This game was largely panned and I'm sure if you want to hear about what's wrong with it it won't be hard to find negative reviews, but this is all about why I loved this game.

I heard going into this game that it had terrible gameplay but I actually found the combat system very engaging. For the most part it revolves around using special abilities to interrupt enemy attacks, keep them stun locked or provide power combos with status effects. Fighting one enemy at a time is quite a simple task but the game really shines in crowd control: Facing off against a room full of enemies you must be constantly mindful of all of them. One successful special attack against you can turn the tide of the battle drastically.

There are two main characters and they can be spec'd very differently. Making one a tank and one a glass cannon results in some varied gameplay between chapters early on and once the two heroes join forces later in the game synergy between them can make clearing out rooms of soldiers both efficient and satisfying.

I think the dialogue system is worth mentioning. Instead of simply stating what your character is going to say many dialogue options are presented as part of your characters inner thoughts and, giving you a slice of something familiar from reading the books. Some options are even just two parts of the same thought. "I don't trust him..." "...but I have no choice" are just so much more interesting as choices than "refuse" and "accept" and after a while I found myself reading them in the characters' voices. It's a very elegant implementation of an old fashioned system that shows that actual care and thought went into this game.

Story is were the game really shines though. It's not on the same level as the A Song of Ice and Fire series proper (it suffers from some awkward and sometimes over-expositionary dialogue and poor to atrocious delivery by the actors) but it's a solid addition to the franchise and as video games go it's terrific.

As already mentioned there are two main characters: Mors Westford is a sworn brother of the Night's Watch and a secret skinchanger. Alester Sarwyc is the heir of noble house who left Westeros to become a Red Priest. Their stories start off seemingly entirely separate but as the game progresses their stories begin to converge both as you learn the connections between their current situations and their past history together.

Despite being old friends Alester and Mors are quite different from each other with motivations and world views that are very much at odds. Alester is quite pragmatic and willing to stoop as low as he needs to to reach his goals. Mors is more driven by a sense of justice but also a rage that is always bubbling under the surface. When the tensions between them come to a head it's one of the best moments in the game and the voice actors (particularly Mors's) actually manage to summon up some real emotion to their performances.

The intrigue itself is complex and slowly revealed with many twists. These are twists of the good sort; they take you off guard when they happen, but once out in the air you'll slap yourself for not having seen it coming (though admittedly some are a bit obvious or otherwise cliche).

There is some conflict with the source material (some of which can chalked up to gameplay necessities and some not) and there are a few moments where the story falls flat. But these are rare enough and stand out because they contrast the largely good writing. If this were a tie-in novella rather than a video game I would have been as glad to read it as I was happy to play this game (though I'd expect some the dialogue to be brushed up a bit and the body count drastically reduced).

The game is a diamond in the rough but I would recommend that anyone who is a fan of the franchise and a fan of WRPGs should at least try it out. I'm sure many of you have it sitting in your library unplayed after the game's inclusion in a Humble Bundle.

Do you like games with great dark stories, memorable characters and awesome quests. If yes, then it is a no-brainer that you will like this game big time. It is also heavily underrated, so this one is a hidden gem. While it has some cheap mistakes, this game still deserves your attention.
The STORY[10/10] is one of the best I've ever known and I red a lot, seen a lot of movies, so yeah it's quite something. There are two protagonists: Mors Westford, who is an honorable man in the Night Watch and a mounstruos beast in combat. He has a dark past, lives in a cold place; you could say he's iron made. Also, he's a skinchanger, being able to control his hound. The other one, Alester Sarwyck, a Red Priest who can manipulate fire, who comes back to claim his title and land as a lord, now being ready to face the world he fled from. The villian is the evil-cunning-great fighter type, whom you'll want to kill the moment you see. Every key character ends being involved in the Game of Thrones, so things get brutal and the happy ending... up for debate.There are many sidequests that enhance the story and reward you with cool items(and experience).
The GRAPHICS[6.8/10] look outdated, but maxed out looks nice, and the artstyle is attractive. The real problem is reusing models, which means sometimes you'll have triplets in a cutscene. The main characters and all the places are unique, though, so work and clever thinking was used in the design as well. Such a shame it doesn't use better technologies, would have been a lot better for a lot more people.
COMBAT[8.9/10] is made as tactical, but as you'll progress in unlocking stronger abilities, you'll synergize with the battlefied, emerging victorious, without much thinking. Finishers depend on the class and weapons used, and both differ greatly from what you have at your disposal. I enjoyed combat and class exclusive abilities that I have a reason to replay the game. The downer here is the difficulty, if you play on Lord you might be stressed a lot, and that can happen on Knight too. Best you choose the Squire, since there is no achievment affected by the difficulty.
All in all, it's a great RPG with high replayability value. Don't listen to the bad reviews, because those reviewers didn't even finish the game. It gets better and better as you play, so giving up on it is a bad decision. If you've watched the show you should check it out; if you've red the books, you should own it; if you're new to the series but like RPG's, the same for the book readers(if it's on sale, after all it's your risk).
GAME SCORE[8.5/10]

Amazing story of course(it's Game of Thrones for God's sake). The gameplay isn't really fun. It's KOTOR/Dragon Age combat with a few tricks. But it's Open wound-Do double damage-Stun repeat. For a Game of Thrones fan this is a must get, for an RPG fan it's a sale get.

The gameplay leaves much to be desired. The combat is weak, items sometimes unequip themselves (though, this might just be for me), and other mechanics seem rushed or juvenile in application.

All this being said, the story is worth playing for. I found myself really engaged in the characters and the story. As well, I really enjoyed finding the Codex entries (lore and background information from Westeros).

I recommend it for those who enjoyed the books. If you haven't read them, don't waste your time with this game and check those out. At least in reading the book you don't have to deal with the poor design of game mechanics.

This game was surprising fun to play. Admittedly the first few hours of the game were boring, and i was close to quitting a few times (the only reason i didn't was because i was being stubborn), but after getting about half way in, i found myself actually having fun. That isn't to say that this is a good game, it is more of a enjoyable bad game. I know how odd that sounds, and i don't fully understand it myself, but for some reason i eventually got invested in the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen next to them. The gameplay itself is average, but the story is nice. Mainly since the game does let you make choices that affect the story(which am a sucker for). Now with all this being said, I can't honestly recommend this game to anyone else. I just felt it should be noted that the game isn't horrible, but it isn't good either.