Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

 PC
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1215 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 614 out of 1215
  2. Mixed: 345 out of 1215
  3. Negative: 256 out of 1215
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  1. LP68CA
    Feb 11, 2012
    8
    Reckoning is a good action RPG, with solid combat, great animation and spell effects, a unique game world, and colorful art palette. The class, skill and ability system is deep and rewarding. Quests are engaging, and there is plenty of content to get lost in. In no way does it deserve a score less than 7 by any objective reviewer. These reviews in the 0-3 range are pure troll bait. Don'tReckoning is a good action RPG, with solid combat, great animation and spell effects, a unique game world, and colorful art palette. The class, skill and ability system is deep and rewarding. Quests are engaging, and there is plenty of content to get lost in. In no way does it deserve a score less than 7 by any objective reviewer. These reviews in the 0-3 range are pure troll bait. Don't let the haters put you off the vibrant world of Amalur.… Expand
  2. yum
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    The best rpg i've played since i started playing rpgs with breath of fire 2.
    Huge! open world.Amazing gameplay. Intense graphic style.
    The best thing is the feeling to be able to play whichever way you want - you can literally customize your gameplay experience decisively at any point in the game and the game rewards you for it. KoA is unlike anything else i've played able to convey this    The best rpg i've played since i started playing rpgs with breath of fire 2.
    Huge! open world.Amazing gameplay. Intense graphic style.
    The best thing is the feeling to be able to play whichever way you want - you can literally customize your gameplay experience decisively at any point in the game and the game rewards you for it. KoA is unlike anything else i've played able to convey this feeling of freedom    … Expand
  3. barrettkeegan
    Feb 11, 2012
    9
    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a fantastic game. It is a little rough around the edges in some places (I'm looking at you character models), but the majority of the design is very well done, and the all important fun factor is a 10/10. Unfortunately, for some reason, the PC version of the game has taken a beating from users, and when searching through other reviews, I would encourage youKingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a fantastic game. It is a little rough around the edges in some places (I'm looking at you character models), but the majority of the design is very well done, and the all important fun factor is a 10/10. Unfortunately, for some reason, the PC version of the game has taken a beating from users, and when searching through other reviews, I would encourage you to look critically at them. Complaints like not being able to aim bows are irrelevant. There is an auto-aim system. With that out of the way, feel free to read the rest of this review, which will be more in-depth.

    First, the game runs great. I actually have it installed on a two year old laptop, and I get good performance at all but the very highest possible graphic setting combination. There are some framerate issues where you would expect - high intensity particle effects during combat, and when the you switch from looking mostly at the ground to a more environment intensive "heads-up" view. During my 25 hours of gameplay, I have experienced only one major graphical glitch, which is another plus.

    The game plays very much like an arcade, complete with a very classic combo-oriented fighting style. Each enemy is different, and there are frequent cases where you must adapt how you play in order to prevail. That said, each no play style feels frustratingly pointless. Stealth, Magic, and Might all have their own merits, and are enjoyable to play. You can also combine these fighting styles in any grouping and be sure that it is a workable way to play. If you are ever frustrated and want to restart, you can even reset the skill trees that you can invest in each time you level up. Gameplay is fast paced, dynamic, and responds to what you put in.
    My experience with the Dispelling mechanic is my only real complaint, and even then, I feel that it may be my own ineptitude.

    However, the game is noticeably easy. As the ideal player model who finds normal modes a fair but plausible challenge, I don't have too much problem on hard here. However, if you have played the demo, note that the game is harder in the actual version.

    Graphically, the game is Cartoony and colorful, the graphical aspect at times feels a little cliche. That really isn't a bad thing though, all things considered. The terrain is wonderfully detailed and constructed, feeling varied and exciting. However, character models, while certainly not awful, are severely lacking - particularly your own, who you do have to watch stare mutely at various NPCs during the cutscenes that litter the game. The fighting is great fun to watch, and I must say, the kill cams when you manipulate fate are a treat to see.

    The sound is nice, if unobtrusive. Music is very beautiful and fitting, but relatively sparse. The sound effects are nice as well, blending in well, with no obvious annoying noises sticking out. Where the game sags a little is the voice acting. Most of it is actually very good, but the accents chosen are horrifically corny. All the gnomes have that terrible Olde British sound that has been an RPG staple for years. The thing is, that sound has worn off by now, and many other voices fall prey to the same trap.

    The menus are a little clunky on the PC, and having seen some console gameplay, it is clear that the game was designed with consoles in mind, with their button mapping being much cleaner. You CAN rebind keys on the PC at least, which is a plus.

    Now for the story. This is something you will have to decide yourself. I personally enjoy it, although it doesn't live up to something like Deus Ex: Human Revolution. However, I do not believe there is any way someone could legitimately call it inept, or terrible. Either way, the thing to take away is that the story is not what drives the game, and if you like it, hey! Bonus points!

