The American dream is no longer one of hard work and white picket
fences. If Kim Kardashian’s adoring teenage fans are any indication,
we’ve traded in the ideals of our fathers for a set of fake tits and a
purse-sized dog. If that’s the sort of thing that gets you off, more
power to you, but this focus on form over function is increasingly
bleeding into our generation’s defining art form: videogames.
Ubisoft’s newly released Prince of Persia is the perfect
example of this emphasis on the pretty to the exclusion of the
interesting. The gorgeous art style, Matrix-esque combat, and
cinematic storytelling will definitely impress players—but about
20 minutes into the game, once you realize that the map system is more
confusing than useful, and that the gameplay can be best described as
15 hours of tapping out rote combat maneuvers, PoP loses most of
its luster.
That’s not to say the game is all bad: By focusing on looks over
substance, Ubisoft has instilled some excellent style into the
experience. The game’s combat is entertaining, and though it’s becoming
a bit of a cliché, the parkour-esque acrobatics necessary to
navigate the game’s terrain are intuitively designed and stylish.
Sadly, the game’s triumphs only highlight its flaws, as what would
normally be tense action becomes dull due to a palpable lack of any
significant danger. Aside from being a prince, the Persian protagonist
is also immortal: Neither long drops nor your enemies can kill you, and
as a result, it’s almost impossible to give a damn about your
progression.
Even so, if you’re a fan of action games, drop five dollars to rent
Prince of Persia. It lacks the high-concept ideas of the recent
Mirror’s Edge, and the game’s “ultimate evil seeks to destroy
the world” plot isn’t exactly Shakespeare, but if you can turn your
brain off for a few hours, PoP makes for some pretty (if dumb)
entertainment.