Prince of Persia Impressions

Given the ease of converting PC titles to the Dreamcast, it's no surprise that Mattel is currently making a Dreamcast version of its Prince of Persia PC game, the latest in a fairly popular series of PC adventure games. The games take place in a fictional edition of 12th century Persia and focuses on the Prince character as he embarks on a quest to save his captured fiancee from the clutches of the evil Sultan and his freakish nephew, Rugnor.

The Dreamcast version of Prince of Persia will be the first in the Prince series to take place in a fully 3D environment. You'll guide the Prince through 14 different levels, avoiding traps and solving puzzles, and occasionally engaging in some sword-slinging combat. The game flows from ornate palaces to huge caverns to mystical ruins to haunting fortresses, keeping with the classic Arabian Nights theme.

Mattel promises to fix the problems that plagued the PC version of Prince, such as the difficult control and camera work. The Dreamcast version of Prince should feature a better control scheme, as the Dreamcast's analog controller lends itself well to these types of game. Additionally, Mattel is putting more emphasis on combat, sticking more enemies and more difficult bosses into the Dreamcast version of the game.

Prince of Persia for the Dreamcast is scheduled for a November release, which should give Mattel plenty of time to ensure that the Dreamcast version outshines the PC one.