Forgotten Sands is a poorly disguised remake, but loads of fun nonetheless.
I rented it (because having been burned so many times in the past with new games, I always rent before I buy now and save so much money in the process) and when the game finally dropped through my letterbox it was with a child-on-christmas-morning level of excitement that I put in the disc and fired up my 360.
And for the most part I wasn't disappointed. The graphics were certainly up to par (though not outstanding) and the gameplay was as intuitive and fun as previous games.
However, on more than one occasion, I couldn't help feeling like I'd played the game before. I quickly realised why - Forgotten Sands is an obvious rehash of previous games, specifically Sands Of Time and to a lesser degree, Warrior Within. The opening sequence is almost identical in places to Sands Of Time. The environments look virtually the same, though refined and updated. There is even an achievement called 'Memories of Azad', and I couldn't help wondering if this was a sly nod from the developers to acknowledge the fact that this 'new' adventure leans heavily on the same blueprint as the 2003 classic. It even has the same flaws - namely lacklustre combat and being too short.
I know this is supposed to be a direct follow on from Sands Of Time, but a few new gameplay mechanics wouldn't have gone amiss, and they could have at least used the combat model from Warrior Within (which was pretty cool, and definitely the best combat in the series). But no. And as a result, Forgotten Sands almost feels like a step back for the series.
Having said all that, Sands Of Time was an outstanding game, and Forgotten Sands brings to the table all the elements which made the first game great. So, whilst you will constantly be jogged by a sense of deja vu, chances are if you enjoyed the previous games, you'll like this one too.