As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Prince of Persia IV: PoP+Okami+SOTC?

ClevingerClevinger Registered User regular
edited January 2010 in Games and Technology
Prince of Persia IV was announced today for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. It's being developed by the Assassin's Creed team, scheduled to be released at the end of this year. There's also another DS version in the works.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 28th April, 2008 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced that a new Prince of Persia is scheduled to release towards the end of 2008 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC. This new Prince of Persia marks the debut of the critically acclaimed franchise on next-generation consoles. Developed by Ubisoft’s award-winning Montreal studio and the same all-star team that created the previously acclaimed Prince of Persia® Sands of Time trilogy, Prince of Persia is opening a new chapter in the Prince of Persia universe, featuring a new breed of gameplay. The game is poised to rejuvenate the action-adventure genre in addition to introducing a brand-new illustrative art style.

Ubisoft will also release a Prince of Persia game specifically designed for the Nintendo DS™ system, featuring an entirely new storyline and new characters. More details to be unveiled in the future.




New high quality screens (5/21/08):

http://games.tiscali.cz//images/princeofpersiaprodigy/bog2.jpg
http://games.tiscali.cz//images/princeofpersiaprodigy/img1.jpg
http://games.tiscali.cz//images/princeofpersiaprodigy/img2.jpg
http://games.tiscali.cz//images/princeofpersiaprodigy/img3.jpg
http://games.tiscali.cz//images/princeofpersiaprodigy/img4.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/2zh33mb.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/2hr08ep.jpg

Then some new art:

http://i26.tinypic.com/2cqz288.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/308y1jl.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/5x8sgh.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/mmaib9.jpg





screens and art:



th_45775_New-POP_page1_122_149lo.jpgth_45777_New-POP_page2_122_111lo.jpgth_45778_New-POP_page3_122_627lo.jpgth_45785_New-POP_page4_122_592lo.jpg
th_45786_New-POP_page5_122_484lo.jpgth_45867_New-POP_page6_122_831lo.jpgth_45874_New-POP_page7_122_809lo.jpgth_45886_New-POP_page8_122_1131lo.jpg


Eurogamer wrote:
The game will be coming to PC, PS3 and 360 this year and is being developed by the original Prince of Persia: Sands of Time team at Ubisoft Montreal. It features cel-shaded graphics, and scraps the Sands of Time rewind powers. The gameplay centres on healing a corrupted world in the style of Okami, Shadow of the Colossus or The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Joypad's preview shows striking images of the game's "illustrative" visual style - a subtle and highly detailed take on cel-shading - and the new Prince, a colourful vagabond swathed in scarves. He wouldn't look out of place in a Final Fantasy game, the article's author points out.

Creative director Jean-Christophe Guyot told Joypad that the aim was to create a more fantastical game and "more poetic vision" than the Sands of Time trilogy, with which it shares no connection. "The previous trilogy mixed the Arabian Nights in with historical Persia," he said (in French, so please excuse our rough translation). "We decided we'd prefer to return to the tales of the Thousand and One Nights for something more colourful."

The move caused some consternation with Ubisoft management, he explained, although they never opposed it. "They knew we weren't going to make a second Assassin's Creed," he said. "However, they did raise their eyebrows a bit at the new, stylised artistic direction. They were worried the Americans wouldn't like it. There were many discussions, but they never said no to us."

Guyot said the style was "Zelda-esque, old school, with very contrasting levels". The settings will be more open and organic than in previous games.

The game's plot draws on a Zoroastrian myth: the war between good and evil gods (and twins) Ohrmazd and Ahriman. Ohrmazd wins and imprisons his brother in a box hidden in an oasis. But Ahriman is freed by an unwitting thief centuries later, and remakes the world in his image, corrupting all living beings. It falls to the thief to undo his actions and return colour to the world, and in so doing he turns from robber into the titular Prince.

He heals the land by killing boss guardians, in the style of Shadow of the Colossus or Twilight Princess, and unleashing the power of the light-wells they guard. The land is then transformed in real-time - unlike Okami's cut-scenes - with grass growing and lighting and colour changing dynamically as the Prince moves through the world.

