Xbox 360 Fanboy

Penny Arcade is known for creating promotional art for upcoming games they are excited about. Having worked with Ubisoft in the past, it was no surprise when we heard Penny Arcade was working on a Prince of Persia themed story. Taking things in a slightly new direction, Penny Arcade's Prince of Persia tale has been captured into a storybook video for you to watch. Sit back with a warm cup of hot chocolate (or whatever you kids drink these days) and check out this short story the recounts a familiar legend from the new Prince of Persia.

Sometimes, it's just hard not to love Amazon. The website has already helped us avoid the (sometimes deadly) hassle of holiday shopping. Nearly all our holiday gift purchases have been made online this year, which is great and in no way increases a blogger's natural predilection for agoraphobia. And now, today only, Amazon is offering Prince of Persia for a mere $39.98. That's $20 off the most "magical" game you'll play this year. Oh Amazon, you shouldn't have. We didn't give you anything. Oh, right, except the money.

[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Josh]

Points>Life (Points Greater Than Life) has returned and with it comes a request made in the comments of our recent Prince of Persia launch coverage, the achievement "Sword Master." This achievement asks players to nail the 14-hit combo in Ubisoft's Prince of Persia and it may seem way more complex than it should. Firstly, the achievement should be done early in the game. We recommend attempting the attack in your first encounter with the Concubine because later in the game enemies will block your attacks, ending your combo.

The specific combo players should use for this combo may seem complex but it's pretty simple, the trick to to watch the onscreen animations for visual cues to input each button combo. Also, make sure to draw the Concubine to the center of the area during the fight because knocking her to the edge will break the combo. If you mess up during the attempt make sure to keep eyes on your enemy's health, the combo will take off 1/3 of her total damage.

Prince of Persia 14-hit Combo

(then any one of the following to finish the combo)
or or

[Thanks to X360A.org for the Xbox button icons and tips]

In our final piece of content for the launch of Prince of Persia we've compiled a video montage of the combat found in the game. Similar to Fable II, Prince of Persia is based on one-button combat with each face button controlling a different kind of attack. Swing your sword with 'X,' use the Gauntlet with 'B,' call on Elika with 'Y,' use acrobatics with 'A' and use button combos to attack from the air or with throws. Prince of Persia includes over 50 different combos that, when strung together, look beautiful and end with devastating results to your enemies. We've barely scratched the surface with this video and believe us when we say the combos can become extremely rewarding -- there's even an achievement for nailing a 14-hit combo.

Check out our launch week coverage of Prince of Persia including our extensive review.

In Ubisoft Montreal's latest installment of the Prince of Persia series a new hero is paired with a magical Princess named Elika. As the two battle against an evil darkness that takes over the Persian landscape, an ancient force becomes usable by Elika. Essentially, Elika acts as the navigation, safety net and even transportation to the player. Check out this video which showcases each of the four main abilities Elika can use to help you access new areas in Prince of Persia.

Make sure to check out our Prince of Persia launch coverage, including our extensive review.

Movement in Prince of Persia has a particular flow. As players progress through the game it becomes easier to use all of the Prince's acrobatic moves to string together navigation as one fluid movement. There isn't much of rush to get from place-to-place but the game includes a few achievements that internally clocks movement time, so learning how to quickly navigate sections with simple button presses and minimal interruptions will be important to some players. Check out our video of some platform stringing to see what you have in store if you decide to pick up Ubisoft's Prince of Persia.

For more on this generation's Prince, check out our full Prince of Persia review.

Arguably one of the last big releases of 2008, Prince of Persia from Ubisoft puts players in control of a new protagonist in a new universe. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the team behind the critically acclaimed 2003 title Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, this generation's Prince pairs him with a mysterious ally Elika as they battle the forces of darkness in a mystical land. Does this Prince of Persia stack up to the legend of the classic series or does it fall short of greatness? Jump in for X3F's full review and make sure to check out our screenshot gallery of over 100 new images from the soon to be released adventure.

It has been far too long since the last time we focused in on Prince of Persia gameplay and, thankfully, today Ubisoft released a new "Epic Gameplay Montage" trailer that's, well ... epic! Set to an epic musical track, you'll witness the Prince of Persia swing, leap and climb through danger and hopefully prove to you why he's the acrobatic Prince you should be plopping $59 on. Did we mention the music is epic? Because it is.

With week after week of nothing but big releases (and a short breather last week) it looks like it's finally time to round out the big holiday gaming schedule. The biggest release this week is, without a shadow of a doubt, Prince of Persia. After the Prince took a questionable turn to the Dark Side (which followed his jaunt to the Emo Side), Ubisoft decided the entire series needed a refresh and the result is available this week. Here's hoping the Prince manages to scale those obstacles with panache and aplomb rather than falling to his death with all the grace of a stone. Here are all of this week's releases:

• Prince of Persia
• Destroy All Humans! Path Of The Furon
• The Tale of Despereaux

[Via Joystiq]

A new trailer for the upcoming refresh of the Prince of Persia series has been released, and it's a doozy. Clocking in at nearly five and a half minutes, it pretty much covers everything you need to know about the game. An ancient evil god wreaked havoc on the world, said god was imprisoned in the Tree of Life with a warrior tribe sworn to watch over it for all time. Fast forward 10,000 years and the evil god escapes, presumably because the warrior tribe fell asleep at the switch. Thankfully, the Prince is here to help the last Princess of the warrior tribe put the evil god to rest once more. The trailer has a bit of a Zelda feel to it, which is by no means a bad thing. Find it after the break.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the song featured in the trailer is "Breathe Me" by Sia.

Ubisoft has announced that the Prince of Persia series refresh -- cleverly titled Prince of Persia -- will be shipping to stores on December 2. The Prince is joined this time around by a female co-star, Elika, who helps the prince in his quest to rid the world of whatever it is that needs ridding. The release date comes as good news for fans of Prince of Persia. Alas, it comes as bad, nay, solemn news to anyone putting the finishing touches on their holiday gaming budget. If you're head is reeling with the thought of financial crisis, allow us to make a suggestion. If your significant other politely says, "Oh, you don't have to get me anything this year," pretend that they actually mean it.

Ubisoft has announced (in text format on gamesindustry.biz, appropriately enough) that it plans to begin supporting subtitles to its internally developed games, beginning with Far Cry 2, Prince of Persia, and Shaun White Snowboarding. The addition is being made in order to make the company's games more accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing. According to Ubisoft, this will require modifications to game engines already in use and also "inclusion of subtitles in the conception phase of game development."

Frankly, we can't live without subtitles (some people have to sleep at night, after all) and we're surprised that Ubisoft iis only now catching on to their necessity for many gamers. Still, it's a good move and we're sure many gamers will be happier as a result.

[Via Joystiq]

Now here's and interesting idea. Ubisoft has announced that those who pre-order the upcoming Prince of Persia will receive a special Limited Edition version of the game at no extra cost. Yup, you read that right. There will be no $10 or $20 premium for the Prince of Persia Limited Edition. It will run for the standard price of $59.99. The catch is that pre-ordering Prince of Persia is the only way to snag the Limited Edition. So, what do your no extra dollars get you? How about this:

• Collectible Limited Edition packaging
  
• An exclusive look at the making of Prince of Persia
  
• A Prima digital mini-strategy guide full of developer's secrets
  
• A digital art book
  
• The original soundtrack scored by master composer Inon Zur

And let's not forget, you also get a game that looks pretty damned good (as the video above will attest). That's a lot of stuff in exchange for putting your name on a list.

[Via Joystiq]

During the Ubisoft Press Conference the lead producer of Prince of Persia detailed the Prince's support character, Elika. Using her magical powers, Elika can help the Prince perform longer jumps, double jumps and even in combat where both characters fight in tandem to destroy enemies with stylistic combo moves. In the demo shown, Elika proves she can take care of herself -- thankfully no Ico-style hand holding is required. Each enemy in the game is designed to be a challenge. Gone are the days of introductory baddies sprinkled throughout the world and all that remains are a steady stream of equally difficult adversaries which Ubisoft hopes will make every battle a cinematic and dramatic experience. Ubisoft also promises, because each battle is built to be dramatic, players will never fight more than one enemy at a time.

Elika also can support the Prince by pulling him from his death. Anytime the player is about to die a short scene will show Elika pull the Prince out of his fate and back onto a safe place in the world. Essentially this is what replaces the ability to rewind mistakes, but no mention of limitation was mentioned (like running out of sand in The Sands of Time). Prince of Persia also sports an open world structure which allows players to choose the path they take which, according to Ubisoft, will dynamically change the story of the game.

Prince of Persia is slated to release this Holiday season.