Blood Bowl creator Cyanide Studio and Trackmania publisher Focus Home Interactive have announced the name of the first video game based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire license--a license that Focus acquired in 2009 and hasn't said much about until this morning when it mentioned that the first game, a strategy title, will be called A Game of Thrones: Genesis.
According to the press materials, it appears to be a turn-based strategy title that will have you doing vague things like setting siege on enemy fortifications, killing or capturing important dudes, and sending "spies to infiltrate behind enemy lines." The important thing to note here is that it's definitely a "strategy" game, as noted directly.
I think this is the Wall. == TEASER ==
You got me. Focus Home claims that A Game of Thrones: Genesis "plunges you into the heart of the battles and intrigues between the Families that shaped the Kingdom of the Westeros." What that actually means is up for interpretation. My initial guess was that this game will have you taking control of a single family's army, like say, the Lannisters or Starks, but that wouldn't make sense. If you win with either, you've broken the series' fiction utterly. The focus on the Wall in the leading piece of concept art above might mean this is a human vs. monster thing, but again, that wouldn't make sense given the relative lack of monsters in the book.
No release date, no pricing, and not even a platform were announced this morning.
Blood Bowl creator Cyanide Studio and Trackmania publisher Focus Home Interactive have announced the name of the first video game based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire license--a license that Focus acquired in 2009 and hasn't said much about until this morning when it mentioned that the first game, a strategy title, will be called A Game of Thrones: Genesis.
According to the press materials, it appears to be a turn-based strategy title that will have you doing vague things like setting siege on enemy fortifications, killing or capturing important dudes, and sending "spies to infiltrate behind enemy lines." The important thing to note here is that it's definitely a "strategy" game, as noted directly.
I think this is the Wall. == TEASER ==
You got me. Focus Home claims that A Game of Thrones: Genesis "plunges you into the heart of the battles and intrigues between the Families that shaped the Kingdom of the Westeros." What that actually means is up for interpretation. My initial guess was that this game will have you taking control of a single family's army, like say, the Lannisters or Starks, but that wouldn't make sense. If you win with either, you've broken the series' fiction utterly. The focus on the Wall in the leading piece of concept art above might mean this is a human vs. monster thing, but again, that wouldn't make sense given the relative lack of monsters in the book.
No release date, no pricing, and not even a platform were announced this morning.
I do not want the best ever fantasy book series turned into a damn game! First they mutilate the Sword of Truth series with the frigin TV series now this ... I don't think my fragile mind can bear this kind of shit >< I hate the modern media industry for exactly THIS people try to make money on everything, nothing is sacred. Let my awesome games remain games and not be made into awful movies or uninspiring run of the mill books. Let my awesome books remain books and not get made into shit movies or have unrelated games made out of them. Let my awesome movies not have garbage tie in games or have silly books written on.
DO NOT WANT!
This kind of tripe will eat into the time of one of my most favorite writers. Time that can be better used to actually finish the next motherfucking BOOK. GHA!
/endrage
PS: I'm sorry. PSS: Oh the Blood Bowl guys are making this. This will turn out great! .....
God I hope they do good on this game. It has a lot of potential, but it also seems like it would be really easy to mess it up. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. I really shouldn't get my hopes up (but I totally will anyway).
As a side note, that concept art looks really neat.
As much as I love the books so far, this is NOT a story that translates into a video game..... at ALL. Maybe if they work it into a side fiction story, or background, something like that might be cool, but even then, it has such a loose connection to the books, its really only a name.
I don't think one could mutilate the Sword of Truth series as it sucks major donkey balls. The TV series is, I'm happy to say, a tradition for me and my friend whilst hungover on a Sunday.
Martin however has a lyrical and almost poetic bend to his prose, and while I'm looking forward to the HBO series, I am skeptical of a video game adaptation.
I will say he is very busy not completing his next book:
@Kilnik: It was good up until Faith of the Fallen, after that the series took a downward spiral imo, either being preachy or having to explain what happened before all the time.
Sometimes I just want to buy plane tickets and have a long talk with Martin about continuing Ice and Fire for realsies :/
@Tennmuerti: I would hesitate to say it's the best series, but I understand your sentiments. I don't think it's a bad universe to set a strategy game in, and as long as the game doesn't take many liberties with the continuity of the books (which is hard since old George doesn't actually seem to want to finish the continuity of the books), it might be okay. And I certainly don't think he'll be involved enough to slow his writing process any further.
However, I would rather see someone make a game out of this than something like the first few Shannara books (people can do whatever they want with the books after that first story arc, ugh), which are about as good as Martin's series, or the two things that are unquestionably better in my mind, The Deed of Paksenarrion and the trilogy that will come of The Name of the Wind.
