Despite some very annoying technical flaws, POP: TSOT is extremely well done and is a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
-The Sands Of Time has some of the best character development of mostly any game out there. The Prince is such a joy to play, because he is portrayed in such a manner that you can't help but end up liking him, despite his flaws. Arrogance, confidence, self-righteousness-he comes alive, not only from these characteristics, but also because they are presented to the player in a brilliant way: inner monologue while you play. Very, very effective.
The Prince is joined by a female companion early on, and the constant bantering between the two throughout is not only extremely enjoyable, it works flawlessly and is perfectly paced. It allows for a much deeper look into who they are, what they are feeling and keeps you playing just out of curiosity of what is to come and where their relationship may lead. By the end, I actually cared about them which no game has done to me before. OK, now to the negative: with all that is so right, what doesn't end up working really detracts from the overall enjoyment. The main culprits:
-The camera. It is indecisive and never knows quite what to do. Though it is adjustable using the right stick, even then it is picky on what it allows. It's not such a bother except during the fighting where it becomes a major hassle. SInce you have to point in the direction of the enemy you wish to attack, having a constantly shifting perspective works against how the combat is designed to work. It can be at times become hair-pulling frustrating.
-Framerate. Not a biggie, but the game struggles to consistently maintain it all the way to the end and it becomes very noticable.
-The foreshadowing after entering each new room. Especially with a game such as this, I don't want to be shown exactly the path I'm supposed to take. Let me figure it out for myself. Also, the pillars of light that act as these (and save points) also are unnecessary. Saves could be done quickly whenever taking a drink of water from a fountain.
-And tiny things that become tedious: showing him sheathing his sword after every encounter gets really old, really fast. Once is ok, it is not needed after every fight. Speaking of fighting, while it's not at all bad, it really doesn't add anything to the game. Fortunately there are button combinations to deal quickly with different bad guys, so if you know what to do the fighting can be dealt with very quickly.
It just pisses me off. The quality of this game is so there that it frustrates me that it can be held back so much by these things. I can list more, but this is getting long. Overall though, POP is a masterpiece, but like the Prince himself, has many flaws.
They are overlookable, and to dismiss the game on them would be insane. Yes, I'm a bit conflicted.
Don't mind me. Play this game, you will most likely love it.