[Brashnir]

Forgotten Sands is a better game in every conceivable way.

Except visuals. Forgotten Sands looked like poop coming out of poop in comparison.

I'd love another game in the PoP 2008 art style, but with gameplay more in line with SoT or Forgotten Sands.

[Loaded Man]

I co-sign with everything the OP said. POP 2008 has been one of my favorite games of this gen. The graphics and music are still some of the best and it deserves a follow-up. I've seen lesser games gets sequels so why not this one? Hopefully Ubisoft will revisit this story once the next-gen consoles (Wii U, Durango, Orbis) are released.

[Grisby]

One big fact I loved about the ending though was:

The Prince never says a single word after picking up Elika. Guy's been a motormouth the entire game and is just silent throughout the credits.

Good stuff.

[Himself]

I'd like a sequel, but I can wait for next generation to be honest.

[Leeness]

This topic makes me too sad. :( I loved this game so much.

[Zapages]

An Ubisoft employee posted on gaf a year or two ago that they had a sequel to 2008 in pre-production, but it was quite unofficial. You can search for it in of the old threads. I imagine the project got scrapped or put on hold, along with BGE2, when Ubisoft decided to throw 900 employees at the yearly iterations of AC games.

Then it was canceled as things were not working out. Also it came POP TFS for the Wii. Then the team went on to work on a new PoP that is not connected the previous games at all.

[Mzo]

The gameplay was very deliberate and required some adjusting to, but once you got it down I felt that it was great.

Amazing art direction as well, just a beautiful game. Great story and great characters with above-average voice work and a non-standard, not really happy ending. The DLC kind of ruined how perfect that ending was just a bit, but oh well.

[Quicksilver4648]

I was so disappointed when I heard they were making a new PoP game but it was nothing more than a rush movie tie-in. I am still waiting for a proper sequel.

[Clipper]

PoP 2008 is one of my favourite games of the generation too. There's virtually no chance of a sequel, so I don't waste time hoping for it, but I would definitely be there day 1 if they ever did decide to continue with that style.

[Secret_Riddle]

PoP 2008 wanted to be more akin to games like Flower and Journey, even though those two obviously weren't out. Unfortunately, the series is known for its often challenging mechanics, so there was a degree of dissonance between expectations and the final product.

Personally, it's one of my fondest experiences of the gen. I often go back to replay it just to re-experience the world, and the dynamic between the Prince and Elika. I love the art, and there's a real flow to the acrobatics and combat that compensated for the lack of difficulty.

If they made a sequel, I'd be there day one. As for you Forgotten Sands people, it might be a better PoP game, particularly for fans of the Sands of Time trilogy, but it's not nearly as interesting.

[ShinUltramanJ]

I wasn't a huge fan of PoP2008 no matter how hard I tried. I'd rather more of the "regular" Prince games, which are just as, if not more beautiful.

[Jacksonlee]

one of the best games of this generation. :)

i'd really like a sequal, not the forgotten sands crap.

[likedamaster]

Such a better game then the later ones, and so beautiful. Prefer the artstyle over every other game similar to this one.

[Asriel]

POP 2008 was a massive, massive disappointment.

It truly is one of the most beautiful games ever put on a console, but that platforming and combat. Whooboy . . .

[PowderedToast]

POP 08 is the game you pick up at a chinese street market when you're looking for ico. it's comical how often it misses. i expect better from the french.

[bhlaab]

The game was garbage.

Aside from that. the art style was technically goregous, but felt like a soulless board room attempt to crib Ico/Shadow of the Collossus's style and then add a lot more bloom and primary colors so it's more marketable.

The game doesn't have a consistent enough mood to make it worthwhile. What about the game really necessitates the art style? And what does any of it have to do with Persia? It's very skin deep.

[TouchMyBox]

I really liked it, the art and music was beautiful and I really liked the characters (even if the prince is just nathan drake). I don't knock it for being overly easy because I don't often go to games to have them punish me. PoP2008 was a relaxing, beautiful time.

