A Game of Thrones Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Dev: Cyanide
Pub: Atlus (Console), Focus Home Interactive
Release: May 15, 2012
Players: 1
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language

The actual battle gameplay in Game of Thrones is a great idea, but is executed rather poorly. While in battle, enemies and allies will attack each other at a steady pace automatically. However, at any time you can choose to slow down time using the "active pause" system. While this doesn't stop the action outright, it does slow the action down to a crawl giving you time to make decisions, give your allies orders, and use special abilities. This keeps the tension in the battle high, as you never truly get a chance to rest from the action, while still giving you time to fight strategically. It's almost like Xenoblade's battle system, if it had a slow-down-time button.

A Game of Thrones Screenshot

Unfortunately, the battle system falls apart when you get down to the game's internal balance. Though the game allows you to multi-class your characters, allowing you to choose between several different skills and abilities, only a few are ever needed to get by even the biggest of battles. Combat very quickly boils down to simple flow charting strategies that rarely change. In this respect, I'd say that combat in A Game of Thrones feels more like combat in an MMO than a traditional RPG. There is a set of things you should be doing at any given point and time and as long as you stick to that pattern and keep your health high, you should be fine. It's workable, but boring.

In fact, that's the one word I would use to describe this game as a whole: boring. Everything about the game seems to be crafted in such a way to make the experience as un-engaging as possible. The graphics: poor. The voice acting: dry. The combat: repetitive. The story: uninteresting. In fact, the only thing this game has going for it is the Game of Thrones IP it is attached to, which is par for the course for licensed games. Frankly, there just isn't enough content here to satisfy even the most hardcore fan of the series. It's a shame, because A Game of Thrones truly has the potential to become an amazing console RPG. This just isn't it.

By
Angelo M. D'Argenio
Contributing Writer
Date: May 16, 2012

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

1.8

Graphics
The graphics are astoundingly poor. They shine at times but mostly are generic, bland, and dated.

2.2

Control
The controls aren't bad, but they certainly don't make the game very fun to play.

1.6

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music is good when it's not skipping like a broken record.

1.7

Play Value
The game is a chore to get through once, and there's barely any replay value—not that you would want to ever replay it.

1.9

Overall Rating - Avoid
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Hatched from the twisted minds at Monolith Productions, A Game of Thrones is a download-only multiplayer FPS that pits violent vigilantes dressed up like Batman against craven criminals dressed up like the Joker in open warfare on the streets of Gotham City.

Gotham City has gone insane! Batman is up to his pointy ears in unwanted "helpers" determined to dish out their own bloodthirsty brand of vigilante justice in his name (and image). Meanwhile, a small army of self-appointed junior Jokerz has turned the streets of Gotham into a barmy battlefield of bullets, bodies, and bear traps.

Packing more customization than you can shake a shotgun at, you get to choose the guns, gadgets and even the hairdos that fit your personality and play style. It doesn't matter if you want to be a mighty muscleman on roller skates with a hunting bow or a lithe lassie packing a homebrew rocket launcher and glider wings, A Game of Thrones does not have rigid character classes and lets you play the way you want.

A robust level up system lets you unlock all the items required to make your impostor as crazy as you desire. Whether you prefer to develop your impostor by proving your prowess in solo challenges designed to test your skills and reflexes or by battling your way to the top of the scoreboard in several delightfully over-the-top multiplayer modes, there's a surefire way for you to realize your preposterous potential!