Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time | Retrospective Review

[@PastoKage]

Such an important game in the videogame industry. A real game-changer, often forgotten!

[@antdude]

"Never forget!"

[@nooneknows19]

Emma Bos It sold 14 million copies.

[@PastoKage]

@@nooneknows19 yap

[@jasonnguyen1072]

Eh, the classic Prince of Persia games are the real game-changers (notably with their lifelike animations) that are often forgotten.

[@ricardo.compere8504]

Ytyytyyyyytyyt/tttttttttyytytttyy will and update your unusual 77u

[@viniciusmaidana2159]

This is without the shadow of a doubt, one of the best games of all time. And like you said, it has some of the best pacing ever in a videogame. You never feel bored, you're always having fun, you always feel like you're moving forward, you always feel entertained by the story and gameplay, you're always pumped by the soundtrack. It's an absolute masterpiece.

[@aryan7767]

EXCEPT THE CASTLE SECURITY SYSTEM> IAM STUCK THERE AAAAAH. I am finally playing this game after i used to play two thrones and warriori within as a child

[@aryan7767]

surprising how its still fu. cause i started with two thrones and then played warrior within and now playing sands of time bu ti dont feel mecahnically held back when playing SOT. although its annoying how at the end of combat they just do a slow mo of him putting his sword back every damn time

[@ChrisPTenders]

This game is a masterpiece. It's a work of art, and a classic. Definitely in my top ten games of all time as well. You should totally do a retrospective on the sequel, I love that game as well. Warrior Within, super serious edgier sequel done right.

[@Eunostos]

Was "Warrior Within" the one that opened up with a leather-clad female antagonist's butt? Decades later I remember how hard I face-palmed at that.

[@jarg8]

@@Eunostos it is. That game is an absolute embarrassment.

[@jarg8]

@Cyberdemon Mike I agree. It's probably the best unintentional comedy I've ever played.

[@Pastadudde]

@@Eunostos well, no one said that WW was perfect LOL.

[@rmsgrey]

Warrior Within also shipped with several fairly major bugs, including one game-breaker - unlike the first game, which is pretty much a linear one-way path - you can often backtrack a little way, or move relatively freely within individual rooms, and there are a number of side-paths of varying lengths that lead to secrets, but, overall, it's a sequence of rooms and corridors connected by one-way doors, and even within rooms, the acrobatic pathways are often one-way even when they loop back (the layout in 3D space does loop around and there's one room you visit twice, but you have different entrances and exits on the two visits). Unlike that, WW has a central hub room and a series of paths that lead away and return to that hub, letting you go back to look for life upgrades you missed (getting all of them gets you the secret weapon and an alternate ending). At a certain point in the game, timey-wimey shenanigans break part of one of those paths, which was supposed to be fixed later when the worst of the timey-wimey is finished, but, while they restored the art, they forgot to restore the level geometry so there's a crucial ledge the Prince can't grab. So if you head that way along the one-way path from the hub, you end up trapped in a dead end - and there's at least one save point after the point of no return, so if you're not suitably paranoid with your saves, you can easily end up having to restart the entire game, rather than just being locked out of the alternate ending.

[@LoganRando]

One of the reasons I love your reviews so much Mike is because the style, tone, and focus on development history takes me back to my youth watching G4 tech TV. They often played these 40 min documentaries that were done similar to your style, with interviews from the developers, and a narration overlay. They take me back to the summer days, doing chores around the house with my brothers for the promise of pizza from mom as a reward. Perfect Dark paused on the N64, 84 degrees outside, and a G4 marathon playing on the CRT TV... P.S from one editor to another, love the new motion graphics! Best, Logan

[@gorfimus]

Still one of my favourite games of all time as well!

[@Perjoss]

possibly the best 3D platformer ever made

[@gamelegendalpha1737]

Sergio Xisto part of me likes the sequel more but it's still a great game

[@janecasper846]

@@gamelegendalpha1737 I've ran though two thrones and sands of time the most.

[@vanyadolly]

I'm still amazed by how smooth and fluid it is whenever I go back to it. It just *feels* better than other games.

