A Game of Thrones RPG

[XBOKS]

Have to say, not enjoying this at all Presentation and graphics are truly ropey, there's hardly any locations and the combat - queuing up attacks system sucks. The only real enjoyment comes from getting to walk around locations like The Wall and The Red Keep...

Save your coin folks.

[csuzw]

My biggest complaint so far is how long the game takes to start. Easily 3 minutes sat at the splash screen before it decides to do anything. The voice acting is inconsistent, the graphics are a bit ropey and the UI is quite clunky but none of it so bad it's putting me off. I've played the 1st characters 1st section and started the 2nd characters and it's been really interesting so far. I like the combat and I imagine it'll get better with more abilities and skilled enemies. Looking forward to playing more once the football is over for today.

[mdn2]

Yeah, I have to say, as rough as this is, its pretty enjoyable stuff if your a fan of the books. Its basically Dragon Age with a Game of Thrones makeover. It'll keep me entertained enough until book 6 is out. Well, maybe not that long. At least until the next Ice Age, then.

[Wiper]

My biggest complaint so far is how long the game takes to start. Easily 3 minutes sat at the splash screen before it decides to do anything. The voice acting is inconsistent, the graphics are a bit ropey and the UI is quite clunky but none of it so bad it's putting me off. I've played the 1st characters 1st section and started the 2nd characters and it's been really interesting so far. I like the combat and I imagine it'll get better with more abilities and skilled enemies. Looking forward to playing more once the football is over for today.

Odd, mine loads up instantly. It did take absolutely ages to load (and load saved games/change areas) before the patch, though: did yours auto-update the first time you ran it?

[Mars]

Reviews I've seen say this doesn't have an open world, like Skyrim - does it have a more KOTOR/Mass Effect-style area structure?

[Wiper]

Aye, it's closest to KOTOR - all hubs and combat areas, connected by a map.

[csuzw]

Odd, mine loads up instantly. It did take absolutely ages to load (and load saved games/change areas) before the patch, though: did yours auto-update the first time you ran it?

It did. Seems to have improved a bit now but the 1st 3 or 4 times I opened the game it was terrible.

[Mars]

Aye, it's closest to KOTOR - all hubs and combat areas, connected by a map.

Cool, thanks

[csuzw]

Just completed it. Definitely worth £15 I think, not sure I'd be quite so happy at £30 or more. Despite getting a bit tired of the setting recently, I really enjoyed the whole story (as much as it's possible with so many unhappy twists). Not sure how much replayabilitiy there will be but I am quite tempted to play again to try out some different styles and choices. I get the feeling it isn't quite Alpha Protocol on the choice front though. Also watch out for a funny cameo with some of the worst voice acting you will ever hear!

[Cosmic_Guru]

Done the first 4 chapters and quite liking it once you adjust to the low production spec, the rather empty hubs and old fashioned and slow paced combat (the whole game only takes 2.5G to install which means I can keep Dragons Dogma installed too). The setting is now so well established and rich in story telling possibilities it would be hard to fail on that count and so far it is doing a reasonable job. The Alpha Protocol similarity comes in part from the fact that taking a particular stance in coversations will give you permanent positive (and maybe also negative?) character traits which is a nice touch.

[squirtle]

Picked this up for a tenner in the Blockbuster sale last night. Played the first hour or so. Kept getting my arse handed to me by those two Wildlings near the beginning who burst through the door, but eventually nailed them. It tells me I can counter or something if I have the right ability, but I don't, so that was useless. Anyway, it's rough as a badger's arse, but, ya know, I like the world, so I'll perservere.

[locke_211]

Massive bump for this thread, as the game was going for 6.99 in the Easter sale on the PS3 store and I couldn't help myself.

And, I love it! It does have rough production values, but the ambition is definitely way beyond that of a cheap cash-in. The story is long and involved and the characters interesting. There are a few side-quests, which are pretty long and involved themselves. It skilfully works itself around the continuity of the first book. There's quite a bit of choice in dialogue options and in terms of how to deal with the main missions, and the outcomes you select are sometimes mentioned influentially several chapters later. And the battles are really engaging. I've got a bit annoyed with reviews that say something like 'you can pick the same moves over and over again. except for some hard bits where you have to turn the difficulty down'. The hard bits are perfectly doable if you look through all the options you have and think hard about what moves to do, to whom, in what order. It actually presents some difficult battles where you have to properly strategize and I was surprised at how well the game system facilitates you doing so.

So yeah, if there's anything wrong with this game, it's that the resources don't allow the developers to do the best possible realisation of their vision. But particularly for 6.99 it's great, and I'm so happy I gave it a chance. It's one of those games I'm thinking about playing when I'm not playing it.

