| 95 |
Play Magazine
Easy to manage hot keys, intuitive controls, a great map that doubles as an objective outline...everything here is spot on. [Apr 2008, p.55]
|
| 88 |
Pelit (Finland)
An exhilaratingly brutal and brilliantly beautiful action adventure from the days of yore when ships were made of wood and men were made of iron. Some of the best barbarian entertainment we've had in years. [Apr 2008]
|
| 85 |
Game Chronicles
I loved the diverse mix of exploration and discovery (treasure hunting) one minute followed by insanely fun and bloody combat the next. It truly is the best of both genres.
|
| 85 |
Gameplanet
A well-rounded action title with elements of strategy, traditional hack and slash, and arcade action.
|
| 85 |
AtomicGamer
The ending to Viking is a pretty big disappointment, but at least the game is a ton of fun on the way there.
|
| 82 |
Team Xbox
In general, there’s still a lot of entertainment in Viking, despite its need for more variety and its over-populated battles. Even at the lower “Normal” difficulty, it’s challenging. I just wish it had more inventive gameplay design across the whole game and pushed the player to have to think of more creative ways to get out of certain situations.
|
| 81 |
Xbox360Achievements
An impressive game that provides one of the greatest gaming experiences I’ve had in a while, producing some of the goriest bloodbaths featured in a game to date.
|
| 80 |
Gamer.nl
Viking: Battle for Asgard is a very nice hack-and-slash game. It's really not difficult to play and is still very enyoable. The huge battles with thousands of soldiers really makes the game supurb.
|
| 80 |
GameTap
It feels disappointing at first, but it quickly moves beyond that and turns into a game that, despite its shortcomings, is just plain fun.
|
| 80 |
G4 TV
Despite the repetition that plagues the game’s progression, the satisfying combat and epic army battles help it stand out. Fans of exploration, Viking myths, and limbs separating from torsos will find much to love here.
|
| 80 |
PTGamers
Visceral combat and fort assaults are the main attractions, although the story isn't exactly alluring.
|
| 80 |
MS Xbox World
Viking: Battle for Asgard is a very enjoyable game; it features a very accessible control scheme, graphically rich environments, highly intense battles and an immersive atmosphere.
|
| 80 |
Maxi Consolas (Portugal)
In spite of its somewhat repetitive rhythm, Viking manages to offer to the player a great sense of accomplishment. It keeps us moving forward with the promise (always fulfilled) of some epic action sequences. The combat system is the result of a well balanced act between depth and accessibility. [Apr 2008]
|
| 80 |
Gamervision
Viking doesn’t have the world’s smoothest framerate, but it holds up for the most part even with hundreds of enemies on screen and when it does drop down it is only a temporary annoyance.
|
| 80 |
NZGamer
Viking: Battle for Asgard is a solid action game that takes elements from Creative Assembly’s Total War series, and adds quick time events and sand-box gameplay. It’s a great romp if you don’t mind the button bashing.
|
| 80 |
Computer Games Online RO
It’s the kind of game with good gameplay, nice graphics, spectacular battles and over the top brutality, with the RPG elements being neglected a little.
|
| 80 |
AceGamez
It's not groundbreaking and Skarin's slow pace can make it a chore at times, but a lot of love and creativity has been injected, and the result is an experience that will entertain the majority of gamers.
|
| 78 |
Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
But for all the glee of the slaughter, Viking is a game butting its head against the limits of its genre. There isn't great variety in the tasks or the bosses you face and a few more genuinely off-story quests would be nice.
|
| 77 |
Games Master UK
A gratifying slash-'em-up that would have stood out with greater strategy elements. [May 2008, p.76]
|
| 76 |
Planet Xbox 360
Perhaps the most attractive area of Viking is the gameplay. Viking is a hack-and-slash game with a tremendous amount of gore and violence mixed in. Thankfully, Viking is done very tastefully in comparison to THQ’s Conan since there’s no out of place nude women standing around cheering while the men fight.
|
| 76 |
GameZone
The combat is a piece of cake since you don’t have to worry about a pressing some elaborate button combination to pull off your moves.
