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. BluntBlades
    Feb 12, 2012
    10
    I have played this game for 40+ hours and I would to say this is one of best best RPG games created in recent five years. It combines wow, gow, diablo, and skyrim into one game. The world is huge and beautiful.
    The best part of this game is its combat system, there is rarely a RPG game having a better combat system than this.
  2. Dashery
    Feb 15, 2012
    6
    I'm going to keep this review short and too the point. Kingdoms of Amalur feels as if the 34 Studios took the combat mechanics from Fable, mashed them together with the questing style of an MMO and added a dialogue system that mimiced an early Bioware game, such as Jade Empire or KotOR. However, in doing so, the only real thing that feels preserved is the mmo questing. Many quests areI'm going to keep this review short and too the point. Kingdoms of Amalur feels as if the 34 Studios took the combat mechanics from Fable, mashed them together with the questing style of an MMO and added a dialogue system that mimiced an early Bioware game, such as Jade Empire or KotOR. However, in doing so, the only real thing that feels preserved is the mmo questing. Many quests are simply tedious fetches or slay X quests. This, I personally feel, wouldn't have been so bad if the other aspects were preserved. The things that made Fable great was the personality of the game. Here there is none of that. You won't be farting in peasant faces or flexing to gain their love, you'll simply just stand around mute. And along the lines of mute, early Bioware games at least made it feel like your character was interacting, here I can't stand it. Dialogue is annoying because you don't speak and feels unnatural and in a modern game, I feel this should be addressed. The rest of the voice acting is superb, but the lack of any main character personality is a real put off in such a long RPG. I can't stress enough how much it diminishes an RPG to have a personality-less character, my old WoW characters had more personality than my char with his /silly commands. Graphically, it's nothing special, however, I'm not a huge McFarlane, so it definately wasn't winning any points in my book, but if you are a McFarlane fan I'm sure you'll enjoy the creature designs and what have you. Musically it's nice, but again, it feels like I'm playing an MMO, zones have their own music playing on loops until you zone them out. In conclusion: this game feels like a single player MMO.… Expand
  3. Darkstar01
    Feb 13, 2012
    5
    At First I thought OK maybe the demo was kind of small and didn't represent the game properly, but now that I have the actual game... I am very disappointed in the game designers and ashamed that I actually pain money for this game.
    Pro's While the combat can be fun at times it is very redundant and monotonous
    Con's Too many to list... Can't go over ledges, Guard's take FOREVER to stop    At First I thought OK maybe the demo was kind of small and didn't represent the game properly, but now that I have the actual game... I am very disappointed in the game designers and ashamed that I actually pain money for this game.
    Pro's While the combat can be fun at times it is very redundant and monotonous
    Con's Too many to list... Can't go over ledges, Guard's take FOREVER to stop chasing you and if a town doesn't have a guard they never forgive for a crime, i.e. you can never bribe or serve time to be forgiven for a crime. While the combat is fun at times it can also be annoying, you spend a lot of time on the ground or interrupted when in reality you should be able to keep swinging... The amount of time you spend stunned or on your back is almost as bad as a 5 dollar woman of the night, and i'm not talking vampire. They really need to release free patches to improve this game, call it a mercy update...

    Things that could be done to improve the game without totally redesigning it... I.E. with a single patch..
    Reduce the chance that things can stun, knock you down or disease/curse you. (You spend pretty much all the time diseased or cursed.) Also reduce the chance of getting the damned blood plague and other environment related effects... You are supposed to be Fate-less and immortal, why are we effected like a mortal?    … Expand
  4. acerockolla
    Feb 12, 2012
    9
    Reckoning is an unbelievable debut outing of a game. There is so much to do and see. There is no wrong way to build your character. Most fun and visceral combat I've ever seen in an RPG. The art direction, in particular the gorgeous range of the color palette, is a breath of fresh air in today's gray and brown mainstream video game world. I've read a lot of complaining that "the NPC's haveReckoning is an unbelievable debut outing of a game. There is so much to do and see. There is no wrong way to build your character. Most fun and visceral combat I've ever seen in an RPG. The art direction, in particular the gorgeous range of the color palette, is a breath of fresh air in today's gray and brown mainstream video game world. I've read a lot of complaining that "the NPC's have too much dialogue" or "there are too many quests". Think about what you're asking for - it's every other game I've played in the last 5 years. I think 38 studios should be applauded for packing so much into this world - they've got an interested follower in me.… Expand
  5. 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...
  6. ZootMan
    Feb 16, 2012
    4
    I was sooooo rooting for this game. I bought into all the stratospheric hype, the comparisons to god of war/devil may cry caliber combat, the expansive world with enormous variety and locales, the myriad of weapons and skills and talents to acquire and complement the game systems.Sadly, expectations rarely match the end product.............First off, the good-visually, the game makes aI was sooooo rooting for this game. I bought into all the stratospheric hype, the comparisons to god of war/devil may cry caliber combat, the expansive world with enormous variety and locales, the myriad of weapons and skills and talents to acquire and complement the game systems.Sadly, expectations rarely match the end product.............First off, the good-visually, the game makes a great first impression, with WoW/Torchlight-esque cartoony fantasy style characters and objects. The world is colorful, the animations are expressive and the scope of the world is huge. The inventory system is genius. The ability to 'trash' unwanted items is a godsend, and would have made Skyrim vastly improved for loot finding. After trying all three variants of combat, the mage is enjoyable to play, as a DPS role equivilent to an MMO style 'nuker' character.............And now, the shortcomings. If you thought, like myself that this combat would be as rewarding as say a Ninja Gaiden, stop... just STOP...Do not purchase this game. You will be bored silly. I have beaten Ninja Gaiden three times since its relaease, and action combat is best when fast, fluid and responsive. Amalur does not achieve this high watermark. You cannot cancel attack animation with a simple counter/block. For the first few hours, I thought it was user error, but the more I played, the more a I realized that the game is essentially turn based realtime combat. If you can deal with this, then great...but the majority of action gamers, PLEASE STEER CLEAR. Disappointment abounds........Unfortunately, this game being the size it is, carries with it a great deal of complaints. The story, the lore is a fanfic...funny sounding name here, some artifact of power here, nasty antagonist with malevolent-sounding name there. Well tread terrain with zero originality. Take every fantasy trope you can imagine and set to blend and you have amalur. Switching gears, the combat classes themselves are way out of balance. As I said, the first 5 hours with a mage are enjoyable. Respeccing to the other two, it was abundantly clear how inferior and less fun they were to play as. There is no excuse for not providing adequate crowd control in a single player class...............As I said, I wanted to enjoy this game. It simply comes up short in the combat. The designers could have provided a simple canceling fix so you could actually counter/block effectively. But nope, get ready to dodge roll A LOT. Yawn....… Expand
  7. WMD
    Feb 12, 2012
    8
    My first thought after seeing all the people that appear to be posting bad reviews of this game like they have some vendetta against it was to right a glowing review, give it a ten, and call it a day. Then I decided that would make me no better than the people posting ridiculously low review numbers for a game that is obviously better than something like a three. So here it is, my score isMy first thought after seeing all the people that appear to be posting bad reviews of this game like they have some vendetta against it was to right a glowing review, give it a ten, and call it a day. Then I decided that would make me no better than the people posting ridiculously low review numbers for a game that is obviously better than something like a three. So here it is, my score is an 8. Sound: Music is good, sound effects have punch to go along with the combat system. The ambient sound track is well done, in that you don't notice it is there unless you specifically listen for it. Having said that, there were some bugs with soundtrack cutting in and out. It gets a 7.

    Graphics: Obviously a ridiculously subjective area, but I *loved* the graphics. The use of soft lighting and soft textures made me feel like I was in a dream-world rather than just earth, with dragons *cough* Skyrim *cough*. The brighter color pallet pulled me into the fantasy world more so than the drab pallets of some of this games competitors. The combat animations are fluid and very, very well animated. The FoV is *very* low which may be an issue for some (headaches etc) but I found it allowed me to better admire the work that was put into the character models and armor. Solid 9.

    Story line: Generic. It does a good job of keeping you interested enough to continue playing but it doesn't do much more. If I was basing this score on the main story line alone I would give it a 6. However, this game is more than just the main story line. The secondary quest lines (especially the faction quest lines) have some GREAT stories to them. The House of Ballads story arch is one of my favorite story archs in any games I have played. The secondary story lines pull this score up to a 7.

    Character Development: Poor. There are a limited number of main characters (I would peg the number at three) and I only cared *at all* about one of them. 38 Studios and BHG along with R.A. Salvatore and the games writers really, really missed the mark on this one in my opinion. I understand that story development is second to gameplay in this game but c'mon, at least make me feel something towards the other characters. As far as the antagonist goes, Gadflow makes a good one, but once again, they don't really give you a *reason* to hate the guy. This is a big miss for me. 4.

    Combat: Combat gets a 10. I am just gonna throw that out at the beginning. This in my opinion is one of the hardest parts of a game to review without getting too technical, I'll do my best not to put you to sleep. Anyways, this is some of the most fun I have ever had in a video game. The game gives you plenty of choices as to how you want to play your character (straight forward rogue, mage, warrior, or *any* mix of the three) and allows you to utilize pretty much any weapon you wish. The active blocking encourages you to pay attention to enemy attackers while juggling your own abilities. The the longer combo chains open you up to combo breakers from the enemies so they need to be planned, the risk versus reward is built in. At the same time careful planning will allow you to break enemy combos. The TLDR version: The combat feels visceral, impactful and responsive. (PS. Play with a controller that has force feedback, it adds a lot to the combat!) As I said above, this is a 10.

    Character Customizeability: Avatar customization is pretty weak by today's standards, especially in comparison to something like Skyrim. Having said that it did not detract from the experience for me at all. I was able to easily find a character look that I enjoyed. There is enough diversity in armor sets that you are pretty much guaranteed to find a look you like. 7.

    Replayability: You can change your spec at *any* time if you have the gold to pay for it. I finished the game as a Warrior / Mage hybrid and am ready to play through it a completely different way. It took my 32 hours to finish the main quest line having hit up probably 40-50% of the random quests I saw on the way to the finish line. There is just so much in this game, it is freaking huge, and after you finish the main story line you can take your character and finish off all the quests you missed. There is just so freaking much to do it is almost overwhelming. I know I can squeeze another 60 to 80 hours of enjoyment ouf of this game. Going with a 9. Last Words: Don't be fooled, this game is not a 10, not by a long shot. But neither is it a 0, or even a 3. Definitely an 8. The game does a great job of keeping the player engaged and learning, and rewarding him with a plethora of drops and new gear. If you go into this game expecting to be drawn in by the story line and story line alone you may be disappointed, but as is obvious from the outset, it is the combat system that is the star of the show here, and it does not disappoint. This game is an amazing freshman effort from the folks at 38 Studios and BHG. Onwards to Copernicus!    … Expand
  8. MetaMan
    Mar 3, 2012
    6
    The game is beautiful, the monsters are for the most part great. The enemies are varied and has different skills, some of which are quite challenging. Different weapons and talents that could be reset for some coins, no need for grinding for items, and fast-travel to previously visited locations makes the game overall pleasant to play.