[@EzioYuio]

Wasn't expecting a Sands of Time retrospective review. One of my favorite games to be honest, and the PS2 PoP Trilogy is IMO, one of the best video game series. Warrior Within and The Two Thrones might not be as impressive as Sands of Time but they still give a satisfying feeling when you've played them from the beginning to the end. Not to mention all three games have amazing soundtracks.

[@gamelegendalpha1737]

EzioYuio I think warrior within might be my favorite in the series but I loved all three of the games. And you're right about the soundtracks.

[@slavicgaming]

I’m actually playing this game right now

[@jonopheimhurlen6155]

I am playing it now

[@eluukkanen]

This fascinates me as a developer. The bug part. Knowing this in advance is going to help a lot in post-production. Thank you for the video!

[@DJDizzy8]

Between this development cycle and GoldenEye N64, It is wildly amazing what these developers did back in the day. All this under such extreme and often harsh circumstances.

[@EdreesesPieces]

Mike, I just purchased the trilogy collection blindly because you made this retrospective. (I have never played any of the games) I don't want to see it until after I play and finish all three games to truly enjoy this. That's the power you have!

[@ResonantArc]

Hope you like them! They were my obsession back in high school.

[@SimOmega47]

Good choice! Sands of Time is sooo good! But the fighting quickly becomes limited, easy and repetitive. It's story is even more epic, engaging and memorable than a classic Disney's fairytale. This game made me cheer and cry all along. Warrior Within's fighting, story and level design are freaking awesome, many hidden secret stuff/weapons to find and the world is semi-open; but the character graphics suck, the women's dresses are ridiculous, and I really missed interacting with someone. And be sure to find all the secret life-shrines to get the REAL ending! :O The Two Thrones is simply a bad game. The fighting has become slow and feels unnatural though the new additions are welcome, the autonomous-cutscene-assassinations are utterly repetitive and boring, level design is completely illogical (flipper springs and dagger sockets on the backstreets walls 0_o? What happened to the old simple flag poles and killer traps?), character graphics & designs are even uglier than in WW, all the characters' personalities have been rewritten, you never interact with anyone, story and dialogs are cheesy and tasteless, the game is too easy even on hard. They tried to go back to SoT's style after the backlash against WW's dark& edgy tone, but failed miserably.

[@daveonezero6258]

Such agood game. It was maybe a bit simple but everything felt sooo good. And adding things to it didn't really add much as they did with the sequels. I remember playing thorugh it multiple times in a row. Was always a joy.

[@csongorcsizmadia6765]

The game's animations (the Prince especially) look astonishing even though it is 16 YEARS OLD!

[@raresmacovei8382]

Yep. Both SoT and WW animations still look smoother than Two Thrones.

[@raresmacovei8382]

@@bilbobaggins9451 I wouldn't say rushed, but heavily changed through its development.

[@rekunta]

Thanks for taking the time to speak on the development. Fascinating stuff. I just finished a recent playthrough again and the game really is a masterclass in design and is easily one of my all-time favs. Nearly everything about it is nigh flawless. I especially love the character development and bond that grows between the Prince and Farah....if you look at her in first person she’ll initially say, “What are you looking at?” which becomes, “Please don’t look at me like that” to “Your eyes....they’re green” then finally to her saying “I don’t mind” when the Prince apologizes for staring at her. There’s really a feeling of attachment and camaraderie by the end, which makes it all the harder to see what happens. One gripe I have to lay at the game’s feet (and something I’m surprised you didn’t mention) is its camera. SoT has one of the worst cameras I’ve ever seen in a game. It’s indecisive, has a mind of its own, and constantly conflicts with the level geometry. In combat inside close quarters it’s so bad I’d argue it nearly approaches game-breaking levels. It’s all the more jarring as all other aspects are of the highest quality, and I’m amazed it was allowed out the door in such a state. Yeah, they don’t make them like this anymore. SoT’s sequels aren’t even in the same ballpark in terms of quality. Perhaps due to Mechner’s absence, but they cannot compare to this masterpiece.

[@edgarlarios4718]

I only played through it twice, once when it first came out, and once was the HD remaster over a decade later. Both times the game blew me away.

