Shadow of Rome - PS2
Retired 7th February 2026
Another retro game I bought many years ago and I played for a little but never returned to. Shadow of Rome is a very strange game in that it is a game with two opposing playstyles: stealth and brutal combat - it is two polar opposites. You play as two different characters following one story - a Roman solider that has combat heavy gameplay and Julius Caesar nephew who's gameplay is very stealth focussed.
While not the most amazing game I have played, Shadow of Rome started of quite well, and I was enjoying the stealth and action separate levels, but in chapter 2 the action character becomes a Gladiator and fights in the Coliseum. It was at this point where I felt the game started to lose me - the fighting in the arena is just too over the top and I was not enjoying them at all.
I would have preferred the game to have stuck to more traditional levels and I probably would have stuck with the game, so for that reason I decided to retire Shadow of Rome.
Curse: The Eye of Isis - Steam
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Retired 8th February 2026
This is another game that I saw recommended on a YouTube video and I bought it digitally through Steam for less than £2.00. The game was also released physically on the PlayStation 2, but on UK eBay copies are listed at around £60 - £80!
According to my Steam records it looks like I bought the game in 2021 and only played for around 20 minutes and must of just forgot about it - so yet again this game is another one that I started, but never played for long enough to give it a proper chance.
Well, after I played the game for 1 hour (according to How Long to Beat it is only 6 hours long) I decided to retire it. The game seemed like it would be my type of game, survival horror combined with ancient Egyptian themes, but I just find that the game to be really dull.
It is not too action heavy (which I like), but with my time puzzles felt non existent, there was no interesting characters and there was no atmosphere. I felt like I would just be rather playing RE, Silent Hill or Eternal Darkness. I am glad I did not pay £80 for the physical PS2 version.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands - PSP
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Completed 9th February 2026
I actually played this game to a point a while ago, but decided to stop playing - at the time I wrote on my How Long to Beat profile what I thought of the game. I have added it below:
"Played the Forgotten Sands on PS3 and the Wii and enjoyed those versions. Despite having the same name The Forgotten Sands on PSP is a whole new game - I learned this from the YouTube channel 'I Finished a Video game,' where he does really long form videos on different game franchises. As I was unaware the PSP version (like the the PS3/360 and Wii versions) is it own thing with a unique story and gameplay. As I enjoyed the PS3 and Wii versions I decided to try the PSP version. It is enjoyable enough but it felt too clunky for me to want to continue. Gameplay wise it felt more like the PS3 version but I felt that it did not implement the platforming elements as good as the other versions I played. It felt like a 6 out of 10 experience - maybe the score would have changed if I had played further into the game."
I plan to watch a quick recap to the point of where I ended up in the game and continue on from there and give it another go.
Having now played further I still tend to agree with what I previously thought of the game, it is clunky and at times the platforming sections can at times feel a little unresponsive, but I have been enjoying my time with the platforming and avoiding traps, but the combat and the enemies do not feel fun at all.
Out of all three versions of the Forgotten Sands, I would say that the PSP version is not as good as the Wii or the PlayStation 3 versions, but considering that it was designed for the PSP it was much better than I expected it to be.
The PSP version has some really great platforming sections, but at times the controls can be sluggish and feel that there is too much lag and that leads to frustration. I think with more time or if it had been released on the non handheld consoles of the time it could have been given much more polish.
Still, as a Prince of Persia fan, it is nice having three more versions of Prince of Persia (even if they are all confusingly called The Forgotten Sands) with the voice actor who voiced the Prince in the Sands of Time and The Two Thrones.