According to the LEGO obsessed crew at Brickset, there will be at least five set pieces turned sets of LEGO pieces, featuring various Prince of Persia predicaments. These include Quest Against Time, Hassasins Hide Out, Fight For The Dagger, Battle of Almut and The Ostrich Race. That last set of LEGO appears to be the only one which may contain a shirtless Jake mini-fig, if that's the sort of thing you might be into.

All five sets—well, save for Hassasins Hide Out, which is not pictured—look like a lot of LEGO fun, but the set to own is clearly The Ostrich Race. It's not often that LEGO ostriches come along.

Prince of Persia LEGO Playsets [Brickset - thanks, Conor!]

This short featurette features interviews with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Mike Newell, actress Gemma Atherton, actor Jake Gyllenhaal and Jake Gyllenhaal's abs.

News: Hot And Sexy New Prince Of Persia Featurette [Latino Review]

Looks like the most boring magazine we've never read in the dentist office. Hey, someone make the posters less zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

News: New Prince of Persia Poster [Latino Review]

Some of us, hurt countless times by bad ports, are finding it hard to open our hearts up once more to a potentially good movie based on a video game.

But Ubisoft chairman Yves Guillemot has no such reservations.

Speaking to a group of investors and industry executives in New York today at the BMO Capital Markets digital entertainment conference, Guillemot says he has very high hopes for the movie.

Among the highlights for Ubisoft next year, Stephen Totilo reports from the event, should be the Prince of Persia which "will show what a video game property can do in the (movie) industry... What we hear is that it could maybe be stronger than Pirates (of the Caribbean) which did 2.7 billion dollars worldwide."

If they don't stick their head in the sand.

Gyllenhaal recalls one scene in the flick with real live ostriches — "not CG ostriches." According to Jake and his chest, "There's not a CG'ed ostrich in this movie. They're all real ostriches, highly paid, and we were all briefed on them for weeks before like 'They're these massive destructive creatures that can tear your heart out with their claws.'"

Jake was shaking in his boots, he says. His chest was afraid, too.

"One of my stuntmen was in the ring with them, and finally," he says, "I was like, 'When am I going to be in a fucking cage with ostriches again in my life? I gotta get in here!' So I got in there and they were the sweetest things."

The bird were, most likely, hypnotized by his chest. Gyllenhaal adds that he hopes the ostriches come back for reshoots or the second Prince of Persia movie: "Well, hopefully ostriches will come back again... either in reshoots or hopefully in a second one."

There's going to be another Prince of Persia movie? Hope they call it, Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow, the Flame and the Ostriches.

Prince of Persia On Set Interviews: Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton [Slash Film]

According to film producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the movie is screening great — no, better than great. Greater than great! Says the producer, "What we found when we tested the movie a few weeks ago, and it tested extraordinarily high which surprised me because I always think these things are going to fail but this one turned out great; the women were a surprise because I thought we made a terrific movie for the boys because the girl is beautiful but the women flipped over this film."

Continuing, he adds, "I've never had a score where the parents, there is violence, too, because it's PG-13, but the parents rated the film a hundred percent with an excellent or very good which has never happened before. So it's one of these movies that we know they'll take their children to go see it which is a huge advantage for a film, that parents can say, 'Hey, it's cool. My kid can see it.'"

Even jaded old me must admit, that trailer looks pretty cool.

News: Interview: Prince of Persia Producer Jerry Bruckheimer And Creator Jordan Mechner [Latino Review]

You can see from the trailer just how much of that "action/adventure" thrust comes from what look like platforming puzzles writ large with Jake Gyllenhaal. Those of you that played the Sands of Time games, though, will be expecting a lot more than just jumping around. You want to see time-rewinding and sand monsters, don't you?

Well, too bad, says Mechner. To get the whole time-rewinding mechanic into the movie, some things had to be changed or cut completely.

"In the movie, the [Dagger of Time]'s powers are much more limited," he said. If they'd left it the same, after all, the Prince would be omnipotent and the plot would get mighty boring.

So instead, there will be "consequences" for using the Dagger and there won't be sand monsters Jake Gyllenhaal fights to recharge it.

Sadly, Mechner wouldn't say what kind of, with whom there would be, or how many "boss fights" we could expect to see in the film. But he did say that producer Jerry Bruckheimer — that master of big, big action/adventure movies — knows what he's doing when it comes to creating an experience that everybody including non-gamers will be into. And because it's set in a sort of sub-genre of "1001 Arabian Nights" action/adventure, Prince of Persia the movie will probably go a long way toward appealing to the Pirates of the Caribbean-starved masses.

If only we could count on it to unseat Twilight. Alas, I'm not seeing much chemistry between Gemma Arterton and Jake Gyllenhaal in the trailer's banter snippets.

