Viking: Battle For Asgard (Xbox 360)

...of this genre to buy Viking: Battle for Asgard as it will keep you enthralled for quite some time. I would also suggest to people who dont necessarily go for the RPG to try it out in order to see how well Creative Assembly and Sega have done with this game. The game has now been out for a while and still hasnt dropped below the £39.99 level so it may be worth waiting in the hopes of a price drop.  ... more

'Hel, goddess of death, orders her merciless army of undead soldiers to enslave mankind and destroy Asgard, the realm of the gods. As Skarin, last hope of the Vikings, control every vicious blow of your sword and axe and drench the battlefield with the blood of your foes' (Game Blurb)

STORY
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Asgard and the Underworld have been in conflict for centuries and now Hel and her army of undead Vikings, the Legion, have targeted Midgard. The reason? Hel despises the allegiance between the Vikings and the Goddess of Asgard, Freya. Hel's plan is to steal the souls of the Asgard younglings to create her own Valhalla.

Skarin (You) are a Champion of Midgard and this prompts Freya to seek your help. She calls upon you to lead an army strong enough to rise up to Hel and her Legion and bring them down, thus ending the war between the Underworld and Asgard forever.

You will begin in Brighthelm, the last outpost of the Viking at the time of Hel's attack. Only Skarin, with the assistance of Freya and the blessing of rebirth, can help to make Midgard a peaceful land once again.

This is a good mythical storyline and ties in with knowledge of the Norse religion. The sotryline is however slightly complicated to pick up initially as there are many names and different aspects to it. This problem is very short lived and once the game gets going, which doesnt take long, the storyline evolves well and holds strong.

In terms of longevity, the game could be longer. I played it sporadically so it took me around a week to complete it but in terms of cumulative hours of gameplay it would take about 8-10 hours to complete. This should really be longer due to the epic style of the storyline. This is a drawback of the game. Maybe its just because i enjoyed the game that much that I was disappointed when it ended.

CHARACTER
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One of the main reasons I decided to buy this game was because of the main character, Skarin. He is the strongest warrior in his home settlement and is revered for it. He was overlooked from the army due to his recurring seizures brought on by haunting visions. This led his kin to treat him with caution, believing him to be cursed. The anger this causes him is great as he is constantly trying to prove himself in battle. Only after Freya shows him his true power does he realise his importance to Midgard. He is simply a cool character. Anyone who carries both a sword and an axe is cool, and there is something great about being a Viking. This is a brilliant aspect of the game.

WEAPONS
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One of the available weapons is Runes. These are prayers to the Gods of Asgard to give great elemental powers. In order to buy more and better Runes, gold must be collected throughout the region which buys the Runes from the local blacksmith.

The art of the Warrior is key to this game. As the game progresses, you will get the chance to learn new, more destructive moves in the Asgardian Duelling Ring. Combat Runes are exchanged for more complex moves, taught to you by a Valhalla combat expert.

Once distilleries are liberated, the shop will stock Flame-Pots. This will vanquish many enemies in a fire-ball when thrown. Another throwing weapon available is Throwing Axes. These can be used to accurately bring down enemies from a distance. Great for if you want to target a Shaman first.

GAMEPLAY
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The gameplay of this game is another plus point. It is based around an open-world game engine with three islands in the region of Midgard. This is good as it creates a level of interaction between the gamer and the story as the gamer can chose when and where he goes in an attempt to free Viking soldiers from various prison camps over the region. The larger battles occur when the gamer chooses, basically once they feel they have got enough viking support to win the battle. Another good aspect of the game is the large battles. There can be hundreds of soldiers fighting epic battles, with Skarin right in the middle.

There are different ways of weakening the enemy. One way is to attack at the heart, the enemy's Shaman. They summon more enemy troops so it is a good tactic to target them first. The hack-and-slash style of the close combat is fun as well. Flailing an axe around will do the desired damage, even if it isnt particularly subtle. This combat style has been seen in other Creative Assembly games such as Spartan: Total Warrior. I am glad Creative kept this combat in Viking because it is exactly what the game requires. Though fortunately it is much more violent which is great fun. This is where the 18 rating comes from, as it displays graphic violence including dismemberment.

Unfortuanately there is no multiplayer option for this game. It would be fantastic to be able to battle other human controlled vikings but alas this isnt the case.

The gameplay offers many different tactics for each rescue. Sometimes it will be better to go all out on a rambo style one-man mission, and sometimes a bit of Bond like stealth is required.

GRAPHICS
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The graphics on this game are good. The game looks fantastic on an HDTV which gives the game a much more real feeling. There are many different weather styles throughout the region, especially as areas under the control of Hel are rainy and gloomy. This all looks great through Hi Def and the graphics are definately another plus point of the game.

SUMMARY
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For anyone that enjoys the more mythical RPG such as Lord of the Rings etc. this is a good example of what to do. Each of the giant, epic battles are unique and can and possibly should be fought in different ways. This gives the gamer far greater degrees of interaction which is something I definately look for in an RPG, especially these more mythical ones. For people who dont necessarily favour the more mythical games this may not be for you. There is a good degree of 'God' Storyline and magic etc.

I would advise anyone considering a game of this genre to buy Viking: Battle for Asgard as it will keep you enthralled for quite some time. I would also suggest to people who dont necessarily go for the RPG to try it out in order to see how well Creative Assembly and Sega have done with this game. The game has now been out for a while and still hasnt dropped below the £39.99 level so it may be worth waiting in the hopes of a price drop. 

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