Game of Thrones

There's little denying Game of Thrones captures the dark and very adult vibe of Martin's fantasy epic. The land of Westeros is depicted as a cruel and unforgiving place where oppressors seem unstoppable and good people die shocking, gruesome deaths. Children are forced to become adults much sooner than they're ready, and honest men and women must compromise their principles for the greater good. If you don't come away from the game at least a little depressed, you probably ought to check yourself for a pulse.

But, although Game of Thrones is a finely crafted adventure game with great writing and interesting characters, it may seem overly familiar to some. In its bid to capture an authentic Game of Thrones vibe, developer Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us) has erred too much on the side of emulation, very nearly copying parts of Martin's original story. It's most noticeable in the Forrester family, which feels eerily like the famous Stark clan from Martin's tale. For instance, the clan has a dead father, a child pushed into a leadership role, a daughter away in King's Landing, a mother trying to exercise her will behind the scenes, and a loyal servant serving as a ranger at the great Wall in the North. The Forresters are an interesting family worth caring about, and there are still plenty of twists that are shocking by their very nature, but we might have hoped for something a bit more original from the acclaimed storytellers at Telltale Games.