Because I am bored, I give you a good few reasons why this game deserves a shelf on GoG, and not just because of commercialising TFS:
*Dynamic combat:
PoP WW possesses one of the most dymanic combat systems of all time. I am no joking, the FFF system is a fighting systing developed that the gamer can choose his own way of fighting. DMC3 and GoW which were released at the same time possessed different dynamic combats, but IMO both games didn't even match the combat WW possessed. GoW is based on cinematic movement and QTE, DMC is based on flexible use of your limited movements, but PoP is purely free of those restrictions. That's why it's called Free Form Fighting. The variety of enemies and enemy types have also been encreased to challange gamers to use any possibility of the freedom to overpass the game.
*Harder Plattforming:
While the puzzles are out in WW, the Plattforming is much harder than in SoT. At each corner is a deadly trap or a bloodleeching enemy and requires the Prince to be more adaptive to his environment. New moves were also added, updating the gameplay immensely.
*Sands of TIme:
The Sands of Time which helps the Prince to survive have been improved. The slow time has been improved so that you can freez your enemy, traps, or hard plattforming to overcome them. Also some speciaql attacks were added for getting pasts hordes of enemys.
*Environment:
While the game didn't possessed it's charms of SoT, the game takes it's roots back to the classic Mechner game "The Shadow and the Flame". Dark dungeons, fallen ruins, mysterious temples, an island with an eerie athmosphere, the stuff which true warriors strive for. Oh wait...
moving on, the speciality in WW is that you visit the same places at different time: The Present and the Past. Each time gives you new ways to move on, and the environment takes always fascinating changes. It's a real underestimated uniqueness of WW which is rarely to see in games.
*Music:
I can understand some SoT-gamers who have issues with the new OST, but fuck them, the music is awesome! Ancient oriental elements mixed with hardcore rock! It's a strange taste, but fitting to the game's theme. Unlike SoT, the game also possesses background music, which are not of hardcore nature, but with solely Persian instruments, giving each level a fitting theme. Many game music maniacs still admires Stuart Chatwoods accomplishment.
*Designs:
If Ubisoft tries to make WW it's unwanted child but at the same time Jerry Bruckheimer uses actually the Prince's armor of this game, surely there are some good things the art department managed. Again, while WW did lack of the SoT charm, it has magnificent character and enemy designs. And I am not talking about the chick with the metal thong(although she is hot), more about other enemy designs.
The inspiration is again from SatF: The enemies possess pop culture elements like pirates, vampires(there was supposed to be a flying harpy like woman, but was cut out due extreme nudity) or ninjas with an orientalistic touch and wear mostly horrifying masks to make them look like monsters from a B-rated horror movie, added with explosive dogs and scavengers and sometimes crows, turning into bloody warriors with a leather fetish.
Still, the designs always possess a sense of originality, especially on the Dahaka, the main antagonist of WW:
Being the guardian of the timeline, the Dahaka's horns are so twisted that they show an infinty sign, to show that time goes an infinite road no one should dare to change.
If you try to block out the memories of SoT, you'll enjoy each model.
So, that's actually it. I found the story quite good, but that's not an element which should be added, since that's up to the gamer. My brother wasn't impressed, the "pals" at my school were impressed, my real pals were not, each dependent how they take on a game.
Also, with GoG having WW, bugs will be out faster than Ubisoft will remove DRM.
Plattform games foreva!
Post edited April 10, 2010 by Tantrix
