A little over a year ago, eternally late to the party, I played through Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

And it was really quite difficult in places.  I posted a long rant about the first serious boss fight, and I find constant affirmation in the number of hits that rant gets from people trying to beat him.

That said, it was one of the best games I have ever played, partially for the platforming, a little bit for the fighting, and a great deal for the characters.  I hate hard games, mind you, but the charm of this one made me overcome the frustration.

Now, I have heard, over and over again, that the second game is, well, not good, but I have been known to enjoy games that were not good, and I loved the first game so much that I wasn’t about to be put off trying the second just on the say-so of random people on the internet.

Having now put three hours into the game: The random people on the internet were right.

I can’t decide what I hate more: the dreary level design, the godawful music, or the utter prick that the once-likable prince has become.

At this point, I’m trying to decide whether I’ll even give The Two Thrones a spin, or if I will pretend that the Sands of Time trilogy started and ended with the first game, freeing me up to play the 2008 Prince of Persia game instead.