    The nice thing about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is that it is huge. You could probably spend 200 hours on this game without repeating yourself if you were thorough, and the main quest alone, while I have not completed it, is shaping up to be at least 50-60 hours long.
    It is technically open world, but the level scaling does mean that certain places are unbelievably dangerous to head into too early on. It also works more like separate map chunks linked by thin passages, but if you were to take away the maps of the game, nobody would notice the difference. I would have liked to see more enemy variety though. Each area seems to have two or three staple enemies, which sometimes gets a little old.

    The bottom line is, there are several rough spots in Kingoms of Amalur: Reckoning that mar an otherwise incredible game. While it may not be objectively as good as something like Skyrim, it is different enough to certainly warrant your time. The good far outweighs the mediocre in this amazing game from Big Huge studios. I would give it an 8.5 out of ten, but Metacritic requires whole number ratings, and this game is deserving of more than an 8.    … Expand
  4. azizex666
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    This game is pretty amazing despite a few minor flaws.
    for a first release from 38 studios, they did a wonderful job of creating a beautiful world and a very dynamic combat system.
    My verdict as an avid PC gamer, try it!
  5. Narria
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    I have attempted to play many single player RPGs (I am an avid MMO player) and none has ever captured my interest or held my attention like Reckoning has. I am continually excited to see what's around the next corner. The beauty of the game is just breathtaking and I find myself easy distracted by just looking at everything. I love love love the story and am always looking forward toI have attempted to play many single player RPGs (I am an avid MMO player) and none has ever captured my interest or held my attention like Reckoning has. I am continually excited to see what's around the next corner. The beauty of the game is just breathtaking and I find myself easy distracted by just looking at everything. I love love love the story and am always looking forward to the next step in the journey.… Expand
  6. Gamer950
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    one of the best games I've ever played, my english its no good enought but i will say that this games is amazing, 9.6 for me.


    from Spain
  7. Hannar
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    Amazing quest structure and lore. Engaging and addictive combat. The world is beautifully designed. Controller integration is flawless and helps the game feel fast paced. I'm about 50 hours in right now and absolutely loving the game. Some of the skills are unbalanced and need tweaking, but this is a phenomenal first effort from 38 Studios/Big Huge Games in the Amalur world.
  8. steklok
    Feb 11, 2012
    3
    Do not like it completely, like a Korean MMO, this is a silly cartoon graphics and low-poly model of the environment. This is another shame that it was not worth releasing on the PC.
  9. Honorcrown
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    Gorgeous artwork! And it's super easy to get started...and hooked. I've been playing all night. It's a terrific game to share with family and friends.
  10. stimpack99
    Feb 11, 2012
    9
    Finally an RPG without stupid automated bot controlled mmo'ified COMBAT. I've been waiting for videogames to get back to being games and not movies! This game was made FOR ME. Someone who has been disappointed with the so called "rpgs" of the last 10 years which catered to the reflexless and skill-less masses who only want pretty movies rendered on their consoles and PC's and theFinally an RPG without stupid automated bot controlled mmo'ified COMBAT. I've been waiting for videogames to get back to being games and not movies! This game was made FOR ME. Someone who has been disappointed with the so called "rpgs" of the last 10 years which catered to the reflexless and skill-less masses who only want pretty movies rendered on their consoles and PC's and the gameplay can take a backseat.

    The team behind Kingdoms of Amalur gets what gaming is about - doing things and being in control, not about watching movies. The most important part of the game - the combat, beats most RPG's that have come out over the last 10 years. While KoA (kingdoms of Amalur) is rough around the edges in terms of story and quests, the battle, loot and crafting systems are great and have even more potential in a sequel. I absolutely loved the arena section of the game and being able to have townhouses where you stash your items. If you love videogames you have to buy this game so a sequel gets made to fix the rough edges of this gem in the rough. If the game had more time in development it could have smoothed out the rough edges for story types, but as a videogame it is a must to buy to make sure more actual games get made and not stupid bot driven combat cutting out the gameplay for conveyor-belting you through a story as other RPG's and MMO's have all become over the last 10 years. The combat system makes all other MMO type RPG's look like games for skill-less and reflexless retards. Kingdoms of Amalur gets back to basics for videogames after 10 long years of automated combat.    … Expand
  11. TiredofTrolls
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    Really pathetic to see posters giving a game like this a 0 - 3 because the "weapons degrade". MC needs to weed out the trolls who try to sabotage scores simply because MC allows them to. MC is losing all cred as a reliable site because of these idiots

    to the game: perfect., no, but a helluva lot of fun and a visual feast. combat is a blast. the visuals arenet in the realistic school ala    Really pathetic to see posters giving a game like this a 0 - 3 because the "weapons degrade". MC needs to weed out the trolls who try to sabotage scores simply because MC allows them to. MC is losing all cred as a reliable site because of these idiots

