subject: Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands For Wii Game Review [print this page] Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is the latest in the Prince of Persia series to be released for the Nintendo Wii gaming console. Currently being developed by Ubisoft Quebec, it is unique in the sense that it is an inter-quel release, meaning it does not take place immediately after the last title that was released but somewhere in between previous releases.
While most video games tend to be released sequentially with the latest instalment following in time immediately after the last, The Forgotten Sands is a sequel to The Sands of Time and a prequel to Warrior Within.
Returning to the same storyline, The Forgotten Sands title picks up within the seven-year gap between the two titles, with the Prince discovering his brother's royal palace under siege from a powerful army hell-bent on destroying his brother's kingdom. In a last-ditch effort to save his brother's fate, the Prince chooses to embark on an epic adventure to search for and eventually wield the ancient power of the Sand.
Nintendo Power magazine reports the Wii version will revolve around a female genie seeking the Prince's help in order to free an enslaved kingdom from some sort of mysterious evil power. The Prince gets three new magical sand powers in the Wii version of The Forgotten Sands, a Sand Ring, pillar and protection sphere, all of which the Prince obtains through discovery of a magical phial.
The Sand Ring, functioning as a sort of wall grip, allows the Prince to climb areas with no grips or ledges. The pillar allows the Prince to climb higher, while the protection sphere protects him from falling and getting caught in traps.
These sand powers will aid the prince throughout navigation, combat, and puzzle-solving scenes. These powers eventually serve other purposes, such as activating other special powers.
As with all good Wii titles, The Forgotten Sands will take advantage of the Wii's specific platform abilities like the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
During combat the Wii makes use of its motion-sensing capabilities. The player swings the Prince's sword by flicking the Wii Remote, while flicking the Nunchuk makes the Prince throw a punch. Other moves will simply use standard button presses, as the Ubisoft developers felt further use of motion controls would make the game tiresome and difficult. The Wii version will also feature a cooperative multi-player option.
The Forgotten Sands title is set to be released May 18, 2010 in North America and May 20 in Europe. The game's release is set to coincide with the May 2010 release of Disney's film adaptation of the game, even though the game is not a direct video game adaption of the movie nor does it contain any film elements.
