Game of Thrones - Xbox 360

Creating More Problems For Westeros

Joe Juba — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:10:00 GMT

The setting for A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (and its accompanying HBO series, Game of Thrones) is bleak. Betrayal, murder, and underhanded scheming are major components of the franchise’s winning formula. These themes make Westeros an intriguing and dangerous place, a fact that is accurately reflected in this RPG from Cyanide Studios. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience is littered with technical and design issues so frustrating that they must have come from the unhinged mind of Mad King Aerys II. Like the Mad King’s reign, this spin on Martin’s fiction is ruinous for Westeros.

Similar to the point-of-view characters in the novels, the narrative in Game of Thrones is split into chapters, and control alternates between two protagonists. Alester is a red priest returned from a 15-year exile in the east, and Mors is a skinchanger in the Night’s Watch. Though the two plotlines are initially unconnected, each story arc is full of interesting developments and surprising twists, making their eventual convergence satisfying. The structure mimics the books’ appeal well, switching characters at moments of high tension and leaving you excited to pick up the thread later. Since the overall plot is the only thing the game has going for it, I won’t reveal specifics except to say that the tale is exceedingly grim – even more hopeless than the novels. The events take place parallel to the first book and the show’s first season, so you don’t need to worry about any series spoilers if you’ve gotten that far in either form.

Martin himself collaborated with Cyanide to create the story, but given the poor quality of the individual scenes, I’m guessing the author’s involvement stopped at a high-level conceptual phase. The dialogue is standard fantasy fare, devoid of personality and made worse by stilted voice performances. As if that weren’t enough to drain away the drama, bad animation and serious technical problems distract from scenes that are supposed to be climactic. Seeing characters phase through walls, appear out of thin air, or wordlessly open and close their mouths transmutes any potential emotional impact into unintentional humor – an unforgiveable problem when you’re trying to tell a grim, dark fantasy tale.

The situation doesn’t improve on the battlefield. Combat plays similarly to the console version of Dragon Age: Origins, but with less polish (and remember Origins on consoles was already sloppy). You set up actions in a three-slot queue, then watch your commands get carried out in sequence. Apart from your basic attack, no abilities are mapped to any face buttons, so you frequently need to pause (though the action doesn’t stop entirely) and pull up an ability wheel to issue new orders. Your powers are cool, especially those involving Mors’ dog and Alester’s affinity for fire, but the stop-and-go feeling keeps fights from gaining momentum.

Even when you win, you won’t get any tactical satisfaction. Every enemy in the game is just a dude in some armor (with a single late-game exception), and they aren’t military geniuses. Archers often attack at point-blank range, stupidly trying to fire arrows while flanked by swordsmen. Guards stand oblivious while their comrades are slaughtered in huge battles only feet away. You can usually cruise through fights against these idiots without a problem, but the difficulty can spike unexpectedly, overwhelming you and leaving you with no way to grind out a few extra levels. In these instances, it helps to adjust the difficulty on the fly to survive the poorly balanced fights.

In many RPGs, good rewards can soothe the sting of an uneven battle system. That doesn’t happen in Game of Thrones. Nearly all of the good items from shops are unattainably expensive until the game is practically over, leaving you to scavenge for gear suited to your particular armor and weapon specialties. Leveling your characters isn’t much fun, either. The attribute and skill system only bestow imperceptible bonuses (like raising your hit chance from 84.7 percent to 86.1 percent), meaning that you rarely have a sense of your characters’ growing power.

At its worst, Game of Thrones is difficult to tolerate, but the burden of its many problems isn’t enough to render the experience worthless. For those already familiar with the franchise, the story of Mors and Alester is consistent with the world and provides insight into events beyond the reach of the regular series cast. However, you must be a forgiving and devoted fan to enjoy the best that this game can offer. Otherwise, you’re better off following the words of Genna Lannister: “Better to mock the game than to play and lose."

Do I Know You?

If you watch HBO’s Game of Thrones, you’ll recognize a few faces; the likenesses of Jeor Mormont, Varys, and Cersei appear in the game. Other characters are conspicuously absent from the events (is it better to have no Robert Baratheon or Jon Snow than unfamiliar ones?), but at least the game doesn’t try to shoehorn inappropriate characters into the story just for the sake of fan service. Unless you count the maester modeled after George R. R. Martin.

The Game Of Thrones Video Game Began Development Well Before The TV Show

Kyle Hilliard — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:14:00 GMT

The Game of Thrones video game is more than just a TV show cash-in. The developers at Cyanide Studio began work on the game, "when the TV series was only a rumor."

In this behind the scenes video, the developers at Cyanide Studios talk about how they worked closely with George R.R. Martin, and began discussions with the author to adapt the book series into a game seven years ago.

Game of Thrones the video game will be available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC next week on May 15.

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Game Of Thrones Gets A Release Date, Screens, And A Trailer

Tim Turi — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:40:00 GMT

TVs most popular show featuring war, incest, and magic has an RPG on the way to 360, PS3, and PC. Publisher Atlus is celebrating the newly revealed May release with a slew of screenshots and a new trailer.

Besides announcing the new media and the May 15 release date, Atlus also unlocked the Riverspring portion of the Game of Thrones website. Go forth and explore, young warriors!

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Journey To The Wall In New Game Of Thrones Trailer

Phil Kollar — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:55:00 GMT

The new trailer for Atlus' upcoming Game of Thrones video game adaptation shows off one of the most unique landmarks in the fantasy realm of Westeros: The Wall, an icy barrier constructed to protect the civilized people of the world from an ancient, evil force.

The trailer is brief, but it certainly makes it look like Atlus and developer Cyanide have at least captured the tone of the George R.R. Martin novels that the game is based off. That's a good first step, at least.

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Atlus Publishing New Game Of Thrones RPG In 2012

Matthew Kato — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:59:00 GMT

Cyanide Studio's first stab at the Game of Thrones property – the RTS subtitled Genesis – didn't go over so well, but the developer (along with publisher Atlus) are readying a new RPG set in Westeros for a 2012 release.

This Game of Thrones title will come out for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 sometime in early 2012, and it lets players pick from two different original characters who were allied with Robert Baratheon when he took the throne. It's unknown how/if the game's events will mirror those in the books, but here's hoping that it doesn't make you feel like an also-ran next to the books' characters and events that we love so much.

The game is based both on author George R.R. Martin's larger A Song of Ice and Fire series (of which A Game of Thrones is the first book) as well as HBO's hit series of the same name.

Cyanide is saying that the RPG will take roughly 30 hours, and includes numerous quests, battles, and political machinations that will shape the direction of the realm. Combat is being governed by what the developer is calling the "active slowdown tactical combat engine," which slows but doesn't stop combat so you can make strategic decisions.

For our review of developer Cyanide Studio's previous Game of Thrones title, A Game of Thrones – Genesis, check it out here.