Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Originally posted by BloodRawEngine
That depends on what you call halfway through. As for bugs and ;acl of polish, that's just false. The demo, sure, but I ain't run into anything indicating lack of polish or design in the retail version.

I played the demo, and got the feeling that this game had a little bit of everything in it. I felt influences from Fable, Elder Scrolls, and God of War. I don't own the game yet, but there was something that I could not really put my finger on that made me feel that although this is a good game, it lacked a certain something that makes it a great game. Probably just me though. I'm hoping that once I play the full version that it will remove my lack of total interest.

It's a good game definitely, but it was probably the fact that they added so many different things into it, that it never really hit it's stride.

Originally posted by BloodRawEngine
That depends on what you call halfway through. As for bugs and ;acl of polish, that's just false. The demo, sure, but I ain't run into anything indicating lack of polish or design in the retail version.

Well, I'm played it on my PS3 from launch day. I've basically just sailed out of Rathir when I fell asleep for the umpteenth time while I played then decided, "AHHH! Screw it!" (I was at the level that had about 82 Ability points total, I think).

I had a big problem with the buggy sound (the sound timing was off, everytime a sound played, it was always half a second delayed literally KILLED my experience, I think). Also, a couple of times, I had to reload due to getting stuck in a wall or barrel after a wall, experienced a few times where the game just didn't load or it just plain froze and the controls wouldn't respond (and I had to reset the PS3 by switching it off). Def bugs from release day, but nothing that would scream "don't play". It's still a pretty solid premise for a game and I did give it an 8. It's just not for me.

As for "lack of polish": inability to customize controls (w/c are set at Xbox and not PS3 settings, quests being monotonous and most dungeons looking alike, buggy quests, no multiplayer (w/c would really make it shine IMO), crazy camera angles, lines and lines and lines of pointless conversations with NPCs (unlike Planescape or Baldur's Gate where they made you CARE what the characters were saying) that really doesn't add to the feel or atmosphere of the game, etc.

But I'm prolly just nitpicking here.

Don't get me wrong. The game is really good, the premise should have made it at least a 9+, but I think they rushed it out to make a deadline and it makes me sad that they could have made SUCH a better game. Maybe it's just not for me. I REALLY wanted to like this game, to the point where I would shake my head after falling asleep and keep on playing saying to myself "this'll get better in the later parts.... this'll get better in the later parts... this'll get ZZZzzz....!" /sad

Those really are all just nitpicks from how I've experienced them, frankly. All those glitches sound like a faulty copy if anything. Nothing that can't be patched at least, based on how pronounced they seem to be with your experience. Unless you're exagerrating, but I'm not that presumptuous. Although you seem to be expecting things of it that aren't even touched upon in other games of the genre. Whatever lack of customization the controls have, customization exists almost in truckloads within the main core aspects of the game; that's what getting the best of the action side is all about an how it carries the game. The depth of action is all about experimentation as you build your character.

And again, I haven't experienced anything remotely like buggy sound or game-crashing glitches. In fact, I haven't even run into half the glitches that were complained about in the reviews aside from a less-than-flawless draw distance. But yeah, there's no excusing the largely insignificant dialogue, and the narrative of the story only just recently picked up for me, but with quests also suffering that, the same can be said for other games to varying points. That, and they've said the game is something of a precursor to a potential MMO or multiplayer of sorts, so at the very least, they can only go up with maximizing this new series' potential. I'll admit, that I went into the game expecting more from the action elements than the RPG elements or the lore, so I've since made the most of the combat with the things I'm given or what I achieve, so I've had a largely satisfying time. Thus, while I'm not one for numerical scores, I find the general consensus of 8-ish out of 10 to be agreeable. But acknowledging a game that much even if it's "not your type" of game is a candid judgement, so your opinion's respectable, although it does sound like you've run into more technical problems than I have, and I've been playing only a little while less since I got it about a few days to a week after launch.

Do you play the PC version or the PS3 version? I'm on the PS3 version and from what I'm hearing, the sound lag problem only exists the most on the console versions.

I can say I never got any glitches.

I have the PS3 version too, and the closest thing to sound lag I ever really got was hearing a sound effect of a move when I leave the pause screen after pausing in the middle of an attack animation, namely just the hammer (then again I use the hammer most).

Well, that sucks for me then. I guess my problem (w/c is VERY consistent) seems to be just in my version. Hmmm.

Still, as it is, even with the absence of this bugs, I still doubt that I'd score this game higher than an 8.