Although combat is still an important part of the game, enemies will be much less numerous and more vicious. The emphasis is on one-on-one swordfighting duels, with a very dynamic camera. It's described as being more Soul Calibur than God of War.

Platforming has been less drastically altered, with the major addition being a spiked glove that the Prince can use to slide along, and jump from, vertical surfaces. The sands of time powers have been removed due to overuse - "the concept has been so used and copied, we had to move on to something else, put it to one side" - although a still-secret "something" will take their place and fulfil some of the same functions.

Structurally, the game will be a mix of open-ended and linear. The Prince is free to explore the world map and take on challenges in whatever order he wants - dynamic settings taking care of the difficulty curve - but each challenge will be a fairly linear assault course, maximising fluidity and acrobatics, and ending in a boss confrontation. The developers are hoping the bosses will have some of the strong personality of Metal Gear Solid's.

As a fresh start for the Prince of Persia series, it all sounds very promising. Look out for more details from the UbiDays event on the 28th and 29th of May.

Ether_Snake over at neogaf describes some things in the article:
I'll post some translation:


- Prince feels Amano-inspired. Looks like a celluloid/animated character (a bit like SFIV). The style itself is still in progress.
- Corrupted world needs to be healed.
- Story is much more "1001 Nights"-like, more fantasy, less grounded in reality but instead more magical yet still credible, more poetic.
- Player must unleash light-wells to heal the corrupted world, which shoots light into the sky, reminiscent of SotC and Okami.
- The transformation of the world is in real-time, with plants growing back to life as the world heals back and as the player can still move, instead of a mere cutscene, sky changes back to its normal color, etc., to give a strong sense of control and success to the player.
- No more time rewind and such.
- They are no making a second Assassin's Creed, they are making a new PoP.
- Art style was difficult pass through the management, but they never refused it, and eventually loved it.
- Story specifically: Orhmaz and Arhiman, twin gods, one good one evil, celestial battle, Orhmaz locks Arhiman away in a box which he hides into an faraway oasis deep within a desert. Centuries pass, and comes a troublesome thief (the prince) and Arhiman is freed somehow (not deep explanation given). Prince must undo his mistake. This is what they refer to as a more "1001 Nights" kind of story, like a fable.
- More open/organic environments. Has a Zelda-esque feel, old-school in themes.
- Bosses/player use backgrounds during fights (one shot shows an enemy pushing the prince against a wall as if trying to choke him, or another throwing him in the air).
- Game went through a few iterations; originally too open (felt big but not enough to do), at one point it was more like Assassin as far as open world (going where you want), but players would get lost and wander aimlessly and dynamism suffered as a result. Now instead it is more focussed with a clear road, but multiple paths can be taken (free to move from one map to another, back and forth, etc., more open than previous PoPs).
- The demo map shown to the journalist, old of a few months, has been scrapped design-wise because it was too Assassin-like, now it's more fantasy design-wise.
- Game world is made of nodes connected by paths, and you can go from one node to another as you wish (this is what they mean by less open, but non-linear; you can see the paths, but you don't have to going from A to B to C). The game adapts as a result (enemies from later visited locations might be more difficult, etc., for example zone A might be more difficult if you access it at the end, but if you accessed it at the beginning then it is easier, even bosses, depending on what order you fight them, adapt as such).
- Prince can slide along any walls using his glove. Game is as much vertical as horizontal.
- Prince has more possibilities of movement.
- Bosses inspired by MGS' boss quality; they are fewer but they have a story, a reason to be, they leave more of an impression on the player. Some are former nobles, sometimes acting against their will.
- They wondered if they should make just more enemies and try to do a God of War game and try to beat it on its own ground, or go for something different. They went with fewer enemies instead and a new combat style. Combats are duels. You can see the expression on the faces of the characters/bosses. Movement/action in fights is more like Advent Children, more cinematic in presentation.
- 140 people working on it, more to come, people from many projects.

Clevinger on
«13456768

Posts

  • DozingDragonDozingDragon Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Wow, this might actually be enjoyable. Looks a little bit derivative from a lot of sources, but in a good way.