[smik]

Played and completed PoP 08 and got really repitive and boring, i would rather a sequel to this.




so much more enjoyable and the game mechanics worked so well together, One of my most enjoyable action adventure games this gen, coming from someone how wasnt always the biggest fan of PoP.

[sneaky77]

I have enjoyed most of the POP games, but I really loved the art and gameplay in this one.

[Haunted]

Fantastic art direction, great non-linear setup for progression and best banter in the series.


They've tried different things with the two key gameplay mechanics of PoP and some people reacted badly to that. They basically made the platforming rhythm-based instead of about deliberating the correct jump to make. Concentrating on having few foes and mostly one-on-one combat was a good idea but lacking in execution with too much repetition and an overreliance on QTEs in boss fights.

Probably my favourite modern PoP game.

An Ubisoft employee posted on gaf a year or two ago that they had a sequel to 2008 in pre-production, but it was quite unofficial. You can search for it in of the old threads. I imagine the project got scrapped or put on hold, along with BGE2, when Ubisoft decided to throw 900 employees at the yearly iterations of AC games.

That's roughly how it went, yes. The project actually made it into early production but was put on hold indefinitely.

[TripOpt55]

I remember them talking about how they wanted each fight to feel like a boss fight, but when you fight the same enemy like six times (without much variation), I think they start to just feel like regular encounters. I liked the idea of everything feeling like a boss fight, but I don't think they quite pulled it off.

[Haunted]

Yeah, really. No dying was just window dressing, nothing more than a nicer way of indicating you fell/died and respawned, plus we have games like Xenoblade where dying results in zero lost progress and I don't think I've seen any hate for it there.

That's because jRPGs usually have shit archaic design so when a new jRPG comes along that streamlines some of these needlessly annoying bullshit genre traditions it's rightfully lauded for it.

Not so much an issue with platformers. That said, I liked the removal of the retry/load/quit menu.

[Goldrush]

One of my favorite this gen. One of a handful of games that I could say was relaxing to play.

[Reuenthal]

pretty graphics, not good enough gameplay, the worst PoP modern game. Yes Forgotten Sands is a pretty good game and quite better and would like more games like that or the Sands of Time trilogy.

I'd love another game in the PoP 2008 art style, but with gameplay more in line with SoT or Forgotten Sands.

This is also acceptable.

[Nicktals]

Great game to play through once. Zero difficulty and zero replayability.

I would love a sequel. One of the most atmospheric and gorgeous games ever created. It's the same as any mass market game in my mind. We can't offend the player. We need to make this easy. They just dialed in on it too much. If you had given it multiplayer that made the masses feel like they were consistently accomplishing something they would have had a hit.

[ShockingAlberto]

Oh, oh

Fucking hated the "stop and talk" thing

Why would you regress your presentation and design that way?!

[dreamfall]

One of my favorite this gen. One of a handful of games that I could say was relaxing to play.

Amen to this! To the OP, I'm with you in every regard. It's one of my favorite titles ever, and I loved the Trilogy last gen (except pieces of Warrior Within; "YOU BITCH!" and wall running away from Dahaka with Godsmack blaring etc.).

I still get shivers watching this e3 2008 trailer. PoP Trailer

Elika was incredible. I hated the Epilogue DLC idea, but I played it regardless. Healing the land was so beautiful!

[Leeness]

That's roughly how it went, yes. The project actually made it into early production but was put on hold indefinitely.

:( :( :( Ugh. So sad.

Hopefully once AC3 comes out, maybe they'll pick it back up.

[RevolverFox44]

As it's the only PoP game I actually like I really want a sequel as well. Definitely one of the most beautiful games of the generation, and really the only complaint I have about it is the combat. At least there wasn't much of it, which I also really like because I feel games rely to heavily on combat. PoP '08 had the right amount even if it was poorly implemented.

I was SO disappointed when we got Forgotten Sands instead of a sequel. It was clear the PoP team put all their heart into the '08 reboot and hated having to go back to the old formula, Forgotten Sands felt so uninspired and phoned in. It wasn't terrible but utterly forgettable. A worse game in every way except combat, which there was entirely too much of.

