Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

I was actually looking forward to this in hopes it was going to be amazing, R.A. Salvatore and Ken Rolston (who's interview in Game Informer wasn't bad..yes I get GI...anyway) or utterly insane with lots of chains and huge capes (Todd McFarlane).

For the first fifteen minutes or so of the demo I was kind of disappointed and by the time it was over and I had a pair of crazy daggers, a bow, a giant rusty sword, a lightning ha dou ken and my guy looked like a sweet ass Conan I was in love.

It really does feel like Fable and the recent Dragon Age had a flipper baby...perfect analogy Mongy.

And you're right on your other counts too, the camera is really twitch, which isn't a big deal if you're running and chopping but sneaking and sniping seems to lead to walking into a lot of mobs if you're playing too loose.

The convo box/ring thing is pretty dumb shit. I get why they've done it since some of the ring dialog options you only have the time for one choice while the box list you can go over everything. It's still weird though.

All in all I think I'll pick it up day one.

Nice to see Ken Rolston getting some love here. The man has been designing RPGs forever and is one of the major factors in The Elder Scrolls being what they are now. I really hope they strike gold with this.

Pretty good demo (its essentially Fable + Darksiders if you ask me) , but my backlog is huge right now, so I'll have to skip this on launch; a bit sad, since the only nitpick i have with the game is that Todd McFarlane's character designs dont seem to be given much detail or life by the game's engine (while Darksiders pretty much took Madureiraś style and brought it to life).

Im guessing this will be my rpg fix once the backlog and Mass Effect 3 are done with.

I barely made it through the Lord of the Fablerims opening cinematic. That was gruelingly awful.

Impressions time.

The bad: The graphics oscillate between looking pleasingly hand-painted and low budget. Mouse control sucks. The UI was designed in 2004. 

The good: I do like the possibility of constant re-speccing instead of the pre-determined upgrade path we usually deal with in RPGs. The combat is a great mix between Darksiders and The Witcher 2. You're pretty agile, you hit hard and switching attacks is quick and natural. If you use a gamepad.

Overall, I'm inching ever closer to this being a day one purchase. If a couple of reviewers I trust endorse it early I may even pre-order.

You're a shill, though. You'd say that for every game if the discount was big enough.

Downloading the demo right now, mainly just for the Mass Effect bonus stuff you can garner from it.

After the Dragon Age armor debacle with ME2 I don't really give a shit about these things. Unless someone confirms that ME will finally realize when your character is in a dialog scene and fucking remove the stupid helmets, I'm staying with less ridiculous armors.

That tutorial section was kinda tedious. Overall not bad, though. I'll wait for some reviews or trusted Chewer opinions before biting.

It's okay. The fateshift finishers pique my interest. Everything else, not so much. Someday, someone will make a medieval fantasy game that doesn't bore the living shit out of me. Someday. But hooray ME3 unlocks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob Singer 

Downloading the demo right now, mainly just for the Mass Effect bonus stuff you can garner from it.

wait...what?

Okay, I've played the demo a bit. Some thoughts...

It really really is Fable-meets-Dragon-Age-Origins isn't it?

Maybe I've been spoiled by Bethesda, but this feels awfully twee, cutesie and small.

That said, this feels more like a true sequel to DA:O than Dragon Age 2 ever did.

I wouldn't pay full price, but I'd pick it up on the cheap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 

wait...what?

If your Gamertag/Ea Account/Bioware Social Network accounts are linked, you get a Mass Effect armor just for launching the demo, and a weapon if you play it untill the clock runs out.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryoken 

If your Gamertag/Ea Account/Bioware Social Network accounts are linked, you get a Mass Effect armor just for launching the demo, and a weapon if you play it untill the clock runs out.
 

Oh really? I didn't do the second part - guess I'll have to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryoken 

If your Gamertag/Ea Account/Bioware Social Network accounts are linked, you get a Mass Effect armor just for launching the demo, and a weapon if you play it untill the clock runs out.
 

Well if you put it THAT way...

*Fires up xbox; hits 'Download'*

I only tried this for a few minutes last night, but I really love the combat feel.  The shield and the God Of Waresque hack and slash responsive combat is what RPG's have been missing.  In fact, it would have greatly improved Old Republic, but that's another debate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freeman 

I only tried this for a few minutes last night, but I really love the combat feel.  The shield and the God Of Waresque hack and slash responsive combat is what RPG's have been missing.  In fact, it would have greatly improved Old Republic, but that's another debate.

See I'm going the other way, too simplistic, too arcadey and way too cutesie pie by half. Seriously, who is the audience here? It looks like a little kids game but you start the demo awakening under a pile of rotting corpses? WTF? Seems like typically emotionally retarded McFarlainess to me.

