Forever may not be long enough
The original Prince of Persia is a landmark platform adventure that introduced gamers to an entirely new and cinematic way of playing, and which set the bar for things to come. The Sands of Time is a continuation of the series after a couple of other sequels, but stands as a sort of reboot for the franchise, and resets the storyline to tell its own tale of high Arabian adventure. Fortunately, it does a great job of keeping to the core appeal of the original but also adds in plenty of new ideas and it remains a first class romp. The delightful plot finds the Prince sneaking into a besieged castle to steal a legendary dagger with the power to manipulate time, but gets caught up in an evil vizier's plot which ends up with everyone getting turned into sand zombies. The Prince must now battle against these zombies and attempt to put things right before it's too late. What follows is a superb 3D adventure which built upon the foundations of things like Tomb Raider and its own predecessors, and which combines fast-paced platforming, combat and puzzles with truly exciting wall running and a great storyline. The Sands of Time is definitely a game which holds up well today and which still offers a lot of fun. The visuals have aged well, not suffering from the same problems as games from the earlier days of 3D, while the various gameplay elements are implemented so well that the game feels very fresh and varied, with elements like the time traveling adding much to its appeal. Throw in an enjoyable and well told story and you have a near classic.
