First Impression - Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

Prince of Frustration. This game is hard, in both the platforming and the combat aspects. Not only must you have the wits to solve some crazy puzzles, you absolutely must be a seasoned gamer (else I don't imagine you ever finishing the game). The relentless action had me tearing my hair out for many nights, and I even gave up on the game for a few weeks. Platforming requires planning, timing (oh the timing), and careful attention to detail. It wasn't uncommon for me to repeat levels at least 30 times before I got down pat what the hell I was doing. Walkthroughs helped me finish the game.

At times I wasn't even enjoying Prince of Persia. The music began to annoy me the 30th time around. The game enemies began to feel like my real enemies. Playing felt more like routine and work than fun. Good thing the story is simple and straightforward, otherwise I wouldn't even remember or care what happened because I'd be too busy with the long, difficult gameplay. And yeah, the game felt excruciatingly long. I even wished for all the grinding to be over just so I could beat the game and get it over with.

I won't argue against the quality of the game, though. Prince of Persia was flawless. The atmosphere was unique and delivered very well. I enjoyed the setting.

Bottomline: You have to know what you're doing. You have to be good at games.