Arabian Nights: Prince of Persia

Just when I was about to give up on the licensing ability of the toy company gone digital, Mattel Interactive, they reach into their bag of developers and pull out a surprisingly effective platform-puzzler from Avalanche. Remaking the PC version of Prince of Persia 3D for the Dreamcast, this Arabic rendition of Tomb Raider turns out to be better than both of Lara's adventures on the DC combined. Much like its 2D predecessors from the olden days, Arabian Nights places advanced puzzle solving over action to help build a brainier, meatier version a certain Indiana Jones wannabe. Not exactly in the same legendary company as its older cousin, this new Prince of Persia adventure has its share of trifles, but stick with the awkward universe long enough and you'll find plenty of positives lurking in the shadows. I can only begin to thank the video game heavens above for a lucky break such as this. After playing through Mattel Interactive's last two Dreamcast offerings (Max Steel and Championship Surfer), I had wondered if this latest game from their studios would be the worst of the bunch. And in turn, score a hat trick of awfulness for the hopeful fans of a company famous for its Barbie dolls. Luckily, there's mercy in the world and the product we received is actually pretty good. Taking place deep within the bowels of an ancient Persian prison, our hero finds himself betrayed by the brother of the sultan, whose plan to ascend the throne by usurping his sibling can only be realized through your imprisonment. Of course, the reason why you were chosen as the number one threat to the evil brother's mutiny is never really explained, but hey... this is a video game damn it! And it's called the suspension of disbelief! Once the admittedly crappy story telling full-motion video sequences are over, and the time for ass kicking begins, the popularized "Croftian" view takes the helm. Obviously more detailed than any of the previous Tomb Raider games before it, the Aladdin-like surroundings are not the greatest you've ever seen, but are worlds better than anything Lara has sprinted through lately. Worshiping the visual power of the game's magical love bricks, I couldn't help but to grin for most of the adventure. These artists know their architecture. But don't let the pretty surroundings fool you. Good as they may be, the seamless concrete squares aren't the true gem of the Prince of Persia. Instead, the solid but difficult puzzle structure shines brightly from out of the darkness. And what we are left with is enough to get even the most jaded of old school platform fanatic out of their hiding place, and back into the action all guns a blazing (metaphorically of course)! Claiming the latest voucher for the elusive "just one more puzzle" syndrome that's reserved for only the top games in the genre, Arabian Nights manages to overcome its shortcomings. Allowing the whole to be worth infinitely more than its parts on a scale of sumo wrestler proportions. And while I certainly don't think that this particular platformer is among the cream of the crop in an already stellar lineup of Dreamcast titles, there's still no taking away from its addictiveness. The power it can hold over you is almost uncanny! To give you the proper idea of what to expect, a common scenario can see your hero climbing plateaus, leaping over giant dams, and sword fighting with overweight minions. Concurrently while trying to seek out the perfect lever to unlock the umpteenth forbidden door. Commonly agreed to by many that this kind of formula can see failure more times than not, it strangely manages to gel together in this particular effort. And despite an obvious issue with controlling certain camera angles and moving your character to his designated position every time you want him to, it can all be overlooked when enjoying the satisfaction of defeating yet another dastardly puzzle. Heavily backed by a moody and atmospheric soundtrack straight out of the Iron Sheik's personal collection (kudos to the sound team and its composers), and chalk full of puzzles, traps, and enemies, fans of games like Flashback, Out of this World, and the original Prince of Persia itself are in for a hell of a good time. Not necessarily a game for everyone, the quirky controls and butt-ugly full motion video may force a couple of would-be adventurers to turn to something else. But for those of us who have patience enough to hang in there and dig for the good stuff, there's plenty of it to find. Give it a chance, you won't regret it.