Is Ubisoft's "Prince of Persia Epilogue" DLC worth your $10? That depends on what you're looking for.
If you enjoyed every spectacular blade dance and linear platforming sequence in the original, then yes. There's plenty more such experiences to be had here, and each is as inventive as -- and thankfully, more difficult than -- those in the original game. Despite appearing in the guise of familiar foes, the new Shapeshifter boss never quite feels stale; and though Ubisoft uses almost exactly the same old elements to create the corrupted trap runs, the configurations you'll see here are all new.
If you simply can't get enough of the witty banter between Elika and her Prince, then maybe: there is a bit of new dialogue, and I found myself laughing out loud on at least one occasion. That said, there's not a lot of dialogue, either. By the end of my three-hour tour of The Underground Palace, repeated lines were beginning to wear on my patience.
If you want to see the setup for "Prince of Persia's" inevitable sequel, perhaps. $10 is a steep price to pay for the few hints you'll get.
But if you're looking for closure, finality, an explanation for why the Prince did the things he did in the final moments of "Prince of Persia" and how he intends to set things right, well -- you won't find any of that here. Loose ends stay untied, and you will remain that one grain of sand in the desert -- that one grain amongst the storm.
March 6th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Maybe I'll take it, maybe no...
March 6th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Yeah, this really doesn't help me make my decision any more. Are there any breathtaking graphics like the "cleansed" areas in the original game?
March 6th, 2009 at 11:12 am
@Nael M.
You get a very brief glimpse of something truly new, but for the most part it's the same old environments reconfigured into new, trickier patterns. The Underground Palace is, well, underground, and there aren't really any breathtaking vistas to be found here.
Still, some of the cavernous rooms are pretty, and since the Epilogue is completely linear rather than open-ended, Ubisoft has tweaked the camera to give a little more cinematic flair to a handful of the Prince's platforming sequences. The Epilogue still manages to feel fresh and exciting for this reason, although I'd say there's very little replay value to be had.
Honestly, the Epilogue's trailer gives a pretty decent overview of what you'll see: http://www.gamecyte.com/prince-of-persia-epilogue-dlc-trailer-reveals-further-corruption