Viking: Battle for Asgard Intro Movie

[ATB]

Ugh. I've not gotten to a stealth mission yet, but what's the point. Vikings weren't known for subtlety!

[EngineNo9]

OK, made it to the first stealth mission and not loving it so much.  I've made it within sight of the Ley thing in Darkwater several times but somehow I keep on getting detected just as I'm about to approach it.  I have no clue what's catching me but it's irritating, compounded with the fact that there seems to be an endless supply of bad guys in the town, and if I escape by jumping over the wall all the previous guards that I stealth killed are reset.

I will say this: things get much better in the "rogue invasion" missions on the second island, so do your best to hammer through this one.  I tried and died a bunch (and got seriously pissed off at the respawning enemies) until I just snuck about half-way and then made a mad dash to the portal, killed off the guys that followed me up there and then tapped 'B' like a madman.  It was cheap, but I wanted to get back to something fun.  I have no idea why they made that first city so damn difficult with patrols and such. 

[ATB]

How do you get the drawbridge down?

I can see the room I need to get into but can't figure out how to get in.

[ATB]

NEvermind.

[CeeKay]

until I just snuck about half-way and then made a mad dash to the portal, killed off the guys that followed me up there and then tapped 'B' like a madman.  It was cheap, but I wanted to get back to something fun. 

That's what I'm planning on doing tonight.  too bad they don't have a sprint button.

[Bullwinkle]

until I just snuck about half-way and then made a mad dash to the portal, killed off the guys that followed me up there and then tapped 'B' like a madman.  It was cheap, but I wanted to get back to something fun. 

That's what I'm planning on doing tonight.  too bad they don't have a sprint button.

Did you buy the sneaking powerup from the training guy on the beach?  I'm able to sneak to the Dragon Rune area with no problem.

What killed me was trying to find those skulls.  There is absolutely no way to do it without dying multiple times.  Stupid design decision decision, IMO. 

I'm assuming I'll be able to get the gold lying about once the battle starts (I know I'll have to get it before the fight ends)?  There's no way I can pick that crap up while being stealthy.  It's just not possible.

[EngineNo9]

I had gotten all of the powerups that were available by the time I did that end of the first island, but I'm not positive that I did them before the rogue mission.  I just never found a way to beat the patrols and guards since even if I took my time they would spawn in behind me (a huge pet peeve of mine).

Bullwinkle, just be aware that once the big battle begins you won't be able to see any of the gold/urns/chests on your map.  They go away when you start the invasion. 

[Bullwinkle]

I had gotten all of the powerups that were available by the time I did that end of the first island, but I'm not positive that I did them before the rogue mission.  I just never found a way to beat the patrols and guards since even if I took my time they would spawn in behind me (a huge pet peeve of mine).

Bullwinkle, just be aware that once the big battle begins you won't be able to see any of the gold/urns/chests on your map.  They go away when you start the invasion. 

Ah, frak.  Well, that doesn't help at all.  But really, I don't see another way.  There just no way to sneak around and get all the gold.

By the way, you guys did find the blanket hanging over the wall of the fort, right?  It would be impossible without that entrance, I think.

[CeeKay]

well, I made it past the stealth mission and completed the first island tonight.  I got the stealth mission done on the first try tonight-  it turns out I was trying the really roundabout way in Darkwater and actually taking a path (going right from the rug) put in for sneaking up on one of the Shamans during the main battle instead of the most direct path (going left from the rug) and reaching the charge point rather quickly.  The siege was fun, I died a few times but I'm not sure it would be possible to make it through that without dying.  My stupid cohorts were no use when attacking the main targets-  they kept on saying I needed to take them out but wouldn't lend a hand with the enemies guarding the targets.

Oh, and Hel is kinda hot 

[EngineNo9]

By the way, you guys did find the blanket hanging over the wall of the fort, right?  It would be impossible without that entrance, I think.

Yeah, I went over the blanket, took a left and then tried to go right across the "front" area to the portal thing, stealth-killing a few guys along the way.  At that part by the steps was where I kept having the big troubles and eventually gave up on.

CeeKay, don't forget that you get Dragon Runes for taking down the Champions and Shamans that you can use to direct an attack from your dragon.  It usually costs 2 runes to have it kill a shaman, but often only 1 for something like a group of archers or something. 