    However, the game is too big for it's own good. The    The game is beautiful, the monsters are for the most part great. The enemies are varied and has different skills, some of which are quite challenging. Different weapons and talents that could be reset for some coins, no need for grinding for items, and fast-travel to previously visited locations makes the game overall pleasant to play.

    However, the game is too big for it's own good. The action and quests become repetitive after a while, and there are few memorable quests. I don't care about the nth side quest. All the side quest dialogue makes me also lose the attention for the main story line. There could also be better methods for interrupting, blocking or avoiding attacks, and I feel like I just end up clicking the left mouse button continuously while fighting. In the end I felt like I was just running around from mark to mark and clicking left mouse button over and over.    … Expand
  9. dryerlaw
    Mar 10, 2012
    7
    PROS: (+) Fluid and intense combat. (+) Plethora of skills and combat styles to choose from. (+) Great voice-acting. (+) Myriad of loots and rich trading system. (+) Many not-bad side-quests and crafting skills to keep players busy for hours. (+) Rich lore to marvel at. CONS: (-) Side-quests get rather boring after a while due to not having too many variations. (-) Graphics engine outdatedPROS: (+) Fluid and intense combat. (+) Plethora of skills and combat styles to choose from. (+) Great voice-acting. (+) Myriad of loots and rich trading system. (+) Many not-bad side-quests and crafting skills to keep players busy for hours. (+) Rich lore to marvel at. CONS: (-) Side-quests get rather boring after a while due to not having too many variations. (-) Graphics engine outdated by two years or three. (-) Characters lack personality to provide full immersion. OVERALL: Kingdom of Amalur the Reckoning isn't trying to be an epic groundbreaking RPG, but it certainly is successful in packaging all the positive elements of a good RPG in a simple game.… Expand
  10. FatalExcursion
    Mar 19, 2012
    7
    A charming escape from floaty FPRPGs to a world that is charmingly reminiscent of Morrowind and Fable, but pushed to the peak with a solid story, a great palette of color and design, and smooth, satisfying, and fast-paced combat. Though it doesn't hold the holy grail for any epic RPGs, it held my attention for a while, clocking in at almost 40 hours (more than I can say for Skyrim). AA charming escape from floaty FPRPGs to a world that is charmingly reminiscent of Morrowind and Fable, but pushed to the peak with a solid story, a great palette of color and design, and smooth, satisfying, and fast-paced combat. Though it doesn't hold the holy grail for any epic RPGs, it held my attention for a while, clocking in at almost 40 hours (more than I can say for Skyrim). A problem noted though, is that most of the side quests didn't feel fleshed out enough. Some of the backstory is covered through these side quests, and I wish that more of the lore was introduced as I progressed. The skill trees are smartly executed, though somewhat lacking in customization in the end run. The ability to change your 'Fate' allows for a lot of experimentation in picking your favorite class, or creating one all on your own by interchanging points between multiple ones. But, leaving with a final con, I wish more weapons and creatures were introduced; it's a decent amount of diversity for an RPG, but after seeing the same enemies over and over, while using the same weapons, just upgraded, it gets tiresome. All in all though, everything leaves you satisfied if you're open to this game style; it's not Skyrim, and neither is it the Witcher, rather, it reintroduces a colorful new world with old homages to classic fantasy, while reinventing some cliches as well. I hope to see this world expanded, either with Copernicus, or with a sequel all on its own.… Expand
  11. Chatmak
    Mar 3, 2012
    9
    The graphic style is cartoon-y, offering a fresh alternative to some of the other RPGs of this generation, making the game a pleasure to look at, with varied and beautiful environments. The character look unique and special, but the lip-syncing could be better and the draw distance is not great. I haven't encountered any major graphical glitches yet, and the game runs smoothly.
    The    The graphic style is cartoon-y, offering a fresh alternative to some of the other RPGs of this generation, making the game a pleasure to look at, with varied and beautiful environments. The character look unique and special, but the lip-syncing could be better and the draw distance is not great. I haven't encountered any major graphical glitches yet, and the game runs smoothly.
    The dialogue is hit and miss; one type is a tedious list where everyone seems to have the same general options where they will offer vague, similar opinions on a topic plus maybe one additional character-specific topic that will lead you to a quest. The other is a mass-effect choice style where you can choose how you respond to a character (usually an important character). You also get a Fallout-style persuasion option which shows you the chance of success based on your persuasion skill. For main characters, dialogue is interesting and cool, but when you're just exploring, it doesn't do as good a very good job of immersing you but rather bores you, and while the developers could've found a more entertaining way of putting information across, this still does the job; you'll know what you need to know if you want to know it. Additionally, the choices you make have very minor effects and have no impact on the storyline whatsoever. This is fine as the game never claimed to contain major moral choices, but it's something to note if you're planning to get the game.
    Due to its third person perspective, Reckoning isn't as accessible as first-person games like Skyrim. It's open-world, but it still has clear boundaries that you cannot cross. It's like A LOT of linear, confined areas have been put next to each other to create a pretty big open world, which works. The interesting thing about Kingdoms of Amalur is that it manages to take bits and bobs from other major RPGs, such as the Dragon Age skill tree, Elder Scrolls looting, Mass Effect dialogue, etc. but still remains original in its own way. You likely won't find something and marvel at its originality, but when you look at the game as a whole, it's easy to see that the developers have taken the best bits out of other games, put them all together and added the element that many of them were somewhat lacking in, game-play, and made a game that is perhaps more complete than any other fantasy RPG on the market.
    The game-play, as I'm sure you will have heard is very good. The combat feels fluid, fun and varied, with an array of weapons and spells to use. For the most part, it doesn't feel too challenging at the Normal setting, but there are certain creatures that will certainly pose a threat. The game offers a real-time XP/Level-up system, rewarding players for killing creatures as soon as they do so, which is good. The level-up system is reminiscent of Dragon Age's, where you pick a perk every time you level up and choose which skill from one of the three skill trees (Might, Finesse and Sorcery, or basically, Warrior, Bowman and Mage) to invest points into. Arguably the best thing about Amalur's level-up system is the fact that it never locks you into a certain path. If you invested all your points into Sorcery but never use staffs, that's fine. There's nothing stopping you from playing the game that way. Matching your playing style to your point investment definitely helps, but is never required.
    The inventory system is inferior to pretty much every other modern RPG. It's basically a list, going into another list etc. then you get to what you like. Luckily, you can equip any weapon to a Primary or Secondary weapon and can switch between them at the press of a button at any time during game-play, (so you can have a sword as your primary and another sword as your secondary, or a sword and a bow/staff and so on) which is good, but if you want to remap one of your weapon slots, you have to go through several tiers of lists. There is a hotkey system for spells, a dial for potions and two slots for weapons but ultimately this falls flat compared to Skyrim's all-encompassing favourite system which allows you to just have what you want in one, easy-to-access list.
    One gripe I have with Reckoning is that it just dumps tons of information onto you as if it was meaningless. The implication of doing something can be as little as a tick on the quest screen. You don't feel like you're doing what you're doing for a reason but rather to just complete the quest. You'll find a town, meet some that give you a quest each, go do their quests (which will likely be generic and boring), turn them in, get your reward and be done. The faction and main story quests are much more fun, but the majority of the side quests aren't.
    Overall, Reckoning is fun to play, and that's what matters. The RPG elements work fine, the world is vast and packed with content, and the combat doesn't feel laborious or monotonous, but fun and varied; his game is definitely worth playing if you're an RPG fan.    … Expand
  12. rrtyu
    Mar 27, 2012
    6
    This game is very much a console port this can be seen from the menus to the combat. The world is extremely generic as in good vs bad and elves and gnomes basically. The main story isn't exactly good but it isn't very bad it is however generic as in raising an army to beat the bad guys. The best part is probably the combat which was very fun to use. It is still a port so auto lock-on forThis game is very much a console port this can be seen from the menus to the combat. The world is extremely generic as in good vs bad and elves and gnomes basically. The main story isn't exactly good but it isn't very bad it is however generic as in raising an army to beat the bad guys. The best part is probably the combat which was very fun to use. It is still a port so auto lock-on for the enemies and there are some overpowered abilities. The game is also not open world like they say it is. The places you go are connected by paths so it's like leaving 1box for another. This game should really be played with a gamepad as it is much easier. KOA had some much potential but horrible graphics, lackluster lore, and a game that only last's roughly about 30 hour's have made it a bad experience. if you want a decent RPG try The Witcher 2, Skyrim, Mass Effect 3, or some older ones like DA2, Neverwinter Nights 2, and World Of Warcraft. They are all much better than this game and something you wouldn't regret to purchase.… Expand
  13. BigTimeOwen
    May 13, 2012
    5
    There is not a single aspect of this game that really makes me feel positively towards it. It's well put together and perhaps well considered but the gameplay is entirely lacking, the story uninteresting and there are numerous problems with the interface and combat systems for PC. I will say that they shipped it relatively bug free and I had no problem with compatibility. However, the PCThere is not a single aspect of this game that really makes me feel positively towards it. It's well put together and perhaps well considered but the gameplay is entirely lacking, the story uninteresting and there are numerous problems with the interface and combat systems for PC. I will say that they shipped it relatively bug free and I had no problem with compatibility. However, the PC version was clearly second fiddle to the consoles and it plays like it.

    Like many have said, this looks and plays like an MMO--particularly World of Warcraft, outdated and cartoonish graphics included along with boring and entirely unoriginal quests. Most quests consist of fetch 5 X, kill Y. Add to that the character leveling system and it's definitely necessary to grind your way through all these mundane tasks in order to make progress in the game. The game touts its open world, but even that manages to feel incredibly linear and exploring it is wholly unsatisfying. For guys who worked on the masterpiece of a world, Morrowind, I have a hard time accepting that the rather boring (yet brightly colored) environments were all they could come up with.

