Prince of Persia Classic on XBLA, what? No turban!?
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ May 14th 2007 at 10:01PM }
OK purists, let's keep it together. For the XBLA release of Prince of Persia Classic, expected in early summer, Gameloft and Ubisoft have slapped a beautiful fresh coat of paint on the classic 1989 title. That may not make the purists so mad as the prince ditched his classic turban for his Sands of Time look. Yup, Prince of Persia Classic has the prince in his post-turban, but pre-emo (Warrior Within) look, so at least there's some consolation.
Allegedly everything else but the graphics will remain the same including level design, combat and -- oh gawd help us -- controls. For the youngin' in the room who never played the original, you haven't experienced pain until you've tried tackling the original Prince of Persia's unforgiving controls. Yes, it is truly painful, more painful than every time the faux-metal music played in Warrior Within. Still can't figure out what they were thinking there -- but it sold well!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 10:06PM
fantastic looking game. Wonder how much it costs.
ScreamingSkull @ May 14th 2007 11:22PM
Wow, very nice. As long as the controls don't make me toss my controller this might be a keeper.
Now when will someone do this to Pitfall like I've been asking for, for years.
Jon @ May 14th 2007 10:16PM
That looks great. Awesome 2D gameplay.
2kings @ May 14th 2007 10:17PM
i love seeing this 3d graphics/2d gameplay
Rod Munch @ May 14th 2007 10:18PM
This is the way Live Arcade should be. Old games with great new graphics. I'm sick of playing games from years ago that look the same now as they did then. Nostalgia can only go so far...
Imadogg99 @ May 14th 2007 10:18PM
The controls were perfect, since jumping over every little pit was a challenge...
atomicstrawberry @ May 14th 2007 10:21PM
He didn't have a turban in the original original game either. That was something that was added for later ports, such as the PC and Macintosh.
NeverSage @ May 14th 2007 10:22PM
Wow... looks amazing
jaysins @ May 14th 2007 10:30PM
I don't know if it is MS making or demanding the upgrades, but it's a nice addition. It makes seeing the game a lot clearer and makes it, imo, more worthwhile playing through again.
ComradeTrotskii @ May 14th 2007 10:44PM
No thanks. I always got far too frustrated playing that game due to the controls, god only knows what the 360 d pad will cause them to be like. Update those and you've sold me. Otherwise I'll sit this one out. Nice looking game however. Its still an immense shame that 2d games (with or without 3d graphics) have to relegated to handheld or downloadable games status.
EvoAnubis @ May 14th 2007 10:51PM
First off, I like the music in Warrior Within (I'm the minority, I know). Secondly, somebody PLEASE tell me this will be on the PSN too. i'd live to play this on the PS3.
Ian Von Porter @ May 14th 2007 10:57PM
The 2d games had amazing graphics for their time, but the controls were complete SHIT! You press the left/right pad and it moves a set number of steps.. usually a full body length... moving the entire screen is maybe 15 button presses.
Sure the trailer looks nice when all the moves are in sync.. good lick, trying to play as good as the trailer...they should just let it die... theres no need for this.
quazi @ May 14th 2007 11:18PM
so am i alone in almost hating having to fight in pop? i love just running around jumping and figuring out environment puzzles it just has such a great style.
Dortamur @ May 14th 2007 11:22PM
The controls were fine. Learn2play!
Not that I've played through this game in many many many years. My Old Man Reflexes may yet betray me...
makesevenupyours @ May 14th 2007 11:27PM
the graphics look BEAUTIFUL! im VERY excited for this.
and ign did an interview and they actually said they are tweaking the controls to make it better. so THERE!
machrc @ May 14th 2007 11:32PM
looks awesome! nothing but good news and good fresh do overs on XBLA. Im still hammered on all those cool but lacking content on the japanese content..
Im playing double dragon right now gotta go.
Seroth @ May 14th 2007 11:33PM
Looks very nice. Looks like I might have to pick me up a Microsoft Points card.
Mikeawesome @ May 15th 2007 12:30AM
I am so pumped about this, I was such a fan of the original, especially because of how fluid everything looked and how challenging everything was, even the smallest tasks. Yeah, it made it hella tough, and I got too frustrated to ever completely finish it, but I'll totally be buying this day-one, barring any financial problems.
mjemirzian @ May 15th 2007 1:02AM
I played this game originally on the Apple IIc.. felt like a big accomplishment to complete it at the time as a kid.
John Morgan @ May 15th 2007 2:06AM
I had this game on my 386. The smooth animation on the pixelized characters in the original was the best of its time. The game was just as much about puzzles as it was about the action. The swordplay was actually fun and challenging, too! I can't wait to buy this updated classic.
