Prince of Persia
Jordan created and programmed the original Prince of Persia on an Apple II computer in 1989. A decade later, he partnered with Ubisoft to reinvent his classic for a new generation of gamers with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Its success launched a global franchise that now includes video games, graphic novels, toys, LEGO, and a blockbuster Disney feature film.
Prince of Persia LEGO!
OK, I promise I won’t post every time there’s a new POP merchandising item… but this is just too cool.
Video games vs. movies
This sound bite jumped out at me from Wil Wheaton’s blog (can sound bites jump?)
Narrative video games aren’t going to replace television and movies any more than television and movies replaced books, but as technology continues to advance, and games become even more cinematic and interactive, the battle won’t be only for the consumer; it will also be for the creator. People who went to school 20 years ago to learn how to make movies are now going to school to learn how to use the same narrative storytelling techniques to make video games.
20 years ago, I was trying to get away from making Prince of Persia (video game) so I could go to film school to learn how to make movies. Guess I did everything backwards as usual.
Tips for game designers
Thanks to Jeremie Biron for finding and posting these “Tips for Game Designers” I gave in 2004, on the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
- Prototype and test key game elements as early as possible.
- Build the game in incremental steps – Don’t make big design documents.
- As you go, continue to strengthen what’s strong, and cut what’s weak.
- Be open to the unexpected – Make the most of emergent properties.
- Be prepared to sell your project at every stage along the way.
- It’s harder to sell an original idea than a sequel.
- Bigger teams and budgets mean bigger pressure to stay on schedule.
- Don’t invest in an overly grandiose development system.
- Make sure the player always has a goal (and knows what it is).
- Give the player clear and constant feedback as to whether he is getting closer to his goal or further away from it.
- The story should support the game play, not overwhelm it.
- The moment when the game first becomes playable is the moment of truth. Don’t be surprised if isn’t as much fun as you expected.
- Sometimes a cheap trick is better than an expensive one.
- Listen to the voice of criticism – It’s always right (you just have to figure out in what way).
- Your original vision is not sacred. It’s just a rough draft.
- Don’t be afraid to consider BIG changes.
- When you discover what the heart of the game is, protect it to the death.
- However much you cut, it still won’t be enough.
- Put your ego aside.
- Nobody knows what will succeed.
Prince of Persia at VGA
Tonight’s Spike TV Video Game Awards 2009 broadcast will include a couple of Prince of Persia exclusives:
- The first footage from Ubisoft’s upcoming game, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
- Jake Gyllenhaal introducing a new clip from the Prince of Persia movie in which he stars
I’ll be there, too. Although with the rain, this would really be a perfect Saturday to stay home, watch TV and play video games.
Prince of Persia Latest News
How do I keep up with all the myriad developments in the world of Prince of Persia? With Google Alerts. That’s how I just found out that
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands testament passion the new plot from stylish year’s periodical reboot and go back to the humanity of Sands of Quantify, the games on which the upcoming Jerry Bruckheimer flick is supported.
This shouldn’t proceed as untold of a earthquake to incessant readers of Game Life, who already bed that serial creator Jordan Mechner said early this month that Ubisoft’s City apartment was working on “something that I’m frantic about” and that he due an annunciation soon.
Hot on the heels of the lodging for the Prince of Persia celluloid, Ubisoft has announced that the next Prince of Empire courageous will be usable in May 2010.
Pretty accurate reporting, overall, except I thought what I actually said was “The vodka is good but the meat is rotten.”
