| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Xbox 360 | 7.80 |
| Overall | 7.80 |
|
We all know licensed tie in games are usually not good. Most are cheap knock offs of other games made by a second rate developer. Game of Thrones is a cheap knock off of Bioware RPGs made by some developer no one has heard of but the most amazing thing is that its really really good. It takes a lot of great elements from the Bioware games, simplifies them (which I like) and focuses more on the moment to moment gameplay scenarios as they tie into the story. The result is a more linear RPG that is very story driven, much like the ASOIAF novels. Above all they nailed the story as it includes all the scheming, backstabbing, tragedy, and bloodshed you'd expect from a story in the GoT universe. You play as two different characters, Mors and Alester, they alternate taking the main viewpoint for each chapter (just like the books). Each have a vague background that you learn more about as you play on, as you would expect these guys are no saints and their past is a major part of the events that are taking place. The game is set right at the start of Game of Thrones and continues along side the book. You never take part in any of the events of the novel yet you see things that are only hinted at in the books. The writers did a phenomenal job of making it seem like you have a small part to play in the books events without shoehorning you into the story, for instance you don't happen to be at every moment in the background, you are experiencing a totally different story that only loosely ties into what is happening in the novels. The only major characters you will meet up with are Cersei, Varys and Joer Mormont, the last two have their HBO actors provide the voice work. It takes a while to get going but once the story hits its stride it is amazing. I had heard the game had a good story, what shocked me more was that I would actually enjoy playing it. The combat system is pretty simple, you choose a combat style which has its own skill tree. You queue up attacks, skills take up energy which depletes and slowly recharges, its the KOTOR system basically. You will quickly learn certain strategies that work very well like inflicting bleed, then using a skill that causes 2x damage to bleeding enemies. You will have to master stun attacks to prevent enemies from using their own skill attacks. The kind of weapon you have determines damage multipliers on different sets of armor, each character can have two sets of weapons which you can instantly switch to on the fly. Halfway through the game you can choose a secondary skill set which allows you to have two totally different skill trees which you can switch in real time during battle. At no moment are there more than two characters in your party that you actually control and the only characters you have any leveling up with are the two mains. So don't expect this giant party building experience. While the depth may not be there, the system that is in place works very well for this game. Each fight tends to force you to focus, rarely can you simply mash your way through a battle. I did feel that toward the end the fights got too easy cause once you max out skill trees you unlock some ridiculous attacks which when combined with others can be super deadly. I enjoyed the combat, it isn't the best but at the same time this game doesn't bash you over the head with combat either. It's all the other events that take place that really stood out to me. In each chapter usually some event occurs and it is not always "go here and kill that". Throughout the game you will come upon murder scenes where you must question witnesses to determine the killer (again much like KOTOR). Many conversations can end up in totally different outcomes depending on how you answer. Some times you have to solve riddles to escape a tomb for instance. Or find a way to get a costume of a guard so you can infiltrate a castle. The game is filled with moments like this to make it seem like you are not simply killing people all the time. Each character has a secondary power, Mors is a warg so he can transform into his dog. Alester has this flame power which reveals secrets, his power is boring. The warging though opens up all sorts of cool stealth like moments. You can send your dog ahead of you to scout the area and even stealth kill guards so that when Mors does come through there are less enemies for him to fight. The dog even plays a role in combat, it has its own skill tree and moves. Alester gets what is basically the only magic in the game, his control of fire. The worst things I can say about Game of Thrones is that it is really ugly, like PS2 era ugly. This directly effects the storytelling; it has a fantastic story but the way it is presented is clunky at best. The facial animation is pathetic, the voice acting is decent but nothing compared to what we have been getting used to these last few years. Many of the dramatic scenes showcase some poor animation and for some reason this game doesn't focus on what should be some dramatic moments. The way I look at, it is like a poorly animated audio book for me, I was able to look past all that and simply enjoy the story. If you know you can't handle crap graphics and poor presentation well this game is not for you. It's also pretty simple, don't expect this giant sprawling epic RPG. You only visit a handful of areas, most not from the books. There are not many side quests though the ones it does have are very well done. There is a pathetic amount of enemy types, its all humans in different armors, that's about it. A better fast trip system would have done wonders because you must run across cities to reach an exit if you wish to go to another area, so expect lots of running. I saw some of the scores this game was getting and I am honestly confused as to what those reviewers were playing. There is nothing bad about this game. The gameplay is good, the story is excellent, there is enough variety scenarios to keep the game fresh from start to finish. It just had a crap budget and the graphics paid the price. Usually games with bad scores like that come with a litany of technical glitches but guess what THIS GAME IS ALMOST GLITCH FREE. Compared to the Bioware games, this game has way less bugs, which is just funny to me. For me who doesn't care for RPGs with loads of menu surfing, managing 15 people, or having giant inventories filled with useless crap a game like this fits my style very well. Yes its more of a guided RPG experience but to me that allowed me to simply enjoy the action and story while giving me enough character building to make me feel in control of how my character plays. It makes up for its lack of exploration with well designed missions that constantly move the story forward. Perhaps I enjoyed this game a little more than most would, to me its a gem of a game that under almost all other circumstances would have been a pile of crap. I give much respect to the team at Cyanide for making a really good game when others wouldn't have even tried. |
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Posted by Dvader Wed, 10 Jul 2013 00:28:59
Wed, 10 Jul 2013 00:42:36
I didn't think I'd be too interested on this, but I certainly am now. How long would you say it took to finish the main quest?
Wed, 10 Jul 2013 00:47:37
30 hours total, just the main quest maybe a little over 20 hours. You can probably rush it for less.
Wed, 10 Jul 2013 13:07:25
Everything is better with some wine in the belly...
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