|
| 75 |
Talk Xbox
It's actually nothing of the sort; it comes off as a mix between Fable and God of War. It may seem weird to compare and combine games, but it's the best example to avoid confusion.
|
| 75 |
Extreme Gamer
Viking: Battle of Asgard is a great game for what it wants to accomplish.
|
| 75 |
ZTGameDomain
The combat may be shallow, the story non-existent and the fetch quests tedious, but I still managed to have a blast with Sega’s latest offering.
|
| 73 |
GameTrailers
The vicious combat is a lot of fun, and building your army and laying siege to the enemy is a compelling experience in an action game setting. If it didn’t run out of ideas so quickly and had a smoother presentation, Viking could have struck an even mightier blow.
|
| 73 |
Game Informer
A solid rental if you like bloody action games.
|
| 72 |
Cheat Code Central
An extremely uncomplicated title that has its fair share of fun due to the hilariously brutal combat animations.
|
| 72 |
MEGamers
The game is flawed and introduces nothing new to the genre but the outcome is pleasant and worthy of your playtime.
|
| 70 |
Thunderbolt
Viking is a great game, with some great promise, but this feels like a trial run. Hopefully it will sell enough to garner a sequel, one I would be very anxious to pick up on day one.
|
| 70 |
Boomtown
It is a shame that you can’t simply fight the standard troops well enough for your friends to flood the main enemy and help you out there, but it seems to be a one man band at each Shaman or Champion, your allies acting as background help rather than making a real difference to the battle.
|
| 70 |
games(TM)
The battle sequences display commendable ambition and technical brilliance everywhere except in the gameplay. [May 2008, p.102]
|
| 70 |
X360 Magazine UK
Viking does have a lot going for it. It's vast, fun and full of gore, there's just nothing outstanding enough to really write home about. [Issue#32, p.80]
|
| 70 |
Wired
At some point, you realize that looking back at each of Viking's qualities, it's hard to really put your finger on anything that's truly standout -- and yet it's compelling.
|
| 70 |
VideoGamer
As entertaining as the game is, it's abundantly clear that things could have been a whole lot better.
|
| 70 |
GamePro
The action does deliver its fair share of thrills, but its repetitive and simple nature quickly wears thin.
|
| 70 |
GameSpy
Viking: Battle for Asgard is beautiful as far as offering a hurricane of blood and gore can be beautiful, but it's easy to get bogged down in the repetitive combat.
|
| 70 |
Totally360
Viking: Battle for Asgard may lack a bit of spit and polish in places, but the combat is incredibly addictive despite its relative simplicity.
|
| 70 |
ActionTrip
The whole thing pretty much boils down to a lot of rinse and repeat, but I still played the damn game because I like Vikings so much.
|
| 70 |
Xbox World Australia
There's some solid innovations here as well as a good looking game, and if it wasn't for the stifling lack of variety, almost silent musical score and patchy framerate, it could have triumphed over being "decent” and transcended into the hallowed halls of greatness.
|
| 69 |
Destructoid
It's perfect for action junkies who love visceral and brutal fighting but hate to think about things.
|
| 68 |
XboxAddict
Overall, the game was enjoyable to play. Difficult and frustrating at times, especially some of the areas where it was key to use stealth to infiltrate Legion camps and achieve a goal.
|
| 67 |
Game Revolution
Viking is a weekend of relaxing ultraviolence, giving Xbox owners an easy thousand points to chase.
|
| 67 |
Gamers' Temple
Viking had its moments and bordered on enjoyable at times, but these enjoyable moments were interspersed with too much tedium.
|
| 65 |
Worth Playing
There may be a good game in there somewhere, but it falls into a standard hack-and-slash rut of boring and uninspired gameplay that leaves you wanting more from the experience.
|
| 65 |
Game Over Online
For a game that promised so much, Viking really doesn't do much in the way of delivering.
|
| 65 |
Official Xbox Magazine
But the real stars of the show are the battle sequences in which you lead an army of literally hundreds of NPCs into full-on raging wars. It’s just a shame that there’s so much filler between the fights.
