A Game of Thrones RTS Game Released, RPG On the Way 89
Game development studio Cyanide launched their real-time strategy interpretation of George R. R. Martin's acclaimed fantasy series A Game of Thrones yesterday. You can see a trailer and a few screenshots if you're so inclined. Cyanide also confirmed one of their other offices is working on a completely different RPG based on the series as well. It's still a ways out, but they say it will be "Mass Effect-style," and will pick up at the start of the first book. "True to the style of Martin's books, it will tell the story of two different characters, switching back and forth between them as their tales move alongside the events of the first book (and occasionally intersect with one another). None of the characters from the book will be playable, though the game's protagonists will cross paths with plenty of familiar faces over the course of the game."
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When it comes to games, "doing it right" involves polishing the gameplay, not the graphics. If you want to be wowed by CG, go to a movie.
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I think a bigger problem is the huge number of people that can't even get the book to launch.
While it's somewhat true to the books to kill off the game so early on, it might not be worth your $40 for the experience.
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I was very disappointed when I heard an RTS game was on the way - not because I knew it would be bad, but because I knew it could be a lot better:
While watching the HBO series I started reading up on the books (ah, Wikipedia) and it gradually struck me that the SoFaI-verse seems very suitable for a Total War game. I'm no expert (of the series) but you've got a number of different factions/Houses, a nice campaign map, armies in the thousands, interesting rebel possibilities, some pretty castles to have battl
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-1 for the RTS (unless it has a good story), +1 for the RPG
Since when do RTS really have to have a story? It's a fucking strategy game. You don't need a story, you just need decent mechanics.
If your playing RTS's for the story, you are gaming wrong.
We now have... (Score:2)
A book, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Thrones [wikipedia.org]
a HBO tv series http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/ [imdb.com]
and a game.. http://www.agot-genesis.com/ [agot-genesis.com]
Book 5 recently came out (august I think), it's book 5 of 7, 2 are not written yet with agot being the 1st book.
Just thought i'd recap a bit, I wish there was more than books for the other 4, as they do progress the story line quite nicely (I have yet to read 5 though).
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Don't forget the replica coins, replica swords, board game, card game (and expansion packs), roleplaying game (2 versions), comic books, spinoff short stories, illustrated hardcover books, limited edition books, collectible calendars, and collectible toy figurines.
GRRM is one capitalist SOB! Damn good author, damn good businessman.
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The Great and Powerful Turtle is going to compress your house into a tiny ball.
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He's made a crapload of money off not only his books but all the ancillaries. He's not QUITE as bad as Lucas, and I don't think any of the non-essentials have affected the game line, so I'm not sure sellout is a great description. I generally think of a sellout being someone who somehow compromised his/her values...I don't hink he's compromised anything. I mean, he's very big government leftwing, but just being leftwing doesn't mean you don't want to get filthy rich.
With regards to the quality of AGoT, as t
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How does it compare to his earlier stuff? I know Robert Jordan was a fan of his, which is one thing that got me into reading AGOT in the first place.
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George RR Martin's earlier stuff? Eh, I haven't read much (other than the Game of Throne series), and I'm not a huge fan of what I've read.
I've read a Song for Lya and Other Short Stories, Windhaven, and started a third whose name I forget. I really liked the premise of Windhaven, but I hated the characters and the plot (dual authors, so maybe not GRRM's fault!). I'm not at all interested in the "Wild Card" books so I haven't tried them.
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I've only read AGOT so I can't speak for his earlier works, but based on my impressions so far, he's the Dean Koontz of Fantasy. Somewhat entertaining, but nothing to write home about.
I'm logged in now, you coward, so feel free to waste another mod point.
AGOT was entertaining. So much so that I am reading the second one now. But no, I'm sorry, it doesn't qualify him as a "damn good author." His decision to merchandise the crap out of it only makes me think he wrote it for a quick buck. There's also the fact that it's not actually a novel. It's the first part of a gigantic unfinished serial.
I wish GRRM the best in whatever it is he is wanting to accomplish with these books. *I* think he's
Quick? (Score:2)
The last book took six years to write. The first one was started in 1991 and published in 1996. Not exactly a "quick" buck...
No accounting for taste (Score:3)
GRRM is absolutely a great author. His characters have substantial depth to them. Even the "villains" aren't really villainous, they just have their own goals and motivations that put them at odds with the characters you happen to be rooting for. His pacing is steady without getting dull. His plot has twists and turns without ever sucker punching the reader the way inferior writers do. And the overarching themes -- particularly regarding honor and duty -- are rock solid.
