Product Description

A fierce struggle is taking place within the realm of the Norse Gods, as the goddess Hel has been banished for defying Odin, Lord of Asgard. Angry at her fate, Hel has raised an army of resurrected Viking warriors to wipe out all of humanity in the mortal realm of Midgard, as she seeks to bring about Ragnarok -- the apocalyptic battle that that will destroy Asgard and the Gods themselves. The task of stopping Hel and defending the future of mankind falls to Skarin, a promising but deeply flawed young warrior, ignorant of the true reason for his favor with the Gods...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2337 in Video Games
• Brand: Sega Of America, Inc.
• Model: 68023
• Published on: 2008-03
• Released on: 2008-03-25
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .75" h x 5.50" w x 6.75" l, .33 pounds

Features

• High-impact, brutal combat. Dismember enemies and experience high-impact melee combat unlike any game you've played.
• Mythical powers. Tame dragons and command them to rain fire upon your enemies. Power up your weapons with elemental abilities and lay waste to your adversaries.
• Three open-world environments. Explore, uncover and fight your way across huge Norse worlds full of combat and exploration.
• Climactic, epic battles. Lay the foundations for huge battles featuring hundreds of warriors at once. Subtly influence the battle through targeted assassination and sabotage, or wade in to save stricken allies.

Customer Reviews

A Hack and Slash/Fantasy Action Adventure Gem
J. Hornbuckle's review compelled me to write my own take here (i.e. he didn't even get to the first dragon summon before he wrote it, which means he didn't even get to the first major battle).

And before I get to my review, I have to highlight this line from his:

"Plenty of gore and brutality for the teenagers to enjoy"

I read that and I just had to write this counter-review. How is that kind of viewpoint helpful in deciding to buy a game like Viking? So here's a review from a 32 yr old metalhead who is into bloody, slow motion limb chopping in video games:

Gameplay: There are 20 or so different moves, and there is a strategy for each enemy type- so you aren't just rushing in and mashing buttons. If a Legion soldier has a wooden shield, for example, you use the shield crusher (hold LB + tap X twice) to splinter his shield first. The highlight of the gameplay for me is the counterattack- hold LT and hit Y to dash backwards- then hit A right when the enemy strike goes by. The timing for this move is excuisite- enemies will time their strikes differently in anticipation of your counter, so you have to watch to time it correctly (sometimes enemies will delay their attack til the last possible moment, making it impossible to counter!).

There are QTEs to kill Legion Giants and Champions. I think they are implemented fairly well (QTEs normally bother me).

This is an open world game, so you're able to pretty much go where you want and complete objectives in almost any order.

Visuals: A feast. There is a wide variety of landscapes and weather/atmosphere. Honestly this game has my jaw dropping as much as any game on the 360. There are some truly epic vistas that will have you stopping to admire the ridiculous draw distance and amazing environments. The artistry and design is top notch.

Sound: A mixed bag. Most sounds are fine, but the voice acting is weak and there are a few really bad sound effects (the rope ladder sound is possibly the worst sound effect ever). The music is typical and used sporadically, but I turned it off and streamed viking metal from my PC (Theudho, Valkyria, Moonsorrow etc make a perfect soundtrack).

Length and replayability: I think I'm close to the end, and I've been playing for around 20 or so hours. I'm going to play through it again on hard difficulty as soon as I beat it- the gameplay is fun and varied enough to keep you coming back.

Large scale battles: When you build up your Viking army enough and complete certain objectives, you can launch an assault on Legion controlled settlements- the battles are huge, with hundreds of participants (sometimes you can't see the ground anywhere into the distance, there are so many guys onscreen- you can even lose sight of which one is you). This aspect of the game is intense and epic, and a hell of a lot of fun. And there are dragons.

The graphics are phenomenal but I would say the strongpoint is the gameplay, it's really well done and a lot of fun to play. I would probably only recommend Viking as a definite purchase if you're into fantasy hack and slash games- it's not a genre crossover hit. But if you like this kind of game, you're going to remember this one for a long time.

A little underrated..
This is not an oblivion type game dont go into this game with that approach.Its very different and takes much less time to master. A lot of people said this game was a little difficult. To me after you kill about 50 guys you have about played as hard as the game is going to get. The game is easy but not too easy but does present challenges at some points though. Enemies in groups of about 2-6 are really easy but if you go into a area with around 20 or so it will be a lot more challenging. The games quest ideas are good and a break from the ordinary. With that said this is a good game to buy if you like hack and slash type games are just beautiful amounts of gore. The game runs around 10-15 hours which is a little long for this game i think it would have been better if they would have kicked about 3 hours of useless gameplay out.
overalls:
gameplay 7.5
graphics 8.5
sound 10.0
ai 7.0
overall 8.0-9.0

Viking is EPIC!
Viking: Battle for Asgard is an example of a great game with bad reviewers with negative opinions which are ALL false! Playing through this game is an experience in itself; from the graphics, sound, to the overall game play; all balanced, and FANTASTICALLY EPIC!

This game's graphics have to be seen to be believed. The water effects of the ocean looks real, with the surrounding forest areas even more startlingly photo realistic. I loved it all, and so will you.

The sound really drew me in from the fluttering of bird's wings, to dried leaves falling out of trees as I walked underneath, to the sound of a giant dragon as it fried the enemy with scorching flames; no other game comes close to this.

As for game play, I enjoyed the game from start to finish. Blood and gore fans take note- this game is for you! With over a dozen deadly slashing moves with swords, knifes, axes, and even one special move where you call in a dragon,Viking does it all and does it well!

Overall, Viking is an excellent game. I take my hat off to Sega for bringing such a well balanced and magically superb adventure to my little gamer fingers! Well done!!

The Bottom Line: Viking: Battle for Asgard is for fans of blood and gore. This well made game gives the player a truly epic experience that should not be missed!