Prince of Persia

Without a doubt, fourth-year med school is wicked awesome. I've just finished two back-to-back rotations in cardiac anesthesiology at both Stanford and Harvard, and am in the process of matching into a residency program for next year. In the meantime, I've had a pleasant break to relax and play Ubisoft's latest Prince of Persia title.

Looking back, it's hard to say that the newest Prince of Persia game is better than the original Sands of Time trilogy. In fact, the original 2003 "Sands of Time" title stands as a much meatier piece of work -- the story plot was more memorable, combat was more gratifying, the control mechanics were more precise, and the puzzles were more cerebral. However, when one overlooks the lack of challenge and sloppy game mechanics, the new Prince of Persia is easy to love -- the level design is outstanding, the artwork is gorgeous, and the act of wall-running is as fun as it has always been.

Of note, the awesome folks at Penny Arcade have a lovely Prince of Persia story book that provides some backstory to one of the main boss characters of the newest games. It's well worth a look-see, even if one hasn't played the namesake game.

All in all, Prince of Persia is a wonderful game -- I enjoyed it immensely, and would strongly recommend it to other console owners. Fingers crossed that the upcoming sequel will be just as good!