    With the actual gameplay, I think it would certainly feel much more natural using a controller than a mouse. It is incredibly irritating, if using a mouse, to have your camera pointed in one direction while your character is pointed slightly in a different direction, and you press W to move or you attack only to have your character move or swing in the completely unintended direction. This can be a very big problem in combat because it is obviously much more fast paced than trying to hit some barrels. Say you swing the camera around to see how many enemies there are attacking you and you have your camera locked on in one direction, press attack and then your character swings in the entirely opposite direction. It's simply obnoxious. To add to that, the combat really is just button mashing the same button over and over with very little sense of timing or rhythm. It is certainly not revolutionary but maybe if you want something with no learning curve you'll find some satisfaction in it. The user interface is nothing short of obnoxious. The menu and the inventory are an absolute pain to use with PC. First, they selected some arbitrary keys to use for simple commands like drop which feel entirely unnatural and take some serious getting used to--why they couldn't just go with some standard techniques like right click to drop or click+shift to drop I do not understand. The inventory system is also an incredible pain to simply navigate. Equipping your weapons means going through 2 screens, first the generic pause screen, then the entire inventory screen, then the weapon screen and THEN you have to select primary weapon or secondary weapon. Why not put all the weapons on one screen, have you click one, then another--or maybe click it and then click primary or secondary? Even on consoles it makes no sense to do it that way. And if you want to change your magic spells? Go back and do it all over again. Then if you want to change your "moves," go back and do it one more time. A lot of people have spent countless on this game but I can only wonder how much of it they actually spent just fiddling through the menu.

    Overall I found no real enjoyment playing this game. When I wasn't irritated with the interface and gameplay mechanics I simply found it boring.    … Expand
  14. Nashira
    Feb 23, 2012
    5
    (PC Review) Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning could have been a great game if more effort had been put into it. I found the art style adequate. I've seen it regrettably compared to the visual style used in World of Warcraft. Aside from the colors in the Fae/Elven forests being similar, as they are in so many games, animated shorts, and videos, beyond that, the similarities end. The main(PC Review) Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning could have been a great game if more effort had been put into it. I found the art style adequate. I've seen it regrettably compared to the visual style used in World of Warcraft. Aside from the colors in the Fae/Elven forests being similar, as they are in so many games, animated shorts, and videos, beyond that, the similarities end. The main problems with the game were that I felt little connection with the main characters. I had minimal interaction with the main NPC's. I found the difficulty to be very underwhelming even at hard-mode. The "skills" that the character is forced to get as they level eventually break the economy one way or another. The player is given a choice of racial origin, yet this has little bearing on role play and nothing to do with the story. There's very little that makes me want to play this game again. The combat system was a good premise, even if it was a little wonky on the PC. All this aside, I found it fairly enjoyable to play thought once, with a half-way decent storyline. I only encountered a few bugs that were hardly game-breaking. If you are not the hard-core nightmare-mode type of gamer, and aren't too nit-picky you'll probably enjoy this for at least a play through.… Expand
  15. WaneY
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    Take all the best bits from any number of RPG's and put them together and this is what you get.
    10 out of 10. The combat straight out of an Action slasher, the Story tight and structured but still allowing for exploration. The Character development/branching good and not too complicated. The inventory is an improvement from Skyrim and Witcher 2 , but still could be slimmed down and maybe    Take all the best bits from any number of RPG's and put them together and this is what you get.
    10 out of 10. The combat straight out of an Action slasher, the Story tight and structured but still allowing for exploration. The Character development/branching good and not too complicated. The inventory is an improvement from Skyrim and Witcher 2 , but still could be slimmed down and maybe the game could have been more challenging. But this game is fun and never boring and the Fast Travel helps cut down on travelling time which I liked alot.    … Expand
  16. Jimbob2k666
    Feb 9, 2012
    8
    First off the graphics: Although they may feel a little dated, the most important factor here is that they run very well, with no dipping below 60fps with vysnc turned on and maxxed out. All this on a 4 year old CPU, 4gb RAM and a 6870 GPU. Some people have compared the graphics with WOW - these people must be blinkered or blind, as they are nowhere near as dated as WOW.......... Next,First off the graphics: Although they may feel a little dated, the most important factor here is that they run very well, with no dipping below 60fps with vysnc turned on and maxxed out. All this on a 4 year old CPU, 4gb RAM and a 6870 GPU. Some people have compared the graphics with WOW - these people must be blinkered or blind, as they are nowhere near as dated as WOW.......... Next, the gameplay: The combat is fun, nothing extraordinary but it has enough variety and advancement to make it a well done component of the game. One thing that is evident is the "MMO" style of quest hubs and the way you progress through them, which is actually quite good from what I've seen so far........ Story: Your usual fantasy fare but the underlying main storyline is well executed........ SUMMARY: In a genre filled with some stunning games over the past 12 months or so, KoAR should find its very own core of fans. It is different enough to claim that it has differences which establish itself as a new IP and providing it is given the right support by its developers, it ought to result in success and a sequel. 8/10.......................PRO: Good performance on average PC........ CON: Its biggest fault is it's field of vision - the character, which is 3rd person is too big on the screen and it is often difficult to see the horizon point - this needs fixing quickly as it feels very claustraphobic. (PS: The "pro's" who have given this game 100% must have been locked away in dark cupobards and haven't been playing games for the last 2 years. The game is good, but 100%? No way).… Expand
  17. 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
  18. 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!
  19. 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
  20. Nybling
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    This is an amazing game. Been playing a Sorcery build, and it's some of the most fun I've had in a long, long time. Lots of cool lore tidbits to uncover, some interesting storyline quests and factions (one downside is no faction equivalent of the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion/Skyrim). I recommend that anyone who enjoys the Elder Scrolls series should play this game. The combat is great,This is an amazing game. Been playing a Sorcery build, and it's some of the most fun I've had in a long, long time. Lots of cool lore tidbits to uncover, some interesting storyline quests and factions (one downside is no faction equivalent of the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion/Skyrim). I recommend that anyone who enjoys the Elder Scrolls series should play this game. The combat is great, there are lots of options on how to play your character, and lots and lots of content. (25 hours in, only finished the first 6 little zones).… Expand
  21. DOMINATx
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    Fans of the Original Fable will Love this game if you like playing Fantasy Action RPG's you will love this game. If however you prefer Fantasy Action Simulators (Skyrim) this is not the game for you it is more of an arcade style with Visceral Combat in a unique art style that not everyone will appreciate. However if you love story the lore in the game will surely have you content beforeFans of the Original Fable will Love this game if you like playing Fantasy Action RPG's you will love this game. If however you prefer Fantasy Action Simulators (Skyrim) this is not the game for you it is more of an arcade style with Visceral Combat in a unique art style that not everyone will appreciate. However if you love story the lore in the game will surely have you content before you reach the end. This game is not for everyone. However everyone should at least give it a shot.… Expand
  22. NeverwinterNigh
    Feb 16, 2012
    3
    I had bought this game with high expectations. I was promised an experience that I haven't received over 8 hours in. 8 hours in, and still, I haven't seen what makes this game so deserving of praise from the critics. Am I playing this game wrong? Is that what's going on here? Maybe it's because I'm more of a fan of the classics from the PSX era like Xenogears or Final Fantasy IX, but thisI had bought this game with high expectations. I was promised an experience that I haven't received over 8 hours in. 8 hours in, and still, I haven't seen what makes this game so deserving of praise from the critics. Am I playing this game wrong? Is that what's going on here? Maybe it's because I'm more of a fan of the classics from the PSX era like Xenogears or Final Fantasy IX, but this game is supposed to be a AAA title, and all it feels like is an RPG that tries to emulate its better cousins from the PS2 era. The graphics are deplorable for a game that is supposed to be on par with say, Final Fantasy XIII. The music is stock, it's not even that memorable. The gameplay is clunky and at times, unresponsive. Truly, this game feels like World of Warcraft stuffed into different packaging without an intriguing story, sub-par music, graphics, and gameplay elements. Lastly, I only have this to say...three skill trees. Three. This game must be so great, that it can only contain three skill trees! Note my sarcasm.… Expand
  23. austenite
    Feb 11, 2012
    8
    If they can manage to patch in a difficulty mode that actually provides any sort of challenge then 38 studios will have managed to make my game of the year. Beautiful world, Fantastic combat system.
  24. 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
  25. 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.
  26. FrankFP
    Feb 13, 2012
    9
    Lovely RPG with lots of quest, a good story and an excellent combat system. There is loads of things to do in this game and it will take a very long time to get through all the content. The graphics might seem a little 'cartoony' in the screenshots, but it is actually a very beautiful game where it is fun to explore. It reminds me of Fable in the way it connects the different areas of theLovely RPG with lots of quest, a good story and an excellent combat system. There is loads of things to do in this game and it will take a very long time to get through all the content. The graphics might seem a little 'cartoony' in the screenshots, but it is actually a very beautiful game where it is fun to explore. It reminds me of Fable in the way it connects the different areas of the game, but where that feels limiting in Fable, it does not here. The area are large enough to explore and the connections between the areas feels more 'natural', so the world seems like a big coherent place. The combat is fun and quick. A lot of the fights are pretty easy when you get the basic move in your system, but you will be challenged as well. KOA is how action-RPG should be made. Lots of content, a good story in an interesting world, well handled skill system and exciting combat.… Expand
  27. Gene
    Feb 15, 2012
    5
    This game is all sorts of average I'm not surprised it's getting such good professional reviews as average is the new 8. If you saw the trailer and had this really uneasy feeling that you're watching an MMO, that's about what the game looks and plays, a single player MMO complete with kill 10 rats and fedex quests. The combat is merely competent, it feels like the designers went for theThis game is all sorts of average I'm not surprised it's getting such good professional reviews as average is the new 8. If you saw the trailer and had this really uneasy feeling that you're watching an MMO, that's about what the game looks and plays, a single player MMO complete with kill 10 rats and fedex quests. The combat is merely competent, it feels like the designers went for the God Of War aesthetic, got it just good enough, and stopped polishing it further. Throw in a crash to desktop every few hours, but not regular enough to really make one hate it, and I just have nothing good or bad to say, just meh.… Expand
  28. Vatolicious
    Mar 16, 2012
    9
    This is the most fun game Ive played in 10 years. I am not saying its the best game ever, but its FUN! There is nothing quite like it out there. Its got plenty of flaws, but its fun its just fun! If you want a great hack n slash game, than this is for you. Its like fable x3, with tons and tons of loot, a crafting system and soooo many ways to multiclass! A fantastic play! Here is a videoThis is the most fun game Ive played in 10 years. I am not saying its the best game ever, but its FUN! There is nothing quite like it out there. Its got plenty of flaws, but its fun its just fun! If you want a great hack n slash game, than this is for you. Its like fable x3, with tons and tons of loot, a crafting system and soooo many ways to multiclass! A fantastic play! Here is a video review I did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlQ2e6g9TIM… Expand
  29. UnkleBustakap
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    This game will have you thinking it is a fable clone, however it is not the case. There is an immense amount of content within this game and the combat system and gameplay are second to none.
  30. 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.
  31. ilscuro
    Feb 24, 2012
    5
    I really wanted to like this game, but after 6 hours of gameplay, honestly i'm bored to tears of it, like many others have said the only good thing is the combat, everything else is not good, it's far far to easy, the cartoony graphics although nice are out of place in my opinion, a darker demon/dark souls setting would have been better i think, plus add the difficulty from those games andI really wanted to like this game, but after 6 hours of gameplay, honestly i'm bored to tears of it, like many others have said the only good thing is the combat, everything else is not good, it's far far to easy, the cartoony graphics although nice are out of place in my opinion, a darker demon/dark souls setting would have been better i think, plus add the difficulty from those games and it would have been a winner.

