Brienne of Tarth is prettier than A Game of Thrones: Genesis. For those of who you haven't read A Clash of Kings, all you need to know is that the Warrior Maiden of Tarth is mockingly nicknamed "The Beauty" in reference to her lack of grace and general physical ugliness. There's no getting around it. It's got nothing to do with hardware; this simply wasn't designed as an attractive game, and it's a shame. While Westeros can hardly be described as opulent, it's a more interesting place than Genesis would have you believe. And though this game takes place long before the events of the novels, I still wish the artists could have done more to make the world stand out. If it isn't bland, it's an eyesore. That statement applies to nearly everything in A Game of Thrones: Genesis, most notably the user interface. And that's best saved for later.
A Game of Thrones: Genesis sounds better than it looks, but that almost goes without saying. Nothing about the audio presentation is identifiable with the franchise, and that unfortunately involves the fact that Ramin Djawadi's fantastic orchestral work on Game of Thrones is nowhere to be found. There really isn't much to listen to, though there are little touches here and there that serve as reminders that the developers are fans of the books. For example, all assassins appear to be part of the Sorrowful Men, a guild of bravos who offer their sincere apologies moments before taking out their quarry. This stuff doesn't save the game from its own shortcomings by any means, but it's definitely worthy of mention.
