Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones lacks the absorbing gameplay and polished presentation that'd help set it among the 360's finer RPGs. But those already committed to the realm won't regret the couple dozen hours they'll spend under its narrative spell.

Playing Game of Thrones is just like sitting on the Iron Throne itself - there's a lot there to find fulfilling, but you'll cut yourself on the sharp edges if you're not ready for them.

Hardly the debut the fiction deserves, Game of Thrones is a pretty rough cut of George R. R. Martin's fantastic fantasy series on the polish front, but the game makes up for it with a solid, authentic storyline and a subtly rewarding combat system that will help fans look past the game's dated visuals.

Not a must for fans of the source material, but equally not a 'must avoid'. [Aug 2012, p.80]

Game of Thrones is definitely worth a look if you have the patience to make it past the dull opening hours. If you're a fan of the books or the show, you'll enjoy the references to the wider lore, but you might enjoy the stilted combat, poor visuals and abhorrent voice acting a lot less. Hardened Game of Thrones fans need only apply.

The game achieves to be faithful to the books, but it has quite a lot of flaws. Its gameplay is unbalanced and the story isn't told quite well. It only becomes enjoyable after some hours of play.

Fans of George R.R. Martin's novels could appreciate the atmosphere of Game of Thrones, since the game delivers a solid story, especially in the final chapters. Unfortunately the merits end here, as the experience is plagued by awful graphics, pointless fights and uninspired exploration.

A decent game that has been horrifically let down by one sub-standard element.

If you remain nostalgic about this strange era, love the books, and don't mind turn-based combat, this is surprisingly compelling stuff. Everyone else should approach with caution: don't expect an awesome dwarf to give you the cash back if you hate it.

For those wanting to explore the wilds of Westeros, climb to the top of The Wall or engage in a thrilling battle with a direwolf, this Game of Thrones falls completely flat. However, if you don't mind suffering through the combat, the visuals, and the lackluster environments, there's actually a decent interactive story to experience. Of course, that's a very big "if."

Game of Thrones is satisfactory at best, and dreadfully slow and ugly at worst. But there is fun to be had here. Despite all the shortcomings, I had fun, and with video games that's the most important element for my enjoyment. It's not for everyone.

At its worst, Game of Thrones is difficult to tolerate, but the burden of its many problems isn't enough to render the experience worthless. For those already familiar with the franchise, the story of Mors and Alester is consistent with the world and provides insight into events beyond the reach of the regular series cast. However, you must be a forgiving and devoted fan to enjoy the best that this game can offer.

I still enjoyed my time with the game though, and appreciate what it brings to the table story-wise. Whether any of the events featured here will make their way into the canon proper I'm not sure, but as a side story it's certainly an interesting tale. And once you spend a little more time with the combat you'll find a better experience than the first few hours let on. So yeah, if you're a big fan or even just a fan from the T.V. show with little interest in the books, I'd say you should eventually give this one a look.

Game of Thrones revels in the source material, wraps its narrative around it, and plays along with the vast universe that George Martin has crafted. It's too bad, and deeply disappointing, that the game celebrates little else.

So Game of Thrones features an engrossing story underneath all its decidedly average layers and it's the mechanics and gameplay that hold back the overall experience from being one worth recommending outside of the series' most stalwart fans.

In the end I think fans will find enough to love, but those looking for a solid RPG experience will come away sorely disappointed.

It contains some interesting ideas and a good story, but it's dragged down by an awful voice acting, bad combat system and a subpar technical production. A game of such a scale and ambition deserves way better production values.

For all its flaws, it did genuinely surprise me in areas and had twists and turns that were unexpected. It's a pleasantly mediocre game that could have used tons more polish to create a better experience.

That it largely fails to deliver does not quite snuff out its allure – not, at least, for devotees of the fiction. For those yet to be tempted by Martin's work, however, the blunderous combat, mangled dialoguing and profoundly unlovely looks will make it seem, as a Westerosi idiom goes, a mummer's farce.

If you're able to relish all the subtle nods and cameos from established characters, you may, may be able to find the energy to push yourself through the rest of Game of Thrones' blandness. And even then, it's a little like licking a ceiling clean of mayonnaise to reveal the trompe l'oeil underneath.

There's quite a bit of awesome story within Game of Thrones, but the real question is if you can take whatever else is provided to get to it.

It's far from the top of its class, and it has a lot of rough edges, but Game of Thrones is perfectly competent in most of what it sets out to do. It tells a good story that's worth experiencing, but if you don't care about the series or care more about the gameplay wrapper around a plot, there are a few better choices out there.