    So not a terrible game, but one i wont be playing again in a hurry.    … Expand
  32. f0lly
    Mar 28, 2012
    4
    It's just not possible to trust the professional critics anymore. There is no way this game deserves the high ratings its getting from the pros. Outdated graphics, boring story, boring quests. And the awesome combat that everyone seems to rave about? Just a click attack until everything is dead. Rinse and repeat for every damn mob. Save your money, or wait until its for sale for $10.
  33. Xborn74
    Feb 21, 2012
    8
    The game has a more simple approach to gameplay, and is a mixture between Fable and Sacred 2, with some elements of Skyrim (Stealth, blacksmith, pickpocket, etc.): although is a fun game, if you keep this in mind, and don't compare with other recent RPGs (and RPG do have various subdivision in the main style). The characters has a more simple appearance, but with good details, and theThe game has a more simple approach to gameplay, and is a mixture between Fable and Sacred 2, with some elements of Skyrim (Stealth, blacksmith, pickpocket, etc.): although is a fun game, if you keep this in mind, and don't compare with other recent RPGs (and RPG do have various subdivision in the main style). The characters has a more simple appearance, but with good details, and the scenarios are beautifully made. Every NPC has a voice (cheesy sometimes), and the soundtrack is adequate.

    Tons of Side-Quests guarantee many hours of gameplay, the Main Quest alone being about 7 hours, and has a good customization system of Weapons and Armor. The main story is interesting, but the Side Quests, are quite general (like the Sacred 2 side quest were).

    I would give the game a 7,7 score, having in mind what I said in the first line.    … Expand
  34. 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
  35. 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"
  36. SpectralAnubis
    Feb 9, 2012
    8
    I wont attempt to lure you in with a wild premise. Is this RPG good? Yes it is. Is it a 3rd person Hack n' Slash? Yes it is. Is there something wrong with that? No there's not. With Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. You'll get what you bought or expect, whichever perspective you fancy. When approaching computer games, you really need to ask yourself three or four questions. 1) Is it worthI wont attempt to lure you in with a wild premise. Is this RPG good? Yes it is. Is it a 3rd person Hack n' Slash? Yes it is. Is there something wrong with that? No there's not. With Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. You'll get what you bought or expect, whichever perspective you fancy. When approaching computer games, you really need to ask yourself three or four questions. 1) Is it worth sixty dollars? 2) Will it function optimally on my configuration? 3) Am I going to enjoy it? These are typically what a customer will process. Now I give a lot of credit to EA, Big Huge Games and 38 studios. They delivered a rather solid demo three weeks in advance. The demo was short but gave you a excellent idea of the games core. Demo's are incredibly risky, for obvious reasons. Why many companies shy away from them. Down to the elements of Reckoning, which at it's very heart are the game mechanics. They're solid, you're locked into a 3rd person view point. The camera is only controlled by swivels of your mouse. It will automatically zoom out during multiple enemy flanks. Interface is simple and easy to understand. You wont be getting any no-ui like Fable 3. Combat is very simplistic, for me personally overly-so. Divinity II has similar combat, that title was very well done also. My only real issue with combat is ranged attacks lock-on to your target. You'll find yourself either blocking a lot or barrel rolling to victory. Graphics are stylized, they aren't exactly ground breaking. Like I explained earlier, it's all about what you want out of a video game. Performance rather than graphics are a major factor for me. The game runs smoothly on a EVGA Geforce GTS 450 Fermi, it also runs smoothly on a ATI 4670HD both 1gig memory. You'll get anywhere between 40-60 FPS on those cards. I noticed some bugs, first off subtitles are getting stuck, music becomes choppy during developer/publisher intro. NPC's will just stop during combat. It definitely has issues. Patches can be wonderful remedies. Giving it a 8/10 Only because for what it is, not what it can become.… Expand
  37. Anarion25
    Feb 8, 2012
    10
    What an awesome game! I love Skyrim and that doesn't stop me from enjoying it! It is not an open world like Skyrim but it's certainly not a linear world like Dragon Age 2. Combat is fantastic and the freedom of character design is great.
  38. Lanrutcon
    Feb 9, 2012
    9
    Fable meets The Elder Scrolls meets Dragon Knight Saga: huge world, open character progression system, giant loot pool and a fluid combat system. Scratches the exploration and loot haul itches at the same time. Amazing game for a new IP.

    The only downer is the difficulty: unless you're new to action rpgs you totally want to play on Hard.
  39. rhyok
    Feb 13, 2012
    6
    I have played twenty hours of this game and after seeing the 'perfect' scores on the Internet for KoA I had to create a Metacritic account and give my two cents. Unlike the 'review' websites out there where all reviews read similar (smells of EA marketing engine at full steam), this is my opinion. First thing first, the 'Open World' claim- BS, it is not Open world. The world is nothingI have played twenty hours of this game and after seeing the 'perfect' scores on the Internet for KoA I had to create a Metacritic account and give my two cents. Unlike the 'review' websites out there where all reviews read similar (smells of EA marketing engine at full steam), this is my opinion. First thing first, the 'Open World' claim- BS, it is not Open world. The world is nothing more than an extensive maze where open exploration is made impossible by invisible walls. Avatar movement is far from free either, you may only jump at point marked by an arrow on your map. Read the reviews out there with a grain of salt, I honestly feel like I wasted 60 bucks for what was supposed to be a prime production. KoA is a decent fun game, but not one that keeps me coming back for more. IMO it is not worth 60 bucks...maybe 30 or 20 after a few months. Hopefully the follow-up will be better, KoA had promise.

    In short after twenty hours of game play, KoA has lost my attention. Honestly, it feels like the typical 'EA' rushed game...kind of like Dragon Age 2 but not as polished. The 'Skyrim Killer' blurbs out there, nah. I say buy the game (wait for price drop) then gripe to EA, tell them to spend their money on development NOT marketing. Bethesda has shown the PC gaming market is not dead, that players will pay for quality feature entertainment, and how versatile the PC platform is for gaming (CK, faster patching, etc.). EA has been disappointing more and more these past few years.    … Expand
  40. pnathan_28
    Feb 16, 2012
    4
    When this game was about to release i was really excited for it , i mean just take into account the pedigree of talent behind the development team alone plus all the previews and pre-launch talk, mostly on G4 made me want to play KoA . That was then, now it's a completely different story. this game can only be chalked up to a MASSIVE disappointment. i really wish now i had waited for theWhen this game was about to release i was really excited for it , i mean just take into account the pedigree of talent behind the development team alone plus all the previews and pre-launch talk, mostly on G4 made me want to play KoA . That was then, now it's a completely different story. this game can only be chalked up to a MASSIVE disappointment. i really wish now i had waited for the reviews, this one in particular instead of getting caught up in the hype and pre-ordering KoA. Granted the combat is engaging and better than just about every rpg on the market but that is all this game has going for it. The graphics are OK, the camera is sub-par , the voice acting and dialogue are dull and boring.
    my biggest fault with Amalur is that, with any good rpg, you have an emotional investment in your character as they are an extension of ourselves , and in this respect KoA fails miserably. i tried (45 hours into it) till i just couldn't feign enthusiasm anymore. at no point did the game give me a reason to care about my character or the multitudes of fetch -quests that i was being sent on. all you FANBOYS out there that are waving your pitch forks around need to realize that this game did fail on delivering what it set out to. thank you to the brave few who came out with an honest review of this game while the rest of the reviews pretty much rehashed EA talking points .    … Expand
  41. roguish98
    Feb 11, 2012
    9
    Review Info: Rig- Core i7 @ 3.3 Ghz, Radeon HD 6990, 12 GB RAM Time in-game- 24 hrs Pros: -Technically sound (frame rate high and steady, no CTD's, audio solid) -Art style (I am a fan of high fantasy and it is well represented here) -Emphasis on Celtic mythology -Boss battles (thoroughly exciting start to finish) -Faction quests (well-written) -Main quest (I am engaged) -Combat (first timeReview Info: Rig- Core i7 @ 3.3 Ghz, Radeon HD 6990, 12 GB RAM Time in-game- 24 hrs Pros: -Technically sound (frame rate high and steady, no CTD's, audio solid) -Art style (I am a fan of high fantasy and it is well represented here) -Emphasis on Celtic mythology -Boss battles (thoroughly exciting start to finish) -Faction quests (well-written) -Main quest (I am engaged) -Combat (first time I was organically encouraged to play melee) -stealth (I feel it is more nuanced than Skyrim's. There seems to be a greater emphasis on cover and the kill animations are satisfying) -"Destiny" system (feels natural) -"Detect hidden" (Great for role-playing a rogue) Cons: -Texture pop-in is significant enough to distract (may be a sacrifice to achieve the technical achievements I describe above?) -Dialog options are presented in an inconsistent manner (I am confused by the switch between listed dialogue and the Bioware conversation wheel) -Difficulty seems unbalanced (I usually play on "normal." Here I am playing on "hard" to achieve satisfactory difficulty) -Lock-picking is too easy (I often open even the most difficult locks on the first attempt) ***Score representing my overall enjoyment of the game 9/10 -Regards, Roguish98… Expand
  42. six30two
    Mar 30, 2012
    3
    I progressed about 2/3rds of the way into this game before deleting it. It does nothing new, the plot is incredibly unconvincing, the combat boring and incredibly easy... I was just left uninspired. Salvatore's artistic feel definitely is evident throughout the game, but it's just very simplistic. The game also lends itself to certain abuses with the crafting system that makes anythingI progressed about 2/3rds of the way into this game before deleting it. It does nothing new, the plot is incredibly unconvincing, the combat boring and incredibly easy... I was just left uninspired. Salvatore's artistic feel definitely is evident throughout the game, but it's just very simplistic. The game also lends itself to certain abuses with the crafting system that makes anything other than player-crafted gear absolutely pointless. Quests were boring and monotonous. For those of you who don't know, this was meant to be an MMO but was cut down to a single player game - and the feel is evident. It feels exactly like that - not strong enough on the single player elements. Everything was too light and made too easy to digest, as is typical of MMO's. The multiclassing was a nice attempt, and the whole "Fateweaving" thing was an interesting idea, just horribly implemented. Obviously just another thing written in to give you an "adrenaline super kill" mode like all games are using nowadays.… Expand
  43. 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
  44. sai
    Feb 20, 2012
    4
    The story line is rather generic and becomes clumsy with side quests, although I understand how some may see this as a blessing. The combat system for an RPG is great and definitely one of the highlights, but KoA is the final nail in the EA coffin for me. Sure they release great sporting titles, but if I wanted an xbox I would have bought one already. There is no option to reallyThe story line is rather generic and becomes clumsy with side quests, although I understand how some may see this as a blessing. The combat system for an RPG is great and definitely one of the highlights, but KoA is the final nail in the EA coffin for me. Sure they release great sporting titles, but if I wanted an xbox I would have bought one already. There is no option to really change your graphics nor is the in-game aiming all that accurate, you just seem to always hit your target or open that door lever.… Expand
  45. 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
  46. 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
  47. 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
  48. ASams
    Feb 9, 2012
    10
    Ships going to sail, fishermen going to fish and haters going to hate. It makes me sad so many people want to see quality products fail so much to the point that they give great games a 0 because they have to much time on their hands. This game has never claimed it was a paramount in graphics and combat. What it is, is a arcade combat (fantastic btw) action RPG with substantially deepShips going to sail, fishermen going to fish and haters going to hate. It makes me sad so many people want to see quality products fail so much to the point that they give great games a 0 because they have to much time on their hands. This game has never claimed it was a paramount in graphics and combat. What it is, is a arcade combat (fantastic btw) action RPG with substantially deep customization. 3 trees you can drop hundreds of points in a skill tree for field abilities such as open lock, treasure hunting and blacksmithing. People who are hating on this game have either only played the demo (broken but still fantastic) or just hate original IP's and just want to see another Halo, Mario, Final Fantasy or something else that has been left uninspired over the years.… Expand
  49. 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
  50. SongOfFire
    Feb 8, 2012
    9
    Overall this is a great game, I have been looking forward to the KoA: Reckoning's release for about 6 months, and I am certainly not disappointed. Well worth the $$'s I paid to pre-order it.
    Pros: + Compelling story and voice acting + Great graphics + Amazing fighting system + Great multi-class and customization features
    Cons + Movement in the world feels somewhat restrictive +    Overall this is a great game, I have been looking forward to the KoA: Reckoning's release for about 6 months, and I am certainly not disappointed. Well worth the $$'s I paid to pre-order it.
    Pros: + Compelling story and voice acting + Great graphics + Amazing fighting system + Great multi-class and customization features

