Game of Thrones RPG Official Site Opens, 2nd Trailer

[Westeros]

Atlus USA doesn’t do things by halves. Yesterday saw the release of this trailer for Cyanide Studio‘s Game of Thrones: The Roleplaying Game (preorder: XBox, PS3), combined with heaps of new information coming out of Paris thanks to Focus Home Interactive (the European publisher)... but it turns out that Atlus had more up its sleeve.

First, here’s a trailer ocused on the Wall, and features James Cosmo as Lord Commander Mormont and some bloody action when wildlings attack:

But wait, there’s more! read on >>>

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[GoodGuyA]

I think a lot of people are really misguided on the idea of what the game is going to be. I think the major levee in the criticism is that they find the graphics not up to par, and thus assume the game is going to be bad. They say it's a hack and slash without even seeing it, and claim that the series has been disappointed or something. The biggest bit that I think is just absolutely wrong though is that "Everybody" wants character customization. I think for a game like this, especially one interweaving with the novels, a set character is the most ideal. The two characters also seem unique and have royal ties without it feeling like a rehash at all.

I think the game has awesome promise, and every bit will be down to the writing. I honestly think we should pay attention to this despite our doubts (weird shadow ghoul guy anyone?...) and be safe in the knowledge that it's not the same people as Genesis.

[Serry]

<...> be safe in the knowledge that it's not the same people as Genesis.

Except it is the same people as Genesis. Both are being developed by Cyanide Studio. That being said, it might not be quite as much a disappointment as Genesis, but... I do think one should be apprehensive about this game, especially since the site doesn't really explain what sort of game it is even going to be. The "features" section just states that it will follow the established lore and has the player play two characters. The fact that it doesn't really go into too much more detail is concerning, in my opinion.

[Angarwaen]

As far as I got it, it's going to be a Witcher-like game.

Which is fine with me. Though I would have a loved a Skyrim-style game for Game of Thrones (the kind where you're born, I don't know, a bastard, and chose your own path, between houses, orders, religions and whatnot...Skyrim style), another game as good as The Witcher set in Westeros I can definitely live with.

[Talleyrand]

In my mind Genesis wasn't even as good as the mods out there for total war and Crusader Kings but I'll buy this anyway. It's the same reason I spent ages hunting down the Dunk and Egg stories - It has a storyline so If I don't get it I'll feel like I will be missing out on extra Westeros.

Also Ran how are we to regard this game Canon wise?

[Knight of the Red Chicken]

how are we to regard this game Canon wise?

GRRM is helping with the writing I believe, and I think he is making sure that it fits in a sensible way with the rest of the universe

[TheIceManCometh]

Genesis didnt even look up to par with recent RTS games. This looks like Dragon Age: Origins... which i hated whole-heartedly because of what it did with its SoIaF 'inspiration', eg rip characters, plot points and whole ideas from Grrm and then shit on it with woodland elves, mountain dwarves and an over complicated gameplay mechanic. *sigh* if i had played it before i read the book i may have liked it...

But as for this, ide say it has potential. As far as the whole set character would fit better, ide still love a create a character and choose your own path type of gameplay. Not so much skyrim like, but a bit of creative freedom would be good.

[DragonAge93]

I'm really looking forward to it. Once I get a set release date I will place a preorder at my local GameStop for PS3. Genesis may have been a let-down (haven't played it yet, want to, though), but an RPG is the perfect choice for a ASOIAF-inspired game. I just hope we get to see Sean Bean as Eddard Stark....

[irishtemper]

I think the graphics in this game make it look like it was made for Xbox or PS2...there is just no way I could play a game that looked that bad after being immersed in Skyrim. I'm still really upset that Bethesda didn't do ASOIAF game

[Lannister_Lion]

If you want to experience Cyanide and Focus Interactive "best" efforts, buy Bloodbowl for the 360 (just dont pay more than £1) -

thats why a lot of gamers are terrified.

[Teeem3000]

"Genesis didnt even look up to par with recent RTS games. This looks like Dragon Age: Origins... which i hated whole-heartedly because of what it did with its SoIaF 'inspiration', eg rip characters, plot points and whole ideas from Grrm and then shit on it with woodland elves, mountain dwarves and an over complicated gameplay mechanic. *sigh* if i had played it before i read the book i may have liked it..."

I never got that vibe. To me it resembled LOTR a lot more then ASOIAF for the story, and the Warhammer RPG for the magic and the fade. George Martin didn't invent knights, kings, castles, intrigue, betrayal or armies(human or otherwise). Tolkien did invent orcs, and the modern interpretation of wizards, dwarves, trolls and elves. DA:O is high fantasy, not dark fantasy.

