Review of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Xbox 360

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Background:

For those that do not know, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a new intellectual property and is the first in what is hoped to be a new line of RPG games. The game was created by 38 games/Big Huge Games and published by EA. There are quite a few properties that are out there populating the field that it wants to become part of. This game has quite an all star group that have helped to create the game and I believe it has earned its place in the gaming world. Also, for a while there, the RPG field was bare and dry especially on the XBOX and so I welcome the change to explore a new and interesting world.

Todd McFarlane, the genius behind Spawn and other adult themed comics has provided inspiration for the artwork. The storyline was written by R.A. Salvatore who has published 20+ books in the field of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Executive Director was Ken Rolston, the lead designer of the Elder Scrolls III Morrowind and Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion.

Graphics:

The graphics on this game are beautiful and colorful. Over the past few months I have finished playing Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Dark Souls and it is refreshing wandering a world that is bright and colorful. It reminds me of some portions of World of Warcraft such as the Blood Elves on the Horde side. You can see Todd McFarlanes influence on the art department in the multitude of characters you encounter.

Combat:

The trend for RPG's have aimed for the hybrid of Action-RPG with most falling on RPG elements and action as a second thought. This game has chosen to put Action in the forefront. The combat resembles the God of War: Collection series. When you are at a certain point, a lot of button mashing is required to score the kill and extra experience that comes from it. After the extreme difficulty of Dark Souls and continuous dying, it was nice to be able to enjoy combat that I felt I had an actual fighting chance of winning.

World:

The game originally was going to be an online MMO. You can sense that in the way that the world is created and interactions with the characters. It feels like an online MMO in a way but without the interaction of other players. The world is a liner sandbox world. It resembles somewhat a game such as Fable: The Lost Chapters or some of the Final Fantasy X games. There is a lot to explore in the world around you, though, so there is plenty to keep you busy.

Other:

Communication is a lot like Mass Effect where you rotate to the conversation choice. You can have negative or positive communications but I have not really seen many that affect the outcome or interaction with my character too terribly much. I may find more later on.

There is pre-order download content. I received the game in the morning. Unfortunately, the codes for the DLC (mainly items to help you start off with) did not arrive via email until around midnight which made their use moot.

Overall Impression:

I am an old school RPG player ever since I received my first free copy of Final Fantasy 1/Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest) with my paid subscription to Nintendo Power back in the day. The trend for RPG's has to continue to the action-RPG hybrid element which I feel it has successfully achieved. With todays world, simplicity is the key. The character creation and leveling I feel has been watered down. Not at the level that is the Fable series or other RPG's but it has been simplified. You really cannot go wrong in how you create your character and you can truly customize the character to your playing style. The bugs that were present in the demo have been cleaned up quite a bit although there are still technical issues here and there (not on the same level as the demo)

I highly recommend this game. There are simply not enough good RPG's out there even if the field seems to be filled with them. There are a lot of mediocre titles that dot the landscape in-between Elder Scroll and Final Fantasy releases. I believe this Game, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a worthwhile RPG to invest ones time and energy into and is a world that truly deserves to be lost in. I wish someone would re-visit Betrayal at Krondor (Enhanced CD-ROM)

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When Big Huge Games announced they were working on an RPG, I was both skeptical and hopeful. I knew them for their strategy titles, and while they created quality games I was dreading another slow-paced entry to the genre. Well, it looks like all my fears were for nothing. While they don't deliver anything extraordinarily ground breaking here, every element they have pulled into the game are ones I have found fun in other games. And one point I feel I have to make early on: This is nothing like Skyrim. Many people have asked me if it's like Skyrim/Oblivion, and I'm assuming this has to do with the designer being involved in the game. Really, the only thing familiar was the lockpicking, the rest of the game plays vastly differently from Skyrim and it's a good thing. So on to the key points I get asked about:

Combat--

This is where Reckoning shines. The combat is slick and fun, and it's the first game I've heard touting the 'Play any style you want!' where it actually seems to work. Nothing like sneaking up, backstabbing someone, instantly throwing a fireball in the face of your next foe, and then switching to a two-hander and charging into the next group of enemies. If I had to compare the game to anything that would give you an instant idea, at first impression I felt like it was a mix of Fable and God of War. No, it's not quite as much of a slaughter fest as God of War, but the combat has that fluid, satisfying style that God of War brought to the table.

Environment--

It's big. It's not a sandbox, and you will find yourself in valleys and going down paths without any clear way to get to the other side (if there even is anything on the other side), and in this regard the world reminded me more of Fable. But there is a lot to explore and do here, and I never found myself thinking 'I really wish I could climb to the top of that mountain' because there was too much to keep me busy right in front of me.