    Cons + Movement in the world feels somewhat restrictive + Would like to see more graphics options    … Expand
  51. Wadeyboy
    Apr 25, 2012
    3
    I was looking forward to this game after all the previews left me expecting an RPG heavyweight. Maybe if you are a 10 year old who has never played an RPG before, you might get some enjoyment out of it, But anyone older has to give it a miss or be very pissed off at completely throwing away their money. The way the previews and yes, even some reviews, have given the impression it was aI was looking forward to this game after all the previews left me expecting an RPG heavyweight. Maybe if you are a 10 year old who has never played an RPG before, you might get some enjoyment out of it, But anyone older has to give it a miss or be very pissed off at completely throwing away their money. The way the previews and yes, even some reviews, have given the impression it was a classic RPG aimed at adults, are not only misleading but downright dishonest! This is STRICTLY kiddies stuff. It would be overpriced at a fiver too so how it can justify a full price release I do not know. The graphics are very, very poor and to say they are console graphics, like many reviews have come out and said, are an insult to the latest consoles. You could maybe say that if your console is a Sega Megadrive I suppose! With the likes of Skyrim around, this should have been scrapped as soon as the publishers got a glimpse at the Skyrim gameplay footage. If you are looking for a third person action RPG in this type of mould, The Witcher does everything this tries to do in a much more adult, entertaining and deeper way. Divinity 2 is also a much better bet. I feel extremely misled by the previews for this game that included interviews with the developers (who must have all been on LSD or similar hallucinogenics) that had me expecting something special. One of the biggest let downs of recent years. Very, very disappointing.… Expand
  52. 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
  53. 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
  54. Voldemordred
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    Kingdoms of Amalur is absolutely brilliant!! It manages to give me a huge open world,without that feeling of aimlessness.a combat system that is so damn fluid and dynamic that it puts EVERY,yes I said every RPG to utter shame. and boat loads of great quests that are interesting and FUN. People tend to forget that games are about fun......and this has 200hrs of it. I am going to give youKingdoms of Amalur is absolutely brilliant!! It manages to give me a huge open world,without that feeling of aimlessness.a combat system that is so damn fluid and dynamic that it puts EVERY,yes I said every RPG to utter shame. and boat loads of great quests that are interesting and FUN. People tend to forget that games are about fun......and this has 200hrs of it. I am going to give you people some brutal honesty here. People that rate this game low haven't played it or are silly fanboys with their panties in a bunch, that hold irrational allegiances to their game of choice and feel they are betraying said game by enjoying something else. GROW THE HELL UP ALREADY. I love skyrim, LOVE Baldurs Gate 1,2. I love the witcher1,2 and YES I love this too.… Expand
  55. Morgana
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    Yes there are a few shortcomings: like limited quicksaves, inability to name your saved game files the way you want, the camera can be very annoying, lipsyncing and a few questbugs. They are however erased by the beauty of the world they created, the awesome visceral combat, the size of the world, the variety in the quests, the smoothness in the way the game runs.

    Excellent result for    Yes there are a few shortcomings: like limited quicksaves, inability to name your saved game files the way you want, the camera can be very annoying, lipsyncing and a few questbugs. They are however erased by the beauty of the world they created, the awesome visceral combat, the size of the world, the variety in the quests, the smoothness in the way the game runs.

    Excellent result for a first time IP!    … Expand
  56. Player4708
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    This is a great game, better than Skyrim in my opinion, Story line is fascinating and combat is the best of any rpg ever. Runs with out a hitch. Love this game!
  57. RingX55
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    Pros: Great versatile combat, class system, crafting system. There's a great feel to the world as well as the characters you come across and quests. Voice acting is always great and each character feels distinctly different. The story -line is well crafted and worth of R.A.

    Cons: Sub-par models for humanoids and lip syncing is off.
  58. badken
    Feb 11, 2012
    8
    Ever since I've played RPGs I've wanted one that has exciting combat, and Reckoning delivers. The character building system is fantastic, too. I love playing multi-classed characters, and this game doesn't penalize you for that. All the combinations of fighter mage and rogue are covered. I'm knocking off a couple points for issues with leveling. If you explore the world too fast or you doEver since I've played RPGs I've wanted one that has exciting combat, and Reckoning delivers. The character building system is fantastic, too. I love playing multi-classed characters, and this game doesn't penalize you for that. All the combinations of fighter mage and rogue are covered. I'm knocking off a couple points for issues with leveling. If you explore the world too fast or you do too many quests, it's possible to outlevel the main story. The game loses all challenge and balance when you're fighting nothing but gray enemies. Fortunately you can avoid that problem by not running all over the place and sticking to one area at a time, but I think they could have come up with a balance between that and the horrible level-matching nightmare of Oblivion that punishes you for leveling up.

    Presentation is outstanding, gameplay is outstanding if you love action oriented combat, and the story and world are really interesting. I'm looking forward to playing more chapters in Amalur (not in the upcoming MMO, though).    … Expand
  59. yani9o
    Feb 17, 2012
    2
  60. spmxvc
    Feb 21, 2012
    2
    I want to like this game. No, I want to LOVE this game. I just canâ
  61. Redfordsto
    Feb 12, 2012
    7
    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a fascinating paradox. On one hand, there doesn't seem to be anything truly special about it. On the other hand; the simplified combat, unending loot, and vibrant color scheme make this world strangely addictive. The first thing you'll notice is the presentation, it's bright and varied and without the need for comparison, very familiar. It's also fairlyKingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a fascinating paradox. On one hand, there doesn't seem to be anything truly special about it. On the other hand; the simplified combat, unending loot, and vibrant color scheme make this world strangely addictive. The first thing you'll notice is the presentation, it's bright and varied and without the need for comparison, very familiar. It's also fairly large. Sadly, the character models are nothing truly special. You're own avatar can be custom created, but the options are comparatively limited. Further, your character lacks... well, character. He (or she) is silent. His choices are strangely inconsequential in a world where he can affect every inhabitant's fate. There are usually only two options for every quest and both end with a similar reward. Interaction is made further vapid by a varied quality of voice acting with inadequate modeling and emotation. Still, there is fun here. Fun in the way wandering around in the worlds of Grand Theft Auto or Torchlight without any goal or purpose is enjoyable. Constant and varied loot drives the insatiable need for a stronger and better character. Combat may be simple, but it's also rewarding. And the ability to mix and change your powers keeps gameplay interesting. It's not a great game, but it's an excellent option for dropping in to spend a few hours hacking, slashing, and looting in a colorful and perhaps comfortingly predictable world.… Expand
  62. z0rrer0
    Apr 18, 2012
    3
    Hi, This game is really crappy for that price. I would not care if graphics are outdated but its coloring is pretty bad. Seems like a WOW. The gameplay is OK but the quests are boring as hell. The plot is... oh.. is there any plot? NO! xD

    Waste of time and money. Watching critic scores for this game is why I never get influenced by them. They are all paid for high scores ... sad but    Hi, This game is really crappy for that price. I would not care if graphics are outdated but its coloring is pretty bad. Seems like a WOW. The gameplay is OK but the quests are boring as hell. The plot is... oh.. is there any plot? NO! xD

    Waste of time and money. Watching critic scores for this game is why I never get influenced by them. They are all paid for high scores ... sad but true.