|
| 65 |
IGN
The battles stumble thanks to chug, the worlds get repetitive, and when you're not really interested in the story or your ultimate goal, hack-and-slash gets on your nerves no matter how many times you cut a guy in two.
|
| 64 |
Console Monster
For a hack and slash it is good, but for people wanting a good story and a reason to play, they should stay away at all costs.
|
| 63 |
Ferrago
There are two types of people who will enjoy this game. People who like very accessible and simple to pick-up games, and people under the age of 18.
|
| 60 |
Edge Magazine
Viking’s shortfalls just seem so peculiar when compared to the surging competency of its strengths. [May 2008, p.90]
|
| 60 |
Giant Bomb
The problem is that everything is counterbalanced by a quest that quickly grows stale and repetitive after its first third. Even the final boss fight is just a minor twist on an encounter you’ll have done at least five times before.
|
| 60 |
GameDaily
Viking's a decent game, thanks to over the top combat moves and a sprawling fantasy world, but its lack of drama and a few design issues make it inferior to Sony's exquisite "God of War" franchise.
|
| 60 |
360 Gamer Magazine UK
Although initially slovenly and unresponsive there’s some fun to be had taking on multiple opponents and enjoying the resulting spurts of viscera. There’s some fun in sneaking around watchtowers and exploring caves, too, but Viking’s problem is that what fun it provides is heavily watered down to give it a fake epic feel.
|
| 60 |
GamingExcellence
While Viking isn't a total disappointment, the biggest problem here is a matter of the game feeling wholly and entirely unfinished.
|
| 60 |
Official Xbox Magazine UK
A quintessentially average 'alright for a one-night stand but don't even think of proposing' game that your Xbox 360 has had the pleasure of experiencing at least a couple of hundred times before.
|
| 60 |
Gamer's Hell
In the end, the repetitive nature of the game kills what could have been a stellar title.
|
| 59 |
Jolt Online Gaming UK
Ultimately Viking: Battle for Asgard is almost a complete waste of Norse mythology. It’s bloody and epic, but the boring, repetitive combat and hours you spend doing un-Vikingly menial tasks leaves a sour taste in the mouth, washed down with a swig of bitter, pointless stealth idiocy.
|
| 58 |
GameShark
Unfortunately the terrific visuals simply aren’t enough to save the game from its increasingly monotonous gameplay.
|
| 57 |
Gamers.at
If you want gory action, then you have found the right game for your collection with Viking: Battle for Asgard. If you want a game with Nordic myth or good gameplay - then buying this game might be not as wise as you think. Personally I love this game and the brutality of it. In a certain morbid way I even had fun with Viking, but that might be because of my personal Hack'n'Slay-preferences. Jerking camera, stupid AI, repetitive gameplay - this game could have turned out really great. What a shame!
|
| 52 |
Gamer 2.0
With so many problems, unbalanced combat, and no multiplayer, it is hard to recommend anyone to buy this game, let alone rent it. Give it a try if you are a fan of the subject matter, if not, there are plenty of better action titles out there for you to enjoy instead.
|
| 50 |
GameSpot
Thanks to Viking: Battle for Asgard's mundane and tedious gameplay, the only battle you'll wage will be a losing one against boredom.
|
| 50 |
EuroGamer
The best thing you can say about the game is that it's technically impressive, and the openworld structure is a good idea - but that's it. The game's central purpose seems to be to make dismemberment as easy to pull off as possible, but as soon as that novelty has worn off you're left with a hollow, repetitive experience which quickly loses its initial appeal.
|
| 44 |
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Viking simply doesn't do enough to stand up to the more polished action experiences out there. [June 2008, p.86]
|
| 40 |
DarkZero
Unfortunately there is so much wrong with it that it doesn’t even manage to reach average status.
|
| 33 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
With no reason to fight, all the killing turns into noise—and even the giant cast-of-dozens battles are as engaging as watching ants fight over a cracker.
|
| 33 |
1UP
Viking: Battle for Asgard falls far short of its potential.
|
| 30 |
NTSC-uk
Viking: Battle for Asgard falls too far below the benchmark set by those that have gone before.
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