Topic: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Sat down briefly with the demo yesterday and yeh, have to agree really blown away, to the extent I stopped playing and decided to wait instead for the full thing. Regardless of it being Ubisoft I think this deserves support. I'm a bit brassic right now, so it's a case of picking it up when I have the money. Very tempted to wait for physical AND double dip when it's on sale, just for digital convenience.

Oh having sat down and thought about it .... what's this Ubisoft account bollocks? I really object to this. You need an account to PLAY on.offline game you've bought? Thus kind of nonsense means actually, Ubisoft don't deserve my money. I'm letting them know obviously as my sole reason for not picking this up at any price.

I'd rank Prince of Persia The Lost Crown neck and neck with Metroid Dread. It's that good.

Playing on Switch OLED with the Mobapad M6 HD is gaming nirvana. Wireless, system wake, HD rumble, gyro, NFC, HALL Effect analogs, anti-friction rings for analog sticks, mechanical buttons using JP Omron switches, best d-pad I've used in my life (nailed 6 Zangief pile drivers in a row in Ultra Street Fighter II, something I've never done before), swappable d-pad with rocker d-pad, swappable facepates with round gates and octagonal gates, macros, turbo, rear M1/M2 buttons you can map any button or macro to, and ergonomic as heck, almost makes Switch OLED feel as good as Steamdeck OLED, yet still not as wide and way lighter... these joycon are the truth. Every feature the official ones have, and so much more.

Makes playing Prince of Persia, a masterpiece in its own right, feel like a privilege.

@Ryu_Niiyama
I broke down and preordered Dragon's Dogma 2 on Steamdeck OLED, but I'm probably going to hold off playing it in hopes of a Switch 2 version releasing. I put a moratorium on any further Steamdeck purchases, as I don't want to end up double dipping on a dozen releases because I didn't wait for Switch 2. Any games that don't release on Switch 2 in its first year, I'll grab on Deck (Persona 3 Reload, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Granblue Fantasy Re-Link, Final Fantasy VII Remake pt 2, Visions of Mana, etc).

Maybe not all get a Switch 2 release but I suspect at least half of them will. Especially games like Visions of Mana and Persona 3 Reload where Switch releases of previous games in the series absolutely smashed other versions.

@GraniteFraggle Cool your jets, bro - the Ubisoft account thing is optional. Check your sources.

@JaxonH Yeah I'm gonna preorder Dragon's Dogma 2 on series x but if it does come to the successor, I will totally double dip. That being said I hope to trim my purchasing this and next year. If the successor does come sooner than later I might as well as wait to see what the devs will port. I have the back log from heck anyway. I'd like to shift away from the series x and ps5 a little more and pretty much get them down to being exclusive boxes (aside from my existing library). Those new third party joycon you bought look cool. I sorta want to get some custom Zelda joycons to match my OLED (I like the green but would like pure white and gold joycons) better.

What's with all the Ubisoft hate lately (not really this thread but in general)? I know Just Dance is a meme and there was a recent article about not owning games, but I have a lot of Ubisoft games I love and have never had to make a Ubisoft account — Mario + Rabbids, Rayman's Legends, Immortals Fenyx, Child of Light, Scott Pilgrim... lots of great games. I don't personally play Assassin's Creed but I know a lot of people who love that series as well.

To me, there is zero surprise that Ubisoft made a great game like Prince of Persia.

Ubisoft Connect is the joke among PC storefronts, even below the likes of Origin and the Epic Store. Nobody wants to use it, so they've taken to foisting registration onto console gamers in an attempt to boost the numbers. You can skip it, for the loss of some very minor features, and even if you register the games can still be played offline. They're not very upfront about that though

So far as Ubisoft goes, I think they're quite capable of making good games but they've got a nasty habit of selling very similar ones that feel like the same game underneath with different skins on, particularly with their open world games. The likes of Mario+Rabbids, Rayman, Child of Light, Valiant Hearts and presumably Prince of Persia don't fit that mould though.

They've also had a bunch of issues about anti-consumer practices and toxic workplace culture that places them alongside the likes of Activision and EA. I won't go into the details so as not to derail a discussion about a promising looking game, but they certainly don't come across as one of the more enlightened publishers.

