Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time comes nearly 15 years after the original Prince of Persia was released. Fifteen years ago, gamers were intrigued by the game that saw the Persian Prince avoiding traps with acrobatics and defeating enemies with his sword. Not only did the game deliver a clever adventure, but it also made gamers think; think about their next move, the next puzzle, just about everything. The game became an instant classic. Now, Ubi Soft has released a new game in the Prince of Persia franchise that is every bit as intriguing as the original, and more. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time may very well go down as a classic, and it has my vote for Game of the Year.

The game itself is told mainly through narration from the Prince while you are playing the game. The voice acting is superb and may very well be the best voice acting ever in a game. The narration also allows gamers to continue with the action while listening to the story. Occasionally pieces of the story will unfold through full motion videos that will leave players wiping drool off of their chin, especially if you have a progressive scan television. The Prince will often have discussions with himself out loud, debating things such as marriage, life, his purpose, and more. Not only is this very entertaining, but it also gives the hero a concrete personality and a very human quality, something video games often leave out. One of the greatest things that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time accomplishes is that the story is every bit entertaining and immersive as the game-play itself.

Aside from the great presentation of the story, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will have players entertained by flipping, swinging, wall jumping, wall running and fighting Matrix-style through the castle in which the game takes place. There are so many moves the Prince can do that you often end up wondering how they fit everything into one controller. Furthermore, the game's controls are so intuitive that, with just a little practice, every move is easily accomplished, and you will need every move. The game's story plays well into the actual gameplay. Without giving too much away, as the Prince, you end up with a dagger that controls time itself, which in turn has transformed all of the castle inhabitants into sand creatures. With the dagger you are able to control time, allowing you to rewind, slow down and even freeze time.

In every room, the Prince has puzzles of sorts to accomplish. In every case you must thoughtfully navigate the Prince through wonderful environments by using his arsenal of acrobatic moves. One false step and the Prince is dead... but not really. Through the dagger the Prince is able to rewind time allowing the player to try just about anything. Don't think you can make a jump? Give it a try and if it fails, just rewind. You are limited to a set number of rewinds that increases as the game progresses. This feature could have easily turned out "gimmicky". Instead, I can't imagine the game without it. It fits into the story so well and becomes one of the most clever integrated systems ever to be incorporated into a game. The other time elements are not incorporated so well, and really, I hardly ever used them. Occasionally I would use the slow down feature in a battle sequences and to navigate quick moving traps, but none of the other time elements are incorporated as well as the rewind time feature. It's simply a brilliant feature that works very well in the game.

Speaking of battle sequences, this is yet another area that Ubi created brilliantly. The battle sequences never get boring and are just down right fun. While battling, you use your acrobatic skills to beat on enemies in ways that would put the Matrix movies to shame. Again, your arsenal of moves and choices are simply jaw dropping, as you can flip, jump, wall thrust and spin over enemies delivering blows with the sword or dagger. Blows with the dagger will even freeze enemies giving you time to concentrate on an attacker coming from behind, Again, the rewind time feature can be used in during battle opening up even more options to battle the baddies. Took a few too many blows? Rewind and try a new approach. The battles system may seem easy with a weak A.I. at the beginning but it becomes progressively more difficult and rewarding as you progress. Easily one of the most fun battle systems in a game.

The game's graphics and environments are simply amazing. The attention to detail is fantastic. Everything, from the Prince's movements to a simple wall, looks amazing. It is said that the Prince has over 750 animations, more than any other character in a video game, making every move and every transitions incredibly smooth. Considering how much can be done and how many transitions are shown makes this feat even more impressive. The Prince can also interact with almost everything in the area, whether it be swinging on a random bar, walking a plank, climbing a pole, or simply running along or up a wall, everything can be touched and interacted within all the environments.

Finally, because this is a review, I have to nit pick, but this is nothing more than nit picking. The game's camera could use a little work. Because the Prince can do so much, the camera will occasionally get hung up or won't give you the appropriate angle to see where to go next. It really isn't too bad, but it does happen occasionally and did lead to a death or two while playing, which is always frustrating. Another complaint that some gamers may have is the game's length. To me, I thought it was perfect, however, I know many people look for long games when dishing out 50 bucks. The game can be beat in about ten hours, but this does not include deaths and continues. Realistically, it will take a player about 15 hours to beat, but trust me, it is worth every one of those hours.

In a word, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is fantastic, and in my opinion, the best game made this year. It combines every necessary element to achieve one of the most innovative and entertaining games ever created. Ubi Soft and the PoP team have raised the bar for action adventure games by creating a game that can be enjoyed by serious and casual gamers alike. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a true masterpiece that will remind people what gaming is really about. Best of all, it's on all three systems making it no excuse not to own this game. Do yourself a favor and put this one at the top of your Christmas list this year.