In anticipation of the release of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands on Tuesday, I’ve been replaying the first PS3 Prince of Persia. The first time I played through it, my wife and I did not own an HDTV, so I’m getting the benefit of the game’s 720p glory for the first time.

While it’s perhaps not as glorious as time spent looking over rare Ferrari parts, I find myself once again struck by just how impressive this Prince of Persia title was; and I’ve gone back and played each of the PS2-era Prince of Persia titles just for comparison, and as good as they were for their time, none of them quite compare to the PS3/360 reboot of the franchise.

As much as I’m looking forward to The Forgotten Sands, what this replay experience is reminding me of is just how far the bar has been set. The Forgotten Sands will need to be far more than “more of the same” to measure up. The Prince of Persia on PS3/360 did not play like a first-wave next-gen title; it was smooth and gorgeous and deep; about its only weakness was the game’s limited HD support (to topped out at 720p, and had no 1080p mode).

Adding 1080p support would be a good start; making use of it to enhance the game’s playing experience would make it a worthy successor. I’ll know a lot more in a couple days.