The demo for the much anticipated Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning was made available this week for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network gamers alike. When I first started playing the demo I had lukewarm feelings about the game, and playing through the demo hasn't changed that. Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning promises to be a new type of single player Action RPG. It brings together the creative talents of game designer Ken Rolston, artist Todd McFarlane, and New York Times best selling author R.A. Salvatore.
Breakdown:
Platforms: PS3, Xbox, & PC
Rating: M for Mature
Genre: RPG
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: February 7th, 2012
Graphically this game reminds me of Fable. Characters look cartoonish and environments are filled with lots bright colors. It doesn't have the same polished look as a Final Fantasy or Mass Effect. Character creation is nice providing for a lot of customization options. There are plenty of NPCs to talk to along the way, however your character doesn't have a voice. Much like Dragon Age, players must choose from a list of different responses. This isn't the most engaging experience as you character almost seems like a mute when interacting with other characters. Additionally, conversation was glitchy as many times characters voices didn't sync up with their lips.
What will set this game apart from other RPGs is the action packed game-play. Combat is based on a combo system in which players are free to build combos using both weapons and magic. Fighting in the demo was fun, however I could see how it could get repetitive in the full game. Hopefully the talent trees will have enough diversity to keep combat fresh.
The demo was pretty solid aside from the glitches. To me the game feels more like a jumble of borrowed ideas rather than a finished product in its own right. Once you complete the demos main mission you are given 45 minutes to explore the landscape. So players can really get a good feel for the game. While Kingdoms of Amalur doesn't excite me as much as other RPGs on the horizon, I think its worth a look.
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