@FishyS
Ya, @Matt_Barber has the jist of it. If you're playing Ubisoft games on Switch, you're not really gonna see the negative aspects much. They make some incredible games. Just on Switch we have Prince of Persia, one of the greatest 2D metroidvanias ever created and easily on par with Metroid Dread. We have Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope, both incredible strategy games that comfortably sit at the top of the genre. We have the first 7 Assassin's Creed games, all of which are quality Switch ports and offer gyro aiming where appropriate such as in Black Flag and Rogue. We have games like Rayman Legends, Child of Light, Valiant Hearts, all spectacular. We have Trials Rising, which is one of my fave games of all time. Unfortunately it has some framerate issues in handheld mode. Immortals Fenyx Rising is also an extremely good game, it just suffers notable compromise on Switch. I only wish they'd ported Splinter Cell Blacklist.

But on PC, Ubisoft is a joke. They don't sell their games on Steam now. They release them on their own store and force you to use their Ubisoft launcher. Which is BS. I can't play Trials Rising on my Steamdeck as a result. If games aren't sold directly on Steam I won't buy them. Even DRM-free games on GOG, I have no interest in. Reason being, Steam games have built in Steam Input support with community configs. And while you can add non-Steam games, typically they suffer very little support from the community in terms of Steam Input configs.

Ubisoft was talking silly a few years ago saying cloud was the future, and heavily investing in Stadia. That turned out to be ill-conceived. And now they're essentially saying rental subscriptions are the future. Which I think in time will also prove ill-conceived.

There's nothing wrong with what the Ubisoft employee said. He was respectful and simply opined that subscription models such as Gamepass are likely to gain more and more marketshare. Which is a fair statement, regardless of whether I agree or disagree. It's just that, the thought of gaming being monopolized by subscriptions scares a lot of people, so it's kind of a "shoot the messenger" situation where ppl respond with hostility toward Ubisoft.

@Ryu_Niiyama
I forget, are you a portable gamer? Or do you pretty much just play Switch docked? If you are a portable gamer, I highly recommend grabbing a Steamdeck OLED to accompany your Switch. It covers Xbox exclusives, PS exclusives, multiplats, and past Nintendo exclusives from NES through GC/Wii. You can play some Wii U and Switch but eh, it's a better experience playing Switch games natively, and there's not much left on Wii U worth playing, aside from Xenoblade X.

That's how I was able to phase out my PS5, XSX and gaming PC but still retain access to all games across the board. Plus gyro aiming. Not sure if you're a gyro aficionado like I am, but Deck ensures you can play all those games with proper aiming- the sole reason I don't play Dragon's Dogma on Switch is lack of gyro, but on Deck it's all set up how I like, and DD2 will be the same. Even if they do port to Switch 2, I'm gonna need that gyro aiming else Steamdeck will be the version I stick with.

Btw, you could get a pair of Mobapad M6 HD, and send them off for a custom paint job through Etsy. Maybe one gold and one green, with white analogs and buttons? Idk, that might look horrid. I'm sure you could think of a good color scheme though. Because the dpads and joysticks are interchangeable across their M6 HD, M6 S, M9 HD, Huben and Chitu controllers, I ordered one of each yesterday so I can have various colored analogs, dpads and rocker dpads to swap between. My M9 HD is like a Switch Pro Controller and is also white but with grey analogs, and the analogs are larger and wider. So I swapped so that both my joycon and pro controller have the wider grey analog on the left for movement, and the smaller white analog on the right for aiming (even though its smaller it grips better for aiming, while the wider grey one is more comfy to keep your thumb rested on).

Got another good hr and a half in last night. I freakin love this game. The platforming is perfect. The movement is as smooth as silk like dread was. Combat is tough, but im getting there.

Got toJahandar last night and he was super tough until I figured out an easier way to take him down. I probably died 8 times, but the beauty of this game is the ability to jump right back in where you died in a boss fight. Dread does the same if I recall correctly. For me, that feature is a godsend that I can't lightly overlook. Thats why I have so much trouble with games like hollow knight. I don't mind tough boss fights, but the trek back and then trying to remember tell signs is when I get frustrated.

I've currently done some upgrading, most notably, adding a 2nd potion which is essential. I've already upgrading one health bar have the temporary one with the medallion ( or whatever they're called).

I love going off the beaten path and just discovering little secrets and side missions. I do though have the Wayfinder mode on or whatever that's called that at least gives you a way point of where to go. That doesn't hinder my experience personally since I tend to wander off the beaten path anyway. I also bought a couple of maps currently.

What a banger to kick off 2024. I said it before but I really hope this does well enough in Ubis eyes to make some more like this and still give us the 3d games. It would be amazing to have it like zelda, where there's alternating 2d and 3d games moving forward.

