Game of Thrones - Season One Reviews
Telltale's well-worn adventure formula finds a perfect fit in the politicking of Westeros.
Game of Thrones gets the feel of Martin's universe right, but it relies too heavily on familiar themes to form a memorable identity of its own.
Though hard to grasp for the uninitiated, Telltale's Game of Thrones is a truly meaty addition to the established tale, creating a gut-twisting fantasy drama that will leave you feeling absolutely awful, just like Game of Thrones should.
Telltale's original story pales in comparison to the source material and it's not an especially satisfying adventure game, either. Your choices matter about as much as the points in Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the game's action scenes barely register whether or not you're even holding the controller. Even if you're a fan of the books or HBO show, there's not much incentive to play Telltale's Game of Thrones.
Though it's only just getting started, Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series is a video game fans won't want to miss.
As a massively popular franchise that has already dominated the imaginations of fans that have devoured the five novels and those that have survived five seasons of its brutal television adaptation, Telltale Games' Game of Thrones certainly walked a difficult path in playing the (figurative) "game of thrones." While it sometimes felt a bit overburdened by trying to recreate scenarios and situations from its source material, Telltale proved itself more than capable of providing a supplementary experience to the television series/novels that Game of Thrones fans can certainly enjoy in its own right, and in particular will certainly find rewards in replaying events differently for wildly-different outcomes. The world that Game of Thrones evokes is one of bloodshed and many hardships, and whether you win or die by the end of Telltale's version of the series, Game of Thrones is still an enjoyable experience, all the way to its bloody end.
The Game of Thrones adventure game is really good at piling up bodies, but has trouble finding direction in between the bloodshed.
At this juncture, we know what to expect out of a Telltale experience: less-than-solid gameplay that is balanced out by an amazing story. That being said, Game of Thrones, while a solid Telltale experience, has limited appeal. The Venn diagram of interest is flatly composed of people who love Game of Thrones with people who like/tolerate Telltale's experiences. If you love Game of Thrones and enjoy Telltale's previous offerings, you shouldn't hesitate to pick up the game. If you're someone who loves Westeros but dislikes Telltale's style, you might want to give the game a shot, if only to get another hit of Thrones before you find out what really happened to Jon Snow. On the other hand, if you don't know a Crow from a raven, you should probably give it a pass.
It just also means that the very premise of a game like this set in the Game of Thrones universe is maybe not as enticing as you might think.
A season that began with much promise doesn't quite deliver by the time the sixth and final episode's credits roll. Some fine characters and a real sense of what makes the Game of Thrones universe tick mean this is worth checking out if you crave more stories from Westeros and beyond in the wait for more books and TV episodes.
Throughout this cynical gaming experience, the message of the show seems clearer than ever: reject dignity or die.
That's not an uncommon motivation for a lot of Game of Thrones fans—and the same goes for many of the characters in the story. I can therefore think of no finer way to describe just how authentic a Game of Thrones experience Telltale has crafted.
Season 1 can be defined by its misused and poorly executed potential, leaving behind something a little better than average.
A promising opening and some decent, world-appropriate characters are squandered in an overly-prescriptive narrative that ends on disappointing and inconclusive cliffhangers.
Telltale's Game of Thrones is at its best when it focuses on its own characters and isn't making a point to include ones from the books and show. The first season is one that is full of hard choices and a lot of sacrifice and feels very much in line with what fans have come to expect from Game of Thrones, but just how much all of this will matter has been hidden away for a second season.
Season one of Game of Thrones is a decent experience but all the problems that plague other Telltale games, including clunky combat functions are there along with a bitter taste in wrapping up the finale. The story leading up to that bitter taste though, is quite fun.
Overall, the game is not "terrible" but it just isn't for me, Game of Thrones fell short….The Walking Dead from the same company was much better due to the well-executed storyline that is used in the game. Game of Thrones has great voice acting, which was the only thing that caught my eye, but again there were too many flaws that just didn't appeal to me as much. If you are the fan of the series, whether you read the novels, watch the TV show, or both, I highly encourage you to play this game, if you have not read or watch either, do not expect this game to peak your interest in the series as it did not do the same for me, but I just don't believe that anyone who has no knowledge of this series will enjoy the game.
If you're hungry for more Game of Thrones content and can't wait until the next season or book, then Telltale's Game of Thrones is the perfect game to pass the time. It weaves an interesting narrative that intersects with the franchise's main plot while still poking into unexplored corners. Unfortunately, there's a distinct lack of any real choice, and a hugely disappointing ending leaves the story hanging on a sour note.
Although I didn't particularly enjoy the ending, I do still want to go back and play through some other options to see what changes, so clearly Telltale didn't completely bungle Game Of Thrones. That being said, this was a pretty weak ending, and it really doesn't stack up with something as gut-wrenching as the end of Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 1. It seems likely they'll have a chance to rectify that with a second season, but my hopes aren't high that the ending to that hypothetical future series will be any better.
The choices you make are largely ineffectual to how things actually turn out, but there are a few along the way that will really shock you or make you think