What do you make of the trailer?

P.S. No, Mechner didn't say anything about film sequels. However, he did say Ubisoft has something big planned to announce in conjunction with the film's marketing as the release date draws nearer. Dare we hope for a video game sequel?

This looks to be the same Prince of Persia trailer that AJ last week, with the two lines from Ben Kingsley, Jake Gyllenhaal leaping about and Gemma Arterton talking up a sandstorm about the Dagger of Time and its effects. Speaking of effects, they look spectacular, but any kids with a computer can make good special effects these days. The plot is what matters here, and we still have no idea how that's going to play out. Those of you who go to movies just to see men leaping, however, are sure to be pleased.

Thanks to Sl0th for pointing us towards the trailer!

If you want to see it for yourself, sit tight – it runs with the premier of 2012 on November 13. Also I'm sure it'll hit the interwebs well before then. If you want to know how I felt about what I saw, read on. But know that I still haven't forgiven Ben Kingsley for BloodRayne.

Now I realize that once you've played Gandhi on the silver screen (and won an Oscar for it), everything else must pale in comparison. But seriously, Sir Kingsley, would it have killed you to show up for fencing lessons in preparation for filming BloodRayne? Just because the director sucks doesn't mean you have to.

As it turns out, Sir Kingsley only has two lines in the trailer (which is still twice as much as what comic relief character Alfred Molina gets) – so I can't judge his performance based entirely on that. The majority of the trailer is Jake Gyllenhaal leaping off of things while Gemma Arterton narrates in a quasi-mystical voice about the Dagger of Time and its powers.

Like all action trailers, there's a lot of quick cutting between unrelated sequences. Someone opens a door, the Prince looks around like he's confused and the Princess – called Tamina, not Farah – walks around looking pretty and exchanges PG-rated flirts with the Prince. Some dudes in black robes show up, looking like they just walked off the set of The Scorpion King and there's a lot of sand and gold stuff.

An interesting scene I noticed being repeated was a glowing fiery vortex within the Dagger of Time. You can see it in the trailer when the Prince activates it during a fight to rewind time. You see it again at the end of the trailer only somehow the Prince and some other person appear to be inside the Dagger, swirling around the vortex. Seems like a climactic boss fight to me. Also a temple-looking place collapses – it's all very Indiana Jones.

Speaking of which, someone pointed out to me the irony in having Alfred Molina play a comic relief character in an Indiana Jones-esque film. I'd completely forgotten that he's the guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark with the famous line "Throw me idol, I'll throw you the whip." How about that.

After the screening of the trailer, we were given a little bit of Q&A time with Jordan Mechner – but you'll have to sit tight for that as well.

Be honest – how many of you are going to go see the film 2012 just so you can watch the Prince of Persia trailer on the big screen? I totally did that with Scooby-Doo for a Harry Potter trailer and again with some other terrible film for a Two Towers trailer.

Image Cred
Image Cred

Some readers thought the package, which came with the three pictured games and no explanatory note, was an elaborate tease of a new Prince of Persia game.

Some suggested that these three games were bound by the fact that their protagonists were all replacements.

One reader helpfully noted to me that all three games were published by Ubisoft.

The envelope they arrived in only indicated that the Family Feud would be inside. So I wondered if the person mailing it just threw some extras in. Then I heard from other people in the games media who received the same package.

Well, the dull truth is that these games were part of Ubisoft's mailing to judges for the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards this year. A company rep confirmed the details to me today. These and other games that didn't make it into that package — unless the mailman snatched himself an early copy of Assassin's Creed II or something — are titles the company hopes will be considered for some of the possible VGA categories.

Prince of Persia may have been released in December of 2008, but it just qualifies for the December 2nd 2008 date of eligibility for this year's VGA. Games released through late November 2009 are eligible. The awards air on Spike on December 12.

So, it's not a hint of a Prince of Persia sequel. Sorry.

Gamasutra reports that Mechner sees potential for the film to continue on its own way in sequels that aren't necessarily bound to any of the Prince of Persia games. This is part of his theme of evolution where the series is enriched by the unpredictability of video game and film production cycles.

At least I think that's what he's saying. I kind of zeroed in on this one part where Mechner mentioned the potential for future video game sequels – which I'd much rather see, given the poor history of game-to-movie conversions:

"I don't have a preconception of what the Prince of Persia game in 10 years should look like. I think we're at a good place because the games that have been done up to this point have been so scattered and the franchise isn't locked into one place, but I think people have feelings about which parts they like best... The next game can take the best parts of the franchise and build from there."

GDC China: Jordan Mechner Charts Prince Of Persia's Creative Evolution [Gamasutra]

Image Cred

He's the creator of Prince of Persia, that's who.

We're not sure if this latest trademark is a game or some sort of tie-in for the upcoming movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Besides making games, Mechner busies himself by writing graphic novels, directing documentaries and penning screenplays.

Latest Status Info [Tarr.gov via superannuation via Game Center Online]

At Disney's D23 Expo, website Latino Review spotted a poster showing Disney Digital's 3D roster. Included in that roster is Prince of Persia. The film was not originally intended to be shown in 3D, so if this Disney Digital roster is correct, the movie is getting a tacked-on 3D transfer.

The only thing better than Jake Gyleenhaal shirtless is Jake Gyleenhaal shirtless and in 3D. No, that's not true. Hamburgers are better than that.

Sadly, this is all a mix-up! Whoever did the artwork for the display totally screwed up. 3D chesty Jake will have to reside in your dreams.

News: **UPDATE** Prince Of Persia Will Be In 3-D? [Latino Review]

The series - which we first told you about in February - will be released to cash in on the movie, which is due to hit theatres next April. And while the presence of a LEGO ostrich screams instant purchase, we're going to be holding off until we get confirmation from LEGO that the Prince's shirt is removable.

There's a full gallery's worth of close-ups over at jmenomeno's Flickr page.

San Diego Comic Con 1 [jmenomeno @ Flickr]

Ever wanted to see what the Prince of Persia riding a horse looks like? Bam! Empire Online has brand new exclusive shots of Prince Dastan doing that very thing. They also have shots of Dastan soaking wet, with additional shots of studs Jerry Bruckheimer and director Mike Newell.

Guess that confirms that Dastan will be shirtless, soaking, and straddling things hung like a horse at various points in the movie. I'm guessing Sands of Time is going for a hard 'R'. A ballsy move, but one that might just pay off.

Exclusive New Prince Of Persia Images [Empire]

Half a dozen comics and two new cartoons based on video games were announced at the show and plenty of comic books were unveiled as video games. The convention itself was host to more than 40 panels about video games.

Often these crossovers serve as a sort of table setter for an upcoming game, helping to set the stage, build up the characters and explore the world of a video game before it gets into the hands of gamers.

Before the original Sci-Fi role-playing game Mass Effect hit two years ago, Del Rey published the novel Mass Effect: Revelation. The prequel, penned by the game developer's head writer, took place 35 years before the game.

This time around, the next Mass Effect game will be heralded by a comic book, not a novel. Mass Effect: Redemption is being written by Mac Walters, the person responsible for Mass Effect 2 script, and Walters promises it will change the way gamers look at the upcoming Xbox 360 sequel.

Upcoming Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 game Singularity is also getting a prequel in the form of a graphic novel. And long-lived franchise Prince of Persia is getting a graphic novel prequel for the upcoming movie based on the video games.

The shift from books to comic books to tell a story set in a video game universe shouldn't be that surprising. Comic books, like video games, use both narrative art and dialog to tell a story. The two also have a very similar audience which could explain the virtual explosion of crossover titles in recent months.

While Dead Space Extraction will explore the world of the upcoming Wii-exclusive, it won't be a prequel, according to Steve Papoutsis, executive producer of Dead Space Extraction.

"There is so much more to the Dead Space universe than we could ever fit into one game and we're excited to be working with Image Comics again to extend the story in Dead Space Extraction," he said. "(Illustrator) Ben (Templesmith) and (writer) Antony (Johnston) did such a tremendous job with the original comic, we can't wait for fans to get their hands on this special issue."

Other comic crossovers seem to be more about marketing than expanding the story. For instance, at last week's convention Capcom gave away copies of a Spyborgs comic to promote the upcoming Wii game. And Sony Computer Entertainment announced a comic based on their popular God of War franchise.

The six-issues series, set to be released on a monthly schedule leading into the release of God of War III, was announced alongside a novel based on the game and a collectible copy of the anti-hero's weapon: The Blades of Chaos.

Crossovers aren't relegated to the pages of comics either, there were also two new cartoons announced at the show.

Halo Legends will be a set of animated shorts based on Microsoft and Bungie's popular first-person shooter for the Xbox 360. The seven shorts will explore some of the fictional history of the game's universe.

Dante's Inferno, an action game based on the epic Italian poem, is also getting the cartoon treatment. The collection of six shorts, each created by a different studio and director, will show some of the untold moments of the video game on a DVD set to ship around the same time as the game.

Comic books and animated movies based on video games aren't a new phenomenon. Gears of War, Resident Evil, World of Warcraft, even Sonic, all have their own comic books. But the past 18 months or so has seen a surge of interest in the pop-culture crossovers.

Perhaps that's because of the increasingly mainstream role that comics and their offshoots are taking in pop culture. Once relegated to children, comics are now recognized as an important form of expression, something that can deal with big issues and reach a broad audience.