@JaxonH mostly TV if I can help it. I use portable for travel or if I can’t sleep. I have a few of the hori split pad pros. I may try the mobapads but honestly I haven’t had joycon issues in a long time. That’s why I am looking at a custom paint job instead. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1115623316/

I am still on the fence about the steam deck. I basically want a portable ps2 that can dock to my tv. As I am trying to consolidate systems and rip the games I own. (I have 2wiius hooked up for instance). My goal this year is getting my retro systems consolidated as much as possible (replaced my nes, snes and genesis with mini systems, replaced my gba/gb player with the analogue pocket) and if possible rip games so I can put my discs in storage. Other than that I am not really needing a portable system as I am going to upgrade my gaming pc when TES6 comes out in a few years.

But I am thinking about taking a break from modern gaming so I can focus on finances and finishing up grad school (which is slow going because I work full time). But I’m getting close to 40 so I need to make sure my trajectory is set.

@Ryu_Niiyama
I just hit 40 on Thursday. Where has the time gone. Feels like yesterday I was still in my 20's, suddenly 10 years passes and it's "middle age". Though inside I don't feel different. Just more chill and mature.

I sent a Switch OLED off to get a modchip installed. It can run a lot of emulated games via retroarch. I'm not sure about PS2 as it's a notoriously difficult system to emulate. But it might be able to. I know for sure Deck OLED can do it.

Mobapads are worth it if you value having the ergonomics of fatter, more full size joycon, the benefit of the best dpad ever made in all of gaming history, rear mappable buttons and without sacrificing any official functionality like HD rumble, gyro and NFC, and still being wireless and usable as separate controllers.

If you're like nah, I don't care about that stuff, then I'd say save your money. But if you're like ya, that sounds great! Then for sure they're worth every penny. Guess it just depends on what you value in your Switch joycon. At the very least, being wireless with the best d-pad ever created is something pretty much everyone can appreciate. And I do think having the rear buttons is something you grow to appreciate once you have access to them and start acclimating to their convenience.

But ya, once I get my chipped Switch OLED back I'll test some PS2 games and see how they run. With overclocking as a feature I'm thinking most games should be able to run fine at 2x resolution, if not 3x.

This game is so good. Beat these 4 Sacred Trials which were super original and fun. Now in the forest looking for a final time power to go face a big bad.

The environments in this game are astounding. I mean, I thought Metroid Dread was the pinnacle of 2D environments, and don't get me wrong, it's great, but honestly this game has it beat in that respect. The environments are just SO. DANG. GOOD. The creepy sewers which turn into this dark crypt is nuts. The forest too. Thought I was in Lord of the Rings for a min with the crazy enemies you encounter.

And the difficulty has been pleasantly unwavering. I had to custom lower damage to 0.7 cause I was dying too much. And that was perfect for me. I still die but not as often, and it's usually just hard enough to beat a boss with a sliver of life left. Love how you can customize difficulty to your own skill level. And the pics for remembering secrets on the map is genius.

If this game doesn't at least get nominated for GotY, something is seriously wrong with gaming awards. Well, we already know that's the case. But still. One would like to hold out hope games like this can still get their due.

@JaxonH I feel like they sometimes forget about early-year games by the time GotY comes around.

Also, for what it's worth, Prince of Persia has a lower reviewer metacritic score than any of the GotY contenders had last year. So far at least, It seems to be one of those rare games where player reviews are significantly higher than critic reviews which is interesting. Obviously review score doesn't mean much by itself, but there tends to be (by design) a correlation between formal reviewer hype and nominations.

The real question is whether this year will be as insanely stacked as last year was. Unless the rest of the year is crazy, I imagine this game will be nominated for a category or two at least — hard to imagine it not making the action-adventure list (the category metroid dread won).

@FishyS
Reviewers largely follow the same demographics as gamers at large. Basically, the majority favor AAA and Playstation exclusives, and that is reflected in review scores and nominations. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Everyone has preferences and theirs is just as valid as mine. It's just a shame we as humans aren't better at separating our biases and evaluating things in a fair manner. We're not so good at that. It's why 2D games and JRPGs often see lower scores, among other genres. 4X, racers, platformers, etc. There's quite a few that are overlooked due to their genre.

Metroid Dread was nominated for GotY, wasn't it? I can't remember. I definitely feel it deserved a nomination, and I think The Lost Crown stands shoulder to shoulder with Metroid Dread. And I don't say that lightly, as Dread remains one of my favorite games I've ever played
And now Prince of Persia joins it- Metroid Dread, both Ori games and Prince of Persia- these are the best 2D metroidvania games I've ever played. And no, I don't rank Hollow Knight quite as highly, though I do hold it in high regard as someone who Kickstarted it for Wii U back before anyone even knew what it was. It's just not quite on the same level imo.

