Prince of Persia

Combat has also been changed, with a focus on one-on-two (the Prince and Elika combat. Elika is able to perform combos seamlessy with the Prince. The design philosophy driving the new combat system is to make each battle both more intense and cinematic. Fights are not as common as they were in the previous games, but aim to keep the player on the edge of their seat using intense, cinematic imagery. The combat system assigns attacks to four main buttons. Elika, the Prince's sword, and the gauntlet are all assigned to their own button, as well as one button reserved for 'acrobatic' attacks. The player can initiate a combo with any of the four choices, then continue with another. Both timing and attack selection are key to creating larger combos. If the player hesitates, they miss the opportunity to attack. Visual cues in the on screen action will make the player aware of the attack they should next perform on some occasions, and any other attempts will end the combo. These are usually reserved for combo finishers, however, as the first few choices are generally up to the player. The Prince can also block attacks and counter blows. Holding the block button will guard most attacks, but pressing it strategically will create an opportunity to counter. The player must beware, however, as enemies can also counter. The combat system also employs quick time events at various times throughout a battle. The player will need to repeatedly press buttons to push the enemy  away or quickly press a prompted button to avoid a final blow. Throughout the game, the player will encounter a variety of enemies which require creative thinking to take down, such as "The Warrior," who cannot be harmed by the sword, gauntlet, or magic.

Development

Prince of Persia's development team began conception right as Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones was released, however, tangible proof of the game was found when, on September 21, 2006 a leaked concept art hit the net. Ubisoft remained silent and made no comment. On January 23, 2008 some more screen shots from the game were leaked onto the internet, while the game was in it's conception phase. Once again, Ubisoft did not comment.

In May 2008, Ubisoft finally released two videos of a concept artist designing the Prince and Elika confirming the existence of the game offi cially under the Prince of Persia title. One video shows a full-bodied new Prince being speed drawn using Photoshop. The other art drawing video detailed Elika and finally the third speed concept art emerged in July, 2008, this time depicting a prime enemy; The Hunter. Those videos may be seen here and here.

Downloadable Content

Prince of Persia was one of the last games to hit store shelves in 2008 and now it becomes among the first to release major downloadable content in 2009. The Prince of Persia Epilogue content will be slashing it's way onto the PS3 and Xbox 360 on February 26. Pricing has yet to be announced. What we do know is that the new Prince of Persia continues the story of the retail game, increases the difficulty, adds a new power for Elika and attack for the Prince, reveals a brand new location, and includes two unlockable skins that become available after completing the Epilogue. It's a significant update, as was promised. Jamal Rguigui has said that the Ubisoft Montreal team decided to go on ahead full throttle with some cool ideas that the team had during and post-production and developed a unique DLC that would enhance the experience for Prince of Persia fans. It was not content that was cut, but was content that was further polished and elaborated on. He continued to say that they had a lot of ambitions for the DLC and that they were filtering all the feedback from the industry and the community of gamers. Players can expect to have a specific experience that will give them more content with superior difficulty and pace. This is one of the most ambitious DLC projects from Ubisoft, and it adds to the understanding of Prince of Persia's new world and characters.

Elika will be receiving a new power that is called "Energize" which is a travel based power that adds a timing challenge. This power allows Elika, for a short period of time, to materialize an area of the environment that was previously destroyed. Therefore, the Prince and Elika will be able to access areas previously impossible to reach without this power. There is also a new enemy in the form of the Shapeshifter which is an enemy that takes the form of two of Ahriman's most fearsome Lieutenants, the Warrior and the Hunter. Though their physical form is familiar to our heroes and the player, it will requires a particular strategy to defeat the Shapeshifter, rewarding the player that takes advantage of the new sprint feature exclusive to the Epilogue. As mentioned the content will also include a feature called sprint clashing. When the Prince and the enemy are at a distance, the player can mash the acrobatics button, which will allow the enemy and the Prince to sprint at each other and attack. The new area is called the "Underground Palace" and it is completely corrupted. Ubisoft has listened to the feedback and upped the pace of the game with more aggressive A.I and more complex traps. The content will also have new Trophies and Achievements.

The content will continue the story, picking up right where the retail game ended and it will be downloadable via XBL and PSN. It is not necessary to have finished the Prince of Persia game to play the DLC. This content isscheduled to hit both Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 5 for 800 MS points and 10$ respectively.

Levels

The Levels are as follows:

The Hunter, who stalks his prey in The Citadel.