    Regards    … Expand
  63. TimedParadox
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    Unimaginative and lazily done bastard child of an MMO and Fable.

    Fails to provide a decent story, fun or challenging combat, or creative world design.

    If you enjoy the tedium of most MMOs without anyone else to talk to, this is the game for you.
  64. defive
    Feb 24, 2012
    5
    Decent, but not great. Combat is fun and the engine is pretty but overall I found the game to be bland and boring. Very little innovation and in general not very interesting.
  65. BinarySplit
    Feb 27, 2012
    10
    Incredibly fun, long and interesting gameplay. I'm about 60 hours in and still on my first playthrough. The side quests are awesome, and the combat has a lot of variety. Graphics look pretty amazing, even though my PC is 3 years old. It's like they've taken the good bits out of every other RPG to date, and linked it to a fantastic, original story.
  66. roboticsun
    Dec 23, 2012
    7
    KoA is a fun game but nothing spectacular. Overall the game's structure is very similar to the elder scroll series. it has a fairly okay main story line as well as multiple faction quest lines. the gameplay, however, is very versatile. You can build your character by mixing skills from might, finesse and magic three skill trees. It also had diablo-like loot drop mechanics and a decentKoA is a fun game but nothing spectacular. Overall the game's structure is very similar to the elder scroll series. it has a fairly okay main story line as well as multiple faction quest lines. the gameplay, however, is very versatile. You can build your character by mixing skills from might, finesse and magic three skill trees. It also had diablo-like loot drop mechanics and a decent crafting system. So basically your character is very customizable. One major strength of this game is actually the combat since it's very flexible on how you want to fight. You can play as a mighty warrior smashing foes with huge hammers, as a powerful mage shooting fireballs and lightening bolts as a stealth rogue backstabbing enemies unnoticed or combine all fighting styles together. the combat action is fast-paced and satisfying no matter what fighting style you choose to play. KoA's fantasy setting is well thought-out but not interesting compare to, say, Skyrim. the quests became quite boring quickly and I end up just not caring about the story anymore after a while. in a word, if you want a rpg to immerse yourself in a fantasy world then KoA is not really a good choice, however if you just want to have some fun, this is the game to play.… Expand
  67. Aetherion
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    This is my opinion of the game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and my personal experience of the game. I enjoyed this game quite a bit. Combat is the main thing that really stood out for me with this. There are quite a number of different roles and styles you can progress down, each with a variety of spells and combat styles. The animations are colourful and there's a wonderful scene ofThis is my opinion of the game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and my personal experience of the game. I enjoyed this game quite a bit. Combat is the main thing that really stood out for me with this. There are quite a number of different roles and styles you can progress down, each with a variety of spells and combat styles. The animations are colourful and there's a wonderful scene of personal style to this game. The one thing that comes to mind when playing this is Fable. The role-playing element is where it falls down a little bit, I just simply couldn't bring myself to care about the characters or the story. Though, the exploration side of things more then made up for it.

    All in all ~ it is a good game and definitely worth playing!    … Expand
  68. Kyled00
    Mar 13, 2012
    1
    As far as action RPGs go, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has taken good aspects from the best around. The problem is, it has made them extremely bland, uninteresting and uninspired. It is a mediocre game that can only be described as mildly entertaining. It makes me sad to see such a game getting a lot of publicity when original, inventive games don't get mentioned. If you want anAs far as action RPGs go, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has taken good aspects from the best around. The problem is, it has made them extremely bland, uninteresting and uninspired. It is a mediocre game that can only be described as mildly entertaining. It makes me sad to see such a game getting a lot of publicity when original, inventive games don't get mentioned. If you want an un-engaging game then go ahead and buy this. I am utterly surprised at the high score this game has received. I believe its time to go back and see the good RPGs that are out there and give up on this tat. It makes me wonder why I bother reading reviews sometimes.… Expand
  69. Orctownorc
    Apr 27, 2013
    6
    After a single completionist playthrough sadly have to confirm that the game is NOT very good. It feels like a huge amount of work went into Amalur but it has no heart, no soul and nothing in the world to draw players back into a second playthrough. Everything about the game is almost good. The world is almost good. Had potential. The combat system is almost good. Its fun in moments butAfter a single completionist playthrough sadly have to confirm that the game is NOT very good. It feels like a huge amount of work went into Amalur but it has no heart, no soul and nothing in the world to draw players back into a second playthrough. Everything about the game is almost good. The world is almost good. Had potential. The combat system is almost good. Its fun in moments but grows boring over time. The writing is almost good. The loot and crafting could have been almost good (they aren't really) but just become tedious over time as you collect and discard THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of mediocre items. The main plot is almost good but seems to have been ignored in favour of about 500 side quests that spread your interest, your attention and your immersion in the world on 100 hours of diversions each as boring and meaningless as the next. Clearly what happened with this game was that a vast amount of money was spent doing a vast amount of work setting the stage for later developments in the world. The problem with this is that the game has no real narrative focus and no real atmosphere. Can anyone who played it remember even one character's name? After spendng numerous long hours criss-crossing the map doing every imaginable fetch quest for the whole population of the lands one will be totally BORED with Amalur. While I'm scoring it the same as Skyrim, it is actually less of a game. There is a palpable absence of passion in the core of this design. A lot of competent craftwork is wasted without a sense of leadership vision.… Expand
  70. Sambora
    Apr 27, 2012
    8
    Great: the artistic style, the combat mechanics, it's fun!

    Good: Quests variety, crafting, the character builds are different and fun to play

    Not good: the voice acting, the dialogue writing, the open world factor and exploration
  71. Scoobydruid
    Apr 28, 2012
    3
    This game gets old. I'm L18 and 30 hours in and the game has become very boring. The controls for the PC are awful. The bad voice overs are now annoying - same 3 people trying to disguise themselves but they sound the same. The combat is poor and the quests are simply tiring. They are too repetitive and I can't play anymore - it's simply too painful. The Scenery is repeatedThis game gets old. I'm L18 and 30 hours in and the game has become very boring. The controls for the PC are awful. The bad voice overs are now annoying - same 3 people trying to disguise themselves but they sound the same. The combat is poor and the quests are simply tiring. They are too repetitive and I can't play anymore - it's simply too painful. The Scenery is repeated endlessly. This is a $20 game. Terrible job EA!… Expand
  72. incognito_1
    Mar 2, 2012
    8
    a very well made game that is extremely enjoyable and full of content, the graphics isn't visually impressive but it is definitely above par. Combat is very well designed and fun to play yet combat eventually loses it's appeal (around 30 hours). By then you will easily notice one of the greatest flaw in the game "story" Characters, side quests and faction quests is very forgettable,a very well made game that is extremely enjoyable and full of content, the graphics isn't visually impressive but it is definitely above par. Combat is very well designed and fun to play yet combat eventually loses it's appeal (around 30 hours). By then you will easily notice one of the greatest flaw in the game "story" Characters, side quests and faction quests is very forgettable, repetitive and boring, this is the game's main problem. Overall very solid game with a lot of content and very well designed and diverse world yet boring inhabitants.… Expand
  73. theNILE
    Dec 8, 2012
    7
    The first area is spectacular, the early parts of the game are incredibly enjoyable. Sadly, it slips into complete boredom. The later parts of the game are incredibly dull and you probably won't find any better equips which are better than what you already have. The last quarter of this game is pretty much pointless I tell you. The final boss battle is easy and boring as well. It is sadThe first area is spectacular, the early parts of the game are incredibly enjoyable. Sadly, it slips into complete boredom. The later parts of the game are incredibly dull and you probably won't find any better equips which are better than what you already have. The last quarter of this game is pretty much pointless I tell you. The final boss battle is easy and boring as well. It is sad because I loved this game until I got fairly near the end. That's only half of it though...the skill system is just abysmal. Half the skills are useless because the others are amillion times better. You want to use the other skills but they suck. And...you can cheat in this game. The only game which lets you easily beat bosses - which already require little skill. That being said, the graphics were good. It's a traditional sort of RPG which is original but comes far from being a remarkable RPG.… Expand
  74. susansmistake
    Mar 3, 2012
    9
    KOA:R, while not as graphically stunning as recent RPGs, still delivers where it counts - great gameplay, story, and overall satisfaction while playing. It's easy to waste a few hours without feeling as though any time has passed at all, which is a great indication of it's fun factor.
  75. Kertos
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    Maybe the best RPG Fighting system i ever had the pleasure to play. The graphicstyle fids very good and the world feels all fine. There is a tone of content (20 if you rush 100 if you try to do everything).The biggest downside is the balance. I started on hard and it is still sometimes far to easy - especially crafting can make you some rly op items. - small side note, very fast load times
  76. Nichtswisser
    Apr 24, 2012
    6
    Without the far to far to low difficult level it would have been a decent enough game, yet the lack of any challenge whatsoever makes the game boring and renders two of the main elements of those kind of games, the search for better equipment and the drive to improve your character, redundant. When you visit the forum of a hack and slay game and people widely recommend to use inferiorWithout the far to far to low difficult level it would have been a decent enough game, yet the lack of any challenge whatsoever makes the game boring and renders two of the main elements of those kind of games, the search for better equipment and the drive to improve your character, redundant. When you visit the forum of a hack and slay game and people widely recommend to use inferior equipment in order to not make the game too easy, you know something with the balancing went terribly wrong.… Expand
  77. Putiput
    Mar 30, 2012
    1
    This game is a giant disappointment. The controls are terribly consolized, the menu, including inventory and basically the whole interface, is unusable and annoying. The game-play itself gives you about one challenge every 4 hours, you can get through 90% of what I played, before I was to annoyed, by just hitting the left mouse button repeatedly. In the beginning it´s quiteThis game is a giant disappointment. The controls are terribly consolized, the menu, including inventory and basically the whole interface, is unusable and annoying. The game-play itself gives you about one challenge every 4 hours, you can get through 90% of what I played, before I was to annoyed, by just hitting the left mouse button repeatedly. In the beginning it´s quite fun but after a few hours it is terribly boring and you just ask yourself why the hell you are playing this. Basically you get a movie of someone playing an action version of the boring part of WOW (pure grinding) where you have to click the whole time. The story may be interesting but it is definitely not worth cutting through a whole world filled with brainless mobs.… Expand
  78. VitaminK
    Jul 17, 2012
    10
    SO much hate for a GEM of a game. Just do yourself a favor and look at the profiles of the people who gave it less than 5. For 9/10 of those people are skyrim fanboys or the like who came to this site JUST to hate on this game or all they give is bad reviews. There's a demo available, give this game a chance. Think for yourself.
  79. Corwin
    Mar 1, 2012
    7
    Pros: plenty of side quests to keep you busy for hours. A large and pretty, if rather cartoonish, game world. The combat system is well done and makes you feel like a total badass, whether you're playing a mage or a warrior (although the novelty wears off somewhat after a time). Smooth gameplay and no problems playing it on even an outdated PC. Really impressive large area spell effects.Pros: plenty of side quests to keep you busy for hours. A large and pretty, if rather cartoonish, game world. The combat system is well done and makes you feel like a total badass, whether you're playing a mage or a warrior (although the novelty wears off somewhat after a time). Smooth gameplay and no problems playing it on even an outdated PC. Really impressive large area spell effects.