Prince of Persia deserves more than an 87 imo. The 86 on PS5 and 84 on PC truly reflects the values of reviewers who prefer those platforms, while the 87 on Switch and Xbox reflects the values of reviewers who respond more favorably to 2D metroidvanias. But even then, I think both Dread and Lost Crown should be a 90. But it's not worth quibbling over a few subjective points. It just astounds me a game as good if not better than Ori gets scored notably lower. Like, I can't think of one single complaint or area in which PoP could have done better. It is, as far as I'm concerned, a 10/10 game. Not that I think it should have a perfect MC, just for me, I'd rank it a 10, right alongside Ori and Metroid.

People really should play this game. And the Switch version is immaculate.

@JaxonH Metroid Dread did get nominated for GotY so I agree Prince of Persia theoretically might. But I doubt Metroid Dread would have been nominated if it had come out last year; it just depends on what all comes out this year. Well, that and the weird GotY subjective filters. Still, we can root for it winning action-adventure.

Even though they are both metroidvanias, I wouldn't normally directly compare a game like this to Ori. They just have very different feels. Ori isn't easy, but it has a very relaxing feel. Whereas e.g. Metroid Dread is definitely not aiming for relaxing. Another of my personal favorite metroidvanias is Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. Putting Metroid Dread, Ori, and Monster Boy all in the same pool seems almost silly, like comparing Super Meat Boy with Mario. I only bring this up because I think they have somewhat different audiences which in turn means the scoring is even less of a good comparison than usual — for example I know people who loved Ori purely for the visuals and feeling of the game even though they don't normally like platformers. This is one of the many times I want a better taxonomy of video-game subgenres. 😝

Edit I was curious what Nintendo labels them as:
Ori - 'action/platformer'
Dread and Persia - 'action/adventure'
Monster Boy - 'action/adventure/platformer/RPG'.
Thank you for that clarification Nintendo. 😛

@FishyS
I guess it just depends how granular you want to get when categorizing games. While there are certainly differences, broadly speaking, they are all 2D games that follow a metroidvania blueprint. For me that's about as granular as I care to get, since even that level of categorization only leaves half a dozen games that are truly masterpiece grade. I've heard others praise Monster Boy btw, but I could never get past using the menu to swap items.

Last year was packed, but I still feel Metroid Dread would have been good enough to deserve a spot. For me, Baldur's Gate 3, Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4 all were locks. And if RE4 deserves counting then so does Metroid Prime Remastered. Personally both made my short list, but I would also prefer remasters and remakes have their own category. Even accounting for RE4 and MP, I'd still slot Dread in that last spot above anything else last year. Though I know that would never actually have happened.

I do agree Ori is more relaxing. Dread and Lost Crown are tense. Insanely hectic combat and bosses with mind bending puzzles. Though there's still plenty of tranquil moments exploring.

Nintendo's categories are so generic. Ask 10 ppl here and 9 will say the genre is "metroidvania" for all of those.

I don't disagree, but that's one of the reasons I wish there were better official genres/taxonomy. I also find it interesting that movies label genres with tone/setting and games don't for the most part. As a thought experiment, in movie genres Metroid Dread would be sci-fi thriller, Monster Boy fantasy/cartoon/family, Ori would be one of those ones they give up on the normal genres and call it art/self-discovery or some such. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown... would probably just be action-adventure still.

The real question - should there be genres like Metroidvania in the game awards. Probably not because it's too specific, but the game award categories aren't great either.

@FishyS
True. Not enough metroidvanias release each year to have 6 viable candidates. Wish that weren't the case but, it is.

Perhaps they could have a "Misc." or "Other" category which encompasses all the remaining niche genres which don't have their own category, combined. Metroidvania, 4X, racing, etc. That way those games still get a shot at recognition beyond us fans wailing in some fansite forum about how good they are.

At the end of the day I suppose it's all vanity. I didn't have a hand in making these games so I have nothing to boast about. So I'm not really sure why I feel this strong desire to see great games recognized. Perhaps it's that innate desire for justice, and seeing some games, more mass-market "public radio" type games, honored over other more niche, underground, "grass-roots hype" type games which are better (at least by my own judgement) kinda irks me.

I think we all just wanna share the same joy we find ourselves indulging in. So when we play a game where we're like, "Wow! This is fantastic! I can't believe how much fun I'm having every waking moment I spend in this game!" it's only natural to want to spread the word so others can also reap the same joy we've discovered.

I'm gonna say something absolutely wild...

This is the best 2D metroidvania I've ever played.

Ya, I said it.