I have been looking forward to this game since I first completed Sands of Time, and for me, unlike many others, it failed to disappoint. It is definitely better than the Sands of Time, which was a very straightforward game, too easy, and completed within the day.
Yes, the Prince has grown up, and he is no longer a boy looking for his father's acceptance. He is not as lovable as the original prince. I do not believe this to be a bad thing, for it truly reflects the story. People who say otherwise either have a completely different opinion, or are too obsessed with the fact that the game isn't "Persian" enough to focus on the actual story.
The prince is darker, angrier, and with a definite edge to his personality. This, I found to be very enticing.
However, There are a lot of problems with the way characters are dressed. The women in this game are scantily dressed, especially Kailina and Shadhee, who seem to be practically naked apart from their thin garments and very revealing armour. The prince also has a strange armour. Everything except his chest is absolutely wonderful. His chest though...putting it lightly, it looks like he has breasts from certain camera angles.
The music is amazing, still retaining much of the Arabian style, although others may have missed this due to the strength of the Heavy Metal in the background. It is all a matter of taste, really. Don't like the music? Turn the music off and turn on your stereo. There, problem solved.
The graphics are spectacular, letting you see true contrast between the past and "present". However, I regret that the graphics were dumbed down for the PS2 version of the game. Really, this is a game made for the X-Box, since it's that that has a lot of the cool features...although I've only played on the PC and PS2 versions of the game.
Fighting, as Ubisoft promised, is breathtaking. However, it is not quite as "free-form" as you might think. I found myself repeating the strongest moves in the game over and over, as I'm sure many others have as well. It is still strongly a free-form fighting system, nonetheless. You just have to learn how to use it.
I am definitely looking forward to a sequel. I suggest you go out and buy/rent this game, and see just how much better it is than the Sands of Time, which was undoubtedly good in its own right.
