Viking: Battle for Asgard (X360, PS3, PC) (2008)
Developer: The Creative Assembly

Review by Faididi and Co.

"Spartan: Total Warrior 2"

Story: Average

When the underworld ruler of Niflheim, Hel, gets the wild idea of conquering all the realms, the goddess Freya picks some viking dude named Skarin and charges him with pushing back Hel's troopers. The Norse mythology here isn't quite spot-on, and the game is actually set in Midgard instead of Asgard, but, hey, at least it isn't some retarded anime-bullshit take on the subject material.

Gameplay: Average

The Creative Assembly's Viking: Battle for Asgard would've passed for the best 3D Conan game ever had it starred the celebrated barbarian hero instead. To be more serious, it's actually a follow-up to Spartan: Total Warrior. Cutting out the sources of annoyance from the earlier game, such as the missions with time limits and the inconsistent boss battles, Battle for Asgard takes on a more nonlinear, exploration-oriented form, becoming a fantasy action adventure where the journey itself matters as much as the ultimate goal. Across three massive island worlds, Skarin must do all the little things in order to reach the big showdowns, from recruiting allies to conducting sneaky raids.

The only main problem is that Skarin spends a ton of time engaging in the same types of preparations over and over again. Sure, the level design is nice, thanks to the natural-looking landscapes and the curious landmarks, but the tasks grow repetitive fast. If they're not about freeing clan after clan of captured viking warriors from cages, they're about fetching items for a bunch of other people. The bosses come in few types, with the ones at the end of the game differing little from those in the first hour. This is clearly a flaw when compared to the variety of boss encounters in Spartan: Total Warrior, as sloppily handled as they may have been.

Fortunately, Battle for Asgard staves off utter boredom with its surprisingly smooth mixture of exploration, stealth, and all-out combat. One moment Skarin may be peacefully wandering about the countryside, and the next he may be nervously darting through a heavily guarded enemy base in order to take out an important target. There are no distinct breaks within the action; it simply shifts according to wherever Skarin travels and whatever situation in which he finds himself, be it combing caves for gold or participating in a mighty clash between armies. Besides the zero loading times and the minimal artificial barriers between the vast regions of the island environments, the extremely high draw distance really helps immerse you within Skarin's world.

The level of challenge is balanced well, too. While Skarin can hack apart a few bad guys at once without breaking a sweat, he gets mowed down easily if he's suddenly caught by an entire army of foes. This ties in with the seamless flow of the game, where Skarin can quickly stumble across a large patrol of enemy troopers in the wilderness or in an enemy camp (oops). Luckily, getting wasted has little consequence for Skarin, who merely gets booted back to a warp point whenever he takes too many blows to the face. Speaking of warp points, these portals are conveniently placed around the areas, so our hero never needs to waste hours plodding about.

The combat itself ain't bad, either. Always dual-wielding a sword and an axe, Skarin gradually acquires plenty of useful special moves and elemental magic attacks. The button-prompt sequences, if derivative, are lenient, and the stealth kills are ridiculously easy to pull off. Furthermore, Battle for Asgard ditches the irritating weapon-switching aspects from Spartan: Total Warrior, which means that none of the bosses here are arbitrarily resistant to one type of blade but not another. However, the best part remains in the over-the-top, ultra-visceral nature of the fighting. Some combos make Skarin literally fly back and forth among enemies as he turns them into bleeding chunks of meat. Other attacks, such as his supreme leaping axe chop, causes his victims to instantly explode, sending the severed limbs flying away in every direction, and that's just too awesome to pass up.

Controls: Excellent

The controls are fast and responsive, and the intelligent camera work always ensures a clear view. Running around, climbing ledges, and pulling off the various attacks are all very easy to do. Skarin's streamlined weapon layout also means that the controls for his magical attacks are smarter and more intuitive.

Graphics: Above Average

Battle for Asgard's visuals are far from perfect, and we're not just talking about the excessive amounts of bloom. The characters' mouths don't move when they're speaking, and slowdown regularly occurs during the large-scale battles, the moments when you least want to see any slowdown. This latter point is all the more disappointing in light of, say, Nowpro's Ikusagami (Demon Chaos), which can display over sixty five thousand characters on the screen without a drop in speed.

Still, there are plenty of neat little details to be found in the graphics. The framerate remains consistently smooth despite the slowdown, and body parts can leave thick blood smears on the walls after they flop through the air. Skarin even has different running motions when he races up or down slopes.

Audio: Above Average

The music often leans on the quiet side and isn't too memorable, although the ambient noises sound much better. The voice acting is decent in general, but a great job is done with the concentrated breaths of air coming from Skarin as he attacks. (Our hero is otherwise silent.)

Overall: Average

Viking: Battle for Asgard is a very simple game at heart, and it suffers for that. The sheer monotony of the bosses and the item-hunting tasks can't be forgiven, especially by those who have played through Spartan: Total Warrior. At the same time, however, it features Player-friendly controls, fabulously constructed environments, and an absolutely seamless mixture of exploration, stealth, and pure body-mangling swordplay. If you're hunting for a solid action adventure that truly brings out the essence of the barbarian warrior in all his raw, elemental glory, this is it.

OST: Average

Published by Sumthing, the Viking: Battle for Asgard soundtrack presents the game's entire score in its original form. Fans of the action adventure seeking to enjoy the music's subtler points might want to pick this up, but others can skip it without fear of missing anything much.