[CeeKay]

CeeKay, don't forget that you get Dragon Runes for taking down the Champions and Shamans that you can use to direct an attack from your dragon.  It usually costs 2 runes to have it kill a shaman, but often only 1 for something like a group of archers or something. 

I was only able to get 2 Dragon Runes for that battle (one for the first two Shamans I killed-  I don't recall seeing any Champions but then again I pretty much bee lined towards the Shamans aura) and I used one on the archers as I wasn't sure how much of an impact they would have on the battle but I knew what the Shamans were capable of.

By the way, you guys did find the blanket hanging over the wall of the fort, right?  It would be impossible without that entrance, I think.

Yeah, I went over the blanket, took a left and then tried to go right across the "front" area to the portal thing, stealth-killing a few guys along the way.  At that part by the steps was where I kept having the big troubles and eventually gave up on.

I tried the main entrances a few times before I noticed the clue about the rug on the world map.  The bad guys just keep replenishing as soon as you kill a few of them.  On my successful sneak I decided to ignore the archers on the battlements as it appeared the were looking the other way and all six of them ignored me.  I even did the same path a second time to gather some of the gold and it worked flawlesly, so I guess the game is programmed that way.  That said, some of those gold pouches in town must be impossible to get until the siege starts-  I don't think they disappear totally during the fight as I remember smashing a few urns while taking the sneaky way around to get to one of the Shamans.

[EngineNo9]

No, I didn't mean that the gold/urns/chests disappear from the world during the invasion, only from your mini-map if you've bought the treasure maps. 

Wow, a game I'm playing and enjoying actually getting to a second page.  That's pretty rare. 

[ATB]

I am now supposed to attack the darkwater portal on the first map to get the amulet charged, but it's one of those spots with the nearly limitless enemies as far as I can tell and I don't see a way to summon the troops. Little help please?

[EngineNo9]

I am now supposed to attack the darkwater portal on the first map to get the amulet charged, but it's one of those spots with the nearly limitless enemies as far as I can tell and I don't see a way to summon the troops. Little help please?

This is the stealth mission we were talking about.  You try to sneak in and charge it without aggroing the whole damn town. 

Here's another hint if you'd like (even though it was pretty much spelled out above)

Spoiler for Hiden:

Around the east(?) side of the town wall there is a blanket put over the wall spikes that you can climb over without alerting anybody.

[Bullwinkle]

I am now supposed to attack the darkwater portal on the first map to get the amulet charged, but it's one of those spots with the nearly limitless enemies as far as I can tell and I don't see a way to summon the troops. Little help please?

This is the stealth mission we were talking about.  You try to sneak in and charge it without aggroing the whole damn town. 

Here's another hint if you'd like (even though it was pretty much spelled out above)

Spoiler for Hiden:

Around the east(?) side of the town wall there is a blanket put over the wall spikes that you can climb over without alerting anybody.

After that,

Spoiler for Hiden:

left or right will work.  I found it easier to go left and sneak up and kill one or two grunts (staying behind the tent) before sneaking across the overpass (the archers shouldn't notice you) and walking right up to the charge spot.  Others found it easier to go right.

[CeeKay]

Spoiler for Hiden:

Around the east(?) side of the town wall there is a blanket put over the wall spikes that you can climb over without alerting anybody.

Spoiler for additional info:

if you look at the world map you'll see a dotted line dangling off the side of Darkwater.  It's a hint.

I completed the first half of the second island last night, and wow, that was a long battle.  When you attack Holdenfort make sure you got 20-30 minutes set aside- I thought the battle would never end.

Oh, and other than losing all your rage and having enemies respawn is there any penalty for dying?  In each of the insanely huge battles I've died a bunch of times (not to mention falling to my death due to overzealous combos on a cliff edge) but as far as I've seen there's no real penalty.

[ATB]

Ahh. I was intentionally not reading some of the posts with strategy...so this is that lame mission eh? LAME!

[CeeKay]

Ahh. I was intentionally not reading some of the posts with strategy...so this is that lame mission eh? LAME!

just go in accepting the fact that you can't kill everything during the mission and you should be fine.  and head left!  it's much quicker.

[ATB]

SPOILERZ

I just did this over lunch.

