I've played roughly the first quarter of the game. Initial thoughts and observations:
Before I dig in, there's something that needs to be said about this game that the reviews have glossed over without giving the proper amount of attention. There are two camps, generally speaking, in gaming: You have one group that plays games for achieving things - winning online matches, Microsoft's newly minted "achievements", beating the game, etc.
Prince of Persia was not made for these people. That's why you're seeing a lot of 6/10 reviews. That's why you hear a lot of bitching that the game is "too easy".
This game was made for people who want a story, characters, and a unique presentation. The story itself isn't anything new. Dark God, end of the world, family conflicts, standard Judeo-Christian/Gnostic themes of light = good, dark = bad. They mixed some of the green movement in for good measure and there you have it - the battle lines are drawn.
The presentation is what sets things apart here. The voice acting is solid, and so far none of the dialogue has gone overboard into typical videogame cheese. There are even some low brow gags in there with impeccable timing, one used as the opener when Elika lands on the Prince during the opening scene.
The graphical departure from the norm is strong. The screenshots really are misleading, because the storybook look is just a natural evolution of the glow-saturated warmth we saw in Sands of Time and Two Thrones. If there's anything left of the design team that did Warrior Within, it's been relegated to the corrupted enemies, where their nu-metal tastes can at least be put to good use. The game is mostly enchanting in the same way Sands of Time was enchanting - excellent animation and a unique look.
Now on to everyone's favorite sticking point: The difficulty or lack thereof. The game is no cakewalk. What they have done here is given you unlimited rewinds and automated them. This really isn't a bad thing. It keeps the game flowing with less interruption, and keeps you playing more, rather than looking at loading screens.
Combat is gussied up street fighter with swords shoehorned into the mix. It's much much less common than the previous POP games which is a blessing. Most of us came for the platforming anyway, and the combat was just to flesh out the conflict side of things. For what it's worth, the combat is much more strategic and combo-friendly than previous outings, and looks as good as anything.
Bottom line, if you liked Sands of Time because you loved watching the characters develop as the events unfolded, if you liked being there to witness that story, you will like Prince of Persia. It's a new take on that same philosophy: A compelling experience. Those of you who like strict bounds of success and failure will be less enthused. This game isn't about completing things, competing with people, or achieving - it's about making the argument that video games can compete on an artistic and story-telling level with movies; that they don't have to be relegated to teenage males anymore. That they can finally grow up. I hope it sees more attention for that aspect alone.