Sound--

Aside from a few times where I just thought the environment music was a bit odd, the music is great and the voice acting actually surprised me. Though I've read Salvatore, I find him a bit cheesy and repetitive at times, and for some reason my brain associated that with terrible voice acting. Fear not, everyone you meet is voiced well, and while I did roll my eyes once or twice the reason I did so has been long forgotten. Also, there is a lot of voice acting here. Even NPCs who have nothing really important to do for the story have quite a bit of dialog for the purposes of lore.

Graphics--

The environments are gorgeous, but you know that from watching the trailers. There will be some who don't like the slightly cartoony direction that BHGs took with this, but I for one have thoroughly enjoyed it. I just got done putting in over a hundred hours with Skyrim (I know, I know, I'm running behind the rest of the pack), and I'm tired of looking at 'realistic' graphics. This was a refreshing change and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I will repeat what I've seen in other reviews because I agreed: As beautiful as the environments are, the character models are slightly lacking. They're not terrible, and probably would have done well in many other games, but in comparison to the environments they feel a bit underpolished. Given a choice between fluid combat and a fantastic looking model, though, and I'll take the combat any day. I know they had to make a choice here, and they made the right one.

I suppose it should be noted that I'm playing this on Steam, as I'm a bit once-bitten-twice-shy with Origin registration. I've seen reports of bugs and glitches, but aside from the odd texture popping up where it shouldn't maybe five times during my play, I haven't encountered anything that would bring me to a halt. Really, though, if you're not sure if you want this game, play the demo. It runs you through the tutorial portion of the game and then gives you 45 minutes to explore--and while you'll only touch the tip of the iceberg in that time, it will either save you sixty bucks if you don't like the style of the game or it will make you crave more. Personally, I'm betting on the latter.

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I bought KoA: Reckoning for my boyfriend as a gift (he is a huge R.A. Salvatore fan)... needless to say, I've logged about 25+ hours and he has 4 or 5 hours. The gameplay is very fun, especially if you tend to play characters that rely on hand-to-hand combat as opposed to archery or magic. There is nothing about this game that isn't appealing to the eye-the colors are so bold and the landscapes really are gorgeous. The inventory system is pretty cool also; instead of giving your character a weight limit for what they carry, there is an item limit. Although this is kind of a bummer for smaller items, it really is beneficial when you're going through a cave or ruin and you find nothing but armor and weapons. The inventory menu also has a "junk pile," so as you're on a few quests and picking up everything (and I pick up EVERYTHING), you can add it to your junk pile, and when you get to a shop, there's an option to sell all of your junk, which makes your visits to the shops a lot quicker. For me, the controller setup had its high points and low points, but I really loved how your primary and secondary weapons are set on the X and Y buttons, which makes switching between them a breeze! I am a big fan of hand-to-hand and melee combat, so having this control setup allowed me to fight faster. Also, hitting left or right on the D-pad allows you to consume a minor healing or mana potion, which is awesome if you're in the midst of fighting several enemies (because it's rare that you'll only encounter one at a time). "Reckoning mode" also has its high and low point, which are, to me, the same thing-in Reckoning mode, you can beat anything or anyone, very quickly. While this rocks for any quest with a mini boss battle at the end (fill up your fate meter while going through a cave and it will be full when you get to the boss, and cut him down in a few sword swipes), it makes these boss battles forgettable and too easy. And let me say this now-I am not a super awesome gamer... I can hold my own, but I am a pretty casual gamer with a total weakness for a good RPG. Another little aspect of this game that I LOVE is the "hide helmet" option... I hate bulky armor because I can't see my character's face (I must not be the only weirdo like this, since there is this option), but being able to hide the helmet on the gameplay screen really made me happy. The ability to be able to change your character's destiny and appearance throughout the game is also nice and, although I didn't find the need for these options, it is definitely nice to have them available.

Overall, I wish this game was a little more difficult; I know you can adjust the difficulty settings, but I don't feel like that would impact too much. I began this game working on the main quest, which is really interesting and fun. Side quests would come up, and I figured I would just get to them after or when I needed a break from the main quest. Well, I completed the main quest rather quickly (very rewarding, although I felt I should have paid more attention to the story line), and now I'm going back to the side quests and they just aren't that fulfilling compared to what I've done. They are fun and quick, but I'm completing them with more of a "well, what's the point?" attitude. Also, a bummer is that things in this game do not level up with you. After completing the main quest, I secured awesome armor, a kickass longsword, and a pretty dominant set of faeblades. So now, the enemies that used to take a little work to defeat are now cut down in 3-4 swipes of my sword... and if they do hit me, it barely registers on my life meter. Also the leveling up system isn't something I'm too excited about. When you are able to level up a skill, they are all things that I, personally, didn't care too much about because none of them are very difficult in the first place (exception to this-Detect Hidden, which is awesome). Sure, you can level up alchemy or blacksmithing, but to be honest, I beat the main quest without having once made a potion or building a piece of weaponry or armor; potions, money, and pretty awesome weaponry/armor are all easily found in this game, so why spend the time during a quest making these things if I can quickly buy them? I will probably force myself to play around with this things, but at this point in time, I just don't see much of the purpose for doing so. After this, you get three points to distribute in various skills, which will add various defensive/offensive moves to your combat style. My boyfriend uses these a lot, but I didn't as much because I'm a total button-masher. But they are cool nonetheless!

