Impressions - Prince of Persia The Lost Crown

 Available on Switch, PS4|5, XBox Series S|X, PC

Thoughts on the Story & Gameplay

The story in this game follows the youngest member of Persia's elite fighters, The Immortals, as they race to save the Prince Ghassan. About as straightforward as straightforward can be, am I right? 

The gameplay is for lack of a better term, 'metroidvania' (I really wish we could retire that word). Its a fast paced 2.5D action game with puzzle elements and a truly ginormous map. The best comparison I can make is probably 2021's Metroid Dread. The combat has a simplicity to it that I like but also has challenge to it as the timing of the attacks vary depending on how you play and what enemy you're fighting. Needless to say but there is a lot to like here, I have to give UbiSoft credit they did a great job on the gameplay.

Thoughts on the Good

This game is so good on so many different levels. While I have not completed the game at the time of this posting I am definitely enjoying the story so far. The characters are interesting as well. I like the rest of the Immortals and the banter that they have with each other. The gameplay is also a standout. Fast and fluid are the best ways to describe the protagonist, Sargon, fighting style. The powers that he acquires are also fun and provide for some cool puzzle solving when revisiting areas. I have also found myself enjoying the boss fights in this game as well. I also have to add that the visuals as well as the musical score match very well.  The game has different difficulty and accessibility options to help players of different skill levels. 

Thoughts on the Bad

I don't really have all that much to bring up other than the fact of where they place the "tutorial". During the early portion of the game one of the Immortals is not able to continue so he offers to "train" you. This is the tutorial portion where you get to learn moves and how to chain together juggles and combos. The problem is by the time this happens I have already fought 2 mini bosses and countless other enemies. I wish that sequence was a bit earlier in the game as that would have seriously helped with the mini bosses. The other thing is I wish there was a minimap or something because you have to go back and forth to check the map a lot in this game. Kinda makes me wish the game was on the Wii U so I can have the map on the Gamepad and play the game with the Pro Controller but I digress. 

For Parents

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is rated T for Teen. There is a lot of action and swashbuckling in it. There is some blood letting, I haven't come across anything really gory yet in my playthrough. There is some mild language but nothing out of the realm of PG-13 in tone. The game is said to run about 25 hours which is not bad and just by the nature of this game I can tell there will be plenty of replayability. Speed runners will love this game.

Overall Thoughts

I am enjoying myself immensely. The game runs very well. The combat is fast and fluid. The puzzles can be challenging but not frustrating and the soundtrack is amazing. This is a FULL PRICE buy for me and there is a playable demo so you can judge for yourself. Honestly, the demo is what convinced me to go ahead and purchase the game and if you need more convincing check out the intro to the game in the video below. Leave a comment and let me know what you think about the game. Would you be up for more games in the Prince of Persia franchise made like this? As always thanks for reading and feel free to share it out and check out more of my content. 

Intro to the Game

Fresh Take - ECHO Spoiler-Free Thoughts

Available on Disney + and Hulu

Synopsis (from IMDB):

The origin story of ECHO revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.

Thoughts

If you liked Daredevil on Netflix then you're probably going to love this one. The character was introduced in the Hawkeye series and I have to go Alaqua Cox props she does an amazing job bringing Maya Lopez to life. One of the best things about this series are the characters. I found them to be very likable and relatable. Also, a huge plus was the detail and care given to the Choctaw, Native American tribe. There is a lot of story time dedicated to this and add that to the Kahori character that was introduced in season 2 of What If and I think Marvel has something brewing here that could bode well in the future if they play their cards right. I found the fight choreography to be well done and harken back to those Marvel Netflix days, sadly there was no hallway fight (one day you'll make your majestic return hallway fight). The other thing I liked about the series was the story and the themes surrounding family and letting go and embracing who you are. There is also the inclusion of Marvel Spotlight which was at the beginning of some episodes that gave insight into Maya's ancestry. I liked that addition and the fact that it wasn't drawn out or over done. It was also awesome how that played into the season finale and I thought that worked out very well. 

As much as I enjoyed the series I do have a couple of issues. First, I think five episodes was a little to short. I don't know it felt like something was missing. By now you should know that Charlie Cox's Daredevil was in the first episode, the fight was spoiled on YouTube almost immediately. I thought there was going to be more to that but there wasn't which I thought was a bit of a missed opportunity. The other thing I would have liked for them to explain the power set. I know what character can do from the comics but its different here so I would have liked an explanation of what exactly can she do.

