Thursday, November 27, 2008

IGN Love

It was very hard to concentrate yesterday because IGN US and UK went live with their POP reviews of 9.3 and 9.4 respectively. It is hard to contain my excitement.

This quote from Hilary Goldstein (the US reviewer) almost made me cry:
In every console generation there are one or two games that, regardless of any flaws, hold tight in my memory even years later. I can still picture scenes from Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo System as if I just played it the other day. Despite a flurry of great games released in the past year, I still get the itch from time to time to play Jet Set Radio Future on the Dreamcast. Your beloved games may be different, but I’m certain most long-time gamers have a few titles they treasure – the games they can never trade in. Ubisoft’s relaunch of Prince of Persia may just be such a game for me from this generation.

It’s not the best game ever released on PC, PS3 or Xbox 360; it’s not even the best game released this year. And yet Prince of Persia is that rare game that has managed to tap into that part of me that would die defending Chrono Trigger or JSRF. It has its shortcomings, but I already sense that Prince of Persia will be one of the few games from this generation that I carry with me for the next decade.

He just got our game so fundamentally. Yes we made mistakes, yes there are parts that are weaker then others, but when you sit back and let the experience wash over you while you play, there is magic there. I still get caught up in it when I play - three years in.

Passionate response from reviewers is so incredibly rewarding. After giving this game my all - my life - for the last three years, to see people talk about it in ways I only dreamed about when we first started development is incredible.

Labels:

6 Comments:

Blogger Darius Kazemi said...

I am really happy to hear that.

12:45 PM  
Blogger Steve Chiavelli said...

Congrats Ben! I can't wait to play.

1:33 AM  
Blogger Eric Diepeveen said...

Congrats Ben!

3:19 PM  
Blogger fields said...

Congratulations to you and the team! I haven't played all the way through yet, but I'm thoroughly blown away by it so far. I've long been a fan of the POP series, and this is by far the best. The game balance is great, and I love the game mechanics and aesthetic decisions you've made. The world is gorgeous, and the controls handle like no other game I've played. The co-op acrobatics are truly a thing of beauty.

It's not perfect, but it is totally immersive and a ton of fun. I've been waiting for this for a long time, and you've exceeded my expectations.

Thanks, and well done!

12:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

POP:WOW

Fellow resident of Montreal here, and I'd like to give credit where it is due. As a previous poster suggested, there are minor issues here and there that I could pick out; small things that had an impact on the global quality, but are so teeny-tiny that to even reference them makes me feel small. ;)

I am not indulging in hyperbole when I say that this certainly does feel like one of those gen-defining titles.

So good job, and thank you and your colleagues for a great ride.

I can't wait to jump on again!

~n

2:30 AM  
Blogger jv said...

Ico, SotC, Okami, PoP... wonderful games. That's a great list of inspirations.

11:34 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home