    DozingDragon on
  • ZekZek Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    what is that

    there on his head

    Zek on
  • PancakePancake Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Clevinger wrote: »
    Ether_Snake over at neogaf describes some things in the article:
    I'll post some translation:


    - They are no making a second Assassin's Creed, they are making a new PoP.

    After that ending, someone better be fucking making a second Assassin's Creed.

    Pancake on
    wAgWt.jpg
  • EskimoDaveEskimoDave Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Pancake wrote: »
    Clevinger wrote: »
    Ether_Snake over at neogaf describes some things in the article:
    I'll post some translation:


    - They are no making a second Assassin's Creed, they are making a new PoP.

    After that ending, someone better be fucking making a second Assassin's Creed.

    pretty sure i read they were.

    EskimoDave on
  • ClevingerClevinger Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Pancake wrote: »
    Clevinger wrote: »
    Ether_Snake over at neogaf describes some things in the article:
    I'll post some translation:


    - They are no making a second Assassin's Creed, they are making a new PoP.

    After that ending, someone better be fucking making a second Assassin's Creed.

    The Sands of Time team usually starts a franchise and then moves on to different IP for another team to make a sequel. Ubisoft has already said it's a trilogy anyways.

    Clevinger on
  • bloodyroarxxbloodyroarxx Casa GrandeRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    That looks fucking awesome.

    Also new characters but is it a new prince?

    bloodyroarxx on
  • Evil MultifariousEvil Multifarious Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    this actually looks really interesting and i fucking love the graphical style

    really personal duels for combat sounds like it might fix my major problem with PoP

    also i love vertical 3d platforming.

    Evil Multifarious on
  • FilactairFilactair Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    I can't believe it's coming to the PC on day one.

    There is still hope.

    Filactair on
  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    EskimoDave wrote: »
    Pancake wrote: »
    Clevinger wrote: »
    Ether_Snake over at neogaf describes some things in the article:
    I'll post some translation:


    - They are no making a second Assassin's Creed, they are making a new PoP.

    After that ending, someone better be fucking making a second Assassin's Creed.

    pretty sure i read they were.

    This is a ham-fisted translation, what I think they're trying to say is they're actively avoiding making this new Prince of Persia feel more like Assassin's Creed 2, it's to be it's own unique game, both in regards to past Princes of Persia and Assassin's Creed.

    Fiaryn on
    Soul Silver FC: 1935 3141 6240
    White FC: 0819 3350 1787
  • ClevingerClevinger Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Here are a couple more pieces of artwork that were leaked a long time ago and ended up being real:

    th_47539_prince4_122_93lo.jpg

    And this one, who looks strangely similar to Natalie Portman:

    th_47546_prince5_122_343lo.jpg

    Clevinger on
  • DirtyDirty Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Okay, that shit right there is hot. A quality POP game is exactly what I need to wash AC's bad taste out of my mouth.

    Dirty on
  • psycojesterpsycojester Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    - Story specifically: Orhmaz and Arhiman, twin gods, one good one evil, celestial battle, Orhmaz locks Arhiman away in a box which he hides into an faraway oasis deep within a desert. Centuries pass, and comes a troublesome thief (the prince) and Arhiman is freed somehow (not deep explanation given). Prince must undo his mistake. This is what they refer to as a more "1001 Nights" kind of story, like a fable.

    I bet the Arabian world is really starting to fucking hate the Prince, How many times has he let the sealed evil out of the can now? You'd think they'd have some sort of decree stating he isn't allowed to leave home or open boxes anymore.

    psycojester on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • DesertChickenDesertChicken Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    God, taking cues from Okami AND SoTC? Shit sign me up, those are like 2 of my favorite games of all time.

    DesertChicken on
    PSN/XBLA/SteamID- DesertChicken
    LoL - Renon DeSaxous
  • Shooter McgavinShooter Mcgavin Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Wow, this looks like an impressive attempt at cel shading.

    Shooter Mcgavin on
    banner.gif
  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    It looks like a comic book. IE, fantastic. <3

    Glal on
  • UnbreakableVowUnbreakableVow Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    God yes. I've been waiting for a new PoP and I love this graphical style. And no time rewinds, fucking awesome. The bits I loved most in Sands of Time were when you lost the dagger.

