes impossible to pan the camera around to see an area that you wish to jump to.

There is also an element of trial and error involved. The perspective in this game is not what it could have been. Even though you can view the gaming area from three different camera angles it's never easy to gauge whether the gaps you have to leap are too wide or not. Having played this game for several days, this problem is not one that you can judge better over time.

Ubisoft claim that you can define your own combat style with the freeform fighting system - whatever that means. As with all games, hit a combination of buttons and your character will perform a certain move - not very radical really.

If you like pretty games that spoon-feed you through your paces - then this is a game you'll enjoy. However, for those of us who like a game that is more engaging and allows us to explore the environment Warrior Within comes up short.

Ray Thompson

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£29.99 (Amazon.co.uk)

   
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