[@12ealDealOfficial]

From beginning to end, your coverage and presentation are among the very best. Excellent work, ResonantArc!

[@LadenIsle]

I also love how the combat and platforming both complement each other unlike some of the other platformers and action-adventure games of the time where they would feel jarringly separate from one another.

[@38kob]

your videos are so good that i often find myself watching ones about games i've never played and don't otherwise find interesting. but i'm always entertained and feel like i've learned something applicable beyond gaming. hope you're able to continue this channel for many years to come!

[@WanderingMachine]

As a teenager I was completely OBSESSED with the PoP games. 🤩

[@MastrDante]

I completely forgot I was subscribed to this but glad that I get more content.

[@Makornak]

Rotation around the different magazine pages and enhancing the relevant quotes was very well done.

[@crystalaga9686]

Your reviews get better and better each time Mike. Very well done!

[@PhoenixEdge]

This was fantastic, I've never played this game and I watched the entire thing... I can tell how hyped you were to create this! - Hat

[@monkeybtm6]

a game can be short, a game can be long but a game can be TOO short, or TOO long. i agree with you on this game though, its short, but not too short.

[@TheWolfgangGrimmer]

I've only ever played ever played the 1989 game. I used to play that for hours and hours when I was a child, fascinated by the sheer brutality of the level design. I am now quite intrigued by this one, albeit for completely different reasons. Also, as eluukkanen said, having been immersed in the world of software for three years, all that background information was captivating, not to mention quite precious.

[@pelgervampireduck]

play the trilogy, it's worth it. not as awesome as pop 1, but it's worth it.

[@viddysgamingviddyos4710]

You do this game more justice than I could - right down to talking about the development [esp. the pre-production] which I was aware of, but not to this extent. Speaking of which, I think there are still a few bugs left in the game - someone spoke on KZbin of the GCN version having certain glitches or problems or something, which I never encountered on the PC version. The level and puzzle design, as well as structure and sense of progression - makes this game quite possibly one of my favourites of all time.

[@captainironbat251]

Patrice Desilet also directed Assassins Creed 2 and Assassins Creed Brotherhood. Some of Ubisofts finest games (he was the creator of the Assassins Creed series, left since now). I'd say he was their best director and responsible for their Golden Age.

[@ResonantArc]

Brotherhood was definitely my favorite, so I agree for sure.

[@captainironbat251]

@@ResonantArc He probably left because Ubi$oft infringed his creative freedom with Assassins Creed and wanted to milk the franchise without him letting him end it with a satisfying and thrilling conclusion. They just kept going on with cliffhangers. I think it should have ended with AC Revelations with a satisfying ending with Desmond in present day with those who came before. But Id say AC3 was the last one that had the essence of AC though.

[@patsg1146]

This game was such a revolution in the industry! Just think for example how its platforming and traversal went on to inspire Tomb Raider Legends, and then Uncharted! I agree with you on the perfect length, but it's only weakness is the fighting system. It a monster blocks the overhead jump, a wall dive will kill it.

[@aniketsanyal5586]

Commenting now, can't wait to watch this review! Love the depth of analysis on this channel, always, and I've had some fond memories playing this game with a good friend around 2004-2005, on an original Xbox at the time. Did play a bit of warrior within and a later game (two thrones?) as well, but sands of time definitely is a special one. Keep up the good work!

[@tounsi_m7ashesh]

Dude this is such an excellent review

[@main_stream_media_is_a_joke]

21:16. This is why PoP-TSoT is an EXTREME rarity in gaming. There is absolutely no fluf and the story, levels, combat, mid story expositions have an unparalleled smooth flow that never feels boring. To this day, this game beats almost all games that I have played so far....with the exception of Homeworld. This truly was the golden age of gaming imo.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Once again, you guys goes far and above with your retrospectives. The thing about project management is extremely important, since all AAA video games are mega projects. Something that people fail to realize. I highly recommend watching KZbinr Lambhoot's video on MGS5. There is discusses the concept of "Software Engineering", basically project management for software projects. That really opened my eyes to how much of things in games come down to leadership and planning.