[KenOD]

I've stated in other threads that I love this game, each of the LTTP and what have you. I get why people don't like it, why people prefer Sands of Time or the 2D versions or just the originals, but for me this is the best because it's the only one I want to return to.

It also holds one of my favourite stories and relationships in video games. Now I do it a bit differently, as far as I'm concerned I have my own "edit" and when the Prince places the body of Elika onto the stone podium after the credits have finished, the game ends. No cutting down any trees, no further adventures with Elika, that's it. It's far more powerful to me this way. It's not the greatest of stories, but it's one of my favourites where I cared about the characters and what they were doing even if this was a mission for a crumbling city.

To repeat myself from another thread.

It wasn't a romantic relationship, but from start to end with all that many many banter (of which I'm sure very few heard all of), indignation leads to respect that becomes love in a subtle and realistic manner. They aren't friends to start, they are forced to do a task together but it becomes so much more in an organic way rather than just close because the general plot demands it. Elika and the Prince develop real feelings for each other and build trust in a style of writing I wish we could see more of in games.
The Prince was a very different character from the start of the game to my edited end, and I imagine him just walking out of the desert silently. Considering I prefer happy endings, I appreciate this game for giving me something different.

I don't want a story sequel to this game, for reasoning above, but I do want to see the art style and focus on free flowing and running again. We've had other games that work perfectly well without any combat except for bosses, Prince of Persia no matter the story universe can have a great game that way.

Prince of Persia: The Fallen King on DS picks up right after Prince of Persia 2008!

Well again, I don't want a story sequel since I decide story wise to only count placing her on the slab and the credits ending. So that doesn't help me story wise. Game play wise it doesn't help at all because it just has bad controls with poorly made stages as far as I'm concerned.

Now something closer to Sands of Time for GBA with 2008's art style and just the Prince on Vita or 3DS, that I would go for.

Hey. Hey. Hating on Sands of Time is not allowed.

What if someone hates it because they couldn't die? We can't care if that's not how it happened, people have told me the only way to enjoy a game is if the player can die, have the game go back to the main menu and force us to "load game" again. I've been told this so many times it has to be a proper and well respected answer, it just has to be!

Just add in the option to actually die and then I will buy it. Loved PoP 2008 but not being able to die kind of killed it for me

I'm of course being silly with the paragraph I just wrote above about "hate", but if it's honestly an issue add the option to recreate the experience yourself of farther back checkpoints.Restart reset the game when you "would have died" and load it back up to the beginning of the area and you'll get the same effect. I can't imagine it actually helping the game any, but maybe it'll do it for you.

More work for you sure, but it's there and it's always been there. Just as those who complained about check points and being able to save at the level can always "start the game over again" for that experience by hitting New Game each time they die if it matters so much. Well, maybe not the people who love "GAME OVER" screens and artwork just for that, but I'm not sure how big of a group that is.

I found it challenging in trying to get a "flow" in the platforming, for lack of a better term. The jump assists were very forgiving but that fluidity of the movement was somewhat challenging. The combat though was really atrocious. Even I that loved the game can't find a way to defend it. Edit: One of the challenges I set to myself was to jump to those platforms where the corrupted soldiers would appear before they actually materialize so I could insta-kill them to avoid the combat altogether hehehehe

This is what I did with the game. In other threads people bring up "lack of real failure", but to me the game offered it because I wanted a smooth parkour experience. Everything to flow together, one smooth jump to another without a break in pace or movement. I mess up a jump and "die", it's broken that and I failed.

I also disliked the combat, but I disliked the combat in every Prince of Persia game outside of Sands of Time for GBA. So being able to cancel out the summoning enemy was perfect option for me to try and keep a speedy go and not fail in movement. If I did fail, well there was a cost of bad combat experience. This was far more effective then any "GAME OVER" screen would have been.

