Game of Thrones Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on May 23rd, 2012

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It's far from the top of its class, and it has a lot of rough edges, but Game of Thrones is perfectly competent in most of what it sets out to do. It tells a good story that's worth experiencing, but if you don't care about the series or care more about the gameplay wrapper around a plot, there are a few better choices out there.

Game of Thrones has a gigantic fan base, but it's not the most accessible fantasy series of all-time. The books are gigantic, and their television adaptation is complex, involved and incredibly violent. This game follows that trend, but is much more of a niche experience than its peers due to the use of an RPG design that we don't see much of these days. It's a lot like a 1990s computer game, requiring lots of strategy in order to come out victorious in difficult combat scenarios. It's because of that retro design and an occasionally high amount of challenge, which is caused by occasional uneven peaks, that casual gamers may become turned off by this title. However, those who don't mind trying out something different, and enjoy methodical combat systems, will be the ones who should enjoy this game the most. Of course, the series' fans will certainly appreciate the interesting new storyline that it presents, but they should identify whether they fall into one of those categories before making a full-priced purchase. That's not to say bad things about the game, however, as it's a pretty good and authentic licensed release.

Game of Thrones lacks the absorbing gameplay and polished presentation that'd help set it among the 360's finer RPGs. But those already committed to the realm won't regret the couple dozen hours they'll spend under its narrative spell.

Overall the game presents a typical RPG experience wrapped up with some really well done story telling. Most of the ideas for combat feel a little dull, but when it works, it feels great and excellently executed. I wanted to like this game a bit more than I did, not to say it is a bad game but other action RPG's get the job done better that this one. If you are looking for a companion piece for the novels and television show, look no further for your fix of Castle Black and its political plot twisting. There is even a cool art book that gamers can get through various retailers that explains some of the family lineage in the game if you are feeling a bit foggy. But if you are not a fan, and a solid action RPG is what you are after, you may want to wait for this game to drop in price before picking it up.

The game is disappointingly incompetent, all told. And I'm not saying this as some hurt fan of the books/show who thinks the game tarnishes the series, I'm saying this as a gamer. I have stomached, and even liked some bad games before, but there's little here to be liked. Skyrim does everything Game of Thrones does, and does it better, hilarious game-breaking glitches and all. Really though, if you want the proper Game of Thrones experience, you'd be better off putting $60 down and just buying the show on Blu-Ray. You'll probably blast through it quicker than you will the game and you'll get a lot more out of watching it than you will slogging through this thing.

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