Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

1. Steyraus

   Sep 9, 2020

   10

   THQ seemingly did everything right with this re release. They didnt call it a "Remaster or Remake" to manage expectations, They didnt chargeTHQ seemingly did everything right with this re release. They didnt call it a "Remaster or Remake" to manage expectations, They didnt charge full price for the game. They kept the art and assets the same to be true to the original. They got the maximum performance for every console including 60 FPS. AND YET THERE IS STILL "OFF COURSE" OUTRAGE!!!!! Modern gaming consumers man!, its just a cycle of outrage instigated on You Tube Spreed to the Audience then to Twitter and back to another You Tube video, just a cycle of people looking to create or be out raged,
   This re release was made for consoles the PC game all ways looked good because games scale with PC hardware, so you wont see much difference. On PS3 and 360 this game was 720p at 30FPS, you can now play it at true 4K 60 fps on the 1X and 1440p 60FPS on PS4 pro and 1080P 60 FPS on base consoles, this is a massive upgrade, IF you cant understand those number than you wont understand just how amazing they are.
   Yes the art and assets are the same, thankfully because the character models in the original game are more attractive than the character models in modern games made today, thanks to political pandering. Yes the animation looks dated but this isnt a full priced release and re animating 1000s of characters would have made the project way to costly to risk.
   Its meant as a performance upgrade so modern console gamers can experience this amazing game. After the cry baby reception that the game has received for not completely over hauling everything, and them not spending 500 m on this risky project dont expect many more of histories hidden gems to be brought to the new platforms. Its just to much of a risk with today's entitled modern You Tuber community and their hungry for out rage audience.… Expand

   • 16 of 30 users found this helpful
2. OhMyGames

   Sep 15, 2020

   10

   Great game. To be honest, I slept on the original every time I went to gamestop and now I know why it is a hidden gem and beloved by its fans.Great game. To be honest, I slept on the original every time I went to gamestop and now I know why it is a hidden gem and beloved by its fans. It's fun with basic combat and a great story. Played it on launch and had no problems with bugs, crashes, framerates, etc. likes others claim to have had. Overall, I'm glad I decided to give this game a shot.… Expand

   • 11 of 16 users found this helpful
4. Gunner54

   Sep 14, 2020

   9

   Although not a ‘remake’ of the original 2012 game, nor really a full blown ‘remaster’ the new version is basically a very welcome tweakedAlthough not a ‘remake’ of the original 2012 game, nor really a full blown ‘remaster’ the new version is basically a very welcome tweaked port. PC gamers have said they can’t see much of a difference, however, having replayed some of the original on Xbox 360 recently, I can say that the PS4 Pro version is very much a step up. The graphics have been given a HD lift, resulting in sharper detail and more vibrant colours. KoA has never looked so amazingly pretty on consoles. The new version has also tweaked and balanced game play, including much needed improvement to the loot and area level system. All the released DLC is included (including the Mass Effect inspired ‘Shepard’s Armour’). The game is still awesome and fun to play. The combat is excellent, the content immense, the visuals have a colour-rich vibe, and the fabulous score by Grant Kirkhope is big, bold and suitably high fantasy epic.… Expand

   • 13 of 17 users found this helpful
5. Goo4you

   Oct 14, 2020

   7

   I played Skyrim right before I played Kingdoms of Amalur, and because of that, Amalur was cast in its shadow. Fast forward to 2020, andI played Skyrim right before I played Kingdoms of Amalur, and because of that, Amalur was cast in its shadow. Fast forward to 2020, and there's no hint of that shadow here, but the problems are.
   
   I'll get the most common gripes being thrown out first. Tying the X button to multiple functions is silly. Picking up items, running, talking to NPC's all connected to the X button is not smart developing back then; it could have been fixed. Run could be set to R3, for example.
   
   I am playing Amalur on a 4k HDR LG from this year, and even with all the graphical support coming from that TV (and ps4 pro), the game is muddy looking at times. The inclusion of better textures should have been a given with a remaster. Whatever they did, though, it wasn't enough.
   
   The loading screens are ridiculous. I know there are going to be loading screens; everything is a loading screen. I am getting ANTHEM flashbacks. I hope THQ Nordic comes back around in a future patch to streamline these a bit.
   
   Personal gripes:
   Voice acting and dialogue are tedious and grating at times. I forgot how much each NPC has to say about either current events, factions, races, locations. The menu breaking down every single thing that every NPC has to say gets real old, real quick. Apparently, every inhabitant of Amalur gets their rocks off being gossips! Not every NPC needed to have something to say. Half the time is just the same root thing being told by everyone else, but because the option exists to ask them about it, the compulsion to ask for the player rises.
   
   Combat, while fluid and has been, also has no weight or impact. The sound effects of connecting with attacks are muted or nonexistent, even fate mode. It would have been nice to hear those attacks connect with this remaster.
   
   Quest log and quest tracking, which worked in 2012, is woefully inadequate in 2020. Get ready to criss-cross the map and fast travel (and the LOADING!) all the time. An exact tracker/distance from the goal would have been appreciated in this remaster. Also, one visual tracked mission on the map, please.
   
