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Thor: God of Thunder Review

Graphics:
5.1
Gameplay:
5.4
Sound:
5.7
Control:
5.3
Replay Value:
4.8
Overall Rating:
5.2
Online Gameplay:
Not Rated
Publisher:
Sega
Developer:
Liquid Entertainment
Number Of Players:
1
Genre:
Action


To be fair, I have never been a fan of the superhero explosion in Hollywood, although I admit to liking the new “Batman” movies. For the most part, I find the milking of this all-out supernatural action craze to be intensely boring. But on the other hand, I have enjoyed watching superhero video games get significantly better this generation. Batman: Arkham Asylum is the best example, but other similar titles (like X-Men Origins: Wolverine ) have been decent and entertaining. Therefore, I was sort of hoping for something brainless yet fun when I sat down to play Thor: God of Thunder . What I got was a tiresome, annoying, ultimately clichéd game with only a few substantial highlights.

Given the intense backgrounds and majestic environment we find in the movie, I would’ve expected the game to boast a grander, more memorable presentation. And while we do get some nice vistas and the character design is good, the whole thing falls flat. It’s just lifeless; the textures are bland and unimpressive and the detail is lacking. I had a lot of difficulty indulging in an atmosphere that simply doesn’t believe in itself; all potential impact lies buried beneath a dull, uninspired, unpolished palette. The special effects can be explosive and jarring enough to open your eyes, but even this positive element is too rare to be considered a bonus. If you want some flashy visuals, you’ll have to stick to the film.

From a sound standpoint, they’re able to enhance our interest by including a few actors from the movie. But oddly enough, it almost sounds as if they really dislike the idea of this video game, as they always utter stilted and unconvincing lines. Of course, the poor dialogue could be more at fault. The soundtrack isn’t bad but it never smacks us upside the head with Thor-like brutality; it just doesn’t appropriately match the on-screen action. As was the case with the graphical effects, the audio effects represent brief high points in the gameplay, but fail to make us jump. One would think, taking this game’s premise and style into account, that it would assault our speakers with unabashed violence. But the sound is just erratic and never really captivates.

The character of Thor is wicked cool, primarily because he’s not really a superhero; he’s essentially a Norse God in human form. There are just so many possibilities here, especially in regards to the hero’s abilities and story. Had Liquid Entertainment employed the requisite effort and resources, we could’ve had a really engaging, even original-feeling action game. But we get none of that; instead, we have one of the most generic, uninteresting adventures of the year, which begins to chafe after the first hour of play. At the start, Thor has to defend the great city of Asgard against an invading army of Frost Giants. The hammer-wielding hero emerges victorious but his comrade in arms, Lady Sif, goes down in the fray. Thor seeks revenge but he’s risking everything…

His quest for vengeance might just result in Ragnorak (no, not the bad-ass sword in Final Fantasy Tactics ), which is essentially the death of all Gods. Technically, this plot is a prequel to the movie, which makes it appealing to fans. Now, I haven’t seen the film (and I don’t really intend to), so I can’t say if those who played the game will sense any sort of continuation of events. For the sake of optimism, let’s just say they do. That still doesn’t excuse the mediocre storytelling in the game, which does little to keep us interested and features surprisingly forgetful characters. Remember, this is one of those rare breeds of single-player-only adventures so without a great campaign, the player is sorta screwed.

Still, this is an action game and I can easily ignore a disappointing story, bland environment, and faceless characters provided the gameplay keeps me immersed. …nah. Doesn’t quite work. The combat is too awkward and almost completely devoid of the power Thor should demonstrate with every swing of his hammer. Basic attacks feel blasé and ho-hum and you just never feel as if you’re wielding a devastating weapon. The only relatively entertaining element centers on the hero’s grasp of lightning and wind attacks, which add some much-needed diversity and makes us feel a little better about ourselves. The boss fights can be pretty damn cool, too, but that appeal wears off quickly, as the control and collision detection isn’t good enough to be considered reliable.

But I could almost deal with these drawbacks; I could almost, very tentatively, recommend this game to die-hard Thor aficionados, if it weren’t for one glaring flaw: the platforming sucks. The camera is a constant problem, movement isn’t very crisp, and the amount of times you plunge to your death is unacceptable. Then there’s the puzzle-solving, which is even more hackneyed and generic than the combat and overall feel of the game. I really don’t mind trial-and-error gameplay at all; in fact, I really like it when in the correct situation and surroundings. This was just really annoying. And boring. There’s just nothing in this game that’s even remotely fresh, and even stuff the designers stole from other titles doesn’t work 100% correctly. It's functional, but that's about it.