    UnbreakableVow on
  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    No rewinds should force better level design that doesn't rely on them, and the combat news is all good stuff. I'm surprised it's coming out so soon, too; at least someone knows not to pimp a game before it's even ready to alpha.

    Glal on
  • elkataselkatas Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Hmh, I'm actually pretty disapointed with cell-shading. Idea is good, but actual implementation looks bland for some reason. Can't really put my finger on what is the problem, but... Oh well, scans say that they are still working on shading, so it will improve.

    elkatas on
    Hypnotically inclined.
  • SomestickguySomestickguy Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    From the other thread:
    Darlan wrote: »
    introducing a brand-new illustrative art style.

    Moar liek Prince of Celsia

    I is a psychic :D

    Somestickguy on
  • Dareth RamDareth Ram regular
    edited April 2008
    Pancake wrote: »
    Clevinger wrote: »
    Ether_Snake over at neogaf describes some things in the article:
    I'll post some translation:


    - They are no making a second Assassin's Creed, they are making a new PoP.

    After that ending, someone better be fucking making a second Assassin's Creed.
    This is Ubisoft. They sold millions of copies. What the fuck do you think they're going to do?

    Dareth Ram on
  • subediisubedii Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Am I the only one worried about the way the Prince looks like he's from the bad old days of Warrior Within?

    That and the talk of emphasising the combat and the boss fights so much. Maybe I'm just reading too much into that, but for me the real gameplay behind the series was always the stylistic acrobatics and where the construction of the levels themselves were huge acrobatic puzzles waiting to be solved. I mean, for me the last boss fight of PoP: Sands of Time wasn't the vizier, it was the final stage where you had to navigate everything without the sand powers. That was awesome.

    The combat was always passable, no matter how hard they tried to make it better. I really don't want them to try and best GoW at its own game either, that just struck me as a weird thing to say. Turning the prince from parkour to rage button masher and QTE expert galore doesn't sound like a great idea.

    Like I said, maybe I'm reading too much into this, but those preview notes just sound weird in what they're emphasising.

    subedii on
  • SomestickguySomestickguy Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    So has it been confirmed whether this is the same Prince?

    I mean,
    From the ending of Two Thrones we can guess that he becomes king
    and the original POP had a different prince too.

    Somestickguy on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited April 2008
    The prince is boring looking.

    Tube on
  • elkataselkatas Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    The prince is boring looking.

    Not angry enough for your tastes? :P

    elkatas on
    Hypnotically inclined.
  • piLpiL Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    I thought they were going to have you turn into a wolf. That would have been lame, glad I was wrong.

    piL on
  • Regicid3Regicid3 Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    I'm still burned out from Warrior Within, Sands of Time was amazing but WW killed it all for me.

    All of it.

    Regicid3 on
  • Lave IILave II Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    No more time rewind and such.
    No more time rewind and such.
    No more time rewind and such.
    No more time rewind and such.
    No more time rewind and such.

    Well shit. That doesn't bode well for the platforming.

    That and I want a sequal to PoP:SoT as we haven't had one yet. With a belligerent sexists gentleman - who I would totally be gay for.

    But I very much approve of people trying new things, and the art style is very interesting and pretty. Though the prince looks to emo. So I'm interested.

    Lave II on
  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    It just means that level designers won't have "well, he can just rewind time" as an excuse for putting in unfair sections you can't possibly beat first try.

    Glal on
  • Lave IILave II Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Regicid3 wrote: »
    I'm still burned out from Warrior Within, Sands of Time was amazing but WW killed it all for me.

    All of it.
    I know.
    Hold me.

    (Though TT does work well as an apology and managed to dig them out of the mess they were making. Though that doesn't matter now they started over - I like things starting over though. Games should do that more often.)

    Lave II on
  • Lave IILave II Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Glal wrote: »
    It just means that level designers won't have "well, he can just rewind time" as an excuse for putting in unfair sections you can't possibly beat first try.

    Not at all. The rewind time is about letting you quickly undo your mistakes rather than have to repeat things. It is the saviour of the platforming method, and should be in every platforming game. It's no more ridiculous and unexplained as 'extra lives' but yet it's so much better.

