viking: battle for asgard

Somewhere, somehow, Odin is rolling in his grave.

Sega and Creative Assembly's latest 'masterpiece,' Viking: Battle for Asgard, is a slow, burdensome game that lacks refinement and gameplay, but has plenty of visual polish. There is so much wrong with this game that it is perhaps best to start with the good.

The opening sequence is interesting with a decent narration and comics reminiscent of Sin City's artistic flair. Once the comic panels fade away with clashes of death and scenes of pain, you find yourself commanding Skarin, champion of the goddess Freya. There are allusions to your past, and you expect the plot to thicken, but it does not. Then, from this not-so-humble beginning you find yourself picking your way through a world infested with demons and drudgery alike.

Once in the game, the graphics are the first thing to garner notice as they are one of the best parts of the game. The battle arena, framed by rolling waves in the background, is a sight to behold as both landscape and water are beautifully rendered. Nevertheless, Viking suffers from problems in almost every other field. Make no mistake, Fable was the template from which this game was created, as almost every aspect of this game feels oddly familiar.

Whereas Fable was new, fresh and nimble in its gameplay, Viking is tired, tried and as bulky as the Norse men you surround yourself with. Basic fighting moves have you automatically cutting across large distances-immediately surrounding yourself with enemies or uncontrollably falling off of a cliff. This programming flaw is especially disconcerting for a game based on death and destruction.

The rewards of utilizing sneak and killing blows are inconsequential. Things become tedious and lose their luster as you watch in amazement as finishing moves double as two seconds of invincibility. There is not much to be said for the AI as the enemies come at you in the same predictable way every time. Moreover, everything noteworthy is cast in an ominous sheen to highlight its importance, leaving no room for player intelligence.

The sound is also subpar. There are no ambient sounds of nature or background music, leaving you in silence for the better part of the game with only terrible voice acting as an accompaniment.

All in all, this Fable clone is only worthwhile if you are suffering the ill effects of the drought of decent games after this past holiday season. If you cannot find it in yourself to pick up Army of Two where violence is celebrated with fist pumps and are awaiting Fable 2 with bated breath, then perhaps this distorted piece of Nordic legend is worth the rental fee.