   Storage and prices are awful for the early game and pointless at the late game. Stop gating content like this. Also, "fenced" items are a stupid mechanic that should have been removed. I mean, how in the world could any merchant know those peasant boots I stole in Gerhart are stolen in Sheildring Keep? Couple that with early game issues with space, and you're left with this silly balancing act with your bags.
   
   I love the fate system. I hate and always have how easily you can respec throughout the game. Money costs are pointless after a time. There should have been a different (and harder) way to change your fate. With that said:
   
   Magic is worthless of an option as it was in the first game. I tried early on and found the ranged to combat style to be boring. At least with the physical builds, you can have a mixed experience, but they're never dull. The game is obviously designed and optimized for physical combat, so why both even trying to use magic?* Until the end game when you've max out everything, playing magic makes you beyond overpowered. It's still boring.
   
   This is a minor point, and I hope should an Amalur 2 become a thing, but the narrative thru-line should be much, much clearer next time. I get the need to establish a whole new world, and it's people and beliefs, but you lose the plot almost as quickly as you start it. There is no urgency in Amalur, no sense of what you are beyond being unique, and no real timescale of what is coming or how quickly you must act.
   
   The quest system at large is probably responsible being much like an MMO, but the central story doesn't feel more significant or more urgent than, say perhaps, collecting some guy's bones and returning them to his family.
   
   I get the above is negative points, but others have already said the positives. I could easily see giving this an 8 if THQ Nordic cleans up the graphics a bit more and cuts the loading times down. It's worth owning and worth playing, and I hope the next batch of DLC supports a future for this series. I would play more of this.… Expand

   • 12 of 17 users found this helpful
6. CoreGamer1408

   Nov 4, 2021

   6

   Played the OG version back in the day and while it looked colorful it was kind of a 100 hour grind. Fired up this remastered version of thePlayed the OG version back in the day and while it looked colorful it was kind of a 100 hour grind. Fired up this remastered version of the game (DNF) which came free with PSN+ subscription recently. I remember this game was supposed to be the spiritual successor to say Morrowind lol and no. Gameplay was/is simple and basic even if it was flashy visually. Pretty to look, but a fairly empty feeling game. It comes across like a MMO that has no player base anymore. As in easy gameplay, simple MMO questing, flashy cool visuals. | will say this one good thing about it though. The only game that did QTE right for sure. Those finishers are visually awesome to behold. Ok back to Skyrim for the umpteen time then, laters.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
7. RatchetClank111

   Nov 23, 2021

   5

   I'm not really writing the review on how it was remastered for the ps4/ps5, but just about the game and my initial impressions.
   
   I feltI'm not really writing the review on how it was remastered for the ps4/ps5, but just about the game and my initial impressions.
   
   I felt somewhat misled at first, because with this being on ps plus I was expecting I guess a game that was like closer to what you expect from an RPG/MMO for today, but when I started to play the game I realized this is definitely from around the ps3 era. Obviously this game is dated, but even with imagining when the game was originally released, it has some flaws that really prevent the game from being better. And you can instantly tell within the first few hours.
   
   First issue is that you have no connection to your character. Your character doesn't say anything, doesn't show emotion, and just looks disinterested when talking to other characters. Your choices don't really change anything and feels forced when you have to make a decision on how to proceed with a quest.
   
   The NPCs, their voice acting is really bland and don't get your attention at all. I've played the game for a few hours and not one character has wanted me to go through all of their dialogue options. A further issue is that ALMOST every character has WAY TOO MUCH dialogue. It's too much to comprehend and understand what is really going on in this setting and makes you just skip everything other than what's the quest so I can get the quest and decide if I want to complete it. NPCs talk about all these different places and characters and groups that it's just very hard to understand what they are even talking about or referring to because you don't know anything about the game or where you are at.
   
   Quests, This game just throws WAY too many quests at you right from the start after you complete the tutorial. It's a shame too because if it kept the fast pace of the tutorial, that part is actually really fun and you sense the urgency to continue. After that, there's just no urgency or drive to complete the main quests. It just puts you at the first village where's there just a bunch of random quests to do, If you go south then you run into another village with even more quests...and a lot of them just seem boring and don't feel rewarding to complete.
   
   The main issue is that when you just play the game for a few hours, you really get the sense that this is all that the game has to offer and just feels like a drawn out RPG, and from my understanding was supposed to be an MMO at some point, which would explain why the game feels so empty. and with this being a remaster sort of, you then realize how dated the game is.
   
   Overall, not a terrible game, but the game just feels like a chore to play and doesn't really give any sense of emotion. Most likely I'll just play this once in awhile for the combat and just to explore and complete a quest, then move on and do something else.
   
   Final score: 5/10,… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. CorixAsk

   Jan 31, 2021

   0

   I had a game breaking bug 15 hours in game a game breaking bug that was in the original as all of the other bugs are this is a re realese withI had a game breaking bug 15 hours in game a game breaking bug that was in the original as all of the other bugs are this is a re realese with only graphics updated a little yet still people love it and pay for it
   Are we still surprised companies treat us like **** when the consumers will pay anything they spit and be grateful for it… Expand

   • 1 of 2 users found this helpful

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