I'd Rather Be Theon Greyjoy
Game of Thrones makes its way to the PS3 not with a Lannister roar, but with a whimper.
Published: May 20, 2012
George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire franchise has become an absolute juggernaut. Between the books resting near the top of the Amazon bestsellers list, the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, and the plethora of memorabilia it is almost impossible to avoid dire wolves and Lannisters anywhere you go. It was inevitable that the series would make the jump to console gaming and Cyanide Studio’s Game of Thrones. The game’s lore goes hand-in-hand with what readers and viewers are familiar with by telling a story that runs parallel with the happenings in King’s Landing. It helps that Martin himself signed off and consulted with it.
Instead of using characters that fans are familiar with, Cyanide chose to tell the story of Mors Westford and Alester Sarwyck. Westford is a man of the Night’s Watch and Sarwyck is a priest of R’hllor. The tale of these two characters spans across a fraction of the turmoil seen in the first book. It even includes characters such as Lord Varys and Lord Commander Mormont as themselves. Cersei Lannister is also present and makes a few appearances. All three of these characters are styled like their HBO counterparts and it helps having them present. The story follows a standard chapter format and eventually you are able to have both in your party at the same time.
Sadly, that is about where the positives end.
I know what you’re saying: “But Scott, that was only two paragraphs and it only focused on the story, there have to be some other perks of the game!” Truly, I wish I could. I went into Game of Thrones wanting to like it and wanting to enjoy myself. Cyanide made a game that I played quite a bit of (Blood Bowl) and in spite of the red flags I thought I could look past some flaws.
From the moment I first booted up the game, I knew I was in for a doozy. I had to pick my character’s strengths and weaknesses, you know, standard RPG protocol. I had a chuckle seeing that I could play as guy with gout, but the detail was charming in a weird way. After watching the cutscenes and listening to the fantastic opening theme (you all know the one from the show), I thought that things were going smoothly. It was that first moment when control was handed over that I knew I was in for a rough go.
First off, the characters have no fluidity. I can best compare the movement animations to my traumatizing experience with Duke Nukem Forever. Characters’ lower halves move around like action figures and the top half barely moves in most animations. In fact, there are some NPCs who just skate across the top of the ground in combat and in the towns. This was something that repeatedly happened throughout my time with the game and was not isolated to a single area.
Instead of using characters that fans are familiar with, Cyanide chose to tell the story of Mors Westford and Alester Sarwyck. Westford is a man of the Night’s Watch and Sarwyck is a priest of R’hllor. The tale of these two characters spans across a fraction of the turmoil seen in the first book. It even includes characters such as Lord Varys and Lord Commander Mormont as themselves. Cersei Lannister is also present and makes a few appearances. All three of these characters are styled like their HBO counterparts and it helps having them present. The story follows a standard chapter format and eventually you are able to have both in your party at the same time.
Sadly, that is about where the positives end.
I know what you’re saying: “But Scott, that was only two paragraphs and it only focused on the story, there have to be some other perks of the game!” Truly, I wish I could. I went into Game of Thrones wanting to like it and wanting to enjoy myself. Cyanide made a game that I played quite a bit of (Blood Bowl) and in spite of the red flags I thought I could look past some flaws.
From the moment I first booted up the game, I knew I was in for a doozy. I had to pick my character’s strengths and weaknesses, you know, standard RPG protocol. I had a chuckle seeing that I could play as guy with gout, but the detail was charming in a weird way. After watching the cutscenes and listening to the fantastic opening theme (you all know the one from the show), I thought that things were going smoothly. It was that first moment when control was handed over that I knew I was in for a rough go.
First off, the characters have no fluidity. I can best compare the movement animations to my traumatizing experience with Duke Nukem Forever. Characters’ lower halves move around like action figures and the top half barely moves in most animations. In fact, there are some NPCs who just skate across the top of the ground in combat and in the towns. This was something that repeatedly happened throughout my time with the game and was not isolated to a single area.