To sum up, Thor: God of Thunder is like the Frankenstein’s monster of every straight-up action game you’ve played in the past few years. It has all the basic parts and it’s kind of sewn together properly, but the end result is a broken, half-retarded thing that’s a little unsteady on its feet. I don’t wish to be too melodramatic, though, because I did have fun for a while, and I did enjoy some of Thor’s bad-ass powers. I also liked the atmosphere’s potential and the story isn’t entirely without its good points. But the drawbacks pile up way too quickly and in the end, its undeniably generic nature means it can’t stand out. It’s questionable even as a bargain bin title.

The Good: Some of the landscapes are interesting. Thor has a few really cool powers. Pacing and learning curve are decent.

The Bad: Completely generic and forgettable presentation. Technical elements are blah. Combat is often even more blah. Platforming and puzzles drag everything down. Camera and control are unreliable.

The Ugly: “You keep falling. You’re a God. …this is stupid.”

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Mr Bubbles IGR
Mr Bubbles IGR
12 years ago

pass…i'll wait for infamous 2 which comes out next month 🙂

Shams
Shams
12 years ago

I got inFamous 2 preordered at 36.99 (b/c of $20 game credit) with .99 release day delivery from Amazon. This is gonna be a long month.

marcusfrommo
marcusfrommo
12 years ago

Pass on the movie as well. I think thor and captain america are low budgeted films overhyped by the so called critics.

We'll see.

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

So you've rated the movies already, without seeing them? Good thing you are not a so called critic. Not sure what we should call you, though.


Last edited by Beamboom on 5/8/2011 8:20:21 AM

LittleBigMidget
LittleBigMidget
12 years ago

Seems as bad as the movie. I'm more of a DC man anyway.

gangan19
gangan19
12 years ago

It was really good, i saw it in IMAX 3D, im also a DC person, there is a few favs on the marvel aka disney heros that i like…

Sancho
Sancho
12 years ago

I haven't cared too much for any of the superhero films or games outside of Spider-man. And that may partially lie in my obsession with that hero. Imo he's the best. Anywho Thor is a movie/game I've had zero interest in. For the most part I'm willing to give them all a chance, except Thor….

Sancho
Sancho
12 years ago

I actually meant to include the Batman movies and although most hated it Superman Returns.

LittleBigMidget
LittleBigMidget
12 years ago

Btw apparently Heavenly Sword 2 details were leaked, I have no idea if this site is legit or not but whatever.

http://www.gamers-corner.co.uk/#/heavenly-sword-2-details/4551197474

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

That looks extremely suspicious and gives no details or source other than some UK magazine which probably can't be checked by us.

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

I can't help but wonder, what does it take to achieve a score lower than 5? A game without "Start" button? A cover with missing disc?

This is not meant as critique of the scores on this site, but a general observation: Has the lower half of the rating range ever been used at all, by any reviewer, the last few years? Hehe! Man, if only the same could be said about the teachers back in the school years. 🙂

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

For the record, we've given around 40 games a 5 or below this generation, not counting any PS2 titles. 🙂

Thing is, most people don't even know they exist and never saw the review. Or, if they did, they forgot it immediately. There's this overblown idea going around that no game ever scores below a 5 but that really isn't true at all; it happens a lot; most gamers just don't take any notice of a title that scores so low. Hence, they don't remember they exist.

Also, don't forget that this isn't 1990. The QA testing and competition is all the more rigorous these days. They just don't produce truly broken games anymore. That used to be a fair percentage of the games released in the olden days but now, most projects won't get released if they're really horrendous.


Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 5/7/2011 5:25:31 PM

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

Haha! Really? What made them "truly broken"? I sense a good story here 🙂

I had a peek at the gamerankings "all time worst" list, and I stand corrected. The bad boys are evenly spread across years and platforms. I even found one of Armolds reviews there, for Damnation. A sweet 3.9, quoting: "But upon playing this, I, quite literally, burst into laughter out of awe" – lovely. 😀


Last edited by Beamboom on 5/7/2011 6:13:42 PM

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

For fun, here are the two lowest-scoring games of the generation at PSXE-

Hannah Montana: The Movie

https://temp.psxextreme.com/ps3-reviews/240.html

Rogue Warrior

https://temp.psxextreme.com/ps3-reviews/349.html

___________
___________
12 years ago

awwwwwww, come on rouge warrior was pure gold!

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

It would be really nice to have a search engine ala gamerankings on the reviews here, able to filter on platform, year, genre, rating, maybe even subratings like graphics, playability etc. Would be really nice indeed.

Pandacastro
Pandacastro
12 years ago

Is the green latern game made by Sega too?

GuyverLT
GuyverLT
12 years ago

No it's being made by a studios called Double Helix Games (I personally never heard of them) but they made the GI Joe rise of cobra movie tie-in game and another game called front mission evolved and the game is being published by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment.