I went left and got in and got out no sweat.

I then got the dragon thing and then led the assault.

I guess the assault is won when you kill 3 shaman?  If so, it was far to easy and the battle with the bad guy was anti climactic.

I like the game but I'm wondering if I like it enough to continue....

[mikeg]

I rented it, played 2 hours, put it down and felt no urge to pick it up and returned it day two.   


I liked the combat well enough, but just got tired of the running back and forth.  Tedious to me.  I will most likely grab at $19.99 in a few months when the summer slump arrives.   

I think I am just not in a 'fantasy' gaming mood right now maybe.  But I will say I liked it more than Dark Sector.

[CeeKay]

I finished the second island tonight.  thankfully the stealth missions weren't as unforgiving as on the first island.  I'm still having a blast, but I'm hearing the endgame level after the 3rd island is a bit ridiculous, so the jury's still out on this one.

[ATB]

Well it's due back today.  I've completed the first map, but I don't think I'll be continuing now. Perhaps I'll pick it up again in the future.  Perhaps even another rental when I get another free rental coupon from blockbuster.

[CeeKay]

well, I finished Vikings tonight and damn, that was a fun ride.  The final fight was pretty easy though- the final champion I had to face before encountering Hel was tougher, and Hel's fortress was porrly lit and it was hard to see enemies at time but it was satisfying to see the bitch go down, especially after she jettisoned the hotness for the ugly.  The ending cut scene was a let down though-  static images are so cheap this day and age.  They do tie up the story pretty tightly, except they really don't explain the flashes you get every now and then (unless I missed it).

I'd say I got at least 15 hours of gameplay out of it (they don't list time played) and I'm glad I decided to ignore the IGN review.

[Natjak]

I finished this yesterday and I have to agree with Ceekay. If you like hack and slash action games it's at least worth a rent or a cheap buy. I had a lot of fun with it.

[mikeg]

I will definitely pick it up once I can get it under $30.  Sounds like a decent enough romp at that price.  Appreciate y'alls feedback.

[DamageInc]

So to avoid further derailing the "What are you buying" thread, it looks like reviews for this one are kind of all over the board.  Checking out MetaCritic you can see a low score of 6/10 from GameDaily and a high of 9.5 from Play Magazine with some others filling out the middle for an average of 76%. 

After reading the reviews I think that while it may not be the ultimate epic I figure my love of vikings and action/adventure games means that I will be plenty satisfied.  My copy should arrive tomorrow or Thursday and I'm excited.

make sure to post your Vikings impressions when you get it.  The IGN review has me passing, but I didn't realize the reviews varied so wildly.

Well, Play magazine is pretty to look at, but pretty shallow, review-wise. 

Team XBox liked it (with an 82), but 1Up just slammed it hard with a D+. Ouch.  They said:

These battles don't last very long (10 minutes on average), but the game features an odd respawning system where dying puts you back at the last checkpoint, minus any items (health vials, bombs, axes) you used in the previous turn. In some cases this makes sense, like when you use an item and it leaves persistent damage to certain enemies on the battlefield, but in others it seems unnecessarily punishing to the player, since -- in the final boss battle, for instance -- you only get one shot to use these items, and if you die the battle becomes significantly more challenging.

Viking puts some nice ideas on the table with the epic battles and dragon summoning, not to mention the wealth of Nordic lore to dive into. But it's unfortunate that it does nothing more with them.

Of course, Games Radar gave it an 8.  They said:

You'll love
Visceral combat
Tightly-scripted story
Great controls
You'll hate
Sound lacks atmosphere
Too-simple puzzles
Struggling camera

Rented it this weekend and I am playing it on Hard. The impressions above are pretty spot on. The most frustrating thing is losing the items if you die yet all the NPCs are back.
When will developers learn. Save anywhere should be in every game of this type! Hey, that's why they are getting a menial part of my rental fee versus a purchase.

[CeeKay]

holy stealth release!  Vikings is now out on Steam!

[EngineNo9]

holy stealth release!  Vikings is now out on Steam!

There is still no 's' in the title!      

Cool that this finally gets a PC release, and the high-res screenshots on Steam (like this) make it look nice.  Since the Xbox one was several years ago and I sold my copy in the meantime, I may pick this up again to get some sweet Viking action.