Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on February 11th, 2012

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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is now one of my favorite RPGs of all time. It doesn't necessarily do anything you haven't seen before, but it does those things in a way that is fresh and fun. The world is pleasing to look at, the story is deep and the combat is the best part, rather than being an afterthought. I can actually see myself playing this one for 200 hours. Big Huge Games aren't pretending anymore, they have the next big franchise on their hands here.

Fantasy heads who have already tapped out Skyrim and Dark Souls might find something here to keep them busy. The individual tasks have a grinding lizard-brain appeal. But Reckoning adds nothing new. It can't even properly imitate the old.

There may be a few issues here and there that would have elevated this game to (awesome legendary entry for a new IP) if they were included (sorry, I can't get the lack of out of combat health regeneration out of my head), there is a lot of awesome content packed into this experience that will likely satisfy those looking for a reprieve from the world of other recent entries in the genre. Role playing fans should certainly focus their radars firmly in the direction of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, as it is a worthy entry in the genre and a franchise I hope to see in it for the long haul.

Reckoning is not the online multiplayer world that Mr. Schilling originally set out to create. He scaled down his ambitions to a more manageable single-player game in 2009, as 38 Studios acquired Big Huge Games, a developer in Maryland that was already working on a single-player experience. So, as a practical matter, the real praise for making Reckoning, as excellent as it is, should go to Ken Rolston and his team at Big Huge. They are the real stars here.

But Mr. Schilling deserves a tremendous amount of credit for not messing up the work of the professionals and cultivating, understanding and protecting the vision that the Big Huge team has pursued. From a Yankee fan to a Yankee killer, I offer a gracious tip of my cap.

Absolutely get Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning if you're looking for a deep fantasy world - but if you can't handle the MMO flavour, you might want to give it a pass. KOA:R shines when it is being creative or original - when you get lost in the depth of the combat, or the wealth of backstory - and falters when it apes other games. And seriously - it's 2012... lose the invisible walls already.

Still, there's a kind of comfort-food appeal to "Reckoning," and it's enjoyable despite its predictability. Moreover, it's a very promising debut from 38 Studios, and I'm sure we'll see further installments. Next time Schilling and his teammates take the field, I hope they throw a few more curveballs.

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