It was genuinely relaxing to play. A breath of fresh air compared to most games, which I try to beat on the hardest difficulty. Fantastic art design to boot and solidly good story (even with the ending that broke my heart). I do wish for a sequel.

Aye, relaxing. I've beaten the game and now I go back to it randomly over the years and just run through the environment trying for a perfect flow and going as high and as low as I can in the game world. Stopping at points to look around and enjoy the artwork presented for all it's environments and back grounds and even it's sky box for one section.

[Blondie]

It also holds one of my favourite stories and relationships in video games. Now I do it a bit differently, as far as I'm concerned I have my own "edit" and when the Prince places the body of Elika onto the stone podium after the credits have finished, the game ends. No cutting down any trees, no further adventures with Elika, that's it. It's far more powerful to me this way. It's not the greatest of stories, but it's one of my favourites where I cared about the characters and what they were doing even if this was a mission for a crumbling city. To repeat myself from another thread. It wasn't a romantic relationship, but from start to end with all that many many banter (of which I'm sure very few heard all of), indignation leads to respect that becomes love in a subtle and realistic manner. They aren't friends to start, they are forced to do a task together but it becomes so much more in an organic way rather than just close because the general plot demands it. Elika and the Prince develop real feelings for each other and build trust in a style of writing I wish we could see more of in games. The Prince was a very different character from the start of the game to my edited end, and I imagine him just walking out of the desert silently. Considering I prefer happy endings, I appreciate this game for giving me something different. I don't want a story sequel to this game, for reasoning above, but I do want to see the art style and focus on free flowing and running again. We've had other games that work perfectly well without any combat except for bosses, Prince of Persia no matter the story universe can have a great game that way.

While I don't agree with you on the ending, I loved what the prince does and it cements my love for both characters, what you've typed above is exactly how I felt about their relationship. And I bet most people missed out on it because they had to actively engage in pressing a button to get tidbits of interaction and conversation throughout the game to see it fully play out. This was a game that developed a relationship between its protagonists that grew on you, and by the end you fall in love with them. Something very few games ever even attempt, let alone pull off. It was beautiful and I for one am happy for the experience. I don't really need a sequel, the on disc ending was good enough for me...

[earvcunanan]

I liked it. The visuals and art style are really good. The platforming segments were fun to me, as were some of the boss fights (they did get repetitive, though). I'd welcome a sequel, tbqh.

[LOCK]

It didn't bother me that you couldn't die. The game explained that.

The platforming was good. Not great, but good.

The combat was horrible. HORRIBLE.

The story was great, and I loved the ending. So unexpected.

So yes, as one of my favorite games the year it was released, I would love to see a sequel that improved on this one.

[Razgriz-Specter]

I always looked at the ending as the villain is sealed away yeah but eventually someone would release him especially without Elika or her people there. so the Prince's love gets the better of him he revives her. better choice in the long run imo

[ctrayne]

.

[Asriel]

POP: SOT is actually one of my favorite platformers ever.

And none of the dialogue in any future POP can match the banter in that game, IMO. Such a beautiful, well-told story.

[Ledsen]

No thanks. Pretty pictures but the game played like shit (actually, I'd barely call it "played" at all). And as if the gameplay being on autopilot wasn't enough, the game was repetitive as all hell. After 5 minutes you'd seen everything the game had to offer. I'm glad there will never be a follow-up.

Game is fantastic. Complaints about difficulty are silly. Elika is just there to save you from annoying game over screens. No different. She doesn't complete platforming segments for you, just puts you back where you started. But, nobody ever listens to me when I say this, people love to keep on whining about the same thing. PoP 08 was also my first PoP game since the original (not Sands of Time, the ORIGINAL). I tried to play Sands of Time after and I just couldn't get into it. The camera was the biggest offender, and in that sense, Forgotten Sands was a lot more fun to play than the SoT trilogy.

Elika is fine. It's the incredibly lenient input timing, shallow gameplay and horrible level design (not visually) that ruins the game.