[@KAZUNARl]

damn... this is what I call a DETAILED review

[@slowmercy69]

I've been looking for a thorough review like this :) can't wait for a WW review if you're up to it

[@maddux1188]

This channel needs so much more love like wtf is wrong with people. This is such smart and thoughtful content. (Sigh)

[@johnnyscifi]

I miss your guys' content...i hope you guys have been well

[@maxwortel8986]

Man I hated that "Puzzle with the 4 pillars" as a lil youngN. Hopefully they'll remaster PoP or make a trilogy like It

[@Hadz00ks]

top quality presentation, really enjoyed it - I hope your compliments and your love for the game will reach the game makers

[@evilzzzability]

This game is an absolute masterpiece. One of the best of its generation that really showed how video games can be both art and storytelling of the highest calibre

[@janecasper846]

I'm currenlty going back to the game. I honestly. miss games like Jak, PoP, old assassins creed. I feel like this mass consumerism has mad place for mediocrity. Products that are okay. But designed to be that way. For money... No passion. When we say they dont make it like that anymore... It applies here as well :( In one video you sum of what many want. Thank you. That passion is still at work today. Unfortunately stifled by the greed of a few.

[@janecasper846]

And we can;t forget the best game of all time of course... Dark souls. It made me get good >:)

[@mohsensoleymanee6620]

I really liked it's credites song "Time only knows" , It used to be my ringtone.

[@ThirdEye732]

Awesome retrospective! I hope we see your takes on Warrior Within and Two Thrones someday!

[@zeroskaterz92]

Love this game so much. Have no problem replaying the game over and over again.

[@ComradeSeanski]

even if the remake looks to be on a smaller budget, im still excited to experience this game for the first time since i missed out on this franchise during the ps2 days

[@dedicatedcommunist6544]

God, can you imagine how even more amazing this game would have been if they had more time to finish it?

[@cyclops8238]

I bet it could have been even better but I think the time cuts and having to make it a more minimalistic game make it better

[@keeplookingup911]

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time is indeed a masterpiece. This is one of those rare gems that never gets old.

[@Franglaiso]

This is such a good review, its almost like a documentary. Really good work.

[@zam6877]

This was wonderfully nostalgic Seeing areas that I remembered, the growth of the prince, and his earned relationship with the princess. She has her poo together! I wasn't a very good player at the time, but got to enjoy the charming way it ended... Now, I want to play it again!🥰

[@SpringboardThought]

I was just looking for a review of the game, since finding it on my ps3 I recently dug out. But this was really stellar content.

[@g3neralrevan27]

Always love the reviews, this is a great game. This review was a little heavy on reading about development for the entire first half. You usually break it up, took a while to get to the game/review itself. Thanks for a great video

[@ResonantArc]

I actually agreed while I was editing it. I'll try to find ways to summarize more in the future.

[@g3neralrevan27]

@@ResonantArc really appreciate the reply, love the work you do and how much you guys listen, thanks

[@differentxminds9907]

Great video. I love in depth your thinking is about what features an audience focuses on when a game is received well or poorly.

[@MrKing1990]

I found your channel today because I was looking for some understanding of the FFXV story. After watching a few of your videos, I'm subscribing. Great videos mac.

[@ds90seph]

This was not only an important game to my childhood, but the entire series influenced me as a writer, and Yuri Lowenthal's performance inspired me to investigate voice acting, and to pursue it as a potential career path. The time elements blew me away, the platforming was fluid, acrobatic and downright badass, and the combat was fun and engaging, even though it would get repetitive at times. The developers have always held a place in my mind and my heart, and when I heard that some of the team worked on Outlast as well, I was instantly intrigued. These guys, this game, and this series deserve more eyes and more praise. They ain't perfect, but damn, they were a hell of a ride.

[@Silvergun_Raven]

I played this on Xbox back in early 2004 and was just enthralled by everything. I even loved the two sequels, too!