I can see why they had to dangle Mass Effect shit in front of peoples noses to encourage downloading and playing the demo in its entirety. This is nothing more than the bastard child of better parents.

I don't think the art style in mutually kiddy.  Old Republic and Warcraft use very similar looks, and though you could argue it's a kiddie look I'd compare it more to something like Last Airbender.  It's all about inspiring a feel that's different than everything else out there.  Personally I usually DETEST the fantasy genre because of the generic nature of most of it.  It takes superior story and character(Game of Thrones), or an interesting tone and art style(Warcraft, this) for me to even stomach fantasy in general.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freeman 

I don't think the art style in mutually kiddy.  Old Republic and Warcraft use very similar looks, and though you could argue it's a kiddie look I'd compare it more to something like Last Airbender.  It's all about inspiring a feel that's different than everything else out there.  Personally I usually DETEST the fantasy genre because of the generic nature of most of it.  It takes superior story and character(Game of Thrones), or an interesting tone and art style(Warcraft, this) for me to even stomach fantasy in general.

It just feels like a cheap empty MMO right now to me. I couldn't give a crap about the design if the story is there, but there's less than nothing to grab me here so far in that regard either. Even the music gives it an almost Disney feel. Ugh.

I'm reasonably new to the MMO stuff, I've really only played Warcraft and Old Republic hands on.  Is there an MMO with God Of War kind of visceral hands on combat?  I always wanted to try the free to play Age Of Conan because of this.

I'd love a World of Warcraft art style if the game itself realized that the world was something you inherently couldn't take seriously and just focused on being campy and fun. This world is all over the place, with both the unappealing combination of Salvatore, and McFarlane leading the way.

All that said, I did enjoy the demo from a gameplay perspective but that's practically how it is with me and most fantasy games right now. I have to get past all the stupid fantasy bullshit to get to the actual game.

I know it's just a demo, but fuck is this thing buggy. Music cutting out, dialogue cutting out and speeding up all of a sudden, now it's crashed my xbox. 

The game itself: Big shrug from me. I can see the combat and looting being fun but the story and world just aren't grabbing me. They seem to have gone for a mix of a storybook Fable-esque world with more 'mature' elements, and it's a bit jarring. I mean, one minute it's all muttonchopped gnomes then it's RETCHING UPON A PILE OF ROTTED CORPSES then a few more muttonchopped gnomes, then some big-nosed bobblehead goblins you dispatch with HUGE GOUTS OF HARDCORE BLOOD... I don't know. I'm being facetious about it I know, but tonally the game just feels inconsistent. The voice acting isn't helping either; everyone's got that slow, slightly stilted kind of delivery that sounds like they're reading from a children's story (Very much like in Fable as well) The camera's way too loose and twitchy as well.

Think I'll be skipping this one, on release at least.

I don't know if I want a fantasy game that's basically a combination of Justified/Red Dead Redemption with swords.

But I'm basically saying that I want exactly that.

Give me Witcher or Game Of Thrones "grit" and real world characters and politics in a fantasy environment, and then plop that into a Red Dead Redemption open world steam punky kind of western.  Give me a western fantasy world that isn't the wonderful Dark Tower universe.  Somebody do it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaurenOrtega 

I don't know if I want a fantasy game that's basically a combination of Justified/Red Dead Redemption with swords.

 

But I'm basically saying that I want exactly that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freeman 

Give me Witcher or Game Of Thrones "grit" and real world characters and politics in a fantasy environment, and then plop that into a Red Dead Redemption open world steam punky kind of western.  Give me a western fantasy world that isn't the wonderful Dark Tower universe.  Somebody do it.

I <3 you guys.

Actually, what Im gonna say is, I want another Vagrant Story, but not for modern day Square Enix to make it.

I have absolutely no idea why this hasn't happened aside from developers being boring, or the fear that the audiences are too boring to go for it. But goddamnit I'll take steampunk cowboys, straight-up cowboys, a facsimile of cowboys, or just fucking knights who talk like cowboys.

Alls I'm really asking for is William Sanderson as a voice actor, and a willingness to steal from Elmore Leonard instead of Joss Whedon for the colorful dialogue.

Yeah well I love you more for this.

Regarding this demo. 38 Studios and Big Huge Games did not want to make a demo for the game. They kept saying that the game is too open ended. EA got code from three months ago and had a third party whip up a demo.

So other than some basic mechanics, do not take this as an accurate indication of how Reckoning is going to be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stelios 

Regarding this demo. 38 Studios and Big Huge Games did not want to make a demo for the game. They kept saying that the game is too open ended. EA got code from three months ago and had a third party whip up a demo.

 

So other than some basic mechanics, do not take this as an accurate indication of how Reckoning is going to be.