    to the game: perfect., no, but a helluva lot of fun and a visual feast. combat is a blast. the visuals arenet in the realistic school ala Skyrim, but thats different, NOT bad.    … Expand
  12. WoodyPWX
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    I have to say I love this kind of graphics style. That's why I played WoW for several years. But this game surprised me by its combat system and sound/music quality in demo, so I bought it immediately to reward its developer even though I usually wait a bit to pay less. I play a mage on hard mode and it took me more than 5 hours to get to the first village even though I have played theI have to say I love this kind of graphics style. That's why I played WoW for several years. But this game surprised me by its combat system and sound/music quality in demo, so I bought it immediately to reward its developer even though I usually wait a bit to pay less. I play a mage on hard mode and it took me more than 5 hours to get to the first village even though I have played the demo :) Yeah, it takes time to discover all dungeons, secret areas and carefully listen to all the dialogs. Probably thanks to the demo progress, I received some equipment to the game chest, but i don't want to use it as it would make the game play much easier. It's hard to trash "epics" though :D There are some minor issues, like camera view blocked by the player itself, narrow FOV, UI could be better on PC etc. but nothing serious. I had also a problem with Origin account access as I bought the game on Steam, but that has been immediately solved by EA support.… Expand
  13. trollkiller
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    This game may not be as complete a world as Skyrim, but it is truly fun. MC really shoulod set some standards so intellectually challenged 5 year old trolls could be screened out...you know, the ones who love to slant scores by giving a 1 or 2 because, say, "the armor deteriorates"
  14. Gorzil
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    I started out giving this game an 8 because of a few little things that bothered me such as camera and dialog style, but i soon got used to them and the more i play the more i am amazed, this game is absolutely incredible!
    If you enjoyed Fable, or Darksiders, if you like any action adventure and RPG, this game is gonna rock your world, loving it more by the hour, it's insane how much there    I started out giving this game an 8 because of a few little things that bothered me such as camera and dialog style, but i soon got used to them and the more i play the more i am amazed, this game is absolutely incredible!
    If you enjoyed Fable, or Darksiders, if you like any action adventure and RPG, this game is gonna rock your world, loving it more by the hour, it's insane how much there is to it, you never stop discovering, a must have! you will adore it! 9.5/10    … Expand
  15. Buttonman
    Feb 11, 2012
    0
    Very disappointed with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, I played the demo and did not like the camera angles at all, the camera is way too close to your character with no option to move it further back. However on 38 Studios forums the actual developers said (following lots of negative feedback about the camera) that they had addressed this and in the finished game you would, amongstVery disappointed with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, I played the demo and did not like the camera angles at all, the camera is way too close to your character with no option to move it further back. However on 38 Studios forums the actual developers said (following lots of negative feedback about the camera) that they had addressed this and in the finished game you would, amongst several fixes to the camera, be able to scroll the camera back for a better view. I don't know what the supposed fixes were, but I appear to have been lied to, as I can see no difference between the camera problems in the demo and in the half-finished game that has been released. The camera is still very dodgy and far too close most of the time in combat. Also I feel that this game is one of the classic examples of style over substance, get a big name linked to the project, do some flashy trailers prior to release, do a demo and say the bad things in the demo will be fixed at release and away you go. This game actually has nice looking combat animations but that is about all it has going for it on the PC, it has an awful console ported user interface for PC, it isn't actually an open world (that's an outright lie imho), the story is very average as are the quests, the crafting system is pointless (the items that drop all the time are far better than what you can craft and spending points on crafting means you are not spending them on combat abilities so you gimp yourself). Oh and as usual, the games studio monkeys are giving it automatic 10/10 reviews which is just laughable not to mention the critic reviews should just hang their heads in shame at the unrealistically high review scores they have given it.… Expand
  16. eoloperfido
    Feb 11, 2012
    9
    Really a great game. I've been playing it for 3 hours and enjoyed it a lot. The game is very Flexible and the action combat system is exciting and really working here... This year was a lucky one for PC Rpg fans. Skyrin, Witcher 2 and now KOA. Going back to play...
  17. reyhan12
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    I believe media outlets have bloated the game's overall rating. KoA is definitely a game worth playing. It's fun, fast paced, button mashing action is definitely enjoyable.The gameplay is fun but it's definitely not new. You have Gods of War, Devil May Cry and Fable that just about has the same feel for the gameplay.

    One other thing that reviewers have been praising is KoA's polish. Sure    I believe media outlets have bloated the game's overall rating. KoA is definitely a game worth playing. It's fun, fast paced, button mashing action is definitely enjoyable.The gameplay is fun but it's definitely not new. You have Gods of War, Devil May Cry and Fable that just about has the same feel for the gameplay.

    One other thing that reviewers have been praising is KoA's polish. Sure there's not many bugs but for me this is a minor nuisance yet I believe reviewers have given much weight into this.    … Expand
  18. MercilessMonkey
    Feb 10, 2012
    9
    Cons: Skill trees are somewhat wonky, kind of small and restrict the choices in a strange way if you're playing a hybrid class. Camera zoom is awfully strange sometimes. However ,those are the only two real problems I have with this game so far in the many, many hours I've played in the past week.