The reason it's not a terrible place to set a game is that there's a lot of territory out there that won't fuck with the main story, and the narrative is not so narrowly focused (like the others I mentioned) that it would be hard to make a game that won't piss of people who read the books. That being said, they have to do it right to accomplish this.
I have always heard people talk about these books like they where the next LOTR's, but I have never read them as I tend not to care for much fantasy because they tend to all be pretty much the same. If I hadn't just started the Wes'har War series, or was getting the last few novels in a few other series that have come out over the last year, I would give them a go before all these games and what not come out and spoil the story. I don't read fast enough though, so hopefully the game is still far off.
" I don't think one could mutilate the Sword of Truth series as it sucks major donkey balls. The TV series is, I'm happy to say, a tradition for me and my friend whilst hungover on a Sunday.
Yeah, I read the first one and can't really imagine how they could make it worse. It's not the worst book I've ever read but it is the closest I've ever come to feeling physical pain from boredom. Some part where the guy is locked up in prison or some shit and it just goes on and on and on. If it was the author's intent to make the reader feel his character's pain then he's clearly an unequaled genius in fiction writing, but that doesn't make it good.
I hope this has nothing to do with the story of the series, but just takes place in the world. Then I can get behind it. If it takes any liberties with the story, I won't be happy.
LOTR is a far cry from modern fantasy. The Game of Thrones series is one of my favourite series of books, you should definitely give it a go. George Martin has an ability to paint characters that you will genuinely give a shit about. A friend of mine abruptly flung his copy of the third book through a window one day in our apartment he got so upset about what was happening in the story. Believe me, its totally worth reading.
@Splodge: I'm sure it is, I just have always preferred Sci-fi to fantasy so I never looked too much into it. I'm a slow reader as I only read five to ten pages a day so books tend to last me a long time. Plus I like to get books in a long running series so I kind of stick to one thing for some time.
If Tyrion Lannister is a playable character, I will be totally stoked.
This will either be really cool or totally terrible. The art looks kinda cool, especially Winterfell, but they're so vague about the game, and Cyanide's track record isn't amazing I can't help but be concerned. They're gonna have a hell of a time fitting a game around the complex canon of Martin's world. Plus, without giving too much away, there's not exactly much action in the first book; there are battles, but a lot of it is set-up.
" I don't think one could mutilate the Sword of Truth series as it sucks major donkey balls. The TV series is, I'm happy to say, a tradition for me and my friend whilst hungover on a Sunday.
Martin however has a lyrical and almost poetic bend to his prose, and while I'm looking forward to the HBO series, I am skeptical of a video game adaptation.
I will say he is very busy not completing his next book:
"
It's like a human Oroe cookie! One that I wouldn't mind being the filling of.
@crusader8463: I can't stand lotr in any form, but Song of Fire & Ice are okay books. Nothing on the Steven Erikson books, but I have yet to find anything that even comes close to those books in any genre.
I'd totally hit that. Maybe even preorder. I like the books, don't love, more like ;). But I love me some turn based strategy, I'm a sucker for that shit. So GIVE ME.
" I have always heard people talk about these books like they where the next LOTR's, but I have never read them as I tend not to care for much fantasy because they tend to all be pretty much the same. If I hadn't just started the Wes'har War series, or was getting the last few novels in a few other series that have come out over the last year, I would give them a go before all these games and what not come out and spoil the story. I don't read fast enough though, so hopefully the game is still far off. "
You should try reading the, "The blade itself" triology. This stuff is kinda different. If you enjoy grittiness and more believable characters those books are great. I got really attached to the characters. The writing in style is a bit meh at times, even for a non-native speaker like me, but the series as a full cycle is amazing.
You spot incest in the window. Prince casts you out of the window. Paralysis. Your brother casts Wake the Dragon on your nipple. 23 damage Your brother sells your to a tribal king level up! +15 constitution
" You spot incest in the window. Prince casts you out of the window. Paralysis. Your brother casts Wake the Dragon on your nipple. 23 damage Your brother sells your to a tribal king level up! +15 constitution Nerdiest thing I've ever said. "
@Tennmuerti: you shouldn't worry about the best fantasy series being turned into a crappy game. No one has made a game on the Prince of Nothing books :) They make pretty much everything else look silly.
Strategy's not my thing, but Martin rules. Takes a bit long to write, though. Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen is much more my speed. Nine hundred pages every year. Ah, yes, since we're on the topic, check out http://site.howlegendslie.com/ and tell me what you think of that fantasy.
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