    Cons: the game is highly "consolified": you can't jump anywhere except predetermined jump points, you can't freely aim with your bow or spells (only at locked on targets), and the menu is annoying and clearly optimized more for consoles rather than PCs. It seems you can't even change the things in your quickbar. The character creation capabilities are pretty disappointing for a game released in 2012.    … Expand
  80. NinjaCrow
    Mar 7, 2012
    8
    For the group that loved the first Fable and wanted more there come's a game from 38 Studios called Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning. It come's off as a Fable combat/story set in an Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim world. As you progress through the game you'll come across varied landscapes and monster's that relate back to the Fae and their 4 courts, aptly named after the four season. The combat isFor the group that loved the first Fable and wanted more there come's a game from 38 Studios called Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning. It come's off as a Fable combat/story set in an Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim world. As you progress through the game you'll come across varied landscapes and monster's that relate back to the Fae and their 4 courts, aptly named after the four season. The combat is probably the game's strongest and for me weakest point. While fun and fluid, it suffers from a flaw that I can't get past, in the game you're able to activate an ability which essentially slows time and increase's damage output which make's hard boss fights incredibly easy, while the quick time event at the end is satisfying it just doesn't hold a challenge. Sure I could bump the difficulty however that make's the game a struggle the whole way through.

    The other issue that I had was the occasionally the camera would point either at the ground, or assume that you have a form of X-ray vision and show you a cliff face or some other solid surface that can't be seen through. I have only even encountered this as a hindrance when I was in an arena like area where you are in close quarters surrounded on all sides, I can understand how some people could consider this a game breaking occurrence. Overall, if you enjoyed Fable or Skyrim then chance's are you will thoroughly enjoy this game as long as you can get past the minor annoyances.    … Expand
  81. Slybacongaming
    Mar 13, 2012
    7
    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning delivers what it promises, engaging story, fluid combat system, in depth crafting system. Downsides to KoA are to many side quests not enough main story, the game itself is on the easy side and the camera restrictions are beyond annoying but overall well worth the price if you are a RPG fan
  82. sundog005
    Mar 29, 2012
    3
    Sadly like everyone i disliked the old fashioned disney style graphics...i don't know when the art was made for this game but it looks around the same time World of Warcraft got developed....style wise anyways, the demo even reminded me of -dare i breath that foul word again and live to tell the tale- "Gnomeregan!" ....yes indeed fellow WoW casualties run while you can....the twistedSadly like everyone i disliked the old fashioned disney style graphics...i don't know when the art was made for this game but it looks around the same time World of Warcraft got developed....style wise anyways, the demo even reminded me of -dare i breath that foul word again and live to tell the tale- "Gnomeregan!" ....yes indeed fellow WoW casualties run while you can....the twisted slapstick nightmare is influencing games even today...All i'll say is its not my kind of "RPG"....and lets face it isn't an RPG its a beat um up with a linear plot and some character stuff that just makes you better at...yep...beating things up.
    Tekken and Disney and Diablo/WoW had an overhyped baby, end of story....NEXT!
    my advice do yourself a favour and buy Skyrim instead....unless a real RPG is too taxing for you and you mostly play FPS games and just want shiny things to blow up all day long...ohhhh its pretty!    … Expand
  83. loumia2004
    Apr 3, 2012
    8
    I think the game is fine, is not a 10 but the scores given here lower than a 5 are ridiculous. I've seen worse games by far. Yeah, I agree with t the camera view issue and combat difficulty should be bumped up a few notches after you're well equiped ( I play on Hard), but is not a awfull game. The repetitive story lines are at par with the number one RPG "Skyrim" and I have played itI think the game is fine, is not a 10 but the scores given here lower than a 5 are ridiculous. I've seen worse games by far. Yeah, I agree with t the camera view issue and combat difficulty should be bumped up a few notches after you're well equiped ( I play on Hard), but is not a awfull game. The repetitive story lines are at par with the number one RPG "Skyrim" and I have played it Vanilla ver. and moded as well. So please spare me the storyline comments. In fact I think this game is fun. If you like descent graphics a descent story and don't like to torture yourself trying to have fun then go for it!… Expand
  84. jeyon
    May 15, 2012
    7
    Amalur is a good RPG, not great, due to a few flaws. Mainly the lack of visual expression on the character's faces, not to mention the fact that yours is also mute, though the voice acting is pretty good.
    The World is quite vast, the History and the Lore is certainly there, although for some it might be too much too soon, after Skyrim and The Witcher 2.
    In terms of gameplay, this game is    Amalur is a good RPG, not great, due to a few flaws. Mainly the lack of visual expression on the character's faces, not to mention the fact that yours is also mute, though the voice acting is pretty good.
    The World is quite vast, the History and the Lore is certainly there, although for some it might be too much too soon, after Skyrim and The Witcher 2.
    In terms of gameplay, this game is intuitive, close to what the Fable has done lately, the lack of challenge included, for those who seek it.
    For a game that is supposed to establish a new rpg franchise, it's a job done. Though if it is destined to be an MMO, well meh... too bad!    … Expand
  85. kbozz71
    Jun 5, 2012
    8
    Well, I guess it is a one hit wonder for 38 studios. For a new IP in a world dominated by sequels, KoA had a lot of promise. It wasn't anywhere near perfect, and many of the gripes in the negative reviews are spot on. However, if you accept it for what it is and not expect it be what it isn't, you'll have a lot of fun. Everything in the game is basically copied from other games. I don'tWell, I guess it is a one hit wonder for 38 studios. For a new IP in a world dominated by sequels, KoA had a lot of promise. It wasn't anywhere near perfect, and many of the gripes in the negative reviews are spot on. However, if you accept it for what it is and not expect it be what it isn't, you'll have a lot of fun. Everything in the game is basically copied from other games. I don't consider this a terrible thing, as I easily recognized what to do. The game is somewhat easy on even highest difficulty. Once again, this is not such a terrible thing for a casual gamer. The camera is probably the biggest complaint I have. That and the UI/Inventory are clearly made for consoles. Now that the studio is closed down, if you are considering purchasing, you should Google the game breaking bugs as there will be no patch. Once again if you're a casual gamer that enjoys over the top action and rpg elements this game can be fun. If you're looking for a Skyrim/Witcher alternative, forget about it.… Expand
  86. Pendragon1977
    Jun 11, 2012
    9
    90 some hours into the game and I am loving it. The graphics aren't the greatest and there are few bugs here and there, but I'd rather play a game that has over 90 hours of game play and depth than a game with high graphics and no depth and short play time. Good side quests, faction quests, main storyline quests. Also has a great combat system and character customization as well.
  87. akarnokd
    Dec 27, 2013
    8
    Great game, spent a lot of time on quests. Stable, good looking and nice voiceover. It felt a bit tedious at certain points but at the end it was a great experience.
  88. sdi
    Sep 26, 2013
    4
    Where to begin.From the generic storyline, world ,quests and painfully unmemorable characters or tedious combat system?You know you got something wrong with your game when the most memorable character is a drunk mage and fights become a chore after two hours of gameplay.Conversations are meaningless and almost failed to engage me in every occasion and didn't give me the illusion that a rpgWhere to begin.From the generic storyline, world ,quests and painfully unmemorable characters or tedious combat system?You know you got something wrong with your game when the most memorable character is a drunk mage and fights become a chore after two hours of gameplay.Conversations are meaningless and almost failed to engage me in every occasion and didn't give me the illusion that a rpg is supposed to offer to the player.The crafting system is moderate at best and customization is almost non existent.The combat system shows some potential as it is easily picked up and customized to your liking. Overall this game is below average and definitely didn't live up to the expectations and hype.… Expand
  89. Greywolf2001ca
    Dec 24, 2015
    6
    This game is a decent hack'n'slasher with a decent story.

    There character building is good enough to continue playing without getting bored.

    They call this a role-playing game, but it's actually a hack'n'slasher power-gaming one with a linear story.

    I don't think you should pay any more than 10$ for the complete game.
  90. Nightmare1911
    Nov 14, 2019
    10
    For the year 2012 this game deserves a 10.. The story is dull lot's of characters it's really easy to forget them but the game focused on the most important thing GAMEPLAY the movements are flawless spells combos everything about it was great . The visuals in the world were amazing for that time and even today , shame this game won't live to fight another day anymore but maybe they willFor the year 2012 this game deserves a 10.. The story is dull lot's of characters it's really easy to forget them but the game focused on the most important thing GAMEPLAY the movements are flawless spells combos everything about it was great . The visuals in the world were amazing for that time and even today , shame this game won't live to fight another day anymore but maybe they will surprise us with remastered version of it or with better story.… Expand
  91. Ryften
    Feb 8, 2012
    9
    KoA is probably one of the most underrated games out there. And yes, I realize that it is getting a decent critical reception. However, there are a few things that belies this games true nature. To get some of the cookie cutter things out of the way: it looks great, good engine, it isn't buggy (actually a big feat for a game this large) and the music and voice-acting is decent enough for aKoA is probably one of the most underrated games out there. And yes, I realize that it is getting a decent critical reception. However, there are a few things that belies this games true nature. To get some of the cookie cutter things out of the way: it looks great, good engine, it isn't buggy (actually a big feat for a game this large) and the music and voice-acting is decent enough for a AAA title. Now that being said:

    When the game opens, the character is dropped into a very 'Torment: Planescape"-ish environment. Stranger awakens from death in a strange place, with many more questions than answers. The player must learn the three base play styles (Might, Finesse, Magic) with introductory battles with giant rats, evil humanoids and culminating at the end with a mini-boss that gives the false impression of daunting power. For other RPG vets like myself, you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking, "Great, another cookie-cutter RPG... NEVER seen this formula before." But really 38 Studios only uses this formula here, to teach the new players (and veterans alike) how to play the game in a familiar setting.

