Games for Lunch: Viking: Battle for Asgard
In a nutshell: An incredibly lame God of War clone.
12/9/2008 6:28 PM | 1 Comments | Page 1 of 3
Developer: Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS3
ESRB Rating: M
Official Web site
0:00 With a name as incredibly generic as "Viking," I felt I simply HAD to check this game out.
0:01 Lots of logos, then the title appears over what I can only assume are a bunch of Vikings hiking down a rainy concrete bridge, with a town burning in the background. There must be hundreds of them, all looking very nice in hi-def.
0:02 The new game difficulties are Normal and Hard. Why not call Normal "Easy" then? Or Hard "Normal"? Anyway, Normal it is for me.
0:03 A blizzard of tips scrolls by on the loading screen, more than I can possibly read. Then a 2-D hand drawing of an old man in a boat. "They came born of battle and bloodshed, those that would stand against the darkness. ... What was once green and fertile was now soured and barren. Those who were at peace now knew only war." Some war-like music and sounds of war accompany some quick-cut drawings of bloody war battles. WAR! "A great evil had come to Midgard" but "hope is stronger than any army, any weapon. Hope waits only for someone to embrace it." Is this a Barack Obama game?
0:05 The scene switches to full 3-D now, with more random battle scenes containing fire in the background. There's a very
God of War look to it all. A blond-haired guy with a ponytail is looking hurt and forlorn amidst the carnage when the game freezes. But wait, I can still get to the in-game Dashboard. I can pause, too, but not advance the scene. Looks like time to quit out and try again.
0:09 Somehow "Continue Saved Game" is an option, so I choose it. I still have to watch the opening again, which actually isn't that bad, since the art and editing are superb. This time the game stutters but makes it through the former freezing point. Anyway, Goddess Freya comes to talk to the blonde guy. She has chosen him. "You will become my champion here on Midgard." So this really is Sega's version of
God of War, huh?
0:13 With the merest wave of her arms, Freya repels the invaders, puts out the fires, removes the rain and restores the land to verdant beauty. Uh, then why does she need me?
0:14 I'm in control again. Shaman Asta babbles about a wolf that stalks me. She tells me to find the Dragon Amulet and "harness the power of the Dragon Gems: Hugin, Mugin and Mjolnir." Huey, Duey and Louie?
0:16 Odd ... some townsfolk totally ignore my strikes, while others make a big deal of dodging them. Why the inconsistency? Anyway, a guy at the archery contest tells me the blacksmith is good with combat runes. But I have no gold. Sad...
0:19 The enemy forces in this game are actually servants of Hel -- as in, "Hel's Minions." Way to be original, guys!
0:20 Chieftain Haral is happy to see me "as fresh as a young buck." He says this a little too enthusiastically, if you know what I mean. "If you want to help us, rebuild our numbers." You want me to impregnate someone? Oh, no, he actually wants me to free some of our men that are being held prisoner nearby. OK then! He opens the town gates for me in a big, horribly undramatic cut scene.
