Atlus

What they Say: THE AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL BOOK & TV PHENOMENON…
NOW A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED GAME DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH GEORGE R. R. MARTIN!
With an original story written under the supervision of George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones promises to deliver the ultimate interactive role-playing experience for fans. The game is filled with familiar locations straight from the pages of the beloved fantasy saga along with the likeness and voices of several actors portrayed in the TV series.
With this epic new Game of Thrones game, fans will have a chance to not simply read or watch the story, but to take an active role in the riveting drama as it unfolds.

What I say: While not a long time fan of George R.R. Martins Song of Fire and Ice, I have become VERY fond of the HBO series. So here we have a RPG adventure taking place before and alongside the first book/first season of the show. Should be a little slice of heaven right? Well, read on dear friends…

The game shifts back and forth between two characters Night Watchman Mors and Red Priest Alester. Mors storyline is a bit more developed than Alesters, but that might be because The Night Watch is more important to the main story. Alester is a bit of a drag and his voice actor, let’s be honest, just plain sucks. His story seems tacked on but as the game progresses and the stories start to come together it does pick up. It never reaches the heights of Martins work, of course, but there are flashes of something great although it never quite makes it.

As for the gameplay, I hope you like Dragon Age because this feels JUST like it. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it did kind of give the game a been there, done feel to the proceedings. The combat feels fun and fast but the AI does make some odd choices from time to time. You lock in your next three moves but these at times are questionable as the game will often do as it will whatever button you hit be damned. This can cause unnecessary frustration.

Graphically the game falls short as well. It uses the Unreal Engine and it shows. This looks like Game of the Year 2008. The graphics do feel dated and that also takes away from the experience. Also there are glitches and drop outs galore. The music also has a bad habit of starting and stopping for no good reason. I can only hope a patch is coming soon.

To sum up, it is cool playing around in the world of Game of Thrones, and there are cameos from several characters (Some even voiced by their actors from the HBO show) that add to the fun. However, the dated glitchy graphics and lackluster story do detract from the experience. I still enjoyed it but it could have been so much more.

Game: 7/10

Also Atlus provided us with a copy of the art book that was given out as a pre-order bonus. This is a gorgeous hardbound book showing concept art and how they had to change some things to better match the show. A nice package and it provides a fascinating look at the process.