No, we haven’t won the world cup. Viking for the Xbox is here.

Skarin is dead. The mass hordes of the underworld are at the gates. Cue resurrection and a war of epic proportions. This game consists of three island scenarios. The gameplay starts off with a series of smaller missions which allow you to hone your fighting skills, earn some cash and, more importantly, recruit an army of bearded lunatics to fight at your side.

Annihilation.

Each island level culminates in a war that makes the Bruno vs Tyson fight (remember that?) look like a pie throwing contest. This is real end-of-the-world stuff. Muscle bound Norse warriors clash with freaks from another realm - it gets bloody, really bloody.

Don’t be fooled.

Hacking and slashing the enemy canon fodder to pieces is easy enough but beware. The Legion soldiers will give you nasty slap if you slip into ’slipper combat’ mode. In order to succeed against a sub-boss you will need to really know your special moves, so get practicing.

Eye of the beholder.

Not the sort of game we’d call visually stunning but attractive enough to keep us interested. The view of the mass battles was generally pretty good. The major flaw in the views was found in crouch mode - seemingly insignificant objects blocked our view of the wider area.

Initially, your moves are fairly limited but can be upgraded in exchange for gold (hint: make sure you do a good job of exploring as there’s plenty of the shiney stuff to be found).

Conclusion

In all, a good game which has been designed to be enjoyed by everyone rather than just ‘masters of combat’. On that note, we’re off to dismember some more bad guys. See you in Valhalla for beer and tall tales!

Popularity: 8% [?]