(oh and sorry if I was meant to start a new thread rather than bump the old one!)

[Clyde]

I've always been wanting to try this but I was put off by negative reviews. As a fan I have always kept this in my radar so maybe I'll take the plunge soon at a good price. I usually don't buy licensed games because it is most often than not a cheap cash-in, but I really can't get enough Game of Thrones at the moment. Also, I've heard the story is one of the game's strongest points.

[deerokus]

It's like all this developer's games - low budget, very 'european', but interesting and likable.

[locke_211]

Woohoo, finished this last night!

Where the story goes and how the characters work together is truly original and really interesting.

I went straight onto the PS3 Store and downloaded the Beyond the Wall add-on. It's a pity that this wasn't released in some territories, due to the game's negative reception. I honestly think this is the biggest disconnect between what I've read about a game, and how I've experienced it, pretty much ever. But please don't blame me if you buy it and hate it!

[Cosmic_Guru]

I liked the game other than the combat system which simply didn't click at all with me. I think the developer also did Mars logs which is on XBL and which may be worth a look you an cope with the combat. The trial of which lasts ages by the way.

[Rudi von Starnberg]

It's a clunky game with pretty bad environments (which are frequently reused) and mediocre combat and overused mandatory side-activities like the bits where you control the dog.

In spite of that I liked it and played it to completion. The story is genuinely good.

[mdn2]

Yeah, that was pretty much my assessment of it. Basically, if you can see past the flaws, there's a great story that works as a good companion piece to the books and tv show. Plus, there's no real spoilers for those who haven't read the books yet.

[Gabe]

I started this ages ago but only got about an hour in and didn't really get on with it but, due to the mini-resurgence in this thread I've just finished a 3-hour session and its clicked now. It'll compliment the TV series which I've started today, too, and help flesh out the world.

How long is it, roughly?

[Rudi von Starnberg]

Took me 15 hours according to Steam.

[Takizawa]

I went back to do an alternate ending just now an had a serious problem at the last fight...

I went for Mors's ending, and so had to duel Alester, but he was so pimped out in awesome gear that I just couldn't hurt him. He had a Myrish cloak that gave him health on dodge and deflect, even with me, my dog and a strangler potion eating away at him he would not drop below 80% health. As a master water dancer with nearly 90% dodge it was just an impossible task, I didn't have the energy regeneration to keep him stunned.

In the end I had to go back to an earlier save and take off some of his ridiculous gear

Really enjoyed the game, considering a 2nd complete play to try and grab some more achievements and test out different skill lines.

[BossSaru]

I really liked this game too. Underneath the rough graphics there is a really nicely fleshed out RPG which is very true to the source material and does not outstay its welcome. Well worth picking up in a sale if you want something to tide you over until the next series is on TV.

[Takizawa]

So I did the Beyond The Wall DLC earlier and it was very entertaining but a little too brief, it seemed to end just as it got going. Regardless, it's set me up for another play through and i'm looking forward to mixing up some decisions and chasing those side quests I missed first time through.

Younger Mors is well buff!

Loved this bit too...

[Sketch]

I bought this years ago on a PSN discount (£2 or something ridiculous), and with the previous talk of PSN shutting, decided I should get the DLC. But I'd not really played it, so decided I needed to, before spending money on DLC I might never use.

 

Contrary to general forum opinion, and critics, I absolutely loved it. I finished it yesterday, then went and watched the other endings on YouTube.

 

Yes, a lot of this is because I was a huge fan of the series, binge watching two seasons (and a bit) in a single weekend once. But also, I thought it was a decent game in its own right:

 

* You can control a dog and can smell out clues, by selecting different scents from a menu. These are then a different colour! This was ingenious. I wouldn't mind an entire first-person game where I control a dog. Utterly fascinating to see the world from its perspective. Rudi a few posts above says he disliked the dog control sections - I don't know what to say to this other than I couldn't get enough of them. Every time I had to switch to Elestor I wanted to be Mors again for the dog control - those segments were great. Fast moving, fun, just strange. A different experience to other RPGs. Ripping guys throats out. I'd wince every time someone saw the dog and kicked him - then I'd go and bust me spiked mace on said dog kicker. I guess growing up with dogs I really like them.

 

* The range of weapons and equipment was large, and many had unique traits. Often I'll play an RPG and it's just a case of buying the latest most expensive gear. Here I needed to think about what each character worked best with, augmented by the fact I could drop Skill points into specific weapon styles. And different towns sold different varieties of high level gear. It was nice to see something amazing in an early area, get to a late game area, and realise: actually, I now want to return to that earlier town to buy that specific robe which can set enemies on fire, rather than whatever fancy golden armour is here.

