Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on February 16th, 2012

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It is a deep and rich experience in a world that has a wonderful back story and vibrant environments. The familiar role-playing elements are all there, along with a flexible and powerful combat system that ramps up the enjoyment factor.

Whether you plunge right into the main quest and ignore all others or decide to investigate every book and runestone throughout the land, "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" is ready for the challenge. Are you?

Crafting, fighting, and adventuring KoA:R has all the tenants of a standard fantasy RPG without feeling repetitive, rote, or recycled. I was reminded of different games as I played ('˜Skyrim,' '˜Dragon Age,' and '˜Fables'), but the connection to the other games was positive; I felt like I welcomed a new member to the family. I recommend this game to lovers of RPGs and to those new to the genre or new to video games. There is more to this game, and I could go on, but this review needs to end at some point, so I'm going to leave you with this. Whenever I play a game, I ask myself how likely I am to play the game again. I have three standard responses. The first one is, (Someone would have to pay me to play this game again.) The second one is, (If there is absolutely nothing out and I can't find anything else, then sure.) The last one is, (I can't wait to play this game again!) So, do I want to play '˜Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning' again?

I can't wait to play this game again!

Yes it wants to be a single player mmorpg, but like most it never tells a story (with the exception of swtor). R.A Salvatore work goes completely un noticed and the game suffers. In the industry when rpg's are at the pinnacle of game design. (Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) doesn't do enough to separate it's self from the competition and will quickly be forgettable as time moves along.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a beautiful game with fulfilling combat, but the addition of hundreds of filler quests detracts from the experience players will seek. At 15 or 20 hours played, it becomes clear that quests and tasks lobbed at the player routinely provide little reward. Far too often I found myself skipping dialogue sequences or, if not marked as '˜important', not choosing the option at all. Reckoning is as close to an MMO you can get in a single player experience, the problem is that they've come too close to that experience, while forgetting what makes an MMO tolerable: the other players.

For what it's worth, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an amazing game. I can't suggest it enough. RPG fans will fall in love with the customization of both your character and equipment, action fans will love the thought out combat and fantasy fans will love the lore and story. There's really something here for everyone, so much so that you may be put off by it all. I would say stick to the factions and main story quest lines if you start getting a little bored with the side quests. Even just doing those will give you over 25 hours of game play. For $60 you get a lot of game with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Is that game good? Absolutely.

Nonetheless, fate still has an interesting way in which it's woven. What 38 Studios has accomplished with their freshman release is nothing less than astonishing. No easy feat in such a competitive market, dominated by companies who possess years of experience. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning offers a fluid combat system, never found in a role-playing title before. A truly magical world inhabited by creatures straight from the warped mind of Todd McFarlane. Ingredients that when combined deliver a fresh gaming experience that offers hours upon hours of game play. The only real question is when you unwrap Reckoning, was the purchase made of your own free will, or was it fate?

What matters is that the game, at its heart, delivers on entertainment value but fails to meet the criteria for becoming the next big epic fantasy IP. It's a strong fantasy action game with role-playing elements, but its dependence on its combat system in lieu of vital RPG elements such as character development and choice is what keeps it from being a great game as opposed to just a really good one. Still, Reckoning is not the last we'll hear of the Amalur universe with an MMO in the works, there are still opportunities for this series to grow. Reckoning delivered on the foam, we'll just have to wait and see if future installments can provide the beer.

Looking back, I'm surprised how much I enjoyed Reckoning. It's absolutely a change of pace from Skyrim or Dragon Age, and it locks in on what makes World of Warcraft fun while ditching most of the stuff that makes it a tedious time-suck.

Part of my enjoyment probably comes from playing it on the PC the graphics are a serious step up from consoles in some places, and the load times are much reduced but part of it comes from the game being just a fun, light RPG.

Even if the game doesn't get too much traction now, I can see it becoming a sleeper hit over the course of the next year when its price inevitably drops and more people give it a chance.

Kingdoms of Amalur is by no means a disaster. On the contrary, it shows a great deal of promise for the future, albeit without excelling on its debut outing. Considering the masterminds behind KOA's creation, it's a shame that a few more risks weren't taken to truly set it apart from similar western RPGs and fantasy fiction.

At its finest, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an accomplished example of swashbuckling swordplay. At its worst, it's a decent game that sticks disappointingly close to fantasy formulas we've become all too accustomed to.

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