Question for fans of The Prince of Persia: TsoT.

I just love this game. No matter how many times I play through it, it's always enjoyable and even more impressive than the first time around. I always see new details....things that needn't be there but really add to the game.

What made the first game so much better than the sequels? I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it, but after playing the trilogy back to back, neither of them comes close to the original. I mean, they use the same mechanics, the graphics are similar, etc.

So, what are some of the things that make TsoT the best in the series to you? Things that really stood out, that make you come back for more?

On a side note: I really can't wait to see the next one which will undoubtedly use the Assassin's Creed engine. Emergent gameplay, being able to choose your own route.....it's going to be amazing.

I think I'm one of the few people who believe that the Prince of persia trilogy got better with every game.

You are right in the respect that the sequel cannot be as innovative as the original because its hard to bring back what is already on the table with the first game without drastically changing the whole gameplay mechanics.

That said, I felt that the trilogy fine tuned itself with every game. In my opinion, it did a good job in sustaining the magic of the first. Even the dark attitude of the Prince (and Godsmack) makes sense in the overall scheme of the story. And the combat of the SoT was definitely weak and tightened up by the sequel.

And the whole idea of speed kills on T2T worked beautifully by bringing together the combat and the platforming very well. They just kept getting better with each iteration.

Lets see how the next tale of the Prince goes... they definitely have the awesome Assassin's Creed engine to work with... but I hope they don't make it too similar. Might sound strange, but I would rather prefer a mostly linear (with some independence) story for the next Prince than the Sandbox of Assassin's Creed.

I agree that the original has a certain charm that the sequels don't share.I think it is due to the storyline. SoT is a more straight-forward good vs. evil set up. The prince is essentially your typical fairy tale hero fighting to save his kingdom and the princess from an evil wizard. WW has more ambiguity in its story, you question whether you should be trying to kill the empress and change your fate. [which I thought made for a more compelling story, but was definitely less charming] Then there is the TT. IMO, its storyline is the weakest. The dichtomy between the Prince and the Dark Prince seemed very contrived and devolved into a big whining contest which I found very annoying. I also felt that TT lacked a fairy tale ending, so obviously, much less charming than SOT.

To tell the truth, I absolutely despised WW when I first started playing it exactly because its atmosphere was so totally opposite of SoT. Where the SoT Prince was light-hearted and charming, the WW Prince was dark, brooding, scarred and much too into Godsmack. I especially missed the little touches, like the Prince saying "no, that's not the way it happened" when you died. But WW really grew on me as I played it.

Of the 3, WW is my personal favorite due to the more compelling storyline and the better gameplay mechanics. SoT is my 2nd favorite due to its charm. And TT is my least favorite because I found the Dark Prince's whining to be very annoying and didn't think it really added anything new (I didn't find the quick kills or the chariot races all that exciting and I liked being chased by the Dahak (sp?) in WW better than racing around as the Dark prince in TT). Still, all 3 games are excellent and it would be great if they released a new one.

Of the 3,wW is my personal favorite due to the more compelling storyline and the better gameplay mechanics. SoT is my 2nd favorite due to its charm. And TT is my least favorite because I found the Dark Prince's whining to be very annoying and didn't think it really added anything new (I didn't find the quick kills or the chariot races all that exciting and I liked being chased by the Dahak (sp?) in WW better than racing around as the Dark prince in TT). Still, all 3 games are excellent and it would be great if they released a new one.

Solori

Loved the dahaka chases :P that was the last time my hands were full of sweat...

What made TsoT so much better for me was the interaction and character development between the Prince and Farah. It was paced perfectly, and really seemed to have an innocence to it. Both characters were naive and unsure at the start, and they eventually came together at the end, after their bouts of very humorous bantering. This just gave the game so much personality. It's one of a few games where I actually cared about what would end up happening to them.

Neither of the sequels really got it so perfect. The TT tried, but by that time both Farah and the Prince were veterans of the situation they were in, and lost their charm. Not entirely, but a large part. Farah also had a different voice actor and came off a bit as a spoiled child. The dark Prince was alright, but unnecessary. I really did enjoy the speed kills; they fit in well with the game's new plot. I thought WW was absolutely terrible in relation to the others. It just didn't work for me for a variety of reasons, which I won't even get into.

theamitgoyal: I misstated. I wouldn't want the next oneto be a sandbox type either, and agree it should have a set path....just one that would give you many possibilities based on the geography, etc. No more predetermined ledges and such. More edges of boulders, naturally created formations, etc.

What made TsoT so much better for me was the interaction and character development between the Prince and Farah. It was paced perfectly, and really seemed to have an innocence to it. Both characters were naive and unsure at the start, and they eventually came together at the end, after their bouts of very humorous bantering. This just gave the game so much personality. It's one of a few games where I actually cared about what would end up happening to them.

Neither of the sequels really got it so perfect. The TT tried, but by that time both Farah and the Prince were veterans of the situation they were in, and lost their charm. Not entirely, but a large part. Farah also had a different voice actor and came off a bit as a spoiled child. The dark Prince was alright, but unnecessary. I really did enjoy the speed kills; they fit in well with the game's new plot. I thought WW was absolutely terrible in relation to the others. It just didn't work for me for a variety of reasons, which I won't even get into.

theamitgoyal: I misstated. I wouldn't want the next oneto be a sandbox type either, and agree it should have a set path....just one that would give you many possibilities based on the geography, etc. No more predetermined ledges and such. More edges of boulders, naturally created formations, etc.

Rekunta

That pretty much sums up why I love the original. What an awesome game.