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What a disappointment

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 12 / 15
Date: March 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Wow! I really thought this game would have been a lot more fun. I couldn't wait to get down to some serious hack-n-slash action. I didn't know my character was going to have to run a marathon to do it though. Seriously...running all over that map is very boring. I know they have their goofy leystones, but you still end up jogging all over the joint. Plus...when you do get somewhere close to some action, it's either pointlessly boring or impossibly difficult.

GOOD: The gore factor is turned up to ten on this one. LOVE the finishing sequences! The game is sufficiently brutal...loved repeatedly stabbing that Legion Champion in the face over and over.

BAD: Unfortunately, the brutality of some of the sequences doesn't make up for all of the boring in-between stuff. The ending of the fight with the Legion Champion was probably so gratifying because it was so frustratingly boring getting to that point. Fighting on inclines or declines is ridiculous. You end up missing your enemy half of the time. The multiple enemy combat is pointlesss. Get surrounded by 5 enemies...you die almost all of the time. I thought this guy was supposed to be the Ultimate Viking Warrior!!!

In the end...I was expecting a Viking version of God of War...instead, I got a slow, boring version of Dynasty Warriors without the ability to actually lay waste to multiple foes during a battle. The developers don't seem to know if they wanted to make this game tactical or arcade style. They got themselves stuck in between with some end product that just isn't fun at all. I could go on and on about how many of this games interactive aspects are so unbelievably flawed...but I really don't feel like wasting any more of my time on this one.

This game could be headed for a Viking Funeral.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Okay folks - this is yet another boring, middle-of-the-road Playstation 3 game. Amazon has given us a game description, I'll offer my thoughts on them.

[High-impact, brutal combat. Dismember enemies and experience high-impact melee combat unlike any game you've played.]

(My reply) Well, the combat is brutal, I will give you that. Dismemberments, decapitations, they are here, and they are plentiful. However, this combat style isn't unique, I've played several games like this. You'll use two buttons most of the time: One button for strong (but slow) attacks, and another button for weak (but fast) attacks. Been there, done that, bought the CD. Some of the fights with mini-bosses requires a "key in the correct sequence" of buttons to finish an enemy. Sorry, this was already done in God of War and God of War 2.

[Mythical powers. Tame dragons and command them to rain fire upon your enemies. Power up your weapons with elemental abilities and lay waste to your adversaries.]

(my reply) While raining fire on enemies with dragons is very cool, it does get old after a bit. The elemental power-ups for the weapons give us an edge in combat, but we've already seen this before. Freezing enemies and shattering them? That's old school, Mortal Kombat stuff. Catching enemies on fire? That's PSI-OPS Mindgate Conspiracy battle tactics. Using lightning to take out our enemies? Again, Mortal Kombat. With the upgrades, Viking is a little more interesting than the average hack 'n' slash game. However, the fighting engine has a collision error: it only works on level ground. If the distance between the character and his enemies is altered because of a hill/mountain, all those well-placed combos can miss, opening the player up for a crushing counterattack.

[Three open-world environments. Explore, uncover and fight your way across huge Norse worlds full of combat and exploration.]

(my reply) Yes, there are 3 worlds to explore, but the exploration isn't as open as you'd think. You move through one world at a time, and it isn't like Grand Theft Auto III or Oblivion, where you have tons of side quests to keep you entertained: Viking is a very linear game. Typical quests are freeing Vikings to join your cause by beating the snot out of enemy forces, finding artifacts, or opening enemy gates. I was surprised a court jester didn't pop out from behind a tree saying I could harness the power of the atom by bringing him the keys to the Wizard's sock drawer. Some of the quests are that lame.

[Climactic, epic battles. Lay the foundations for huge battles featuring hundreds of warriors at once. Subtly influence the battle through targeted assassination and sabotage, or wade in to save stricken allies.]

(my reply) Okay, this is where the game let me down big time. I was expecting to see battles akin to Braveheart, but instead I get a Dynasty Warriors rip-off type battle which is only possible after I complete a laundry list of quests first (gather more Vikings, open bridges, relinquish the keys to the Wizard's sock drawer, you get the point). The 'saving stricken allies' means you go up to a group of three guys tied to a tree and untie a rope to free them. That's it.

On the plus side, the in-game cutscenes between chapters are a huge plus - they are reminicent of a Frank Miller comic, and it's sad there aren't more of them.

