Ubisoft joined in on the whole tease-them-before-the-announcement bandwagon - quite an ingenious way of getting more publicity for your product and Blizzard, BioWare, Capcom and others opted to promote their upcoming titles in similar fashion. For Ubisoft, it's the latest Prince of Persia game, which they uncovered during Ubidays. As you may have heard, the game doesn't relate to characters from the Sands of Time series, albeit it does using the same setting.

Damn, I slipping! I should have worn sneakers.

I'm confused.

With this project, Ubisoft is making everything new, from the story, characters, fresh and highly revamped gameplay to the snazzy, illustrative new art style. At the center of it all, is the same recipe, you might say, denoting puzzle-solving, beautifully choreographed battles and a range of kick-ass acrobatics. Cel-shaded style graphics are a welcomed feature and the art gives a spanking new overall look to the Prince of Persia world. Don't be fooled. The game isn't strictly a 2D cel-shaded action adventure. All the characters and creature models, as well as the surroundings, are in full 3D. What's more they look gorgeous. You'll also see effects such as realistic lighting and other nice touches setting an appropriate mood to go in line with the stylish graphics.

Gameplay wise, Ubi has taken things one step further with the inclusion of Elika. The demo shown featured a segment introducing us to the character of Elika and her purpose in PoP. The Prince bears a new image this time around and keeps his mind focused on drinking and women (seems like a nice guy to me). It is Elika who marches forth to restore happiness and prosperity in a land that's otherwise overtaken by the forces of Ahriman, the god of evil. The Prince (okay, he isn't exactly a real prince yet) will find his female companion most helpful (shut up, not like that!). She doesn't fall behind, plunge to a clumsy death or get stuck somewhere where she shouldn't. Practically every step of the way, she'll help you carry out a variety of combo moves, some of which, judging from the footage we've seen, look rather impressive when employed against shadowy enemies. Other very nifty moves can be pulled off when you have to make difficult jumps. These are done in co-op fashion, with Elika and our hero chaining together a neat move to perform extended leaps over chasms.

This, of course, wouldn't be possible if it weren't for Elika and her magical powers. To feed her powers, you can collect "Seeds of Life," if you want to increase your chances of surviving. There's another important fact to consider. As you make your way across the land, you'll notice that the evil (the "corruption," as it was being referred to) is getting stronger. Everything will depend on cooperation with your companion. Battles are very tough, while your moves and combos will need to be well-coordinated. Fighting against the corruption signifies more than going through a dull button-mashing routine. Your fight style must vary, because the corruption learns your moves very quickly and will adapt to them. Of course, you'll know when to perform attacks and counterattacks, although you have to be fast and rely on Elika as well, if you want to live.

The Prince of Persia seems like it could be another visual treat, with masterfully animated fighting scenes, superb stunts, a cinematic feel and altogether a highly interactive single-player experience. It feels a bit different from other PoP games. The art style works, we can tell you that much and we look forward to seeing more of the game in action. It hits stores some time during Q4 2008 (hopefully) and will make an appearance on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.