 

* The battle system was unusual, unique, and excellent. I liked to keep it on perma-slow, and then dabble with setting foes on fire, exploding them, while another character knocked them down, made them bleed, then put poison in the wounds. It was like a slow motion torture simulator watching people writhe in flames.

 

* Things felt different. Different characters felt different as different classes. Different enemies with specific armour types required specific attack styles. I like how they had different currencies, copper, silver, and gold, and they each added up (16 copper to 1 silver, and 210 silver for 1 gold). It felt more alive than other RPGs which just use gold.

 

* You have multiple meaningful choices to make throughout, and seeing how some of these come back later on is ingenious. Some are mild or have no consequence, while others alter the game a fair bit.

 

* I loved having a dog as secondary helping partner. Yeah, Secret of Evermore and Fallout 3 and other games have this, but not enough. More dogs in games please.

 

* Those 4 different endings. Wow.

 

Sure, the graphics are wonky. Metal armour collars wobble around on character models like rubber tires. Textures are so low res they could be from the PS2. Loading is excruciating. It crashes a lot. Once it crashed at the loading menu. Another time it crashed in the middle of a fight. Not the PC version, the PS3 version.

 

But it was weird. And fun. And different. Less polished, but with lots of charm. I even grew to like the wonky graphics.

 

Also, the writing, story arc, character dialogue, voice acting, and ultimately ending, are probably some of the finest I've seen from that generation. It is soooo good.

 

Oh, and George RR Martin makes an appearance. He even makes a cheeky joke about how he'll finish his history books on Westeros "next year". Yeah, sure you will.

 

I loved this game. Absolutely loved it. The combat, the exploration, the raw mechanics, the meaningful choices. Everything.

 

Negatives:

Crashes, which forced me to restart. And the final chapter in King's Landing. It was blatantly padded out to fill an extra two or three hours of game time. I could have done without that nonsense, running back and forth so much.

 

I will definitely get the DLC once I've had a bit of a break from this.

 

It really saddens me that so many people hated this.

 

It is exactly how I would want a TV property to be adapted into a game, and it is the sort of game I would like to see more of: the kind with clever ideas, even if the execution is rough. As opposed to games with flawless polished execution, but it doesn't take any risks or do anything unusual or surprising. So many games are boring and generic and safe, and this was just batshit strange a lot of times. There was a whole game within a game within a game bit in the arena, where I could fight in the arena, but also get another guy to cheat by betting on me and me intentionally losing. It was kinda broken, but they tried, man. They had a crazy idea and they just did it.

 

[Sumire]

I was a massive GoT fan, and bizarrely never even knew about this game.

[Sketch]

 

5 minutes ago, Sumire said:

I was a massive GoT fan, and bizarrely never even knew about this game.

 

The physical copy is a bit pricey (£10 for PS3), but there's various digital downloads.

 

Lots and lots of people hate the mechanics but love the story, as this thread shows. I liked the mechanics, a lot. It was fantastic getting to see, and touch, and buy, and sell, the various items people would use within the GoT world. You can really immerse yourself.

 

Also, I like how it's a side story, allowing me to get a different slice of the show, and see other aspects not covered in the series. But you also have characters like Varis and the Lord Commander at Castle Black played by their original actors!

 

There's also a Telltale adventure game, but I dislike pretty much everything Telltale has ever made.

[Skull Commander]

I still have the physical copy for the Xbox 360 (doesn't work in Xbox Series X unfortunatly) and had kind of forgotten about it. This write up makes me want to revisit it soon as I don't think I played past 2 or 3 hours.

[Gabe]

I think I got to chapter 6 or 7 before drifting away from it, partially I had no interest in the world (I watched the first season of the tv series but didn't like it.) I still have it on the 360, perhaps I'll go back to it one day (along with the other games I tell myself I might play ) as I didn't mind the combat system. 

[Sumire]

21 hours ago, Sketch said:

 

 

The physical copy is a bit pricey (£10 for PS3), but there's various digital downloads.

 

Lots and lots of people hate the mechanics but love the story, as this thread shows. I liked the mechanics, a lot. It was fantastic getting to see, and touch, and buy, and sell, the various items people would use within the GoT world. You can really immerse yourself.

 

Also, I like how it's a side story, allowing me to get a different slice of the show, and see other aspects not covered in the series. But you also have characters like Varis and the Lord Commander at Castle Black played by their original actors!

 

There's also a Telltale adventure game, but I dislike pretty much everything Telltale has ever made.

 

Nice one. I will definitely give it a go. I think I have nearly got over the disappointment last season now lol.

[Zael]

I remember liking it the more I played. It was janky as hell but the writing just got stronger and stronger as it went on. Great finale too.