If you don't like his book, that
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His characters can have depth to them. Ned Stark, Tyrion, Tywin. Others. But so many of the rest might as well be props. The only place I find this excusable is with Joffrey because it really suits his character. The rest, not so much. So many of them have one thought, and that thought it all they think every time the narrator peers into their heads. Bearing in mind I've only just started the second book, so maybe some of those other characters get more interesting later.
**spoilers**
I found the whole procla
Martin a "sell out"? (Score:2)
I think that he's an extremely good author. "Dying of the Light" was a very impressive novel. "Fever Dream" is also very strong. And the Wild Cards series was a lot of fun. I generally don't get into medievalist fantasy, but I've been impressed with the GoT series: it is intricately plotted and not predictable, with convincing characters who have some emotional depth. Considering how slowly the larger plot arc advances, I'm wondering if he plans for it so support him for the rest of his life (not that I beg
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Hah, I knew I forgot something. I'm sure I missed other products too...he's a busy man.
Only 2 characters? (Score:5, Funny)
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That was my thought. If it's true to the book at all that means the despite your best efforts, if you're the main character, you'll lose.
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Losing and completing the game don't relate here I guess, main characters die in games all the time (FF7 nostalgia) . Still, I think the movie series was sufficient, the game is based off a concept called "milking the fad", even though book 1 is ancient news, book 5 is making waves. Seems to be the big trend with US media nowadays, to take the trend/fad and make....
1. a movie
2. a series
3. a game(s)
in any 2/3 combination of the above.
Hollywood has killed SO MUCH :(
And they wonder why pirates run rampant..
Re:Only 2 characters? (Score:5, Insightful)
If Game of Thrones HBO series is just "milking the fad" then milk it away and keep it coming. It was one of the best epic fantasy stories put to screen ever. As well as a very true to the book translation.
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Damn straight. I rarely watch any TV, but my girlfriend got me totally hooked on that one.
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I wish I could mod you up.
Fuck the snobs, it's a good story and a good series. Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister is fucking perfect. I haven't seen such a good casting job in a long, long time.
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Shame I already posted or I would mod you as flamebait (hint mods). Please refer to (#37590502), thanks.
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Not the series, the game... the series was great.
the game is based off a concept called "milking the fad"
I'm talking more about why they are making the game here. Try processing what you read in the future before replying, thanks.
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Not unlike Game of Throne where 2 of 3 dead main characters have tendency to refuse to stay dead, or more often reveal that their death was grossly exaggerated.
GoT has invented dark fantasy soap.
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GoT has invented dark fantasy soap.
I thought I was alone in thinking of it as a soap. When I try to explain what ASOIAF is to others, I describe it as a realistic, medieval soap opera (for men)*.
*Not implying that women cannot read/watch/enjoy it, just that it doesn't have much of the drivel that a man associates with a soap opera.
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Load from the quicksave?
Revert to a saved game (Score:2)
That doesn't seem like enough. What will you do when those two characters are killed brutally and unexpectedly?
This happens all the time in video games, revert to a saved game. :-)
Yes I get the reference to the books which are atypical in that the casualty rate of main characters is quite high.
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> That doesn't seem like enough. What will you do when those two characters are killed brutally and unexpectedly?
Um, you cheer? Go outside, smell the flowers, talk to your children?
If I buy the expansion pack, can I choose *which* two characters are killed brutally and unexpectedly? That would go a long way towards keeping my interest in replays.
Sorry, I didn't like the TV series.
true to the books? (Score:4, Funny)
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Wheel of Time wasn't that bad on time deliver until Jordan got sick. CoT was a little late, but not terrible. Now you want to talk long wait... How about King's The Dark Tower series. :)
Already been done (Score:3, Funny)
The other one looks better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hftnySHVnF0 [youtube.com]
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If that were a real game it'd only be the greatest thing ever. Though Jaime Lannister's Kingslayer attack seems to be missing. Maybe you learn it at a higher level, but you'd think he'd start the game with it.
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Mass Effect style ? 2 ? (Score:1)
non-interactive interactive bastardized movie you mean.
but maybe if they made it like 1, there can be at least some input from the player side in terms of gameplay.
There was a game in development? (Score:3, Insightful)
Screenshots have emerged, showing glowering men in armour and maps with recognisable landmarks on them, such as The Wall, which isn’t a prog rock album but an actual wall that’s covered with ice. I know that because I’ve read the first book. Now, just one week before release, there’s a trailer for the game.
What the heck.
When only a WEEK before the game's release, all you get is a no gameplay trailer, that usually is a good hint that this isn't that amazing of a game.
I'm not a fan of Game of Thrones in the first place, but I can imagine that only superfans will get this and this is largely made to cash in on its HBO success.