Well EA have done themselves a massive disservice imo (surprise surprise). My interest in this has become all-but non-existent

Gabe from Penny Arcade got an early copy and calls it "better than Skyrim."

Quote:

Originally Posted by stelios 

Gabe from Penny Arcade got an early copy and calls it "better than Skyrim."

 I totally agree with him on his criticisms of Skyrim, despite my love for that game.  The combat system is a mess.  This game will be a day one purchase for me. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by stelios 

Gabe from Penny Arcade got an early copy and calls it "better than Skyrim."

I kinda hate broad, declarative staements like that. What I think he should have said is that he prefers the combat and art style in Amalur over Skyrim. Personally I had some amazing battles in Skyrim, and our own Skyrim thread boasts some terrific descriptions of encounters of all kinds. And if he prefers the blocky, cartoony style of Amalur, that's his right (especially since he, um, draws cartoons).
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob Singer 

 

I kinda hate broad, declarative staements like that. What I think he should have said is that he prefers the combat and art style in Amalur over Skyrim. Personally I had some amazing battles in Skyrim, and our own Skyrim thread boasts some terrific descriptions of encounters of all kinds. And if he prefers the blocky, cartoony style of Amalur, that's his right (especially since he, um, draws cartoons).
 

 

I think the battle situations that Skyrim put you in were unique and awesome.  Everybody has a "so I was attacking a giant and all of a sudden three dragons came out of nowhere and started attacking" story.  The combat itself I found sloppy.  Especially the melee...specifically when you are surrounded by at least two enemies.  It was a lot of button mashing and wild swinging.  And often times it ended with my companion dead on the ground by my own hand because he got in my way.  After a while I was using the bow 100% of the time because it was much more accurate and easier to control. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob Singer 

 

I kinda hate broad, declarative staements like that. What I think he should have said is that he prefers the combat and art style in Amalur over Skyrim. Personally I had some amazing battles in Skyrim, and our own Skyrim thread boasts some terrific descriptions of encounters of all kinds. And if he prefers the blocky, cartoony style of Amalur, that's his right (especially since he, um, draws cartoons).
 

 

The combat in Skyrim is by leaps and bounds its worst part. Not the emergent awesomess that comes from its many interlocked systems. The actual combat, especially in melee is objectively poorly designed. With two exceptions. You either spec for one handed/shield and get the slow time block or you spec for daggers and only rely on sneak attacks. I'm not saying that this will be better than Skyrim. Skyrim was in my top three games of the year and I've only played the demo from Reckoning. But even in this short time the mechanics of the combat are way better than Skyrim. And for something that makes you fight and kill thousands of things good combat goes a long way.

I don't know if any combat system can make up for R.A. Salvatore being involved.

Christ, just looking at the four playable races(Two types of elves, one barbarian group of humans, and some civilized group of humans) with names like "Ljosalfar" makes me wish M. John Harrison was installed as "dictator of fantasy fiction."

People seem to have a misunderstanding about this. This is not the game Salvatore et co are developing at 38 Studios. That is an MMO. This was developed by Ken Rolston at Big Huge Games. When Curt Schilling's company bought Big Huge it was well into development. 38 Studios are only involved in this so far as consulting on the game fitting in the MMO's universe.

Listing him among the people involved then is super goddamn confusing.

http://reckoning.amalur.com/en/r/visionaries

And using words like "visionary" around guys like Salvatore is amusing.

Like him or not, he's a name. Of course they're going to list him even he only provided some background lore. 

I'm frightened that Salvatore would actually be listed as a positive for the game.

I wouldn't let people know that he used my bathroom, let alone have any vague story credits.

Yeah, but you champion Princess Kate, so we all assume you're deranged.

Admittedly I also deeply wish to probe Barry's mind, so you might be on to something.

Lots of hate for a dude that's sold, at least, a few million books..anyway. A new Ken Rolston game is coming out tomorrow! Fan boys all over the internet are using baby wipes on their keyboards right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGhost 

Lots of hate for a dude that's sold, at least, a few million books.

Yeah, but in one of those books, he killed Chewie! that probably accounts for half the hate out there.

He writes Star Wars tie-ins on top of his Dungeons and Dragons work? Yeah that's a really good sign that he's not that great of an author.

At this point though I'll basically be getting the game because I like open-world RPG's and need something to pass the time with now that I'm Skyrimed out. Not because of any background lore that reeks of the same pitiful post-Tolkien bullshit that's so goddamn common with fantasy games.

So, IGN loves it, and Joystiq adores it (although the guy didn't finish playing it, apparently). I suspect that my reaction will be closer aligned with the more tempered eurogamer review.

I have the feeling I'm going to end up with the exact same opinion too.