by: Corey Peace

January 27, 2006

In The Two Thrones, you eventually get to play as the Dark Prince, the cold-hearted, self indulging “dark” side of the Prince that takes over his body. This one character explains a lot from problems people had with Warrior Within. Because the Prince was dark, evil and a cold-hearted “bad-ass” in Warrior Within, his emotions and feelings were so strong that he actually created this alternate personality of himself which formed a mind of its own and was finally able to spawn when the Prince is corrupted by the Sands of Time in The Two Thrones. Of course at first it seems that the Dark Prince, who is able to converse with the normal Prince, is there to help and ultimately seeks the same goal but, it quickly becomes obvious that he has other ideas in mind for the Prince. The Dark Prince does wield the Dagger of Time but it is not his primary weapon. He wields what is known as the Daggertail, a chain-like whip that is perfect for mid-range attacks and any other Indiana Jones style attacks.



Graphics
As expected, the graphics are again truly amazing but are beginning to show the current-generation’s age. The Two Thrones has basically what some would consider the same graphics engine from Warrior Within with a slightly updated feel. I’m not exactly sure why, but for some reason the CG movie graphics are just less spectacular than the in-game graphics. I mean sure, the CG graphics are better technological wise, but they just seem to be lacking the same feel that you come to know and get use to with the in-game graphics. For example, in-game the Prince has a pretty ripped and detailed chest, but in CG graphics he seems to have no muscle tones or any detail whatsoever. Also, the CG graphics sometimes seem to be a little bit blurred out in certain areas but it is ever so minor. Now that the focus of the story is completely taken place in Babylon, you will notice that you spend about 75% of the game running through the streets and across the rooftops. Here, yet again, the graphics are very well suited for what one would expect this time period to look like. Each building is incredibly detailed, the streets are littered with tons of objects and I not once noticed a slow in frame rate at all. All and all the graphics are just as amazing as you would expect them to be and then some.

Sound
Fortunately and unfortunately there is no Godsmack backing the soundtrack this time around. In the end and because of the Dark Prince, the reason why a band like Godsmack was in Warrior Within is slightly more justified, but in The Two Thrones, it throws back to the soundtrack you would expect to hear from The Sands of Time. A sometimes intense and sometimes mellowed out Persian/Arabic themed soundtrack plays in the background and is ultimately the best one to grace the series yet. The mood set by the amazing in-game graphics is only intensified when the even more amazing soundtrack kicks in and gives the game the true feel of the ancient Persian Empire. The voice acting is just as well done as it has been in the last two games. The Prince has abandoned his “bad-ass” personality, carries the same voice, but doesn’t speak in such an egotistical and prideful way as he did in Warrior Within. Not to spoil any of the story, but characters that are introduced later in the game, including the Dark Prince, are also voiced accordingly and truly blend perfectly together with others.

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Consider this the grand finale of the Prince of Persia trilogy, because it is. The Two Thrones is easily the best game in the series. It takes the best elements from The Sands of Time and the best elements from Warrior Within and mixes them all together, creating the basis for the final installment. Story wise, The Two Thrones wraps up the Prince’s tale with killer progression and the ending everyone has been waiting for. The game play is the best of best yet again and truly redefines the action-adventure genre of today, paving a path for greatness to come. In the end Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones is not only the best Prince of Persia game ever, it really is one of the best action-adventure games ever.

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