The new Prince of Persia title comes out tomorrow, and early looks seem to indicate that my hopes may indeed be fulfilled with this new title: it's stellar. I'll wait to see if holiday season gifts may ship the game my way before playing, but there's really only one question to answer: on PS3 or PC? Have to see if there any appreciable differences. I've always liked the control schemes on PC, where I've played the past three titles. But the reviews have been positive, if not glowing, about most aspects of the game, including references to this game as almost an experience rather than a test of skill, a world full of wonder, but not actually danger. Some players may be unhappy about this, especially given the fact that you actually can't die in the game; your constant companion Elika will always pull you from harm's way. But it's actually something I'm looking forward to.
Increasingly, games for me have been so much more than a test of skill or timing. Two games that I've been playing recently really illustrate the skill vs. experience factor of gaming: Guitar Hero World Tour and Metal Gear Solid 4. GH is clearly a simple game of skill. You must match a pattern of keypresses in representation of guitar playing. And it's fun for what it is, but definately not anything more than a test of pattern recognition and hand-eye coordination set to popular music.
Metal Gear Solid 4, on the other hand, presents a player with an epic tale of love and loss, duty and sacrifice. MGS4 evokes emotional responses, tells a story in its cinematic style, and draws you into a fictional world with very human performances. Beyond being a test of hand-eye speed, reaction time, and critical thinking, Metal Gear is an experience. It attempts to say something profound. I, for one, have been touched time and again by the all-too-human failings of fictional characters in this video game.
Prince of Persia is a game that I hope will continue in this tradition of games that I have enjoyed, games that have stayed with me, games like Deus Ex, Max Payne, The Legend of Zelda, Mass Effect, and others. These aren't just twitchy tests of trigger finger action, they're entertainment, and even art. They stick with a gamer and change them. Those games create a myth all of their own. Ultimately those experiences become part of us and we are a richer person for playing them.
Not that twitchy tests of trigger finger action games aren't fun. Off to play some Guitar Hero!
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