    Pros: Some of the most fun combat I've ever played in an RPG; it flows extremely well, and    Cons: Skill trees are somewhat wonky, kind of small and restrict the choices in a strange way if you're playing a hybrid class. Camera zoom is awfully strange sometimes. However ,those are the only two real problems I have with this game so far in the many, many hours I've played in the past week.

    Pros: Some of the most fun combat I've ever played in an RPG; it flows extremely well, and has a ton of depth. My big gripe with a lot of other games is how clunky and/or boring the combat is. KoA has none of these problems and the combat alone would make it worth playing. However, almost everything else about it is also excellent. The writing is very well done. I'm finding myself quite wrapped up in the universe and on a lot of the main quest lines. There's a lot to it and it's fairly complex, but if you spend time talking to the important NPCs there's a ton to get out of it. The loot system is very well done, everything feels very unique and crafting is quite satisfying. I actually like the graphics even though some people seem to have a problem with them. They certainly aren't realistic, but I think they go well with the type of game it is. The environments and enemies all look great so long as you're not looking for gritty realism. Overall, this game has very few flaws, and they're minor ones at that. It's very unique in the genre, and I highly recommend that everyone play it.    … Expand
  19. InnerWarChild
    Feb 10, 2012
    8
    The dev team for Amalur get a decent amount of kudos from me for this title. There is a lot of work put into this game and most of it really does come off quite well. It's not god's gift to RPG's, so I do think anyone giving this game a 10 is a bit crazy (or maybe this is their first game played in their life). No, it's not a life changing experience (at least when you play it while notThe dev team for Amalur get a decent amount of kudos from me for this title. There is a lot of work put into this game and most of it really does come off quite well. It's not god's gift to RPG's, so I do think anyone giving this game a 10 is a bit crazy (or maybe this is their first game played in their life). No, it's not a life changing experience (at least when you play it while not tripping on mushrooms). But it is definitely worthy of a buy if you like games like God of War and Fable or action-RPG's in general. Trust me the game has some meat to it, though to be honest it's probably NOT worth $60 whopping USD they are charging for the PC version. I don't understand why it's $15 more on the PC when as far as I can tell there is nothing specific to the PC version that would warrant it. I will do this review in a different way than most and list pros and cons an final thoughts

    PROS:

    -Nice art direction care of artist Todd McFarlane
    -Large game world
    -Huge amounts of lore. The game was written to some extent by world renowned fantasy author R.A Salvatore, and the lore comes from his novels as far as I know. Every PC you can talk to has a few dialog options to speak about to fill you in a bit deeper on the lore if you care about it.
    -Fun "God ofWar" like combat
    -Bajillion sidequests -Fully voiced NPC's
    -Armor/weaponcrafting, alchemy, gemcrafting
    -Just a good solid RPG. CONS:

    -Your character has no voice - Some people don't mind this, but I prefer my protagonist to have a voice of his own. It is just one more thing that adds character and charm. -NPC's are too stiff during dialog- In games like Mass Effect 2, the characters really feel like they are "there". Here, everything is very wooden, and I'd like to see the next game in the series do more with the "acting". -Graphical texture pop in is very annoying and no way to fix it on the PC since it is hard coded into he game cross platform. This was done to make developing for the PS3 easier and so they could launch all platforms at the same time. To me it's very annoying and my eyes are constantly being drawn to these graphical anomalies because they just pop in so close to the character and they are therefore distracting to my game experience. -No worthwhile camera control - The camera is in my and many other players' opinions way to close to the character and there is no way to move it back. They give you an over the shoulder option (think Dead Space) but it's pointless and I don't know why anyone would use it to be honest. In a game like this you need to be able to see all sides of you. -Some claim the game is "too easy" even on Hard mode. -Some of the skills in the skill-trees can be rather "meh", but to get the highest tier abilities, you are forced to take them making some levels seem like a waste.
    -No autorun key (Trust me you will wish for one, though on the official forums someone linked a tool that you can run while playing the game where you can set an autorun key)
    -No real easy way to scroll through abilities making it hard to use them in the heat of battle (PC version, I don't know how it is on the consoles) though the program mentioned above allows you to also scroll through them with the mousewheel if you choose. -No real use for gold. I have currently $500,000 and I barely buy anything. There's definitely items that I could buy that will be an upgrade to my equipment, but since I maxed out smithing, I keep waiting to find the "Master" parts to craft top grade items. So in essence I'm running through the game with a slight handicap, but I've invested in alchemy so I pop potions galore to keep me alive. I would like to feel like i NEED to buy these items and do something with this gold though. THOUGHTS:

