And finally, some PS3 impressions.
The game looks and sounds like a Sands of Time trilogy game. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.
The aesthetics aren't nearly as striking as those of PoP 2008, but I think it might run a little better. Definitely noticed some tearing on the PS3 though. Oddly enough, it seems to occur mostly during the cutscenes, but it can be noticeable when panning the camera, especially in open areas.
Controls are WAY better than PoP 2008, but it doesn't feel as good as in last gen's 3D PoPs. I mentioned this when talking about the Wii version, and it's not quite as noticeable as in that version, but the animation transitions can be a bit jarring, and the running and jumping lack the feeling of "weight" from last gen's titles. Still, it controls well enough, and the platforming feels good.
Combat's atrocious. I'm not sure if it's quite as bad as Sands of Time, but it's easily worse than Warrior Within and Two Thrones. I can already see that it'll quickly wear out its welcome. It's got an extremely rough and unfinished feel to it.
There are some design decisions taken with Forgotten Sands that set it apart from the Sands trilogy, and for the most part, I don't think I like any of them. As far as I can tell, at least the following features have been eliminated or otherwise diminished:
- No stealth kills.
- No special/environmental kills.
- Enemies can drop weapons, and weapon racks are occasionally found in the background, but you can't pick up any enemy weapons to use as temporary secondary weapons for the purposes of bulking up your offense or boosting your combo options.
- Water no longer heals or saves. Saves are automatic (no save multiple save slots), and health is recovered by collecting red orbs dropped by urns/barrels/enemies/etc. Incredibly lame.
- Blue orbs replenish water tanks [this game's equivalent of sand tanks], and yellow orbs count as experience that allow you to unlock additional moves, magic, and powers ala God of War.
- I've gotten to the point where the proverbial shit hits the fan, the first major power is unlocked, and it becomes possible to accrue experience and purchase upgrades. However, much like the Wii game, it's not very convincing in feeling like a Sands trilogy "interquel." Aside from the visual similarities, this doesn't feel like that Prince, nor is the game entirely succeeding in convincing me that this takes place, or belongs, between Sands of Time and Warrior Within. It seems that for every occasional remark like "Why is it always sand?" there's another that rather foolishly indicates surprise over some event or magic that, considering the Sands of Time context, really shouldn't be all that surprising.
I'll admit that some of the stand-outs listed above MIGHT be reversed as I progress. Gameplay elements are still being introduced. However, I won't be holding my breath. All in all, I'm not all that disappointed in the game, but it does feel like a B effort and a rather poor (not to mention unnecessary) attempt to cram another game in the "Sands trilogy." For what it's worth, I am liking it much more than PoP 2008.
Oh, perhaps it bears mentioning that there seems to be some kind of PS3 <-> PSP connectivity, though I've not yet had a chance to explore it. Might be something like what Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed Bloodlines shared. I'm surprised I didn't find mention of it in the manual or marketing materials.
Edit - Zapages, you asked me why I changed my PS3 preorder from Amazon to GS? The challenge mode that Gamestop provided (survival mode) is different than the one available for purchase on UPlay (time trial). Beating the game will also unlock a third, called endless tides, or some such.