I hate to compare this game to Skyrim, but it is the last thing I played, so the comparisons are inevitable (I know, I know... "it isn't meant to be like that!" I get it!). I feel like KoA is geared towards gamer comfort-the inventory system and controls are smart and were assigned with the gamer in mind. The story is intriguing and rewarding, and I found this game to be a lot of fun. On the downside, though, it just wasn't difficult and I feel like the main quest was the only true gem. This threw me off because in Skyrim, I did everything else to delay doing the main quest. KoA's faction quests are fun, but again, it was kind of like "okay, so now what?" If developers took this game and built it on a giant scale, I would be first in line to purchase it.

Even with the several aspects of this game that I wasn't a huge fan of, I would replay this game or buy another game in this series in a heartbeat. I recommend it to anyone, but my advice is this-stay away from the main quest for a while to truly enjoy the side quests, and slow down and enjoy the capabilities and storylines within the gameplay.

Honest reviews on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Xbox 360

I love this game. And it's been ages since I found one that made me say that. If you like World of Warcraft but got sick of relying on other people I'd suggest checking this out. Very similar questing and leveling up. A tiered point system like WoW so you can improve what skills you're using. Less limiting on what you can learn for skills. You aren't limited to a couple. You can customize you character based on how you like to play. Enjoy slinging spells? Focus on sorcery. Want to rush in to the thick of battle? Then might is for you. Several weapons choices and a primary and secondary weapon slot so you can make use of a long range and short, or fast and slow....whatever you want. Scenery is beautiful, lots of story choices so how things unfold is up to you. My b/f and I each have a game going and it's interesting what different choices we're each offered based on previous choices. We're both obsessed, check it out!

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Okay so I've been playing for a few hours this morning and I must say that I agree with most of what Allison said in the first review on here, let me expand a few things that I was wondering about since the demo:

First off everybody's fears about how awful the demo was (technically speaking) have been resolved. There have been no freezes, no glitchy weird behavior and nothing out of the ordinary; it runs very, very smooth. Also, one other thing to note from the discussion sections: you start over, it does not save your progress from the demo--there is an option to "load" a game, but when I tried that there was nothing there for me. This may be isolated and you may want to try, but be prepared to have to start over.

There is not much to add in way of gameplay from what Allison has mentioned, so just a quick recap: The combat is fluid--very awesome. I've unlocked 3 abilities and quite a few special moves for the "might" weapons--very smooth. If you're wondering what it's like, let me say this: I hate the GOW comparison and I find it much more like Devil May Cry, switch things up and kill multiple enemies and reap huge amounts of XP for it. *As long as we're talking combat let me also mention: no dual wielding swords or hammers--I know the cover shows differently, but unless there is a change later in the game, you just can't do it. Also on gameplay, just be prepared--so far it seems like a lot of "go-fetch" missions (i.e., meet this person, bring this back, find this sword, etc).

One point to mention that Allison touched on: This is not a sandbox game, while you can do lots of things in any order you want and the loot drops are different all around, you can't just "go anywhere" the map is huge but it is quite lineal. Reminds me of Diablo II but without the changing map with each new campaign. It is huge, but there is generally one way in and one way out of most areas/situations. ***After playing for awhile now it actually reminds me more of Zelda: OOT map-wise.

So far as graphics go: you either like it or you hate. I loved Torchlight's style and have been waiting for a bigger RPG in that type of art style; KOA is the answer. It's not completely cartoonish, but it's not super-realistic like Skyrim. I think it looks a bit more polished than the demo too--this could just be my imagination, but I'm very impressed with what I've seen so far.

This is looking to suck a lot of hours into gameplay, probably 100+ if you explore everything--that being said, you can probably explore (and thanks to the destiny/fate system) experience everything it has to offer in one play through--just my opinion. In no way does this diminish the game, it still has a lot of bang for the buck.

Okay, I don't want to get too crazy detailed because I'm only a few hours in, but if you're on the fence I would say it's probably worth it to go out and get it now. **Oh, and I just went to Walmart this morning and got it--no preorder bonus--the online pass will give you some armor and there is some DLC you can buy (240 MP) that gives you different armor and weapons. You probably aren't missing out on any meaningful benefits by not having it as far as I can tell. Within 5 hours of play I now have no use for any of Big Huge Game's "day 1 DLC". I can't speak for the fate touched weapons, but my guess is they would be worthless at this point too.

With that, I would rather answer questions for now than write everything else out. So please let me know what questions you have in the comments section and I will give you my OPINION. Remember that folks, reviews are opinions, not the Gospel.