    I don't understand how some people are hating on this game. In my opinion these people are very jaded gamers that have seen it all by now and expect games being released now to change their life or something. None of the cons written above even when all combined are enough to stop me from playing and enjoying this game. I like the combat, I want to see what is next in the story, I like the loot hunting, the world looks nice, the story is very competent, and I really don't know what else in this era of gaming an RPG can offer besides that sort of gameplay. I highly suggest you purchase it at some point and show EA that giving a new game franchise a shot is a lucrative investment, or else all we may see is the same old same old. I really want to see what these guys do in a second installment because I think it will be what the Witcher 2 was to its predecessor.    … Expand
  20. Snelling
    Feb 10, 2012
    10
    I have to say this is the game I have been waiting for. It has been a long time since I've played a single player RPG that has held my attention for longer than 10 hours. I'm 30 hours into the game with no sign of slowing down (still in the first area since I'm a bit of a completionist). The combat is much more in depth than I originally thought when I first played the game. It seemsI have to say this is the game I have been waiting for. It has been a long time since I've played a single player RPG that has held my attention for longer than 10 hours. I'm 30 hours into the game with no sign of slowing down (still in the first area since I'm a bit of a completionist). The combat is much more in depth than I originally thought when I first played the game. It seems as if layer upon layer is added to combat the deeper that you get into the game. I wonder if anyone else has noticed that most the negative reviews are first time users or douches who don't have a review higher than a 3 in their review history.… Expand
  21. ErebusMaligan
    Feb 10, 2012
    5
    After playing 15 hours, i'm struggling to try and get my money's worth. The game isn't terrible... it just isn't very engrossing. And on the whole there is more negative than positive.

    Pros: -Talent trees are decent enough, and the ability to respec everything totally for a cost is a nice addition more games should have. -Combat is smooth and any individual confrontation is    After playing 15 hours, i'm struggling to try and get my money's worth. The game isn't terrible... it just isn't very engrossing. And on the whole there is more negative than positive.

    Pros: -Talent trees are decent enough, and the ability to respec everything totally for a cost is a nice addition more games should have. -Combat is smooth and any individual confrontation is enjoyable enough, if not a bit hack n' slash/console oriented. I had no problems with the camera as others have stated, but i wouldn't mind it back a little bit. -Seems to be plenty to do, and plenty of areas to go to -Plenty of loot, and i'm sure plenty of fun combinations of play when combined with the talent trees.

    Cons: -Repetitive... extremely repetitive quests, that never feel rewarding in any way. Half the time i don't even really know what or why i'm doing it, i just go wherever the dot is, because the dialog is extremely uninteresting. -It's just one long hack and slash game with no particularly engaging story. -Everything is incredibly generic or cliched. You are a hero with some ability nobody else has, with a lost memory who was resurrected.... -Extremely easy. While the combat looks cool and engaging, it's basically a series of hitting one button and pausing. Even with the difficulty on hard, it is 0 challenge to take on groups of 6-7 guys. I've only run into a few minibosses so far, but they were both easily beaten too. -Interface is cumbersome. The interface to view anything or change your inventory, is just way too much click around. It's not gamebreaking or anything, but every time i have to check on a new item it just takes way too long and gets in the way. It's like navigating a business application menu structure, not a game. -Graphics. Uninspired, very WoWish. As an avid wow player for the last 6 years, it's not a gamebreaker for me, but i never really cared for wow's graphics style either. The distance where objects pop up is beyond awful... you will regularly see things pop into view or higher texture only a few feet in front of you. There is also no way to adjust this or other common graphics settings that most games have had for the last 7 years...


    Any of the cons individually are not a deal breaker, and could be ignored, but taken as a whole, it's just not that entertaining. The demo is pretty much what you get in the full game, it never really becomes MORE than that.

    Just as a strict measure of entertainment per hour, WoW on average costs me about $0.1 per hour of entertainment monthly. Skyrim (which also had numerous flaws) I got about 287 hours out of before i called it quits, which equates to about $0.22 per hour. This game... i'm going to struggle to get 20-25 hours out of. That equates to about $3 per hour. So it's about a 14x worse investment than skyrim. Do the math, do yourself a favor, and at least wait until this is on a major sale if you are thinking about getting it.    … Expand
  22. whitespider999
    Feb 10, 2012
    8
    I am tired of people constantly saying the media are corrupt as a whole. It's a reductive statement that is immature. It's become a unfortunate trend.
    Anyway --- The actual game in question. This does not have the weight or depth of the elder scrolls (as well as no modding/pc graphical features) - however it gets a lot right. What it takes from fable/world of warcraft/skyrim/oblivion - are    I am tired of people constantly saying the media are corrupt as a whole. It's a reductive statement that is immature. It's become a unfortunate trend.
    Anyway --- The actual game in question. This does not have the weight or depth of the elder scrolls (as well as no modding/pc graphical features) - however it gets a lot right. What it takes from fable/world of warcraft/skyrim/oblivion - are solid elements. It puts them together in it's own way - and gives you a semi open world with random rewarding loot, and a exceptional combat system. My major issue is the side quests, which resemble a mmo. Fetch x, Kill x, Collect x, Goto x and Repeat. And while this is a problem, you can actually happily grind away in this game for a while doing these quests, because of the loot and combat being so rewarding. As for the faction quests/Main quest. They are of a far higher standard, and should be what you do when you get tired of the side stuff. Switch it up and you will have a fun time. Solid game. And serves as a great "break from skyrim" game. If open world rpg's are your genre of choice.    … Expand
  23. Footstick
    Feb 10, 2012
    10
    From the first time you set foot in Amalur, you will see that 38 Studios has created an immersive and wonderful fantasy RPG that will appeal to many. The world of Reckoning is vast and sometimes might overwhelm players with the mass amount of things to do. The graphics are stunning, the voice acting is great and the combat system is very fluid and feels natural.

