Hello people,
Today I want to talk about things that suck; but since I know you don’t want to waste your time reading about things that suck, I’m going to skip to the things you do care about, like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
For those who are unaware, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a new RPG by 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. The game is new intellectual propety(IP), and as a result will face many challenges. Despite these challenges, the game has grabbed lots of attention for its well established team members. For starters, the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning features Ken Rolston, the lead designer on both The Elder Scrolls IV:Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls V:Oblivion, as its executive designer. In addition, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning features the artwork of none other than Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn. As if these two alone weren’t enough to pique the interest of the average geek, the game’s game universe is the product of noted fantasy author R. A. Salvator. So the game looks like it will have some veteran knowledge involved. But how will it hold up?
As many of you probably know by now, the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo is now available to download on Xbox Live, Playstation Network and for Windows (a.k.a. STEAM — thank you Valve.) Well I really wanted to show a hands on of the demo myself, however, as those of you who had been following my tweets know, I had some severe technical difficulties when trying to record game play from my Xbox 360, namely a [Blue Screen of Death]. Therefore, instead of showing you I guess I’ll just have to show you other peoples’ videos and just comment on the demo.
So let’s get right down to it. The game was originally designed as an MMORPG. This is VERY apparent in both graphics and game mechanics, however, it’s not exactly a terrible thing. This game really reminds me of the original Fable, and that’s just from what I have played of it — by the way, that’s a good thing, Fable: Lost Chapters was amazing. I find it really hard to justify myself at this point so I’m just going to stick to my impressions and opinions:
Things I Like
- I like the game.
- I really like the game.
- Stan Rolston
- Todd McFarlane
- It is fun. <—-
Things I Dislike
- The dialogue sucks. Interactive choices and no player voices kill it.
- Too cinematic for my tastes; just like every game nowadays. Not nearly as bad as most games in this department
- Story is mediocre thus far, although it shows some promise.
- EA and most game publishers in general.
Other
- I am reminded how fun/not fun it is to break boxes for loot.
- Combat is slightly repetitive; until you dish out some serious so-awsome-it’s-literally-tear-jerking whoop ass and then wonder how you did it. Combat repetitiveness gets better with level as more variety becomes available.
From what I have seen, I would buy this game. Despite it’s graphical shortcoming and seemingly simplistic leveling and inventory system — which are very MMO like — the game is really fun, and the story thus far is okay, keeping in mind that the game’s narrative has a potential to go far.
So there it is. The Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo in a nutshell. For you lucky people who can actually use your computers — I have to use my basic desktop — should strongly consider downloading and trying out this game; I will promise you that you will find at least one thing you like.
In other news I will not be posting tomorrow. Wikipedia is blacking out and so are a lot of big name networks so I’m shutting down for a day as well. You know, SOPA and all that jazz.
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