Well Played is a weekly news and opinion column about the big stories of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

Today Fred Zeleny, one of the Bethesda Softworks crew who worked on Fallout 3, created three more games for playing outside. These modern backyard classics are inspired by Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia and, of course, Fallout 3.

Here are the rules for Mutant in the Middle, Prince of Playground and Tagsassin's Creed.

Mutant in the Middle
Objective: Toss a water balloon between the vault dwellers without letting the supermutant get it.
Need: At least two friends, and some water balloons (full, but not too full!).
To Win: Keep the water balloon from breaking for as long as you can!
Inspiration: Fallout 3

Set-Up:
1. Pick two or more players to be the vault dwellers for the first round.
2. Pick one or more players to be the supermutants for the first round.
3. One of the vault dwellers gets a water balloon to start.

Rules:
1. Vault dwellers cannot stand closer to each other than 5 feet.
2. Supermutants can move wherever they want, but cannot touch vault dwellers.
3. Vault dwellers take turns tossing the water balloon to each other. Remember, vault dwellers cannot be closer than 5 feet from each other.
4. Supermutants try to catch or burst the water balloon, but they cannot touch the vault dwellers.
5. If a supermutant catches or bursts the water balloon, they win and can be a vault dweller in the next round.
6. If the water balloon bursts when a vault dweller throws or catches it, without a supermutant touching it, then all of the vault dwellers swap with all of the supermutants for the next round.
7. Keep playing until you're out of water balloons, until you're thoroughly soaked, or until nuclear armageddon!

Tagsassin's Creed
Objective: Tag your target and get back to a safe hiding spot before they catch you!
Need: At least two players, and anyplace that has a lot of hiding spots. A hiding spot is anyplace between two similar objects within arm's reach - between two trees, two bookshelves, two swings, etc.
To Win: Catch the Tagsassin when he tags you.
Inspiration: Assassin's Creed

Set-Up:
1. Pick a player to start as the Tagsassin.
2. Everybody else goes to a hiding spot and "blends in."

Rules:
1. At a hiding spot, you can "blend in" by taking a pose like the two items you're hiding between - if you're between two rocks, you might curl up like a rock; if you're between two trees, you might stand up straight with your arms out like a tree.
2. The Tagsassin sneaks up on someone who is hidden and tags them, then tries to run to a different hiding spot and "blend in."
3. Whoever is tagged must try to catch the Tagsassin before he blends in and hides again.
4. If you catch the Tagsassin, you win, and can pick a new hiding space to begin again.
5. If the Tagsassin gets away, you are the new Tagsassin, and must pick a new player to tag.

Prince of Playground
Objective: Take turns jumping, climbing, and balancing your way along a path without touching the ground.
Need: A playground or other suitable series of large objects for climbing and balancing, like tree stumps, logs, large rocks, sturdy furniture, etc.
To Win: Successfully travel from the start to the finish without touching the ground, or successfully catch someone who falls to the ground.
Inspiration: Prince of Persia

Set-Up:
1. Each player takes turns playing as either the jumper or the catcher. If there is only one player, they are the jumper.
2. Players pick a Start (where jumpers will begin) and a Finish (where jumpers will try to reach without touching the ground.)
3. The catcher waits on the ground near the starting point, and the jumpers get in position at the Start.

Rules:
1. The jumper tries to travel from Start to Finish without touching the ground - jumping over gaps, balancing on beams, climbing on monkey bars, etc.
2. A catcher isn't allowed to interfere with a jumper unless they're touching the ground (or about to hit the ground).
3. If a jumper touches the ground, they have to run back to the Start before a catcher tags them. If they make it back to the Start, they can begin again from there.
4. If a catcher tags a jumper who's touched the ground, that jumper becomes a catcher.
5. If a jumper reaches the Finish without touching the ground, they win.
6. If the jumpers are all caught by the catcher, the catchers win.
7. Play again, taking turns as jumper and catcher!

Now that I've egged Zeleny into whipping these up, when can we expect to here from David Perry, David Jaffe, Dylan Jobe and John Drake? Though Drake sorta did come up with something on Twitter.

Backyard Adaptations of Video Game Classics and Modern Backyard Classics

The Oscar winner plays bad dude Nizam. Just look at that hard nose stare. That twinkle in his eye is so scary.

Prince of Persia - Character Poster Debut - [UGO]

Not what you'd expect, are they? Really clean, and modern. No tacky "Persian" logo, no silly pose modelled off a game cover. Nothing tipping you off to the fact this is a movie based on a video game series.

Which, after Max Payne and Hitman, is probably a smart way of going about it.

Exclusive: Prince of Persia Pictures [Empire]