    Overall a must buy for RPG    From the first time you set foot in Amalur, you will see that 38 Studios has created an immersive and wonderful fantasy RPG that will appeal to many. The world of Reckoning is vast and sometimes might overwhelm players with the mass amount of things to do. The graphics are stunning, the voice acting is great and the combat system is very fluid and feels natural.

    Overall a must buy for RPG fans even though the mix reviews. Skyrim, WoW, God of War...etc, this game can stand on its own and will be played for time and time again.    … Expand
  24. gun661
    Feb 10, 2012
    5
    Having played around 12 hours, although the first couple were promising much, I've put the game down:

    The story, the main quests, while in small parts entertaining (e.g. House of Ballads quest line), just feels like dry dialogues prompted by keywords, no real heartfelt interaction. Almost all of the mysteriously named threats and villains (e.g. "Maybe it was The Willow, stories of which    Having played around 12 hours, although the first couple were promising much, I've put the game down:

    The story, the main quests, while in small parts entertaining (e.g. House of Ballads quest line), just feels like dry dialogues prompted by keywords, no real heartfelt interaction. Almost all of the mysteriously named threats and villains (e.g. "Maybe it was The Willow, stories of which were read to scare children since decades...") turn out to be your standard character models with nothing interesting to say.

    The side quests, making the greatest part of the game, are just "terrible trivia", urging you to run / fast travel all over the world map again and again, with no really convincing motive: Just collecting letters and books and punching small mobs in really many similar caves: for HOURS and HOURS without any end. Which leads us to the gameplay:

    While running around you actually don't face so many enemies, often just small mobs. That means it doesn't really feel like an action game, more like a "running-around" game.
    The combat seems to regrettably follow the motto "make the first 5 minutes fun and then repeat the gameplay". Because repeat it does. Over and over again. Even with switching your "destinies", i.e. playstyles between rogue, wizard and fighter (you can watch all of their moves from the beginning), it somehow stays the same without much evolution: It's almost always the same SMALL MOBS you encounter and easily cut down with the same combos. Better designed encounters, scenarios, and grouping of enemies REALLY could have helped the game to be WAY MORE fun in combat, delivering something unexpected at least. Especially because something like this missing, just "planting 5 mobs here and there", the game feels like it was done without any love for detail or any real affection from the developers.

    And yes, also the loot can almost always be *expected*: Mostly random junk. Even the few nice looking unique items I got (3 to 4 pieces) while playing just drowned in the mountains of frustrating garbage loot. "Oh, there's a hidden entrance with a chest that's locked very hard...." And what's inside? Nothing! A gem and a health potion. Time and time again. Frustrating. And even the unique items follow the same stats-design you get to know in the first hour (+x%damage to lightning/fire/ice), nothing unexpected except the looks, making the gameplay even more repetitive.

    In summary I'd say KoA:R, although almost aiming for the right spots, felt like a production-pipeline game in the end. I left the (in my humbled opinion) very repetitive game with the feeling that it just stole some precious hours without giving anything back. The professional reviews seem to hype more than being reasonable.    … Expand
  25. Gixxerdude
    Feb 10, 2012
    9
    I have to say, i am having a great time with the game. Much more fun than the demo let on. I know people have complaints about the console version and not being able to map more than 4 abilities, but that issue is not present on the PC version when using mouse and keyboard. The combat and graphics and sound are hugely impressive, I find I can not wait until I can engage the next large mobI have to say, i am having a great time with the game. Much more fun than the demo let on. I know people have complaints about the console version and not being able to map more than 4 abilities, but that issue is not present on the PC version when using mouse and keyboard. The combat and graphics and sound are hugely impressive, I find I can not wait until I can engage the next large mob as I have so much freedom in the tactics of how i want to take them down. Drop a mine and pull a guy over it? Leap in and just start hacking and slashing, or just sneak in for the insta kill, all very easy to do, nothing cumbersome to deal with. All the dungeons are unique and interesting. The story is great, the only downside is there seems to be an almost unlimited amount of side quests and if you are like me and want to finish them all, you will lose track of the reason why you are here in the first place lol. I have about 18 hours in and have yet to find any glitches/crashes/problems, which compared to some of the recent launches of games speaks very highly of this games level of polish. I am enjoying the games difficult, as i have never been a potion spammer. At most I drink one before a fight for some sort of buff and than one during the fight. This causes most big battles to become very challenging and tense which just adds to the enjoyment. Pros:
    Beautiful graphics
    Great sounds
    Outstanding Combat
    Great flexibility in builds
    Enjoyable quests
    Constantly has me excited for the next big battle

