Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PS3)
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DESCRIPTION
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a new action role-playing game, set in the massive fantasy world of Amalur. The game promises to be something special with the lead designer being Ken Rolston (lead designer for Elder Scrolls III and Elder Scrolls IV), the story being written by renowned author R. A. Salvatore (22-times on the New York Times bestseller list), and the game artwork and animation under the direction of Todd McFarlane (Spider-Man artist and the creator of Spawn).Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a huge open-world game, and the world of Amalur has five distinct regions. There are four playable races within the game comprising two human races and two races of elves. There are also three distinct class-trees (Might, Finesse, Sorcery), with 22 available abilities per class-tree. The dynamic combat system allows all characters to simultaneously use a primary and a secondary weapon, as well as a variety of magic spells - there are numerous melee-weapon and ranged-weapon classes, as well as dozens of spells to choose from.
This is a huge game, with a captivating storyline, a multitude of side-quests, and a enormous open-world to explore. With the main-quest taking an estimated 60 hours to complete, there is plenty of content in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning to keep RPG fans entranced for many months to come.
FEATURES:
- Fascinating Open-World to Explorer - The five regions of Amalur are brimming with spectacular landscapes, mysterious cities and towns, fantastic creatures, gruesome enemies as well as colourful characters to interact with. You can focus on completing only the main-quest, completing the various side-quests you uncover, or just go and explore the world - the choice is yours.
- Flexible Character Development - Choose from four playable races, the Almain (noble humans), the Varani (nomadic humans), the Ljosalfar (light elves), and the Dokkalfar (dark elves). Players start the game as a 'blank slate', but can develop their chosen character along three different class-trees - Might (a fighter), Finesse (a rogue), and Sorcery (a mage). There are 22 abilities per class-tree and you can develop your character any way you want using a mixture of abilities and skills from any class-tree.
- Dynamic Combat System - All characters can use a primary and a secondary weapon, as well as wield magic spells at the same time. Equip yourself for battle using melee-weapons (there are nine melee-weapon classes), ranged-weapons (such as bows), various types of armour, and dozens of available spells. Finish off your enemies using Fateshift kills, which are brutal slow-motion finishing-moves.
- Collect and Craft Useful Items - With a large inventory limit, players can collect a large number of useful items as well as weapons as they journey through the game. Using items collected, players can use the ingenious item crafting system to create brand-new items.
IGN Reviews - Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review
 Score 7.5 Good | Kingdoms of Amalur's combat and character advancement are fantastic enough to overshadow how bland everything else is. The Good
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 Score 9.0 Amazing | No matter what you're looking for, whether it be amazing gameplay, immersive storytelling or perhaps a riveting new world to explore as you fully customize and re-customize your character at will, Reckoning has it all. Presentation: 8.5 Amalur totes an impressive story penned by one of the great fantasy authors of our time, and it takes place in a fantastic fictional world. It’s complex and hard to follow at times, though. Graphics: 8.0 Beautiful environments and solid animations are marred by fairly shoddy-looking character models. I wish lip-syncing was more on-point during dialogue. Sound: 8.0 Music is sparse, but the voice-acting is well-executed and really adds a great deal to the story. Characters have a lot to say, and that’s a good thing. Gameplay: 9.5 The bread and butter of the game. Reckoning sets the bar very high for other games moving forward, and is an absolute pleasure to play. Lasting Appeal: 9.5 I hope you have a hell of a lot of time on your hands, because Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will require all of it for the foreseeable future. |
 Score 8 Great | The result might be something lacking a certain flair for individuality, but in reality Reckoning is more a meditation on the genre. Like Blizzard, 38 Studios has a tendency to hunt and peck through the archives of various mechanics and apply what it's learned. In Reckoning's case this results in one of the most comprehensive RPG offerings from a single game. . . . Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's wholly undiluted overview of Western RPGs often amounts to a beige concoction of a thousand blended fantasy worlds, but it's also a testament to 38 Studio's inherent knowledge of the genre. It's a workmanlike interpretation of what makes an RPG tick, placing a spotlight on all the right mechanics and features that most titles struggle to perfect. Regardless of the game's bland exterior, Reckoning is considerably well crafted.
✓ A thorough knowledge of the genre ✓ Massive explorable environment x Struggles to develop its own identity x Highly cliche'd |
 Score B+ Good 85% | Reckoning manages to take a little bit from every RPG, yet create something wholly new and distinct for its debut. Reckoning is a damn fine first effort. While I initially felt like it was a re-hash or ripoff of tired genre mechanics, I eventually came to realize that Reckoning actually feels like a passion project made by someone with deep pockets - namely a big geek like Curt Schilling. Despite its faults, Reckoning doesn't feel like a typical made-by-committee or focus-group-driven game - it feels like Schilling gave Big Huge Games a blank check, and once in a while piped, 'Hey, it'd be cool if you included this element I liked from this other game'. Reckoning stands as a triumph; it's a first-time RPG from a studio known for RTS games, and a new property from a new company. It's a bold and audacious game that impresses me enough to wonder what its follow-up will be like. And, to circle back, it reminds me of the first time I heard The College Dropout: I can trace its roots and identify what he's sampling from, but overall, it's a damn good first effort. |
 Score 8 Great | We’re happy that the game has created a world we actually cared about full of unique characters and interesting monsters. Though we didn’t fall in love with how the world looked or how we interacted with it, we bought into the world itself - which is undeniably more important. GamesRadar Verdict Amalur does a lot of things better than some of the best out there. The combat is stronger than Skyrim’s by a long shot, and the world feels more alive than games like Fable. It tells a good story well, and lays the foundation for a series we hope to see more of in the future, fate be damned. You'll love
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 Score 8.0 | Despite its problems, Reckoning is a good game with a lot of stuff worth checking out. But even with all of the talent backing it, it’s just on the edge of being something much greater than it is. Concept: A beloved writer, artist, and designer team up to create a huge action/RPG. Graphics: Borrows heavily from the stylized look of World of Warcraft, but the level of detail and amount of color set it apart from similar fantasy RPGs. Sound: A memorable score and solid voice acting take a hit from some annoying sound bugs that occasionally cause syncing issues. Playability: The mix of Elder Scrolls questing and God of War combat makes for one of the most approachable, easy-to-enjoy RPGs ever. Entertainment: There’s practically too much content here, and though some of it feels derivative and uninspired, fun core mechanics kept me engaged. Replay: High – You’ll still be popping this game in five years from now |
