Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PC) (2003)

See my post for the GCN version for more screenshots from the PC version.

Recommendation:
The main reason to play this game is for all the wall-running and wall jumps. While the graphics are old compared to newer entries in the Prince of Persia franchise and the Assassin's Creed franchise (same developer), this game was the first among them which incorporated various climbing and parkour-like game mechanics.

The Prince

Of course, this series reboot had the additional mechanic of being able to rewind time and use various other time-related abilities in combat.

Having mentioned praiseworthy aspects of the game, there are two big flaws with the game. The first is the camera system, which can sometimes switch directions at the most inopportune times. Then again, camera systems in many 3D adventure games are finicky, but I think it's quite noticeable when playing The Sands of Time.

On a related note, I find the directional movement with respect to the camera angle unintuitive and sometimes it forces me to use the dagger to rewind time.

Vault enemies!

Getting back on topic, the second big flaw of the game is the auto-targeting system which can prevent pulling away from a fight at full speed or dealing the killing blow. While possibly more complicated, I would have preferred an auto-targeting system which I can toggle on and off.

On top of those two major flaws, I would like to inquire on a small detail. Why doesn't the music play endlessly during fight scenes? Can't the music just loop repeatedly until I'm done fighting? For whatever reason, the answer is no, and sometimes I take so long to fight enemies that the game just gives up on me and lets me fight in silence.

Put them out of their misery.

With all that being said, I have to be honest and say that even after a decade, the game still looks good and still a lot of fun to play.

[20140417]

20140417:
A decade has passed since I've played this game, but feeling nostalgic I started it up.

Setup: For whatever reason, I had to turn the fog off for the graphics to display correctly on my computer.

Leap from column to column.

Tips and More:
: You'll see short sand stacks after you unleash the Sands of Time. Walk up to them and press E. You'll want to collect as many as you can to maximize the amount of sand you can hold.
: When jumping from pole to pole or from pole to some destination, simply rotate to the direction of choice and then, without touching any directional movement, press the jump button. I used to think you have to hold the direction you want to jump, but this isn't true. There are some situations where you have to press the direction you want to go, but going from pole to pole is not one of them.
: There's a couple of things that you can do before you're told you can do them. For example, executing a wall jump attack or using your dagger to slow time.
: You can't jump over blue (double blade) enemies.

FAQ Used:
During the first boss battle, I couldn't figure out how to fight my father. After several tries, I gave up and went searching for how to complete the battle.
"The [sand goons] should be dispatched first and foremost. While they seem endless, there is a finite amount."
After doing the above, fighting the Prince's father was a walk in the park.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PC) (2003)