    Cons
    UI/Inventory is kinda clunky
    Soo many sidequest you lose tack of the main objective
    Not being able to jump/drop off little ledges is weird for a 2012 game
    No mulitplayer/coop (also weird for a 2012 game)    … Expand
  26. Artoflameness
    Feb 10, 2012
    4
    The review sites have failed again, big time. Corruption runs amok..
    Another worrying trend is that the first (few) poster(s) in the user reviews section on any game are from the marketing department of given game. At the moment the game is available to the public, they already know that the game is polished, contains X hours of gameplay, it delivers, etc.. And of course 10/10..
    This is    The review sites have failed again, big time. Corruption runs amok..
    Another worrying trend is that the first (few) poster(s) in the user reviews section on any game are from the marketing department of given game. At the moment the game is available to the public, they already know that the game is polished, contains X hours of gameplay, it delivers, etc.. And of course 10/10..
    This is absurd.
    Fortunately they can't offset the user score too much. I am grateful for this, thank you metacritic for your site and system.

    About the game:
    Pros: Somewhat solid combat system, more than average content, stable-polished engine -> no bugs.
    Cons: Generic world, bad and boring story, low level of immersion, horrible camera placement, outdated graphics, console-port feeling (GUI and controls)

    The game plays and feels more like Diablo, than a traditional RPG. Some people may like this, some may not.
    The main problem with the game is the disparity between graphic style vs story. The game tells us a dark and epic story , but tries to do this with a cartoon-ish, funny style. (in fable the story was in harmony with the graphic style).

    (sorry for my bad English)    … Expand
  27. warprincenataku
    Feb 10, 2012
    8
    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a new IP from EA and with any new IP there are many risks. Like is the new world and lore rich enough? Are the game mechanics and story deep enough? Are people willing to risk buying a full priced game from the start?

    Most of these are answered with a resounding, yes! This game have sweeping visuals and a compelling story. Sure, most fantasy genre games    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a new IP from EA and with any new IP there are many risks. Like is the new world and lore rich enough? Are the game mechanics and story deep enough? Are people willing to risk buying a full priced game from the start?

    Most of these are answered with a resounding, yes! This game have sweeping visuals and a compelling story. Sure, most fantasy genre games may have some overlapping content such as elves, swords and magic, but it's how these familiar elements are portrayed that sets it apart from other games in the fantasy genre.

    First the bad. The game has mixed reviews on its visuals. The game is full of rich and vibrant areas with almost cartoonish characters. It is not Dragon Age and does not try to be. It's more along the lines of Fable, with exaggerated hands and feet, but that's ok as everything is balanced to fit that particular style. The animations are fluid, the world is rich with various flora and fauna and is beautiful. It's a different kind of beauty than can be appreciated from even the most high graphic demanding players.

    The fight mechanics are quite solid and playing a melee, ranged, magic or a mixture of them all is quite fun. I really felt powerful as a spellsword, a custom built class built around melee and magic. Launching a lightning blast only to run in and clean up with your sword is quite rewarding. Your special attacks and abilities are on timers keeping you from spamming your most powerful of attacks. The combat is fluid and makes use of a solid collision detection system. Attack animations and spells can be interrupted, so combat feels more dynamic resulting in the need to plan your attacks accordingly.

    I hear a lot of people complain about the bow mechanics in this game. I barely used the bow as my character is geared towards magic, but I can't imagine it's that complex. The combat uses an auto targeting system, so I can see the disadvantages of using a bow, but it's not much difference than using spells since they use a similar system. Rounding off combat are finishing moves which give you a boost of XP for randomly mashing a button when an animation is triggered. These moves end in a God of War style executioner such as jumping up and driving swords down through your target's head or body. The animations are canned and there are only a few for standard enemies and only one for larger enemies, but they haven't gotten old yet.

    The story is written by R. A. Salvatore, who I'm not quite familiar with and the visuals are designed by Todd McFarlane who I am familiar with. I don't know if I'm missing anything having these two names thrown around, but for me it's a big "so what"? Todd McFarlane designed the visuals you say? Great! Couldn't care less. I mean you could have told me Bill Cosby designed the visuals and I would have been just as apathetic.

    The story is standard fantasy fair. You are a resurrected soldier of one of four playable races and three skill classes and you are fated to save the world. After your resurrection the machine that brought you back was destroyed, so you are the only one of your kind and it's up to you to make what is... *falls asleep* Yeah, the story is there to take you through the world. It's there, it's written by R. A. Salvatore and it's nice.

