Viking: Battle for Asgard

Developer: Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS3
ESRB Rating: M
Official Web site

In a nutshell: An incredibly lame God of War clone.

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.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer