This week we discussed things of merriment. Okay it’s the same old crap but it’s still fun. Topics include mail from a new and a veteran listener, podcast naughtiness levels, Mother 3, and the Citizen Kane of gaming. Also spambot love. Huzzahs all around.

[podcast]http://www.evillairproductions.com/podcast/ep93.mp3[/podcast]

Oh and Walrus King didn’t announce his song for the song break this week so it’s a mystery. I couldn’t jimmy his announcement in without breaking the flow of the episode so I left it out. Helps when you’re the one with the scissors bitch.

OH! And here’s the link for the fan translation for Mother 3. They did a really good on it and Starmen.net is a great site in general for all your Earthbound needs.

As promised here is the short film Leap of Faith. I made this for a production class about a year and a half ago. And yes, that is the one and only Osiris as the lead. Sir Michael and I also make cameos mid way through. While I’m usually never really happy with my work, I really enjoyed how this one turned out. When I show this short to gamers they tell me how much they liked the humor because they could relate to the story. You won’t be surprised to hear that this short was based on actual events. Hope you like it!

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Watch this if you need a good laugh.

My favorite has to be #40. How about yours?

I didn’t get into Prince of Persia until recently. I bought the Sands of Time trilogy last May and fell in love with the games (with the exception of Warrior Within which depressed me more often then wowed me). That being said, I just finished the newest game in the franchise, Prince of Persia.

As you can tell from the title and box art, this game is a reboot of the franchise. I don’t think all reboots are bad because they can allow new people to experience a franchise without having to know ten years of back-story. This game does a great job of this by not being connected to any of the previous games, making it so anyone can jump into the franchise.

What I really loved about this game is that not only is the game fun, IT’S GORGEOUS. If this game was a painting it would be the one that replaces the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Every level of this game is so eye poppingly beautiful that worried I was going to go blind from staring at the screen too long. This really helps to immerse the player in the world.

The gameplay is similar to Sands of Time, but with new moves added. You can run short distances along ceilings, slide down walls, and activate magic plates to get to new platforms. However combat has been revamped so that it based more on strategy and timing rather than just slicing and dicing. Also you can never die, which at first sounds like a terrible choice, but this insures that the game never breaks flow because you’re constantly moving forward. The music is also one of the game’s strong suits. Every time you liberate a fertile ground(he he) you’ll be treated to an amazing suite that makes you feel like your on the most amazing adventures known to man.

What I think I like most about Prince of Persia is the fact that it’s different. Ubisoft could have easily made another “Prince of Persia: You’re Rewinding Time Again” and easily made money off the cash in. This reboot gives players something fresh and fun.

And now the reason I almost burned this game alive.

Unfortunately Prince of Persia can become very repetitive. You fight the same four bosses five times each. I’ll repeat that. THE SAME FOUR BOSSES FIVE TIMES EACH! Do you think that’s enough? Sure they change the strategy a little each time but it still doesn’t change the fact it’s the same guy!

But that’s not the sin that made me curse the games name. No no. The giant blotch of ink on this Rembrandt is the ending. I won’t give anything away, just know that the ending is frustratingly awful. It ends on a cliffhanger. A stupid cliffhanger.

Imagine you’re in a movie theater watching Star Wars. It’s the scene where Luke has just launched the proton torpedoes, saving or damning the rebel cause. Suddenly at the exact moment they’re about to enter the exhaust port, the screen goes black and the theater owner tells you that in a couple months you’ll be able to buy the ending for 10 dollars. This is what Ubisoft did.

So I paid my 10 dollars for the resolution to the cliffhanger and the end to the story that should have been in the finished game. Guess what? ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! When I finally came to there was blood all over my room and the bodies of my roommates hanging from the ceiling.

I’d love to give this game a full recommendation, but my hatred for the ending really tarnishes the experience. If you do play this game just be ready for a lot of head shaking and yelling “Wait why!?!” at the end. Also just youtube the Epilogue chapter. It’ll save you a lot of time getting rid of bodies…