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New Prince of Persia not coming to a Wii near you

by David Hinkle { May 6th 2008 at 7:00PM }

Despite us getting excited about a Prince of Persia prequel back in October, it looks like we're left out to dry on the new Prince of Persia game that was recently confirmed. According to a post over at Nintendic, the odds of us getting this new game are pretty slim.

That's not to say that Ubisoft doesn't want to bring the franchise back to the Wii, however. They're currently investigating how to bring Prince of Persia back to the console. Let's just hope they put a bit more into it than their last effort, should it happen.

[Via Joystiq]

'Prince of Persia Prodigy' trademarked by Jordan Mechner

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Apr 22nd 2008 at 10:57AM }

Trademork brings us word that Jordan Mechner, creator of wall-running time reverser, Prince of Persia, has filed to protect a new trademark. "Prince of Persia Prodigy" is now listed in relation to "game software and electronic game programs; electronic game software for mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and handheld computers." With Ubisoft suggesting that a new entry in the franchise is due to PoP up on modern consoles, one could speculate that "Prodigy" will serve as a subtitle to the royal acrobat's next adventure. One could also speculate that it implies a tie-in with the electropunk group of the same name, taking us back to the dark and angst-ridden tone of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. That being the case, one should hope that one counts the number of people seriously considering such a project.

A second paragraph of speculation might also draw a connection between the trademark and next year's "not a video game movie" adaptation of Prince of Persia. How could anybody resist a game based on a movie based on a game?

Prince of Persia heads to Morocco for film shoot

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Mar 10th 2008 at 10:00PM }

The transition between video game and film is typically no different than one of those trap-laden corridors Ubisoft's princely protagonist dashes through on a regular basis. Though we yearn to say otherwise, Disney's Prince of Persia: Sands of Time film hasn't shown to be particularly adept at running the gauntlet. Coupling mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer's involvement with director Mike Newell's promise (of having his assistant play through the game) leads us to believe that the crew has fallen into the very first pit and succumbed to one of those spinning blade thingies.

Still, we'd best give them a chance to finish shooting in Morocco this June, which Variety notes will have a positive effect on the North African film business. Scenes for the Jeffrey Nachmanoff- and Jordan Mechner-written project will also be filmed at the UK's Pinewood Shepperton studios. Cross your fingers and hope for something more than a literal explosion of bullet-time sword fights, churlish chariot chases and liberal lingering on Farah's faucets.

New Prince of Persia is official for fiscal 08

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 23rd 2008 at 3:50PM }

Alright readers, are you sitting down? You should probably sit down, because we have some shocking news. Okay, everyone ready? Good. Ubisoft has confirmed the existence of a new Prince of Persia. We know, right? We never saw it coming either. Not in a million years. And yet, it's true. The game was mentioned in an Ubisoft financial release alongside other games planned for their fiscal 2008, which begins this April. No further details were unveiled, even a vague release window. For instance, we don't know if the game will tie into the upcoming film expected in 2009 or if it will be part of the rumored prequel trilogy. Maybe our dreams of Altair making a guest appearance will come true (historical accuracy be damned!).

[Via Joystiq]

Prince of Persia creator talks film adaptation, pitching project

by Ross Miller { Jan 18th 2008 at 2:30PM }

If you're curious to know how Prince of Persia became a film, series creator and movie screenwriter Jordan Mechner spoke with GameDaily to talk about how he went about pitching the idea to Disney, who told him he needed a producer like Jerry Bruckheimer, and then how he took that to mean "pitch to Jerry Bruckheimer" and subsequently won him over. Mechner described writing the screenplay as a 21-month process (three months for first draft, 18 months of revisions), "not counting the 15 years of preparation before that," he said.

Said Mechner about changes from the game's plot, "If I'd tried to adapt the game's storyline beat for beat into a screenplay, we would have wound up with a 'B'-level survival-horror movie about a warrior prince who spends most of his time fighting off ravaging, zombie-like sand creatures -- basically, Resident Evil in the desert." Did he just call the Resident Evil films B-level? Oh snap!

Bruckheimer might change Prince of Persia time period

by Justin McElroy { Dec 4th 2007 at 1:55PM }

Jerry Bruckheimer spilled a little bit to Collider.com about the upcoming Prince of Persia film that he hopes to start filming in June. Though it seems to still be in the pretty early stages, Bruckheimer says he sees a lot of possibilities for the franchise. One of the things still in flux, he says, is exactly what time period the film will be set in. Though he says it's not going to be in modern day, he won't rule anything else out.

So, let's recap what we know so far: Director Mike Newell isn't playing the game and isn't making a 'videogame movie.' Meanwhile, the movie could be set in any period since the beginning of time. Does anybody else smell a hit? And why do hits smell like diapers?

[Via Shacknews]

NBC's 'Life' investigates Prince of Persia

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 13th 2007 at 1:46PM }

Writers -- the unsung heroes of television detective work! Sprinkling logic crumbs throughout the investigation and frequently bending reality to ensure those pesky crooks get captured, the behind-the-scenes scribes are the ones doing the real dirty work. Witness the investigative team of NBC "Life" being given a bona fide boon in the improbable decision of a drug dealer to hide incriminating files inside his console, which we're helpfully informed is "just a hard drive with games on it." Accessing the evidence requires an embarrassing plot device yanked straight from the zeitgeist: The detectives must dramatically reach "Level 10" in Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, preferably with the aid of a stealth gurrrl gamer.

