XBOX-HQ.COM - Price of Persia 2 XBOX-HQ Preview

Last year, Ubisoft's Prince of Persia rocked us like a hurricane. The short but sweet action-adventure turned gaming narratives upside down by telling its tale of greed and redemption in reverse flashbacks. Still, hardcore gamers, as they are known to do, complained about Persia's fluid but flawed combat system. For the series Xbox encore, Ubisoft has duly noted such criticism by completely revamping how the prince gives a beatdown.

Although development on Peria 2 is still in its early stages, we think the overhaul in the fighting system will be a good move. Those of you familiar with the original Persia know that combat, although smooth and cinematic, was ultimately shallow and repetitive. To that end, Ubisoft has added the element of weapons for the sequel. Not only will the Prince now be able to wield dual weapons in a fight - each with it's own gameplay and timing - he'll also have the ability to pry these weapons from his enimies' cold, dead fingers. More important, the Prince's ability to cancel out of a combo and go into other attack strings truly makes this a deeper fighting experience.

Sounds nice, but can Ubisoft pull off a better story line? Following his adventure in the first game, Fate-as an immortal incarnation - will be hunting the Prince for having cheated death. The Prince will still be able to manipulate time in and out of combat, thanks to a relic he kept from The Sands of Time.