Oh yeah did I mention that both those games sucked major donkey ass btw.

I personally think if developers are going to continue to make movie tie-ins then at least find a good studio.


Last edited by GuyverLT on 5/8/2011 2:46:34 PM

Alienange
Alienange
12 years ago

The biggest sissy of the gods will cause Ragnorak? Oh man that's deep. I'd hate to think that gamers need to be warned about an epic move tie-in fail, but thanks for the review anyway. No doubt it's a well deserved thrashing.

DazeOfWar
DazeOfWar
12 years ago

I had a feeling this wasn't going to be that good. Oh well. I did enjoy the movie last night though. I've been into comics 22 years so I love seeing all of them come to life on the big screen.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Stupid cash in movie games, what a waste of time.

DirtySkillzHD
DirtySkillzHD
12 years ago

Ben , this game sucks so bad i'm sorry you had to review it.

tridon
tridon
12 years ago

Saw the film last night… AMAZING! I couldn't have asked for a better Thor film. The game on the other hand… well, I wasn't expecting it to be any good at all being made by Sega and all.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Really? people here said it sucked the big one.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 5/7/2011 5:53:34 PM

gangan19
gangan19
12 years ago

It's was awesome dude, go see it and judge it for yourself

leatherface
leatherface
12 years ago

Hell yeah, it's very entertaining. More Hawkeye please.

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

Luckily the Marvel movies are usually good, with "the Marvel feeling" intact. I look forward to see this one too!

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
12 years ago

Seen the movie last night myself in 3D an thought it was very good. I thought the story unfolded nicely and wasn't overshadowed much. It was pretty awesome!

Danny007
Danny007
12 years ago

I saw the movie today. I thought it was alright. Better than I expected. As for the game, there was no chance I was going to get it.

PorkChopGamer
PorkChopGamer
12 years ago

I've enjoyed the first couple of boss battles so far. Had to get it because this may be it for Thor as far as games are concerned.

And, in my opinion, the movie really awesome.

Mog
Mog
12 years ago

The movie was dissapointing. The whole movie was so predictable. The idea of the movie was fantastic but they didnt use it well at all. There were things left unexplained where you had to assume what was happeninhg. It would of been better if there was more than just one movie, like a trilogy or something.


Last edited by Mog on 5/7/2011 6:35:04 PM

kraygen
kraygen
12 years ago

You're complaining about predictability on a movie based around a comic book that's been around for over 40 years.

If it wasn't predictable then it wouldn't follow the comics and then comic fans would be uber ticked.

Mog
Mog
12 years ago

Oh. Didn't know there was a comic book. I guess that the movie is mainly aimed at the comic book readers.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
12 years ago

You didn't know there was a comic book? That's ok, but I thought the movie actually did a lot better story telling than most of these marvel films have. I didn't really find any missing holes that were as devastating as they were for you I guess.

kraygen
kraygen
12 years ago

Truth be told it got a higher score than I expected. I thought it'd be lucky to get a 4.5, it just looked awful.

Geobaldi
Geobaldi
12 years ago

Never have been a really big Thor fan, but the movie was actually pretty good for the most part.

Just wish that Todd would hurry up with the screenplay for the new Spawn movie he's been working on.

Ultimate_Balla
Ultimate_Balla
12 years ago

That was. . . depressing. And hahaha @ 'The Ugly;. . .'. The first image that came to mind was Fang Ragnarok though 😉

FM23
FM23
12 years ago

LMAO…trash reviews are always the best to read.

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

Agreed!
If the rating is low enough I'll read any kind of review. Even reviews of totally uninteresting music or movies. A trash review is almost always funny. 🙂

___________
___________
12 years ago

whats that?
a movie game sucking?
no, thats impossible!
sounds like its better then the movie though!
one letter.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
as if being boring as bat sh*t was not bad enough i had to sit there with those stupid glasses on my face!
nothing pisses me off more then when movies are in 3D but have no 3D effects.
cough tron, cough this, cough the green hornet.
if your going to make me wear those stupid things, then at least make it worthwhile!
have to be honest, only movie im looking forward to this year is the new pirates movie.
where jack says you know that feeling you get when your about to jump?
i dont have it.
i went snorkeling there, suppose to be the best place in the world to go snorkeling because its got the widest variety of wildlife there.
one of the most beautiful things ive ever seen!

Sakaxxxx
Sakaxxxx
12 years ago

After I bought Avatar: The game, I vowed never to buy a game based on a movie ever again, so I say NO to Thor.

ArnoldK PSXE
ArnoldK PSXE
12 years ago

Yeah, movie was definitely solid. I dug it.

maxpontiac
maxpontiac
12 years ago

Look! It's a ghost!!

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