Thor: God of Thunder is another movie based game made available on all major platforms. While the game is published by SEGA, a lot of gamers are skeptical to this title games like Iron Man 2 are just plain atrocious. Making it closely related to what is shown in the theaters today, Thor: God of Thunder plays a lot better than the average movie-based game that players are used to. Whether it’s the X-Men or Spider-Man games, Thor: God of Thunder will give fans of the action genre something to look forward to.
As with most movie based games, the majority of them are pretty shoddy such as Iron Man, Hulk and Superman. Among those titles, Thor: God of Thunder has something that might be worth checking out. It’s not the best game out there but it’s decent enough to our taste. Without further ado, let’s take a look in the HOTs and NOTs of Thor: God of Thunder.
HOT
Exemplary Execution of Attacks
For players who’ve played games such as God of War or Devil May Cry, they will pretty much be familiarized with the gameplay Thor: God of Thunder has to offer. The combat is pretty simple to follow as players can simply execute melee, charged and special attacks in which players can simply do by a press of the shoulder buttons. Just like in every action game, Thor: God of Thunder has an awesome arsenal of attacks that makes it simply fantastic when battling the creatures of Asgard. By simply defeating an enemy, players will earn Valor points that can be used to buy and upgrade attacks using Thor’s Hammer.
The Hammer that Thor will be using will pretty much be so powerful that it can strike different type of lighting attacks to any enemies trying to get close. By pressing either the Y or the Triangle button, Thor can unleash the mighty power of the Hammer. Throughout the game, players can change different kind of abilities that the Hammer can use.
Similar to other action games we’ve played, Thor: God of Thunder offers gamers a different way to do Quick Time Events. Instead of simply following a series of buttons and pressing it, players can mix match it at their own will via the Grappling system. An example of this is during the boss fight, players will have a few seconds to choose whether to take the boss’ right arm or left arm, then follow it up with a devastating blow that can either be Melee or via Thor’s Hammer. In other words, boss fights in the game are very enjoyable to beat.
Follows the Norse Mythology
The story of Thor: God of Thunder doesn’t follow the storyline of the movie. It has its own storyline to follow and it’s pretty decent in itself. For those familiar with the Norse Mythology, players can expect to see characters from Asgard in the Norse Mythology like Odin and Loki. The characters found in the game are heavily inspired by the movie and yes, they pretty much live up to the designs. For players who watched the movie, they will be pleased to know that the actor who played the role will give their talents in voicing Thor on the game.
NOT
Not So Good Presentation
The world of Asgard is big but compared to other games, Thor: God of Thunder’s presentation looks somehow dated. The game is using the Unreal Engine 3 but unfortunately, the developer didn’t maximize its power as players can see that the game was rushed. Sure, Thor and the settings in the game looks identical to the set in the movies but the textures are uninspired. The only thing that makes up for this is the somehow average voice acting that gives life to the game.
Glitches, Frame Rate Issues
From the beginning through the end, players can expect to see graphical glitches as some parts of the game has it. These glitches are tolerable but one thing that annoys me the most is the frame rate. When it comes to heavy battle where a lot of enemies are on screen at once, expect a degrade in frame rate and the slow issues will start to kick in.
Flawed Battle System
While the execution of attacks and the character progression may seem impressive, the game suffers to the flawed battle system it has. For the most time, blocking attacks doesn’t work and sometimes, players will have trouble in taking down bosses due to its camera. With no lock-on features to enemies when taking them down, players can expect a hit-or-miss situation. Similar to other action games, the game also suffers in repetitive and mindlessly button smashing. A lot of combos are introduced in the game but with so many to memorize, only a few will be used and for the most part, they will pretty much not work to any enemies the players may encounter.
VERDICT
The first time I played the game, it gave me the impression of playing a God of War game. However, in the end, the flaws on the battle system sets them apart but the overall experience is somewhat satisfying and decent. If the Unreal Engine was used more effectively and the developers improves the battle system and minimize the glitch, then it may be has a chance but for now, it’s a title that you will have to think twice in getting.
[Editor’s Note: Thor: God of Thunder was reviewed on the Xbox 360 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]