Occasionally Fatal
Prophet
SoT is of course, the first and probably the best because it is entirely self contained. Only weak spot was the repetitive and simplistic combat. If you come back to it after playing the other games some of the platforming is a little slow to get started as well.
Anyway, WW was put in as the grim dark sequel and maligned by many. Personally, I think it is better than most give it credit for. The level design and environments are arguably the the best in the series, and I didn't mind the backtracking except for the fact the enemies respawned. The combat is significantly more complex than in SoT and given a more prominent role. Tons of enemies and weapons to use. This is both good and bad. Eventually the combat becomes a bit tedious (because when you go back through an area all the enemies respawn), and the boss fights are generally annoying. If the combat had been kept to the same amount as in SoT it would have been much better, I think. The chase sequences are great though. The prince should be more of a runner than a fighter, in my view. The hidden trap sections and alternate ending were also nice additions. All in all, I thought it was pretty ambitious, and a great sequel in the way it did more than just copy the original.
TT... so they tried to bring it all back and tie everything together. At this point, you may be noticing the engine in all 3 games is the same... and at this point, it was really showing its age. You might think, big deal, but I noticed many more glitches and stuff than in the previous two games (though to be fair, WW had a fair number of strange goings on as well). I tried to replay it awhile ago and I got stuck at a certain spot where a trap door would not operate correctly, thus, totally screwing my game as I was unable to proceed. Anyway, the assassinate/stealth mode is a nice touch, and a lot closer to my idea of the prince, as well as alleviating some of the combat. Unfortunately, there is still too much emphasis on actual combat. The boss fights are probably the worst and most annoying in the series. I wasn't a fan of the scripted sequences where you do things like chariot race or control a monster God of War style. The level design is solid though, and because of the dark prince/chain mechanic, it manages to do some clever new things.
I rather like the general character arc of the Prince being too gung ho / naive in the beginning, Terrible Things happening in the middle where he goes emo, and then in the end he must redeem himself, etc. Unfortunately, you can tell the story wasn't planned as a trilogy, since it falls apart in the details. Overall, I can't think of too many other games in the same spirit of platforming as the PoP games. AC series is not really in the same vein at all, though the second one in the series is a bit more interesting.
Don't bother with the cell shaded Prince, and you can probably skip The Forgotten Sands unless you're desperate (like I was).
Anyway, WW was put in as the grim dark sequel and maligned by many. Personally, I think it is better than most give it credit for. The level design and environments are arguably the the best in the series, and I didn't mind the backtracking except for the fact the enemies respawned. The combat is significantly more complex than in SoT and given a more prominent role. Tons of enemies and weapons to use. This is both good and bad. Eventually the combat becomes a bit tedious (because when you go back through an area all the enemies respawn), and the boss fights are generally annoying. If the combat had been kept to the same amount as in SoT it would have been much better, I think. The chase sequences are great though. The prince should be more of a runner than a fighter, in my view. The hidden trap sections and alternate ending were also nice additions. All in all, I thought it was pretty ambitious, and a great sequel in the way it did more than just copy the original.
TT... so they tried to bring it all back and tie everything together. At this point, you may be noticing the engine in all 3 games is the same... and at this point, it was really showing its age. You might think, big deal, but I noticed many more glitches and stuff than in the previous two games (though to be fair, WW had a fair number of strange goings on as well). I tried to replay it awhile ago and I got stuck at a certain spot where a trap door would not operate correctly, thus, totally screwing my game as I was unable to proceed. Anyway, the assassinate/stealth mode is a nice touch, and a lot closer to my idea of the prince, as well as alleviating some of the combat. Unfortunately, there is still too much emphasis on actual combat. The boss fights are probably the worst and most annoying in the series. I wasn't a fan of the scripted sequences where you do things like chariot race or control a monster God of War style. The level design is solid though, and because of the dark prince/chain mechanic, it manages to do some clever new things.
I rather like the general character arc of the Prince being too gung ho / naive in the beginning, Terrible Things happening in the middle where he goes emo, and then in the end he must redeem himself, etc. Unfortunately, you can tell the story wasn't planned as a trilogy, since it falls apart in the details. Overall, I can't think of too many other games in the same spirit of platforming as the PoP games. AC series is not really in the same vein at all, though the second one in the series is a bit more interesting.
Don't bother with the cell shaded Prince, and you can probably skip The Forgotten Sands unless you're desperate (like I was).
