Rented Prince of Persia for the 360. Holy damn, is it fun. And pretty! The art style utilizes bright colors and cel-shading, which give the game an almost storybook feel. I love the characters, the voice acting is surprisingly good, although the story isn't the most original (magical prison tree--anyone remember Fern Gully?).I'm enjoying the gameplay. I can see where people joke about the controls (press A to play game), but there's enough of a timing element to the different stunts (i.e., slide-and-jump, swing-and-jump, wall-run, ceiling-run, grapple) that I'm rather glad I don't have to memorize a bunch of different buttons.
As for the complaint that you can't lose: really, who gives a shit? I certainly don't. For me, challenge and fun enjoy a certain overlapping exclusivity. I'm not necessarily having fun every time I feel challenged. In an event when you would normally fall to your death, you are saved at the last minute by Elika. Likewise, if you are struck down by an enemy, Elika intervenes, and you are pulled out of harm's way. There are plenty of other games I can point out where, upon death, you are returned to the nearest checkpoint. (Hell, in Zelda games, if you fall into a chasm, you are returned to the edge of the precipice, minus part of a heart.) There isn't really much of a difference here. You just don't have to wait on a checkpoint to load. And in cases where Elika saves you from an enemy, there is a consequence--the enemy is returned to full health. Just as though you had died and were starting the fight over.
It's a great game, and I endorse it whole-heartedly. I very much enjoy the 360 version, and I hear the PS3 version looks even better.
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