Back when we here at g33kWatch first learned about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, we didnt know what to expect other than the fact that saying the title name more than once can get tiring. With the mind R.A. Salvatore penning the story, Todd McFarlane doing artwork and Ken Rolston being the head designer, how could it fail? Well, it seems we were right, it’s lived up to they hype.

Disclaimer: I have not finished the game

Here’s why that’s a good thing:

I have spent the better part of the past week playing and trying to learn the ins and outs of this game and it would be a complete disservice to the studio and to you for me to rush through it. Amalur is massive, like spend-200+-hours-of-your-life-trying-to-finish-everything-and-still-not-be-done massive. Now this is due to 38 Studios originally starting development of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning as an MMORPG It was then picked up by Big Huge Games and turned into the single player RPG we know now. The MMO pedigree shows with the way the cities are laid out (vendors, healers, and trainers located in certain areas), the amount of quests available (a lot), character creation, and the leveling system (talent trees). Enough about history, let’s get into the details.

Stuff I Enjoyed

Combat is where Amalur shines. It’s fast paced and action packed. Every attack, spell, and movement you hit is well executed and flows seamlessly and beautifully. This combat system also does away with button mashing. Taking cues from fighting games, KoA:R employs a timed combo system which takes a little getting used to initially but when you get the hang of it, ultimately makes fighting the baddies significantly easier. Also, it doesn’t hurt that you feel and look like a total badass while doing it.

Visually, the art direction is beautiful. The landscapes are lush and the characters have some great detail. Unfortunately though, they took the art into a direction more closely seen with comics or World of Warcraft. It would have been nice to have seen a more photo realistic world but the style works for them.

This story is full of choices and insists on allowing you to play the game the way you want. You have a choice of putting points into three talent trees, magic, melee, and finesse. From here, you can choose your own Fate which gives bonuses to certain attributes (ie. defense, damage, magic). Now, if you don’t like what you did, all of this can be reset as you wish (for a price of course).

If you’re the type of person that likes getting their hands dirty and not buying items, you can make your own. The item creation system here is actually quite robust. It’s broken down into 3 parts, armor/weapons, magic items, and socketable gems. Materials aren’t too hard to find and there are multiple different combinations which yield some very useful stuff and is usually better than found items.

Stuff I Didn’t Like

Unfortunately, Amalur has it’s downfalls. Landscapes don’t always render properly, sound and actions aren’t always synced up, and noticeable lag during action scenes. While not ruining the games, these problems feel like they should have been cleaned up after all the issues people had in the beta.

The NPCs are sadly forgettable. While the main story holds you and you get a real feel for the plot, the side quests don’t give you much drive. There is an awful pattern of boring, repetitive tasks one would expect from a major MMO. You can only collect x things and kill x monsters before you get frustrated and want to stop playing.

As I’ve said in this whole review, this game has MMO roots and they show. While some of you may like color coordinated rarity systems, neatly designed cities, and an affinity for boring quests, I can assure I don’t. I don’t want to have to feel like I should be worrying if my character is spec’d correctly. Granted, you never come to a point where gearing is an issue with the abundance of loot available.

All in all, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a beautifully made game with some serious rust spots. Whether or not you choose to play it depends on what you want in an RPG. It’s easy to pick up, offers some great variety, and gives you something visually stunning to look at. I’d recommend it for anyone who likes RPGs and wants something fun to play, but for those looking for great story, this might be a pass.

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