Joystiq is written by elitist gaming snobs

December 19, 2006

Joystiq: Rival Swords: Wii Prince of Persia has a new name, but same game

"Ubisoft's betting you're familiar with 2005's Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. So the publisher has cleverly tweaked the name for its Wii release. Now it's Prince of Persia: Rival Swords. But wait ... it's got Wii controls! Lame."

Sorry, but I have never played a Prince of Persia game, but I've heard they're really good. It's been years since I've played through an action/adventure game like that because it's the same old same old.

The Wii is anything but.

"It's clear that Ubisoft is testing the waters, seemingly asking itself: how little is enough to succeed on Wii? Indeed, why waste development costs on new content when you can dig yesteryear's game outta the crate, tack on some wrist-flicking action, and push it back out to retail? True, Rival Swords has multiplayer modes and new quick-play levels (confirmed for PSP version); but let's not kid ourselves, this is Two Thrones all over again."

Joystiq must think gamers play every game that comes out. Um, no. If Two Thrones was a great game, then I'm thrilled it's coming to the Wii. Nintendo is selling those consoles like hotcakes, and plenty are going to people who aren't traditional game console owners. None of those people have played Prince of Persia. To them, this is a new game, and they got a Wii because its controller is a fun and better way to play games.

And why not have as many good games as possible on a new console? Like they said, it doesn't cost much to produce, and they must be confident it will sell.

"Ubisoft isn't the first company to re-release a product with some new features, but the name change certainly feels deceptive; and in general, offerings like Rival Swords look to water down Wii's potency. The console's strength is not in finding new ways to play the same old games."

I was bored with the current and next gen consoles. I have an Xbox 360 (got it for Xmas in 2005, thanks PokerStars!) and still only have 4 games for it - PGR3, Table Tennis, Call of Duty 2 and NHL 07. I even sold one (FIFA 06: Road to the World Cup) because it was so bad. Over 100 games available and I've bought almost every one that appeals to me. There are a couple 360 games out I wouldn't mind having but obviously not enough to have bought them already.

My staple video game purchases from year to year are: great racing games, hockey and soccer games, and unique (like Rockstar's Table Tennis) or overwhelmingly good game experiences (or Halo 2 / CoD2 / Zelda).

I bought at least twice as many Nintendo DS games in 2006. Why? Unique and overwhelmingly good gaming experiences. We bought Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the side-scroller that uses the Donkey Konga Bongos to control DK. Why? Unique experience, and it's actually a fantastic game, with graphics and gameplay that totally exceeded my expectations.

I've been playing console games since I was 7 or 8 years old. I'm 31. Believe me, most games that come out are "been there, done that". Nintendo totally understands that, and they're on a mission to save the gaming industry by giving people new reasons to buy and play video games and fall in love with games all over again.

I'm having great experiences playing Wii Sports, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Ubisoft's Rayman Raving Rabbids, Ubisoft's Red Steel, and Excitetruck. Not so much with Call of Duty 3, but now that I have the component cables for the Wii I'll try it again. It's not terribly unique, and the graphics are anything but overwhelming, but then I was spoiled with the 360 version of CoD2.

Oh, I'm also having tons of fun playing "Ice Hockey" for the NES on the Wii with my 4 year old boy. It's new to him, and it takes me way back. $5 well spent.

Because of Joystiq, I'm going to buy Ubisoft's game of yesteryear too!