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Explore Your Dark Side With Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is a good game, maybe even a great one, but it's been the victim of an incredibly fickle gamerdom's indignant opinions. If you missed out on the title the first time around, you might want to consider picking a copy up. It strays from its origins but, in doing so, transforms itself into a gratifying action title that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with fan-favorites like God of War.

In Summer 2004, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within looked to be a colossal misstep for developer Ubisoft Montreal. Without the guidance of Jordan Mechner, the franchise's creator, the team behind the action game's creation moved away from Prince of Persia's roots and more toward a violent, M-rated bloodbath that many fans of the series felt was an unneeded departure into the realm of the 'xtreme.' The Prince, a cheeful and heroic character throughout the previous games, is turned into a black-clad, swearing, tattooed antihero in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.

But the main character wasn't the only drastic change. Instead of sweeping Arabian-inspired orchestral arrangements, nu-metal from Godsmack and other bands comprised a large part of the game's soundtrack. The game's female characters were derided by fans as being oversexualized, another drastic difference from the relative chasteness of Warrior Within's forbears.

Ubi treated the perceived problems with the game in the same way that Sony notoriously handled every one of its missteps during Ken Kutaragi's reign � by claiming it was a feature, not a defect. The violence and lack of character development was intentional, the devs claimed, to convey the Prince's sense of isolation and angst after the events of the previous game.

If the dark tone espoused by Prince of Persia: Warrior Within had received better critical and fan reception, it might have effected major changes in The Two Thrones, the final part of the Sands of Time trilogy. Early game footage showed a drastically different plot involving suicide, the Prince fighting his love interest Farah and other hints at a darker direction for the series finale. The early backlash to Warrior, however, guaranteed that Thrones would try to find a synthesis between the moods of the two preceding games.

Although, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within may be best remembered for its indulgences in the realm of 'dark pain', the game sold surprisingly strongly � better, in fact, than Sands of Time (though Sands of Time would eventually become the best-selling installment in later years) � despite creator Mechner's criticism of the game. In addition, the game has been hailed by fans for its gameplay. The play is both faster and more free-form than previous installments in the series, owing to expanded weapons combat and a new degree of interactivity with the environment. Many reviewers who skewered Prince of Persia: Warrior Within for its cosmetic changes also praised the play experience.

You can still pick up Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on PS2, Xbox and GameCube, along with a PSP port, �Prince of Persia: Revelations.� No matter which platform you call your own, GameQuest Direct has a great selection of hot, factory-sealed games to keep you entertained for hours.