[@liambarrett666]

Fantastic video. As much as I love RPGs, it was a welcome change of pace to see a different genre covered. I particularly liked the way this review edited as well. Keep up the good work! :)

[@caturiges]

One of my favorites action games in the sixth generation, along with Ninja Gaiden for the original Xbox.

[@GonzoMD1993_]

Really loved this game when I was a kid. Recently I've gotten into speedrunning it (which skips several of the main puzzles in it xd but is still fun to execute precise glitches and tricks). It's great to see it still getting attention nowadays.

[@daamazinfatb0y752]

Prince Of Persia Trilogy------>Assains Creed Franchise

[@chrisbg99]

Loved the game a ton when it was released a decade and a half ago but for some reason whenever I think of my top 10 GCN games for some reason I always forget about it. I started a new game on the HD remaster last night and I asked myself why I did again. Probably because I never got into the next games in line as the overall style departure just didn't work for me.

[@aquanecromancer5776]

I grew up playing this game ad nauseum. It came to completely dominate my thoughts. Its art, its atmosphere, the history implied by its environments, they consumed my imagination. This game is a part of me, buried deep within.

[@pequodott]

I played it last year, it still holds up. I hope Ubisoft releases an HD trilogy soon (hopefully for the Switch)

[@TheBeird]

Always wanted to play this. Just eluded me all the time. I wonder if the film adaptation did it justice. Must have done if it starred Jake Gyllenhaal, the most Prince-iest of all Persians

[@BrotherB1ackHeartSavage]

Movie was trash absolute dog shit

[@Bbslushieee]

Legit thought this channel was gone.. glad to see new content though

[@sauratanar]

This was my first console game ever. Didn't finish the game, but plan on doing that soon

[@AceSSB]

I don't understand why youtube never gave me a notification for this video when it releases :( I love these reviews!

[@LuckyRoooyt]

sands of time is a classic for me and happy to see that others agree. Great video!!

[@PurpleSnake]

One of the best games I've ever played. The gameplay is amazing; the combat, while repetitive at times does provide with some serious challenge (the good type). The Prince wasn't some super human or fought like your standard knight with a broad sword, instead he was a normal, regular human being that was simply exceptional at both various types of combat as well as acrobatics. I'd even say his best ability is the latter as it truly gives him a genuine advantage over most foes - even those physically stronger and more powerful. The parkour itself wasn't just a defining feature of The Prince but it also was something we had never seen before in gaming - at least not to that extent and ESPECIALLY not as refined. If you hop toward an edge you know you will stick to it (I have no idea how many other games seemingly have problem with this kind of stuff where you should be able to make certain jumps and maneuvers but you apparently don't). And you know what makes the revolutionary parkour even better? The layout and puzzles. Seriously, man. Those puzzles... Sands of Time has some of the absolute best puzzles I've ever come across in any game I have ever played. At least to me many of them are a real challenge (specially when I was a kid) BUT they're never overly cryptic or unbalanced. And to finish off my comment I just wanna mention how the final battle in the game in-before the final boss is one of the most emotionally powerful battles I've probably ever experienced. The setup to that fight is just... :'( ... And then you see The Prince's emotions as he's engulfed in rage (just as you, the player, also probably are) and is hell bent on revenge as well as fixing the whole timeline. That battle just felt so powerful as a kid. I felt what the main character felt at that moment and despite ALL enemies being the hardest ones you don't care, because all you want to do at that moment is destroy them all before going the final stretch toward the Sands of Time. Just magnificent.

[@captainironbat251]

Wow you have a knack for game design. You should be directing triple A projects at Naughty Dog. I think you'd do a decent job.

[@patrickweller5254]

Great video Mike. I've never played a Prince of Persia game, but it looks interesting as hell.

[@hadarych9]

Great video! I would love to see the Warrior Within retrospective on your channel =)

[@Isvoor]

If there is something missing in the story, I think it's a midpoint encounter with the villain. There's such a massive gap of time between the prince seeing the hourglass carried up the tower and the moment when he actually gets to the tower. There isn't a strong feel for how close the tower is for most of the game after that. Even just a fairly brief moment where the prince gets to eavesdrop the vizier, or perhaps hide from the vizier's unleashed powers (since he obviously knows magic), would have really helped remind the player of the goal.