Re:There was a game in development? (Score:4, Insightful)
I know that, and you know that, but did the game devs know it? This screenshot [steampowered.com] clearly shows a stone wall covered in ice. It also shows what I have to assume is Castle Black as having a ring wall, which it shouldn't have.
No gameplay footage, no demo, no beta, no reviews, screenshots suggesting that the devs didn't really read the books, and a title that suggests it's made to cash in on the HBO series. I think I'll be passing on this one.
really true to the books...? (Score:3)
If it's going to really capture the essence of the books, it's going to have to have insane amounts of mutilation and absurdly gruesome and completely unfair death, to the point where it would not only completely piss off all the players, but be the target of mass protests.
It would be amusing if they actually did that, but well... I'm bettin' it's going to be just another bog-standard vaguely medieval RPG with some locations slightly resembling those in the books and a bit of name-dropping here and there...
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To capture the feel of the books, it's not enough to just butcher little boys. You have to flay them, decapitate them, dip the heads in tar and display them on pikes.
That, and zombies.
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Murdering little boys isn't so bad if they're low born. Those people are used to a bit of cruelty.
Limited Info? (Score:2)
The writeup of the video linked to in the summary raises some good points. I have yet to see any in depth game play for this, or a review of the mechanics. It makes me wonder if the game itself will be any fun. I even have suspicions that the studio knows the game isn't that great and is hiding it from us, hoping that the franchise drives sales. I'd wait for some real buzz on this before dropping any time or money into it.
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I hope the plot is better than the series (Score:1)
I hope the game is better than the TV series. I tried to follow that for awhile but finally gave up in disgust. An R rated soap opera, the only connection to sword and sorcery being that the characters do medieval cosplay while they go on and on about nothing in particular. Every character is an absolute dick with the possible exception of Sean Bean's character and the younger daughter. The rest desperately need to die violently and it's frustrating to see them still breathing at the end of the episode.
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So, in that respect one could say it's like the game, without the do-overs...
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There's nothing wrong with characters being dicks as long as they are entertaining dicks. You know, like Archer. And you're supposed to *want* to slap the shit out of Joffrey, so...
I liked Peter Dinklage as Tyrion and think Tyrion is probably the most interesting (and complete) character in AGOT. Ned Stark and Arya Stark were good too, both in the book and on the screen. Gregor Clegane should have been CG'ed - the way he is described in the book is essentially impossible in a real human. Arya's 'dancing' in
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I think this is a bad trend, first started in the Battlestar Galactica reboot. The idea that tension is achieved by a lot
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That should have been, "minutia and endless repetition".
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Well, I haven't watched the HBO interpretation, but there's not supposed to be sorcery for the early parts of the story. In the entire first book, sorcery is only used once, and that's very close to the end. A big part of the storyline is that when the dragons died, magic faded out of the world, and when the dragons return, so does the magic.
There's not dearth of swordplay or strong, cunning characters in the books though, so if that isn't making it on to the screen, the writers are beyond incompetent. Y
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He probably doesn't realize that political machinations are more universal, more entertaining, and a better test of writers, directors, and actors. I've read the first four books (waiting for paperback for number five) and the TV show did a great job of translating.
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You know, it's not necessary to buy HBO just to be depressed. If I wanted to be depressed, I'd just stay at work.
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Damn Martin for making believable characters that I can't like because they're all assholes. How dare he insert that much realism into his characterization?!
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Look, I don't care what your mom says -- life is not a soap opera.
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I hope the game is better than the TV series. I tried to follow that for awhile but finally gave up in disgust. An R rated soap opera, the only connection to sword and sorcery being that the characters do medieval cosplay while they go on and on about nothing in particular. Every character is an absolute dick with the possible exception of Sean Bean's character and the younger daughter. The rest desperately need to die violently and it's frustrating to see them still breathing at the end of the episode.
Life is too short for mediocre television, and it was that in spades. That doesn't mean A Song of Ice and Fire is bad, just that the implementation is General Hospital with leather jerkins and occasional nudity.
Not that I'm opinionated or anything.
Have you read the books? I'd guess not, since ASOIAF is not sword & sorcery. Yes there's a bit of magic in it, and it permeates the world, but it's thus far not been a big factor in the story. It's a story about people and all the horrific ways they die.
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That sound you hear is crickets chirping in response.
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He can't figure out why everybody had a giant party on the evening of December 31, 1999 either.
Already played it... (Score:2)
important to note (Score:1)
the games are being developed by cyanide studios, known for treating their customers like shit.
this game in particular comes with a limited installation allowance and no way of getting more.
other common practices of cyanide are to put their games on sale right before announcing new versions with no way of upgrading later.
Can we pick the character? (Score:1)
The other one looks better. (Score:1)