[Thanks, Hashbrown_Hunter]

Newell: Prince of Persia 'not a video game movie'

by Justin McElroy { Nov 12th 2007 at 10:05AM }

Mike Newell had only been at the helm of the upcoming Prince of Persia movie for five days when he started insisting that it was a great story first, and a video game movie .. well, not at all. "It's not a video game movie," Newell told Rotten Tomatoes. "It's a great story. If you had read the script, you would know that it wasn't a video game. It's very exciting and it's immensely romantic and it's like Lost Horizon. It takes you to somewhere you've never been."

Sure, that doesn't fill us with loads of confidence, but if you consider the "video game movie" canon, we can't blame him for wanting to distance his film from that pile of wickedness. Besides, if you're worried about him staying true to the series, Rotten Tomatoes reports he "has an assistant playing the video games to brief him on key details" ... so you're completely justified in your concern. Well done.

[Thanks, Hashbrown_Hunter]

Harry Potter director offered Prince of Persia movie reins

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 8th 2007 at 2:30PM }

Variety reports that mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has offered director duties for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to Mike Newell. Although Newell directed Four Weddings and a Funeral and Donnie Brasco, we're guessing Bruckheimer is tapping Newell because of his work with Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Newell is currently meeting with Disney studio execs this week and an announcement will probably be made shortly thereafter.

The script for Prince of Persia was written by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (The Day After Tomorrow) and PoP creator Jordan Mechner. All we can say at this point is this movie is sounding like a popcorn munching friendly theater experience.

Prince of Persia prequel confirmed

by David Hinkle { Oct 17th 2007 at 12:45PM }

It looks like that rumored Prince of Persia prequel is going to be a reality soon, as word hits that the title has been confirmed in the latest issue of Computer and Video Games Magazine. Dubbed Prince of Persia: Ghosts of the Past, the title is supposedly headed in a more fantasy-like direction, ditching the dark material of the last two titles in the trilogy. People are saying it's going to be a mix between Ico, Zelda and Sands of Time.

Sounds like it already has some awfully large shoes to fill.

[Via Go Nintendo]

Rumor: Prince of Persia prequel trilogy incoming

by Justin McElroy { Oct 11th 2007 at 3:59PM }

After the Bungie/Microsoft split debacle, we're not going to discount anything out of hand, which is why we're bringing you this news of a rumored Prince of Persia prequel trilogy first reported by a blog called, and we're not making this up, "Surfer Girl Reviews Star Wars."

According to the site, which has displayed a couple of early images from the alleged game, Prince of Persia 4/0/Ghosts of the Past is supposed to be released in the latter half of next year. According to the author, "stylistically and gameplay-wise, the game has abandoned the dark edginess of the last two titles in favor a fantastical cross between The Sands of Time, Ico and Zelda." ... Wow. Now we really hope it's true.

[Via Gamespot]

FarCry, Prince of Persia, Rabbids, Ghost Recon for free on PC

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 3rd 2007 at 11:30AM }

ShackNews leads us to free ad-supported PC games for this lazy holiday in the US. You'll be able to play full versions of FarCry, Raving Rabbids, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and Ghost Recon, though you'll need a US Ubi.com account to install the games. We aren't aware if the ads are just in loading screens, or if you'll find empty McDonald's fry boxes washed up on FarCry's pristine shores. Here are the links:

Far Cry full game
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Ghost Recon
Non-Ubisoft bonus: Command & Conquer Gold

Just remember to take it easy on this ironically named holiday. The only thing that should be working today are your thumbs and trigger fingers for console gamers, and general hand stuff for PC gamers.

Parkour-based FPS in the works

by John Bardinelli { Jul 6th 2007 at 5:33PM }

In development by Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (DICE), the upcoming PS3, Xbox 360, and PC title Mirror's Edge hopes to bank on the success of the Prince's acrobatic abilities in Prince of Persia in a first-person 3D environment. You play the role of Faith who climbs, sprints, and leaps around a utopian metropolis fighting the corrupt authoritarians in power.

The main character's moves were inspired by parkour and have been kept deliberately simple. Mirror's Edge aims to give players a better sense of being in a body, forcing you to pay attention to things like acceleration and the way your head moves as you walk or come to an abrupt stop.

While the game will be packed with action, don't expect shooting to be the central focus, as realistic physics play a huge role in the gameplay. Ever try bouncing off a wall holding a heavy assault rifle?

Hollywood and Games Summit: crossing over from film to games

by Kevin Kelly { Jun 27th 2007 at 8:26PM }

Click for larger version

Jordan Mechner hosted a panel about talent (mostly writers and actors) crossing the "digital divide" between film and TV and video games. Sadly, they didn't drop any information about the Prince of Persia movie. For the most part, the panel covered familiar and expected territory. Yuri Lowenthal, voice of the Prince in several Prince of Persia games, said that the crossover is fairly easy for actors, although he would like for the actors to be more involved in the development process, if possible.

Writer Flint Diller (The Transformers Game, Dead to Rights, and several more) said that as far as writers are concerned, you have to have a sense of humor going in with the underlying knowledge that,"This is gonna be a long, bumpy ride." He also said that you can't compare it to screenwriting, and if you try you'll find yourself very disappointed.

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Live Top Ten: Shadow runs fast

by David Dreger { Jun 25th 2007 at 7:30AM }

This week's Live Top Ten let the dust settle from last week's onslaught of demos. The top three remained unchanged, with Guitar Hero II moving into fourth, pushing the Shadowrun demo down. One of the other demos from last week, Tenchu Z remains in the same spot, and the Arcade game, Prince of Persia actually moved up to eighth. Also, though its demo has been on the list for the past week, the retail version of Shadowrun has made it on the top ten list, and will hopefully continue to climb. Full breakdown of the list after the break.

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