For Parents

This show is rated TV-MA for language and violence. If you watched the Daredevil series then you know what to expect. There are some bloody deaths in the series. Not really gorey but a lot of gun violence and shootouts. There is a lot of hand to hand fighting as well so there is that to consider. This show is not for anyone that's not a teenager. The series is well paced and is only 5 episodes that get shorter in runtime with each episode. The first episode is 50 minutes and the last episode is 35 minutes. They also do a nice setup as to where they could go next and I am personally, looking forward to that as they will more than likely be referencing a recent comic book run involving the Wilson Fisk that I think will be very interesting. 

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this series very much. I think most fans of the Marvel Netflix shows will enjoy this as well. The characters are interesting and Alaqua and Vincent really shine as Maya and Wilson Fisk. It really was a fun season to watch and I highly recommend people give it a watch. Have you seen ECHO? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. As always thanks for the support and please feel free to share out this blog if you like it. 

Trailer

 

Let's Talk - Mortal Kombat 1 Switch Version Thoughts

 Available on Playstation, XBox S|X, PC, & Switch

Thoughts on the Story & Gameplay

So I purposely waited to do this discussion because when the game released the Switch and Steam Deck versions had their fair share of issues. The gaming world we live in today games release and get patched all the time. Do I like it? NO! Is it something we unfortunately have to deal with now? Yes. That being said let's get into the "soft" reboot of Mortal Kombat shall we?

In this entry, it picks up where MK11 aftermath left off with Liu Kang and Kitana setting off to create a new timeline after stopping both Kronika and Shang Tsung. The intro video does a good job of setting up how things are going in Liu Kang's new vision. Ever since MK9 WB and Netherrealm Studios have been doing a great job with the story of Mortal Kombat and this one is no exception. The characters they decided to go with are given new cricumstances/lives and I think it works well with the story they are telling. The character choice I think works for the most part. I am sure that there are some characters left out that people are going to be upset with but I think they have a good core group to start things over with. The gameplay is what you have come to expect from the MK series. You will need to spend some time in training and using the tutorial if you want to master the game. It is easy to pick up but challenging to master. The Invasion Mode is a fun mode where you have different challenges you have to meet in order to progress to the next objective and further through the mode. Tower mode also makes a return, which is essentially your classic arcade mode. This game does add a new element in the introduction of Kameo characters which are a set character that you team up with and can perform combos, fatalities, and more. It makes the game more fun and combos more interesting. There is a lot of content in this game and the first fighter pack has a lot of interesting characters in it as well. Needless to say there is a lot to do in this game which is always a huge plus.

Thoughts on the Good

In my opinion, the gameplay is where this game shines the best. The fights are fast and fluid, as I stated earlier its easy to pick up and challenging to master. The "Learn" mode (practice mode) is there to help players get up to speed and I found it to be very helpful. The soundtrack is very good and the voice acting is well done too. Just like with MK 11 the story is very good and very enjoyable. I am very interested in seeing what they come up with next as the story does leave an interesting cliffhanger of sorts. I like the array of modes as well and the characters that they have. I thought it was a good balance for this reboot. 

Thoughts on the Bad

Here's where things get dicey for me. I purchased the Switch version as it is easier to carry the Switch with me as opposed to my Series X or PS4 PRO.  To be completely honest while they have made considerable patches to the Switch version that have helped the experience immensely, it should have never come to that. This game should not have released in the state it was in and that's just the truth. Even now the game still suffers from long loading times, screen tearing in Story Mode. There are even times where cutscenes take a while to start, an issue that didn't happen in MK 11 mind you. I always knew there would be a visual downgrade as that was something happened with MK11 back in 2019, however, that was 4 years ago and that can't be an excuse at this point. I know some people are going to say 'well Nintendo should make a more powerful system and then these issues wouldn't happen' to that I say no. There are to many examples on the system of 3rd party games playing smoothly with little to no issues for a company like WB and Netherrealm to let this happen. There just is no excuse for this at this point. 

For Parents

This is a Mortal Kombat game. Its rated M for Mature and it is as violent and bloody as any other entry in the series. From a gameplay perspective its a lot of fun. There story is interesting and there are a lot of modes and seasons in the Invasions mode to keep gamers busy for a while.

Overall Thoughts

If you have an XBox, Playstation, or PC I think the game is fun and worth a purchase. However, if you only have a Switch I cannot recommend this game as they are still issues and they can be frustrating at times. I really wished they would have optimized the game better or just build a version from the ground up for Switch. I could understand if WB was a small company and this was their first big release but this isn't their first rodeo and I refuse to give them a pass for this as it is not a good look on them in my opinion. Have you played Mortal Kombat 1? What do you think? Please leave a comment and let's talk about it.

Trailer