(While we normally feature current games on Baxy-Z, we never forget how the gaming industry got to where it is at right now. Here is our new series, titled Classic Game Review, where we re-review games from the previous generation and beyond. Enjoy!)

With the announcement last year about a new Prince of Persia game, it got me thinking about one of the greatest platformers to ever be released, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Has this game stood the test time, or is it just a load of rubbish now? Hit the jump to find out.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Release Date: November 6, 2003
Platforms: Xbox, PS2, GameCube, PC
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft

When I went back and played through The Sands of Time, it is apparent that when this game was released, it was way ahead of its time. While the game today doesn't look as good as games released for the 360 and PS3, considering its age, it still looks incredible. The opening scene where you have to fight through the streets is just as intense as it was the first time I played the game.

For those who don't know the story, the Sands of Time is about The Vizier who tricks the Prince into releasing the Sands of Time with the Dagger of Time. This turns all living beings into monsters in the land. Only three people are not affected: the Prince (since he has the Dagger of Time), The Vizier (he has a magical staff), and the love interest in the game, Farah (she has a medallion that protects her). The Prince and Farah must go through the kingdom to get back to the Hourglass which holds the Sands of Time, close the hourglass and return everything back to normal.

Since the Prince possesses the Dagger of Time, this allows you to control time in the game, which is the big gameplay feature of the game. With the dagger, the Prince can rewind time up to 10 seconds. So if you miss a jump, or you get killed or anything, you can rewind time and give it another shot. But there is a limit of times you can rewind the game, so to keep your dagger charged, you must kill enemies and absorb their sand into the dagger. It is a really awesome mechanic, and the Sands of Time handles a rewind feature way better than any game that has been released recently. Other than rewind time, the Prince can also use the dagger to slow down time, and freeze his enemies if he strikes the enemies with his dagger.

The Sands of Time is a traditional platformer through and through, but one thing that makes the Sands of Time so enjoyable is the fact that the Prince is incredibly agile, and the animation in the game is unreal. It is really awesome when you get through a giant room where you run on walls, jump from pole to pole, swing on branches, and then make it to the top of the room. You look back and think, "I want to drop back to the bottom of this room so I can do it again."

There are also some little puzzles in the game, which aren't that hard to figure out, but are enjoyable to say the least. One puzzle has you figuring out a way to get into a bathtub with a nude Farah, so that is always enjoyable. Another thing this game does extremely well is character progression. Watching the Prince transform from this warrior to this bad-ass running on walls and killing monsters is really cool to watch.

Even to this day, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is an incredible game. For being almost seven years old, I was just as impresses with it now as I was 7 years ago. If you have access to the game, I would highly recommend playing through it, if you have not already. I promise you will not waste your time.

A-

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