Future Publishing
1st August 2006
Categories: Review: Software
Author: Leon Hurley
Publisher: Ubisoft
Machine: PlayStation Portable
Published in Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine #69
Revisit the Prince's 'difficult' goth period
Prince Of Persia: Revelations
Ignore that 'Revelations' bit, because despite the title, this is essentially Warrior Within, miniaturized and squeezed onto the PSP. It might claim to have new levels, environments and combat moves, but you'd be hard pushed to spot any difference. And those of you with good memories might remember we gave the PS2 version a 9/10 back in 2004. So if this is identical, how come we're only giving it a 6/10 this time round?
There's nothing wrong with the gameplay; the acrobatic exploration and combat is as exciting as ever. It looks stunning (despite some impenetrably murky early levels) and both the controls and camera work perfectly. Which is crucial, given the precision needed to navigate obstacles.
Where it fails is that it's woefully adapted for PSP. Lengthy re-loads between deaths and a long rambling structure, ill-suited for playing on the go, spoil the experience. It doesn't help that it also freezes randomly to load during play, sometimes several times in a single room - murder if you're trying to time a jump past a hazard at the time. This constant disc access also takes its toll on your PSP's battery - two hours gaming can kill it dead.
There are also bugs. At one point we had a one-legged but otherwise perfectly mobile Prince. Far worse, one level jammed into a loop where we repeatedly died immediately after falling through a solid platform. It's shame, because if you can grit your teeth through the problems, there's a classic game crying out to be played.
Verdict
Graphics 90%
A showboat for the PSP's abilities.
Sound 60%
Rarely in synch with the action.
Gameplay 60%
Spoilt by poor loading and checkpoints
Lifespan 80%
There's a huge adventure to get through.
Overall 60%
Abundant faults make it impossible to recommend this over the original Warrior Within. Save your money and get Warrior Within second-hand on PS2 instead.