A decent Prince of Persia Retrospective (before the film traumatizes us all)

UGO writes,

"To capture the fluid motions that would distinguish Prince of Persia from the glut of adventure video games released in the late '80s Jordan Mechner studied video and still pictures of his younger brother, David. Those are some modest roots for a franchise that has sold in the millions and, in 2010, see the release of a blockbuster film.

But how Mechner's Prince of Persia could inspire a reimagination that would become one of 2008's most popular holiday releases is a winding tale best told in bits. To help explain, we've compiled a chronological retrospective. Now you can learn how a kid jumping around the front yard became a thousand-polygon model leaping across hundred foot chasms."