Exklusiv-Interview mit Joel Vignola (Ubisoft) zu Prince of Persia: Die vergessene Zeit

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PlaystationPortable.de: Can you introduce yourself and tell us more about the team behind Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. What have you done before?

Joel Vignola: My name is Joel Vignola and I am the producer for Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands on the PSP. Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands has been developed by a team of seasoned developers: Ubisoft’s goal was to produce a top-class experience across all platforms, and the PSP made no exception. From creative direction to level design, the people behind this game have worked on a wealth of different titles, from casual to hard core: Rainbow Six, Open Season, Surf’s Up, Beyond Good & Evil, Peter Jackson’s King Kong, Cranium Kabooki, and Dinosaurs: Battle of Giants, just to mention some. The result of an experienced team having roots in different gaming genres and styles has been extremely gratifying in terms of creativity and continuous generation of new ideas.

PlaystationPortable.de: Why did you decide to bring the game to the PSP platform?

Joel Vignola: Bringing Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands to the PSP platform seemed like a natural choice for us. The ability to use the PSP’s technology and portability has given us the ability to make a smooth and visually impressive title on a system that gamers can play anywhere at any time! We feel our rendition of Forgotten Sands for the PSP fits perfectly with the capabilities of the handheld both in terms of style and gameplay.



PlaystationPortable.de: What are the main-differences to the console versions?

Joel Vignola: Forgotten Sands on the PSP is totally different from the console versions in almost every way, it’s important to note that this is in no way a port or a scaled down version of the console game. This game takes place in the same seven year gap as the other versions but at a different point in that seven year gap. As well, the only other similarity is that the protagonist is the same prince as the Sands of Time trilogy. Otherwise everything else is brand new! The Prince will be exploring an all new adventure in a series of new and unique environments. As well, he will have help from a unique ethereal being named Helem who grants him all new powers over time such as the ability to speed up and slow down different objects and enemies within the game!

PlaystationPortable.de: How long will it take to complete the game?

Joel Vignola: We designed this game in order to appeal both to the skilled gamer and to the newcomer. This means that you can set your own level of challenge, and play the game in different ways – and how long will it last, it really depends on what you want to achieve! This said, we can say that a playing session just focused on “finishing the game” will take about 8 hours on average – a time which easily expands as you try to perfect your score and gather all collectibles.



PlaystationPortable.de: Do you plan any multiplayer-features for the PSP version?

Joel Vignola: At the moment we have no plans for any multiplayer features for the PSP version of Forgotten Sands. As the Prince will be going at this adventure alone, we made a conscious decision to focus on a great single player experience for this game.

PlaystationPortable.de: Will we see Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands in the PSN-Store – or is there only a UMD version?

Joel Vignola: Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands will indeed be available on the PSN store as well as available on UMD.

PlaystationPortable.de: Will the game be localized for German gamers?

Joel Vignola: Yes, the game will indeed be localized into German (both dialogue and text)

PlaystationPortable.de: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?

Joel Vignola: Prince of Persia the forgotten Sands is a smooth, fast paced, 2.5D side scroller action adventure title that works perfectly with the capabilities of the PSP. There are a number of unlockables such as swords and other bonuses to collect throughout the game, providing replayability for all! There will be an extra bonus through connectivity between The Forgotten Sands on PSP and PS3! Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands is being developed at Ubisoft Quebec City Studios. Yuri Lowenthal (the original voice from Sands of Time) will be reprising his role as the Prince in Forgotten Sands.

The interview was held by Jakob Koch for PlaystationPortable.de
Thanks to Joel Vignola for his kind support.