    In a world defined by Fate and Fate alone, you are the Fateless. You are declared very early on as being an anomaly in the world. This is a fantastic mechanic. For a multitude of reasons. It gives your character a very protean gameplay personality and especially fans of AAA MMORPGs this is a fun dynamic. Ever respec in WoW? If you know what I am talking about, then you know that it is an integral part of games because it gives the player a wide skill set, making the game more deep and interesting. In KoA players will determine their fate by visiting Fateweavers, who in essence, respec the player's character.

    One moment you are skulking in the shadows, assassinating a high level bandit leader, and the next you are covered in plate mail smashing through a trolls face with a massive hammer. You can also blend the playstyles as well. For fans of the Elder Scrolls series, things like Nightblades (Thief/Mage) and Spellblades (Mage/Warrior) abound. But where the game really shines, is in an area almost all RPG's have fallen short, or in some cases (*cough* Fallout 3 *cough*) fallen flat on their faces - is combat. KoA's combat system is fluid, timing based and simple. However it is also rewarding, accessible and wildly entertaining. Using the threads of Fate themselves as weapons, the player has the ability at times to charge a super attack, which will slow down time and perform a heroic action that will instantly destroy the target of the attack. These are alot of fun and since they are proc-based and can only happen every once in a while. Not enough to become over-used, but not so far in between it is an unused mechanic. There are a few things, however small, that KoA missed the mark on:

    Speechless protagonist. Absolutely irritating feature that half of developers think is a completely acceptable mechanic in AAA RPG's. He pulls off epic feats of heroism, but he can't speak? BioWare did it in an MMO, this was a big planning mistake and needs to be though about for their next title.

    Sort of unlinear.... but really it isn't. To a degree you can go do whatever you want once you exit the starting zone. That being said... not really. You are restricted by level in most areas and in others there are numerous side quests that have gear/money etc that become crucial for advancing.

    "Collect and kill number of " quests are everywhere. I realize this is an RPG and these things are unavoidable. Granted alot of these quests aren't too bad. The objectives are fairly simple and easy to access. But in Skyrim, these sort of quests had weight, made you care about them. KoA doesn't totally fail here, but when you can recognize the formula without skipping a beat, means I am not quite as immersed as I should be.

    Run into a building ---- Loading Screen ---- Run out of a building ---- Loading Screen ---- Enter Area.... etc. We may have been spoiled by games like WoW and Skyrim, but the age of loading screens is swiftly dieing. Developers really need to start getting on board with doing away with this practice.

    ---------------------------
    Overall this is a great game and a great debut by Mr. Curt Schilling and 38 Studios. Of course when R.A. Salvatore is leading the creative team, creating the gameplay world; you are probably going to be pretty pushed to fail.    … Expand
  92. misik95
    Feb 9, 2012
    10
    This is amazing. I think that is a right RPG what game world need. Reckoning is more better than the bug ridiculous game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The Fight system is perfect and I have not god words about fabulous graphics. Sometimes a camera is bad but Who cares. You should try it !
  93. GottFaust
    Feb 9, 2012
    8
    The first thing I have to mention is that of the, currently, 57 negative reviews only 6 actually bothered to write anything. From my standpoint that means that there are a couple of people using multiple accounts to spam-review this game negatively but they couldn't even bother to copy/paste any form of text for the review itself. As to the game itself you can definitely tell that R. A.The first thing I have to mention is that of the, currently, 57 negative reviews only 6 actually bothered to write anything. From my standpoint that means that there are a couple of people using multiple accounts to spam-review this game negatively but they couldn't even bother to copy/paste any form of text for the review itself. As to the game itself you can definitely tell that R. A. Salvatore had a hand in the creation of the lore and world. The story and voice acting are top-tier. The amount of content is staggering at over 120 hours of side quests alone. I do have two complaints though. The first one is that, while not dated in a technical sense, the graphics appear a bit on the low end due to lower resolution textures, though still better than vanilla Skyrim in a lot of cases, and the cartoony style. My other complaint lies int he fact that the protagonist is silent. I'm of the opinion that this gaming paradigm has run it's course and needs to be done away with. They have all this amazing voice acting and huge amounts of dialog recorded for the NPCs but they couldn't bother to get voice actors for the main character. I understand that this can be a challenge given the fact that there are 4 playable races with 8 possible voices, one for each sex of each race, but I'd have been happy with a single voice actor for each sex applied regardless of the race chosen.… Expand
  94. Bossner
    Feb 9, 2012
    10
    As advertised from the very beginning, Reckoning is indeed a "guided" open world game. The combat is a breath of fresh air, combining elements of hack n' slash and action games residing over a sturdy and deep traditional RPG stat system that's sure to give you the satisfaction of both a standard RPG spreadsheet character along with the awesome combat of something similar to God of War.As advertised from the very beginning, Reckoning is indeed a "guided" open world game. The combat is a breath of fresh air, combining elements of hack n' slash and action games residing over a sturdy and deep traditional RPG stat system that's sure to give you the satisfaction of both a standard RPG spreadsheet character along with the awesome combat of something similar to God of War.

    The world is alive and majestic, easily overtaking its peers in terms of immersion and sense of wonder. I'd like to reiterate that the game was never marketed as anything other than "guided open world". Folks who are upset that the game is not nearly as open as Skyrim have simply failed to be good consumers and do proper research into the product they are buying. The voice acting is phenomenal, rivaling some of the best RPGs to date. Although this appears to be an area of contention among reviewers, it's important to note that this is one of the more subjective categories of game review.

    Crafting is surprisingly deep, allowing you to customize your equipment to fit your playstyle rather than your standard spam professions present in World of Warcraft or Skyrim. The graphics are heavily stylized in a comic book fashion. It's no wonder with the likes of Todd McFarlane heading development there.

    The story is rich and unique, playing on several real life political themes as well as your standard fantasy flair. In terms of high fantasy, Reckoning stands apart from your cliche genre, introducing a new type of elf - the Alfar - which are quite different from your Lord of the Rings derivations you might be used to. In addition, many unique creatures call Amalur their home, including Jottun and Boggarts.

    I'd point out that most reviews here seem to be comparing the game directly to Skyrim, which makes me believe that there are more than a few angry TES fanboys who are non-too-happy about having a challenger to the open world throne. Unfortunately, they'll have to learn to deal with it, as Reckoning has finally provided RPG fans with a game that can have elements of other genres (particularly combat), while staying true to long-standing RPG conventions running behind the scenes, such as stats.

    I'd've given Reckoning a 10 but it is not without faults. The camera leaves a bit to be desired, and there could be a few more graphics options on PC.    … Expand
  95. 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
  96. 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
  97. Kwambus
    Feb 11, 2012
    9
    I created an account just to pop in a few comments on this game. I am around 20 hours in at the moment and having read some of the positive and negative reviews and comments I was honestly expecting the gaming equivalent of Marmite (you love it or hate it). Well, I can honestly say I love it. It's everything Fable should have been and a little more. Combat is great fun - I think everyoneI created an account just to pop in a few comments on this game. I am around 20 hours in at the moment and having read some of the positive and negative reviews and comments I was honestly expecting the gaming equivalent of Marmite (you love it or hate it). Well, I can honestly say I love it. It's everything Fable should have been and a little more. Combat is great fun - I think everyone agrees on that, but I also really like the Lore and story, quests are interesting too. Yes, they are go fetch, DHL or kill 10 rats but what honestly was anyone expecting? The combat more than makes up for this IMHO.

    The game's graphics are enchanting, and the world solid, bugs appear to be few and far between (PC version). Long time since I got lost in a game like this without getting distracted I would say it's one of my sleeper hits for this year. Yes I played Skyrim, don't expect that sort of open world epic and you won't be let down. The game appears to be massive it's not completely linear though, I think the people saying that are being a little unfair. Go try the demo if your unsure - personally I think you would have to be expecting too much or a little mean to give this game less than a 7.    … Expand
  98. Stormchaser
    Feb 11, 2012
    9
    PC Gamer here, At first I was a bit disapointed HOWEVER tweaking the nVidia panel and I must admit this game ROCKS VERY HARD!! Best fighting mechanics without a doubt, great gfx and a cool story line, don't be fooled by some of these chops posting nonsense here, they played 2 hours max and made up their mind that it sucks!? I'm giving it a 9 rating for sure.
  99. Altarus
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    I have not stopped playing this game since it came out. There is just so much to do that you will tend to forget that there is even a main quest. The story is very good and the combat is very fun and addictive. I've played my share of RPGs. Open world, sandbox, action, you name it! In my opinion Reckoning is the best out there. It takes all the goods from an RPG and gives it the action ofI have not stopped playing this game since it came out. There is just so much to do that you will tend to forget that there is even a main quest. The story is very good and the combat is very fun and addictive. I've played my share of RPGs. Open world, sandbox, action, you name it! In my opinion Reckoning is the best out there. It takes all the goods from an RPG and gives it the action of God of War. This game is really God of War meets Skyrim. If you love RPGs please give this game a chance. I'm positive that if you really love RPGs you will not put this game down for a WHILE!… Expand
  100. HeyJoe
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    Unlike Skyrim, Reckoning is virtually bug-free. I've played for close to 30 hours and have encountered only one minor bug. Contrast that with Skyrim, which had broken quests and weird glitches every step of the way (yet still somehow manages to be awesome). Technically then, Reckoning gets 10/10.

    Many don't care for the visual style. I have to respectfully disagree. Reckoning is not    Unlike Skyrim, Reckoning is virtually bug-free. I've played for close to 30 hours and have encountered only one minor bug. Contrast that with Skyrim, which had broken quests and weird glitches every step of the way (yet still somehow manages to be awesome). Technically then, Reckoning gets 10/10.

    Many don't care for the visual style. I have to respectfully disagree. Reckoning is not Dragon Age or Skyrim. Fantasy needn't be browns, grays, and endless white. It worked for Skyrim because TES leans a little more towards photo-realism. Reckoning is more along the lines of a dreamlike, high-fantasy fairy tale... and that has a place in the genre. The combat system is simply awesome, and I can easily see myself playing through the game again using a different archetype just to experience some of the awesome combos and finishing moves. Finally, I really love the loot system. I like that I can gain meaningful loot upgrades from both monster/chest drops AND crafting. An irritation of mine with Skyrim is that I was soon able to craft daedric gear that far outshone anything dropped by any creature or chest in the game. Even the daedra quest items were a joke when compared to my crafted armor and weapons. Anyhow, great job on Reckoning and I look forward to DLC and any future release in this franchise.    … Expand
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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

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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.
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  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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