Surreal @ May 15th 2007 2:54AM
This looks a lot like Gameloft's cellphone version of Prince of Persia, but with more gorgeous visuals. That is good news because these cellphone games were great.
EvoAnubis @ May 15th 2007 3:21AM
I used to have this gmae on the Sega Game Gear. At first I hated it . . . damn near sold it, until I realized that I HAD to think thru it, rather than just press buttons and do my thing. My record was 46 minutes (for those that don't know, you had exactly one hour to beat the game, or it was all over. Unlimited lives, but one hour). Anyone else have a personal best?
Joe @ May 15th 2007 3:56AM
Well I'm not opposing the change, but it looks to me like there's a moment when the Prince uses the Sands of Time. When he's fighting the massive guy with about 21 second left on the video, we get what looks like the Prince slowing time. Nobody seems to have noticed that yet.
Allister Howe @ May 15th 2007 4:00AM
It doesn't look EXACTLY faithful to the original... There never really was any enemies other than turbaned guards, unless you count the skeleton and "mirror Prince" (Which is actually shown at the end of the trailer... Cooool!)
Still though, looks great, and will feed my need for Prince of Persia ever since Two Thrones came out.
Oh, and the poster up above was right, the Prince never had a turban in the original. I used to play the game all the time on my 386, while my brother listened to "What's the Story Morning Glory" by Oasis on repeat in the next room... I still can't play the first PoP without thinking of "Wonderwall"...
Jason Petty @ May 15th 2007 8:37AM
I remember playing PoP on my old Apple computer and the controls were fine. The animation for it's day was above and beyond anything else out there and fit in very well with the control scheme....of course I was using a joystick when many were probably still on keyboard, but as long as they stay close to how I remember it should handle ok.
Ben E @ May 15th 2007 9:02AM
Can't see the pictures/video at work, but wasn't a version of the old PoP with the new price unlockable in the "Sands of Time?"
Ben E @ May 15th 2007 9:04AM
Oops. S/B "with the new Prince"
Arno @ May 15th 2007 9:28AM
Wow this looks awesome!! I love the old PoP!
EvoAnubis @ May 15th 2007 9:33AM
@ #26 . . Just the first level.
Breserk @ May 15th 2007 10:22AM
I really hope they do Prince 2 as well. That game was fantastic. I loved running across the rooftops of Persia, fighting the guards, making that difficult jump on board the ship... I want it now :(
0ldb0y @ May 15th 2007 11:06AM
What, no jaggies? Unplayable!
I'm not a proponent of all retro games having updated graphics. For example, Double Dragon was re-done, but not to a degree that enhanced the experience, so I would have preferred the old graphics. I like how Castlevania SOTN used the original graphics, and the only re-tooling was to enhance the existing visuals to make it more comfortable on the eyes.
This PoP looks like one of the few titles where the new skins are actually very well done and may make the whole experience better. Though I don't see how you can improve on the experience of falling into a pit of spikes. Over and over again. Until insanity ensues.
Matt @ May 15th 2007 11:50AM
Here's a link to the IGN interview in which they interview the game's producer who states the controls have been improved:
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/788/788021p1.html
t_m @ May 15th 2007 12:38PM
wow.. that looks sweet.
XBLA seems like the best reason to have a 360 right now. (and virtual console seems to be the best reason to have a wii.. weird world we live in huh?
Though I don't get why joystiq keeps saying the original was hard.. it had awesome, tight controls and while tricky by today's standards.. it wasn't a particularly hard game at the time.
Ryan LN @ May 15th 2007 1:04PM
Prince of Pesia on the SNES was one of my all-time favorite games on the system. It did everything right: mood, music, and challenge level. As for the controls, they may have been unforgiving as compared to today's fare, but try comparing it to NES swear-fests such as "Bayou Billy" or the god-awful swimming level in that stupid Ninja Turtles game. I actually grew quite skilled at sword fighting, jumping, and stopping, and look forward to doing it again (with the reservations about the five-inch callous I'm sure to get as a result of 360's D pad).
RHP @ May 15th 2007 1:44PM
I still remember the Apple II version.
This game simply looks amazing.
Vidikron @ May 15th 2007 2:33PM
@31
But Double Dragon has the original graphics available too. This is the case for almost every game that has had their graphics tweaked, enhanced, or updated in some way. That's why I never understand why people complain about companies altering the graphics. As long as the original graphics are also available, what's the problem?
DeadPlasmaCell @ May 15th 2007 6:11PM
@36
There really isn't a problem.. people just need something to bitch about. Like this free game coming out tomorrow, they'll find something to bitch about that as well. If it isn't the price, it's the controls or the graphics, or the music. It's embarrassing to see how spoiled much of the 360 community can be at times.