[@reznorcp4157]

Can't wait for your review of the other 2 in the trilogy

[@antdude]

Where can we see and read about the postmortems and that were shown?

[@nngnnadas]

24:00 but is it a resonant... arc?

[@MrNuclearturtle]

I would love to see a remake for this game, which includes some of the cut content aswell. This was easily one of my favourite games on the original xbox, absolutely loved the game

[@josesanroman1988]

its painfull to see how much effort they put on this masterpiece and later end up making the same assassin´s creed game year after year for more than a decade

[@Whoeverthatis-g5t]

I love imagining the Prince explaing to Farah how he missed that wall jump and then died because he had no sand anymore ... "wait how am I still here then ?"

[@9Nifty]

I feel like a lot of game design was traditionally centered around mechanical challenges, rather then spectacle, or open world faffing about. For example, one of the best parts of assasin's creed 2 were the sectioned off platforming challenges. We saw the same with super mario sunshine. Then developers decided to cut these challenges entirely and with it we lost our roots.

[@joeiznang]

I loved this game. Noone else I know played it! Poor them

Wouldn't it been cool if this game vase hand drawn? I mean seriously, only dragon's lair get timeless animation but prince of Persia didn't even get a good remaster?

[@brandonzamora5470]

My favorite game of all time, have all the entries in this franchise, hope it gets more games besides the remake.

[@Robert-tl2vg]

Great video. Really enjoyed this. Keep it up

[@TheManiacc45]

18:34 Ah the good old elevator fight! Fight is SO Difficult!

[@jcaceres516]

Thanks to this game we got Assassins Creed. Unfortunately cause of AC we wont get a new POP game

[@Dusty_Jack]

I miss this game. #bringitback👌

[@Hero_Of_Old]

I really wish they would re release this. I've lost my ps2 and never completed it when I was a kid, would love to play It again

[@blakebrown668]

this is one favorite games next to Kingdom Hearts and Knights of the Old Republic I don't get why people stop doing these kind of games

[@SirFooplesTheThird]

I remember the first time I finished the game. I looked at the clock and thought "wow those 7 hours flew by. Time to replay it" and I did. Every time I play TSOT time just seems to fly by like a river. Not like a storm in an ocean

[@binkbonkbones3402]

I bet a combination of the fight system they eventually implimented in sands of time and those bugs where the enemy would forget their objective and not see the player lead eventually to the stealth and combat systems of the assassin's creed games

[@yassinehadd1835]

one of my favorite games of all time

[@spartankongcountry6799]

Fantastic presentation.

[@noneofyourbiz5973]

Music in the beginning reminds me of Missy Elliott "Get Your Freak On"

[@12ealDealOfficial]

Can't unhear. Man, I just dated myself for catching that.

[@JourneyTo20XX]

Just finished the game today. The ending was depressing 😭

[@raphaeljorge]

Great video about this amazing game! BTW, how about a quick review on Infinite Undiscovery? Its an amazing "SIDE-B" RPG.

[@FraserSouris]

I disagree with the combat. I found much too shallow and chore like to be interesting. Firstly, against regular enemies, vaulting, ejects etc were able to bring them down quickly. And counter attacks could often take most enemies down. As a result fights felt more like repeating your main moves rather than responding to threats. WW and TT improved by allowing more variety and options in fights but didn't incorporate enough acrobatics to really set it apart. I felt bored in most fights in the series.

[@marcelodamm]

One of the bloomiest games that ever bloomed. A masterpiece nonetheless. Congratulations for the great video!

[@sebastianesilva398]

What's the name of the song playing at 19:30 ish?

[@DammitBobby]

Wheres the ffvii remake e3 reaction!

[@paulothx138]

I like this narrator, i think he is the guy from Valve and ID Software documentaries.

[@machr293]

I still encounter enemies sometimes in the game that don't react to me, making it easier for me skip a fight, but considering they are zombies that seems fair enough behaviour.

[@ExExister]

Sands of Time is also in my top 10. The only thing I don´t like or look forward to when replaying is the door way puzzle at the end.