One of my favorite games this gen, and I'd love a sequel. I'm not going to waste time defending the game's design decisions; if you don't get it, you never will.

There really is nothing there to get. It's the McDonald's meal of video games: you finish it, leave the room, then you fart and suddenly you realize that whatever you got out of the experience just vanished into the wind by way of your ass, and you're just as hungry as when you entered.

[Ryuuga]

No thanks. Pretty pictures but the game played like shit (actually, I'd barely call it "played" at all). And as if the "gameplay" being on autopilot wasn't enough, the game was repetitive as shit. After 5 minutes you'd seen everything the game had to offer. I'm glad there will never be a follow-up.

[Lead Farmer]

The only thing I remember of that game is how bad the platforming was and how boring the battles were. I probably stuck with it just for the trophies.

[Cerebral Assassin]

I was SO disappointed when we got Forgotten Sands instead of a sequel. It was clear the PoP team put all their heart into the '08 reboot and hated having to go back to the old formula, Forgotten Sands felt so uninspired and phoned in. It wasn't terrible but utterly forgettable. A worse game in every way except combat, which there was entirely too much of.

Structurally & mechanically Forgotten Sands is better, the only thing that PoP08 did better was artstyle.

[Wonko_C]

That many people liked Forgotten Sands? I didn't find any of the magic from The Sands of Time in TFS, it all felt like a manufactured movie tie in (it actually was). In my memories, TSoT's world was fantastic and the music was unique, in TFS it was just your typical brown-grey next-gen game with music straight out of God of War, and the simple, yet elegant acrobatic combat was replaced with 50-enemies-on-screen-Dynasty-Warriors-clone bullshit. So hell yes I'd rather play 2008's automatic platforming and its dreadful combat is more tolerable than in TFS.

[Eusis]

That's because jRPGs usually have shit archaic design so when a new jRPG comes along that streamlines some of these needlessly annoying bullshit genre traditions it's rightfully lauded for it. Not so much an issue with platformers. That said, I liked the removal of the retry/load/quit menu.

Point, while I don't think some of that JRPG design's inherently BAD (depends on execution though, and some will do things out of some sense of mindless obligation or no effort at trying something else) it's refreshing to have it be so forgiving, especially with Dragon Quest, the originator, making a good chunk of the genre afterwards look backwards due to complete loss on death, no matter how otherwise easy or forgiving the game was.

Oh, oh Fucking hated the "stop and talk" thing Why would you regress your presentation and design that way?!

I do think that has its merits, but that's in the likes of Mass Effect 3, where you can easily miss some dialogue just because you moved a bit and caused SOMEONE ELSE to talk. I figure that'd be much easier to control in PoP, and it's not like there's anyone else to interrupt like in ME.

[Criminal Upper]

Except visuals. Forgotten Sands looked like poop coming out of poop in comparison. I'd love another game in the PoP 2008 art style, but with gameplay more in line with SoT or Forgotten Sands.

Frogotten Sands platforming is better, but that's about it. The story, characters, voice acting, graphics, music, were all a huge step back. The fighting system, (like all PoP titles) was terrible in both games.

[Haunted]

Game is fantastic. Complaints about difficulty are silly. Elika is just there to save you from annoying game over screens. No different. She doesn't complete platforming segments for you, just puts you back where you started. But, nobody ever listens to me when I say this, people love to keep on whining about the same thing.

Well, the actual argument is that it checkpoints after every jump, which is worse than checkpointing around sequences and gameplay "pockets" (ideally involving several or all of the gameplay elements - puzzling, platforming and combat).

As a PC gamer used to frequent quicksaving in games and thus determining save spots myself instead of letting the designers do that for me, this didn't faze me at all.

I looked at it as you did, as removing the retry/load/quit menu and simply streamlining the process.