Viking is not a terrible game, but it's also nothing extraordinary. It has incorporated Mortal Kombat and Psi-Ops fighting elements, Tenchu's stealth tactics, Dynasty Warriors' battle mode and God of War's mini-games and chest opening sequences. On the whole, this Frankenstein combination doesn't deliver a lasting, engrossing game for me. I can't honestly see a reason for someone to own this game; especially since you'll probably never play it again after completing it. This game can be finished in about a week, hardly worth its high price tag.

wow, just terrible.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 11
Date: March 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

are you serious? this thing is one of the biggest pieces of trash ive ever played. so far it is absurdly boring, quiet, and pointless. my first let down was that you couldn't really hit anyone or anything, unless it was shining. even though it looks pretty with the blood and all, the fighting is just really boring in this game. too much running around and just... wow there is nothing good about this game. seriously, why was this made?

Not all I hoped for, but still a decent game.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: March 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been keeping track of this game for some time now ever since I first read a small preview for it in one of the magazines 6 or 7 months ago. I'm a fan of Viking mythology, and these type of games, so I thought this game had the potential to be one of my fave games of all time. Sadly, it wasn't.

Overall, the game plays out as sort of an action-adventure hack 'n' slash styled game. You walk through the countryside battling various enemies who are kidnapping your fellow Vikings. The more vikings you release from the clutches of your enemy, the better off you'll be on the following large-scale battles. Battle is typical hack 'n' slash in style. You have you have you fast but less powerful attack button, your slower but more powerful attack button, plus other buttons that let you do anything from adding elemental effects to your sword to equip throwing axes. Battling goes well if you're on level ground, but if you're battling an enemy that's even a few feet higher or lower than you are, all of your attacks will miss. Getting around the game worl is one of the biggest drawbacks of the game. You have an on-screen map that only shows your current immediate area, but it doesn't show any of the landmarks or paths at all. It's total blackness aside from colored dots that represent important people to talk to. If you have the treasure maps, the on-screen map will also show you the locations of treasure. There is a larger more detailed map in the sub-menu screen, but it's a pain to bring up all the time and still doesn't show much aside the basic lay of the land and important places. What I don't like is the fact that sometimes you're given 2-5 quests at once by people you talk to or because you completed another task, and it's kind of vague as to where to go or what to do. Case in point is early in the game you come across a commander who tells you about a traitor. You eventually require the trator's helmet as proof of his traitorous deeds, but it's easy to forget where that commander is you need to talk to. They should have implemented a function on the map that shows you where the guy is you need to talk to. As it was, to find him, I had to re-visit the places I had been until I stumbled across him. I guess the best thing to do would be to do it the old school way, and write down where all important people are at,e specially of they say something to you that makes you believe you'll need to find them again. The Leystones you find can warp you instantly to any other Leystone, and they do come in handy. Still, this style of travel (with no compass and warp points/leystones) has been done before, and better in games like Overlord. Also, a few people have said this game is too slow paced for them... this isn't God Of War (though some button pressing mini games are present), and Skarin is no Kratos. He's a Viking, they were slow and powerful and never acrobatic in anyway.

The graphics, especially the background artwork and the landscapes are beautiful. The characters themselves are kind of bland, but it's a small price to pay for backgrounds that look that good. I have an HDTV, and it's quite a sight to behold, even though it's only in 720p. Makes me wonder how good this would have looked in full 1080p.

The music, what there is of it, is great. It's sort of folky classical music that goes with the games' theme well. Most of the time, there's no music at all though. Just ambient sound and nature sounds like birds, wind, rain, etc. It helps to really immerse you into that world.

The storyline also does a good job of "sort of" sticking to pure Norse mythology. The artwork, clothing, villages all look pretty authentic and the storyline revolving around it all works well. If you're into Norse mythology like I am, you will no dount enjoy the game on a higher level than if you're not.

All in all, the game is a buy, but it's just a buy. After you get used to how the game is laid out, things become funner and less complicated. I hope the game sells well, because a sequal that had a fine tuned battle system and a better map and quest log would be most excellent indeed.

Fun game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 9
Date: March 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

this game is good alot of action and gore the only thing i dont like is it doesnt have a mission log and its hard to find out what to do. i got this game the day it came out and im at the end of the first island and im stuck map doest tell you what to do sometimes. but over all the game is fun and the graphics are decent the best part is watching your viking chop off limbs and then there head. this game isnt for everyone if your a baby like some people then you might b**** about having to run to places. for people like that Sorry they didnt have space ships and race cars back then GROW UP!!

Noob gamers beware!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 7
Date: March 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Currently playing this one for my xbox elite, and I must say it's not bad. I pretty much got to master the blocking and striking when heavily surrounded by enemies. I learned a lot of killer new moves and specials. Not many people will enjoy this game due to the difficult factor when facing multiple foes. But man if you like challenges in a fighting game this game has alot when in battle, oh did I mention it;s pretty too!

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