    All in all, visuals are similar to Fable. Gameplay is similar to Fable and God of War. Story is standard. In closing, this is the game that Fable should have been.    … Expand
  28. sh4dow
    Feb 9, 2012
    5
    A lot of what the more critical reviews say is true. I gave this a chance because I am disappointed of Skyrim and I am not yet desiring a second Witcher 2 playthrough, even though that was awesome. Personally, I am fine with the story of the game (which a LOT of people seem to criticize the most). But unfortunately, first of all - the game really does look like an MMO. Anybody claiming itA lot of what the more critical reviews say is true. I gave this a chance because I am disappointed of Skyrim and I am not yet desiring a second Witcher 2 playthrough, even though that was awesome. Personally, I am fine with the story of the game (which a LOT of people seem to criticize the most). But unfortunately, first of all - the game really does look like an MMO. Anybody claiming it looks gorgeous clearly has not played any newly released games for five years. Secondly - the camera really is awful. And I mean AWFUL! It is incredibly close, cannot be adjusted and when you run to the side it even lags behind a bit. At least with a gamepad, the bow is especially useless because if you want to "aim" (there appears to be only auto lock-on - so "aiming" is just switching between targets), you have to use the right stick. Now try keeping X/Y pressed while moving the right stick. And then there is the cumbersome inventory management... which anyone can realize by just briefly looking at a gameplay video. Personally, I wouldn't even care so much that it looks like crap and that the bow seems a bit broken. I almost only use swords in RPGs anyway. And the fighting system does look like fun. I appreciate the combo-style fighting system embedded in a loot-heavy fantasy RPG. It's new and interesting and it would work for me. The way the weapons are drawn immediately and blocking reacts very rapidly makes for a very pleasurable fighting experience. Only the response of the dodge button seemed a bit hit and miss. AND one can save at any point!! After experiencing games like Metro 2033, Alice: Madness Returns, Batman: Arkham City, etc., I don't take that for granted any more. Yes, it's an RPG but... it IS very action-focused and the madness that is quicksave-only seems to take over every damn genre. But what I really can't ignore, no matter what intriguing aspects the game may have is that damn camera. I remember Sonic Adventures (yes, a console jump'n'run...) like it was yesterday... and people were **** all over about how crappy the camera was. I didn't think so. It wasn't the best but it was very playable. And I have seen worse since. But Kingdoms of Amalur beats ALL of them, it is THAT crappy! Maybe they'll patch it (ha!) and I'll end up at some day enjoying this game as I should (without the **** camera, if the whole story and quests and everything would be nice, I would probably bump it up to 7 or even 8)… Expand
  29. Lettucent
    Feb 9, 2012
    3
    Pros: Interesting combat, interesting art style, flexible character progression
    Cons: Story, despite being R.A. Salvatore, is devoid of soul, lacks any means of drawing you in, characters are quite generic, minor flaws
    Combat is fun, but I found the controls to be a bit odd, character randomly doesn't aim spells, doesn't attack the opponent you're moving toward. Having only one button to    Pros: Interesting combat, interesting art style, flexible character progression
    Cons: Story, despite being R.A. Salvatore, is devoid of soul, lacks any means of drawing you in, characters are quite generic, minor flaws

    Combat is fun, but I found the controls to be a bit odd, character randomly doesn't aim spells, doesn't attack the opponent you're moving toward. Having only one button to cast a spell makes combining abilities more of a challenge than it should be. Early combat is a gigantic click fest, and after gaining your first spells/moves it gets a teensy bit more interesting, but still an auto-targeted click fest.

    The art style features an all-buff male cast. Seriously, even if you want to be an elf ranger, you're going to have a wide frame and big burly muscles. I will give the game credit for female armor, as I didn't find anything terribly revealing during my play. The modeling is definitely very last-gen, and reminds me of a slightly higher polycount Fable.

    Verdict? Not anywhere near worth the launch price of $60. Skyrim was only $50 and packed with better narrative. R.A. Salvatore disappointed me greatly with this game, as I had greatly enjoyed many of his books. I pick up the game, play for ten minutes, realize I'm in a very bland and boring world, then quit. I would not want to drag myself through 25-30 hours of    … Expand
  30. FloorTank
    Feb 9, 2012
    10
    Really liking this game. It has a cartoony style such as in WoW mixed with a nice engine and feel ala Sykrim. The combat feels fast paced but not too complicated. Story may lack or not, but that is up to everyone else. Don't be upset.
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Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best PC Game of 2012
24
#24 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
18
#18 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 5, 2012
    60
    Fast and flashy combat in a shallow fantasy world. For the solo MMO player only. [Apr 2012, p.62]
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  2. CPUGamer
    Mar 27, 2012
    80
    For all the things that don't work well, the exciting combat and deep world make KAR a very worthy game to play. It's a shame Electronic Arts is doing such a poor job of promoting it, as there is enough here to make the foundation of a very solid franchise.
    Read full review
  3. PC Gamer
    Mar 21, 2012
    74
    Great combat and mountains of loot can't compensate for Amalur's generic world design and familiar story. [May 2012, p.72]
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