Viking: Battle for Asgard

Apr 27 2008 Sunday Sun

From: Sega/Creative Assembly
For: X360 (review), PS3
RRP: £44.99 - £49.99
Out: Now

“MEN of the North, I have returned for my revenge. Asgard will be mine! Beware Legions of Hel – I, Skarin, shall skewer your spleens upon my spear.”

Welcome to the free-roaming battleground that is Viking: Battle for Asgard, where you take on the role of the warrior Skarin, brought back from the dead by the goddess Freya to battle Hel’s Legions.

It is Skarin’s heroic quest to pick up his sword, axe and any other useful weapon to deliver insurmountable slaughter upon the enemies of freedom.

Being brought back from Valhalla, the hall of the gods, has made you a bit angry — in fact, berserk — and despite Skarin beginning his battles slightly weaker than his foes, he soon learns new moves and earns better weapons. There are several quests to be carried out in this hack/slasher which drive the story forward to the final epic battle and while the moves and killing can be repetitive, the game is thrilling.

The controls are simple, with several useful button combos for use against the several bosses scattered sporadically throughout the vast Viking world.

Graphically gruesome, Viking is one title that deserves its 18 rating for sheer blood, gore and wanton violence.

Sadly, the famous Viking ships are missing from this epic battle . . . a little surprising since the game was developed by those masters of historical strategy series Total War.

Fierce fighting across three frigid and colossal landscapes will lead you to the ultimate final encounter. Viking: Battle for Asgard is marauding fun.