    Lave II on
  • EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    If the bosses are more dynamic and utilize the environment, that makes it sound like the acrobatic moveset will come into play for combat, as well. Perhaps less "run up to a guy, press a button for a combo" and more "giant boss throws you across the room, you grab a rope mid-air, shimmy up to the ceiling, and quickly move over to land on his head and stab him."

    EggyToast on
    || Flickr — || PSN: EggyToast
  • Mr_GrinchMr_Grinch Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Hmm, I am very much dubious about this news. I would have killed for just a prettier SOT (or Warrior Within). I loved each game in the trilogy because they were so close to the original POP. I enjoyed them being linear, I liked following a strict path and the concept of turning the game more RPG-esque is not one I'm keen on.

    Mr_Grinch on
    Steam: Sir_Grinch
    PSN: SirGrinchX
    Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
  • ChanceChance Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Looks beautiful. Don't fuck up the platforming gameplay, and I'll buy it.

    Chance on
    'Chance, you are the best kind of whore.' -Henroid
  • DanHibikiDanHibiki Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Chance wrote: »
    Looks beautiful. Don't fuck up the platforming gameplay, and I'll buy it.

    and if the combat is half as good as Assassin's creed, you can't lose!

    DanHibiki on
  • HarakhtiHarakhti Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Whats that say about the Boss and Metal Gear Solid? I can't read French :(

    Harakhti on
  • reVersereVerse Attack and Dethrone God Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Harakhti wrote: »
    Whats that say about the Boss and Metal Gear Solid? I can't read French :(
    Neogafman wrote:
    Bosses inspired by MGS' boss quality; they are fewer but they have a story, a reason to be, they leave more of an impression on the player. Some are former nobles, sometimes acting against their will.

    reVerse on
  • subediisubedii Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Lave II wrote: »
    Glal wrote: »
    It just means that level designers won't have "well, he can just rewind time" as an excuse for putting in unfair sections you can't possibly beat first try.

    Not at all. The rewind time is about letting you quickly undo your mistakes rather than have to repeat things. It is the saviour of the platforming method, and should be in every platforming game. It's no more ridiculous and unexplained as 'extra lives' but yet it's so much better.

    I would tend to agree with this. There were sections that I made it through first time just by the skin of my teeth, and it felt awesome. But for those occasions where I couldn't quite manage it, it was very useful to be able to rewind time slightly and have another go at that wall run, instead of re-starting from the last fountain.

    There might have been unfair sections of platforming where you couldn't really succeed without having failed in order to know what's coming, but if there were, then I didn't notice them. I wouldn't go as far as to say every game should have it, but it was something that really helped to reduce aggravation with platforming, and made acrobatic leaps and derring-do something fun to do instead of exercises in hit and miss frustration. The game was a lot more forgiving of mistakes, so you weren't as afraid to try those crazy acrobatics, you could just keep plowing forward, and if you made a mistake, just re-wind and try it again.

    I think SoT's approach was best in the way that it prefaced each chapter with a video of what you would be expected to pull off. That was a really good touch (and added a nice sense of foreboding to the plot on one or two occasions).

    subedii on
  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    DanHibiki wrote: »
    Chance wrote: »
    Looks beautiful. Don't fuck up the platforming gameplay, and I'll buy it.

    and if the combat is half as good as Assassin's creed, you can't lose!

    With the exception of being able to kick people off of buildings, the combat was as bad as the combat in Sands of Time.

    Couscous on
  • HarakhtiHarakhti Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    reVerse wrote: »
    Harakhti wrote: »
    Whats that say about the Boss and Metal Gear Solid? I can't read French :(
    Neogafman wrote:
    Bosses inspired by MGS' boss quality; they are fewer but they have a story, a reason to be, they leave more of an impression on the player. Some are former nobles, sometimes acting against their will.

    Oh, missed that. I dunno, it sounds pretty interesting. Art direction is looking up. Was it mentioned if Mechner has any involvement?

    Harakhti on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    So those are actual screenshots? Wasn't sure if that was concept art at first. Blimey does that look good.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
Sign In or Register to comment.