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Ubisoft sunk to a new low - Prince of Persia Sands of Time gets a new box art!

Zapages

Member
This was such a bizarre news. I actually had to go check it out myself as we all know the reputation of kotaku. :| Anyway it is true, and Ubisoft have sunk to a brand new low to attract casual folks to the series... ehh at least Sands of Time is a classic game.

In a way this is hilarious because the cover art prince does not even look like the prince in the SOT game. But still Ubi this is like getting a bit too desperate.

2003's Sands of Time holds a special place in Prince of Persia fan's hearts, its cheery tone and beautiful colours a pleasant break from the series' usual browns and greys. Six years later, Ubisoft has gone and messed with this.

How? By changing the game's box art. Up top there is the original cover art used by the game, as it appeared on everything from the PS2 to the PC. It's not the prettiest, we'll admit, but there is blue and yellow on there, and the Prince looks like a Prince of Persia, not an extra on a Judas Priest video.

Now, seven years later, Ubisoft has changed the box art for the PS2's Greatest Hits version of the game, replacing it with art from the new Prince of Persia game, Forgotten Sands. All that's different is the small subtitle underneath the logo. Stupid, and confusing. Reader Peffse nearly fell for it over the weekend, and it took a helpful store assistant to point out that the game he was about to buy was in fact a seven year-old platformer, and not a new title.

Ubisoft, we know there's a new movie to promote, but this isn't how you do it.


New box art cover for the greatest hit version of PoP Sands of Time one the PS2:
500x_popbox2.jpg


From Amazon:
Source: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009ZVHY/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Original Cover:

500x_popbox1.jpg



Japanese cover of the PS2 version of the game:
340x.jpg


Source: http://kotaku.com/5545824/ubisoft-ruins-prince-of-persia-box-art
 

vid

Member
Wow, they didn't even make new artwork for it? That's just sad.

Edit: Although it amuses me that the subtitle for "The Sands of Time" looks more like it belongs there than the rather generic "The Forgotten Sands" text.
 
The only PoP I ever played was the 2008 one. Really liked it. Is there a special place in hell for me since I have not played any of the others? :lol :lol

Did these release for PC. If so, I will play them on my new rig later this year.
 
The_Inquisitor said:
The only PoP I ever played was the 2008 one. Really liked it. Is there a special place in hell for me since I have not played any of the others? :lol :lol

Did these release for PC. If so, I will play them on my new rig later this year.

Only Sands of Time is worth getting, really. Don't even go near the turd that is Warrior Within.
 
I don't get what the problem with this is. More people get to play a great game in a cover designed to pick up marketing buzz: OH MY GOD QUICKLY START A PETITION.
 
The_Inquisitor said:
The only PoP I ever played was the 2008 one. Really liked it. Is there a special place in hell for me since I have not played any of the others? :lol :lol

Did these release for PC. If so, I will play them on my new rig later this year.

Play Sands of Time, don't play the rest.
 
The_Inquisitor said:
The only PoP I ever played was the 2008 one. Really liked it. Is there a special place in hell for me since I have not played any of the others? :lol :lol

Did these release for PC. If so, I will play them on my new rig later this year.
Sands of Time is on PC. You should probably check it out, though it is quite a different game from the 2008 one.
 

glaurung

Member
Scythesurge said:
Sands of Time is on PC. You should probably check it out, though it is quite a different game from the 2008 one.
Yes, the old game has some unique features, like the ability to die.
 
whatevermort said:
I don't get what the problem with this is. More people get to play a great game in a cover designed to pick up marketing buzz: OH MY GOD QUICKLY START A PETITION.

Nah, just looks really desperate of them..
 
I dunno, it's not like the original box art was very good. And the new box art doesn't seem to be misrepresenting the game, either. Scruffy-looking prince with sword and sand. Sure, he's not striking the Spider-Man pose, but he makes up for it by not looking like a horse-man.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
seems like a smart move to me. the more people who play SoT, the better.
 
Have you seen the new Ghost Recon? This isn't even close to a new low. It's not like the original cover was anything special to begin with, generic shitty cover art. In the middle of a wall run right next to a conveniently placed window just so they can cram a cityscape in, sword in hand with sand sprinkled around for no reason other than to tie it into the game's title, and he's looking straight ahead but slightly up like some teen emo facebook photo. No better than this, really:

920439b.jpg
 

Brazil

Living in the shadow of Amaz
Rez said:
seems like a smart move to me. the more people who play SoT, the better.
Yeah. Way to overreact, OP. Ubisoft has already done much worse than this.
 

farnham

Banned
I NEED SCISSORS said:
Play Sands of Time, don't play the rest.
Two Thrones is really good and not as crappy as Warriors Within

The_Inquisitor said:
The only PoP I ever played was the 2008 one. Really liked it. Is there a special place in hell for me since I have not played any of the others? :lol :lol

Did these release for PC. If so, I will play them on my new rig later this year.
PoP Sands of Time is the best game in the PoP series including the old ones. (actually its the only 3D PoP games where Jordan Mechner did some work too)



its probably the best western thirdparty game last gen
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
farnham said:
Two Thrones is really good and not as crappy as Warriors Within
even WW has SOME redeeming features. but there is just SO MUCH to hate about it. even its past/present system is kind of questionable, and its centralised environment, which I usually love, suffers from some major back-tracking issues in the late-game.

I'm glad I played it, but I'm not about to play it again.

Two Thrones isn't SoT, but it a damn fun, well-rounded game. It was also a totally worthy way of wrapping up the story that SoT started and WW needlessly complicated. The ending was ace.
 
Darklord said:
Activision might be arseholes but Ubisoft is really slimy and underhanded. This is pathetic.

Hang on, why is it slimy and underhanded? They aren't selling it as a new game; it's still the same game, on an older format, sold using the marketing for the film that it shares a name with. It's just marketing, and it's sensible marketing, if you ask me; there's lots of ten year old kids who'll love the new film, who'll have a PS2 and want to play the game based on it. Might as well give them the same aesthetic in the product, right?
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
It's no more underhanded than a book publisher making a movie-flavoured cover to an old book that has recently been adapted, ala Lord of the Rings.

robochimp said:
Books made into movies do this all the time
what he said
 
Scythesurge said:
Sands of Time is on PC. You should probably check it out, though it is quite a different game from the 2008 one.

Great. Hoping it's on steam. Will def. pick up to play on my new rig in a few months time.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
They're releasing this to coincide with the movie, right?

Why wouldn't they change the cover and promo materials to more closely match the movie's aesthetic?
 

Darklord

Banned
whatevermort said:
Hang on, why is it slimy and underhanded? They aren't selling it as a new game; it's still the same game, on an older format, sold using the marketing for the film that it shares a name with. It's just marketing, and it's sensible marketing, if you ask me; there's lots of ten year old kids who'll love the new film, who'll have a PS2 and want to play the game based on it. Might as well give them the same aesthetic in the product, right?

It's there to confuse people.
 
Let's be honest, PS2 owners are getting the better game.

Where the hell is the Sands of Time re-release with a new movie-like cover anyway?

Also the Japanese cover of The Sands of Time is clearly the best
 

Takao

Banned
This is the company that has done this:

x2rk12.jpg


Which is simply a port of this:

6011.jpg


Not to mention this:

prince-persia-r-s-psp.jpg


Which is a port of this:

the-two-thrones.jpg


Rival Swords eventually found itself on the Wii. Shady renames, and package changes aren't new to Ubisoft.
 

Struct09

Member
Who cares? If it helps sell more copies of a great game, so be it. I don't think anyone who already played SoT will be tricked and pick up the PS2 version thinking it's a new game.
 
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