Too many quests to get acclimated with this game. I'm about to break out a pad and pen to manage what to do first. I like the combat but gee.....

I'm surprised that this game has only gotten 3 pages. I'm finding that it has a lot in it in terms of items, and quests, but I've also noticed that if I take my time, and work it one step at a time, that this game is awesome. I've gone with a Warrior build, but added a little magic, and thief skills to the mix for a more well rounded character. Is it more fun than Skyrim? You betcha. Well as far as combat goes, and the monster count (larger bestiary). I wouldn't say that it is better than Skyrim, but it does have its charm, and moments. Graphically speaking, it's not as well polished as Skyrim, but then again what RPG game is? I have yet to encounter even one glitch, so as it stands, I'm giving this game a solid 8.5.

Nice summary. Agreement.

In playing the game, I'm finding it hard to really consider it a game that was ever even INTEDNED to compare to Skyrim as even the same kind of RPG. Altogether, I find it more in line with what, say, Angry Joe said about it in that it's fundamentally similar to Fable on paper, but mainly if Fable had a much more open-ended, refreshing, and polished battle system and a better overworld than III.

I'll say now that alot of replay value actually came from the sheer amount of experimentation that bulding you character differently for combat managed to offer me. By the end of the game, you're gonna have more money than you'll know what to do with, so hittin' up a Fateweaver nearby one of your likely-to-be three or four houses isn't something to fear since the price to reset your points caps after about the tenth visit I believe. IE, if you don't care so much for the exclusive special attacks each tier might offer and just wanna use any and all weapons to their full abilities and movesets, then the Universalist path is THE choice for you, as the final destiny card unlocks weapons mastery for all of them. It really does make for a great change of pace if you're the type of gamer who went into this game for the action-focused gameplay and not something like story significiance or narrative. I only hope any potential future DLC does something like add in an extra difficulty setting, because by the time I reached level 40, my character was already pretty much a god on the battlefield.

This game has a very type hold on me. No matter where I am, or what I am doing, I find myself wanting to play it. I'm just trying to figure out what is the best armor type in the game? I have a full suit of Sylvanite armor. Is this the best stuff around?

Best armor really depends on what playstyle you're going for. I'm running a mage/rogue 50/50 split. So armor that gives me regen or extra criticals is great.

I'm going with the Warrior Mage 70/30 split leaning more towards Warrior. I guess I prefer crackin heads 😄 . My armor and weapons have a decent regen rate of 2 per second each. I basically have Sylvanite from head to toe, my Chakrams and Sword are also made of the stuff. I have one set of Chakrams that technically hit with less than another pair, the ones that seem to hit harder are the electrical ones. Could it be my imagination? The ones that say that they hit with greater power are flame based. Is electricity somehow better against foes?

Electricity, physical, and bleeding are the 3 attributes that most enemies are vulnerable to. But fire weapons have always down crazy damage with me, except against like Flame Champion Imps and stuff.

And I've got one of the Ancient Mage Armor Sets. 30+ Mana, Mana Regen, Health Regen.

I'm basically a stealth magic tank.

^ In all honesty do you think that the folks down at Bethesda need to pull up their socks? I'm feeling like this game sh1ts all over Fable, God of War, Dragon Age and for fun factors sake even Skyrim (and why do we play games for again?). All of which I'm feeling have strong influences in this game, and how it was made. The only thing that they seemed to leave out are superficial things like romance, and dare I say snow boarding lulz. I have found myself smiling widely after taking out multiple enemies. I didn't think any company would be able to do it for me, but this game is just wow.

Lol no the game does not shit over GOW, Skyrim, DA. While I hate Bioware and think they are a overrated piece of shit, their game has more life to it than KoA which feels lifeless and generic(more lifeless than skyrim). Its more shallow than GOW and tends to drag a lot than Skyrim which beats it in atmosphere. The game is just too dry and dull. It may rape fable in nearly all aspects but it needs a lot more "gun" to beat the others. I can safely say Skyrim's True competition will come in the form of Dragon's Dogma(in terms of medieval Romer) but that game gets an instant F due to it being made by Crapcom.

^ In all honesty, I don't feel like this game lacks atmosphere, what it could use though is technology, and the idea of choosing which path you want to take, be it a Techie, Magician, Thief, pure Warrior, or something that mixes all of the above. The larger towns could have been cut in half in terms of size, and population. They could have made an eternal gladiator arena that allows you to truly challenge yourself. Aside from that, I think that they made a real hit with this one.

The towns were fine, they just felt generic looking and un-unique. The game needs more variation and unpredictablity.