[Cerebral Assassin]

That many people liked Forgotten Sands? I didn't find any of the magic from The Sands of Time in TFS, it all felt like a manufactured movie tie in (it actually was). In my memories, TSoT's world was fantastic and the music was unique, in TFS it was just your typical brown-grey next-gen game with music straight out of God of War, and the simple, yet elegant acrobatic combat was replaced with 50-enemies-on-screen-Dynasty-Warriors-clone bullshit. So hell yes I'd rather play 2008's automatic platforming and its dreadful combat is more tolerable than in TFS.

I think you may be looking back on SoT with slightly rose-tinted glasses, I don't think the artstyles are that different, & the combat was far better in FS( the combat in SoT is the worst since the franchise moved to 3D, it was tedious & was badly balanced). FS may well have been a fairly uninspired addition to the franchise, but it was well made & the platforming was eons beyond what I saw in PoP08.

[Haunted]

What I want to know about Forgotten Sands is what the fuck happened to the Prince's face?

I mean, simply design-wise, going from this



to this





stings a little.

[JGS]

Yeah, the fact that they didn't is what I like most about it. It deconstructs 'The Hero's Journey' by deconstructing the hero. Suddenly, it implies so much about what The Prince might think about himself, the world around him and his relationship with the world, and all that breaking down because, you know, fuck it.

I like a twist as much as the next guy. But all the way up to the end, there was no concern for her and no real indication that he loved her.

Even hinting at it would have made the story better and made the ending make more sense (Although I still would have hated being the bad guy). The entire goal of the game was to help her seal up the bad guy and she could have died at any point during that adventure anyway.

So to save one person, he felt it was better to be enslaved by that person and have who knows how many millions die all whle expecting to get the girl who risked her life sealing the bad guy up? Wat?

Unique twist but still insanely bad.

[Wonko_C]

I think you may be looking back on SoT with slightly rose-tinted glasses, I don't think the artstyles are that different, & the combat was far better in FS( the combat in SoT is the worst since the franchise moved to 3D, it was tedious & was badly balanced). FS may well have been a fairly uninspired addition to the franchise, but it was well made & the platforming was eons beyond what I saw in PoP08.

Probably 50% is good-old nostalgia as you say, (I did say "In my memories") but I really prefer the simplicity of the combat in Sands of Time. I played it less than a year ago and it still feels good to elegantly vault over enemies, use directional attacks, etc. Sticking the Dagger of Time into enemies to finish them off is incredibly satisfying. Overall I prefer the old Sands trilogy and 2008 over TFS. (Yes, even Warrior Within)

Yes, the platforming in TFS was good, but I felt the rest of the elements dragged the game down to the point I don't remember enjoying it. I'm waiting for a Steam sale to get the Forgotten Sands to play through it again, as I only rented it on the 360. They say the Wii version is closer to the old trilogy but I never got to play that.

[jvm]

Probably 50% is good-old nostalgia as you say, (I did say "In my memories") but I really prefer the simplicity of the combat in Sands of Time. I played it less than a year ago and it still feels good to elegantly vault over enemies, use directional attacks, etc. Sticking the Dagger of Time into enemies to finish them off is incredibly satisfying. Overall I prefer the old Sands trilogy and 2008 over TFS. (Yes, even Warrior Within)

Yes, the combat is elegant. However, it goes on for far too long because the move list is so limited and the enemies get more numerous and tougher without a corresponding increase in the power of the prince. IMO, of course.

Just to qualify, I consider Sands of Time to be one of the greatest games of the past 10 years. (Hopefully it's still within the last 10...man, PS2 launched so long ago...)

[Crazymoogle]

I liked 2008. Sure it was a more casual style, but that actually made me want to play it after work. The other PoP titles struck me as brutal "repeat this section over and over" games that I kinda grew out of years ago.

The thing I miss more, though, is that 2008 was kind of the last clear shot from the "golden age" Ubisoft Montreal, which had this almost "you can do no wrong" air to it. They had lower tier projects, sure, but also a bunch of big licenses and high-visibility projects (AC, PoP, Naruto, LOST, Far Cry 2, etc.) They didn't all succeed, but they had a hell of a lot of press attention and critical discussion. You can see how the state of the industry has forced the studio to extremely narrow down their focus.