If this game is anything close to Dragon Age, in terms of content, voice-acting, characters, areas to explore, replayablility, enemies to defeat.. etc, then it'll be one of the best rpgs released in a long time.

I can't understand how people can make the connection that any fantasy game that has elements of medieval history or fiction is a rip-off of Martin's world. Skyrim has giants, mammoths, dragons, a human that's "dragonborn", undead with glowing blue eyes and a northern setting. Martin didn't invent any of these, either. The Witcher 2 has multiple kings vying for power, a villian named the "Kingslayer", intrigue, betrayal, swords, and a castle as a setting in the game. Is it a rip-off of Martin too?

Or maybe they're all a rip-off of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

[Ran]

Calling it a rip-off is overstating it. But the developers of the game explicitly stated that A Song of Ice and Fire was an inspiration for the game.

[Teeem3000]

Just like D&D, Tolkien and most other fantasy would be an inspiration for a fantasy game.

[Ran]

"Most other fantasy" could be. But A Song of Ice and Fire is the specific example cited by several developers that inspired them. ASoIaF is not LotR -- so what are the differences that made them cite it over LotR or other fantasy? Mostly it's the "gritty realism" aspect of ASoIaF, and the interpersonal dynamics.

ETA: Here's a 1UP article from 2008. There are others:

While BioWare is loath to spoil the specifics of its world or characters, they're open about their influences--we hear George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series spill from more than one pair of lips...

Like I said, to call DA a "rip-off" is very much overboard. But that they were directly inspired by ASoIaF moreso than LotR is unquestionable, since the aspects of ASoIaF that inspired them simply aren't features of LotR.

[Teeem3000]

But they sure seem to be the main features of the game. Elves that are dejected, dwarves reluctant to venture outside, re-emerging of evil dragons, a dark power hidden but growing, an evil legion slaugthering human kind. A fellowship of individuals on a quest to stop said evil. Foul experiments in the deep places of the world, the creation of twisted creatures that were once elves and humans.....

I still don't consider it a rip-off of either. I enjoyed the game thoroughly too. What about you? It was no BG2, but that bar is set pretty high.

[Bava]

It's going to be a disappointing game. It doesn't really matter what kind of RPG it's going to be and which successful game it will resemble. The fact that it is developped by Cyanide is enough to be certain that the game will be crap. I've been playing several Cycling Managers(2004-2009) by Cyanide. The games were bad, but as there weren't any alternatives and I am a huge cycling fan I bought them. Each year there were tons of bugs (often the same ones they "fixed" in the previous year), the development from one year to the next approached 0 and so on.

Cyanide is a small company, their resources are very limited, so you can't expect much. I haven't played Genesis because every review I read was terrible. The RPG will be the same, a very crappy game, which best feature is the line "A Game of Thrones" on the cover.

If you really really need to know the lore the game might add, wait a year or two and throw less money out the window.

[Teeem3000]

I'm hoping for mediocre. Something along the lines of Two Worlds... which I know most people love to hate. I didn't mind Two Worlds, TW 2, the Gothic series, KOTOR 2.... there are a whole bunch of less-than-stellar rpgs that are still worth the time if you can forgive them for being AAA titles. I think it comes out March 6 and competes directly with Mass Effect 3 (good luck), and Kingdom Of Alamur is out Feb 7th. So even if the game is terrible, atleast the market will be saturated with other good rpgs.

[GoodGuyA]

I was pretty sure that even though it's the same house developing it, there's a different team. Besides, you can't judge the quality of a company's RPG based on their RTS. I personally think that if it is very Witcher-like that it is exactly what I personally want from my A Song of Ice and Fire game because I feel it's the best road for something like this to travel.

Many people are misguided in their tastes, I feel, and fail to see things as they would actually mesh together from a complete game perspective. Not to say anyone here is, but one must remember the importance of the decisions made. We'll see more clearly as more information arises, but my hopes are high.

[Wouter]

I was pretty sure that even though it's the same house developing it, there's a different team. Besides, you can't judge the quality of a company's RPG based on their RTS.

It is a different team. The RTS was developed in Canada (Montreal), the RPG in France (Paris). Both are Cyanide studios, but it's not the same team.

[mor2]

As far as I got it, it's going to be a Witcher-like game.

If it would be a Witcher-like game I would be over joyed, but from everything I seen so far I tdont think it is even close and leave allot to be deseried.