Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Message Board older than one year ago

While the PC version of most games look better than their console counterparts, the question always remains: Can I run it? And, more importantly: Can I run it at max settings? Well we can't help you with every game, but we do have the information you need for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Thank...

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning isn't just about retreading fantasy tropes in an action-RPG setting for the trillionth time, as the latest trailer demonstrates. It's also about stabbing dudes. And setting traps. And shooting fireballs. You know, important stuff.

EA and 38 Studios have been showing Reckoning (Kingdoms of Amalur) for more than nine months now, and I still don't think they've figured out how to explain what it is.

We've heard comparisons to God of War and character action games because of its combat system. We've heard comparisons to the Fable series by virtue of its character customization and imagery, and I've even heard Skyrim and Oblivion comparisons thrown in there for good measure because of the size of the world, and because of Ken Rolston's involvement.

But Reckoning (Kingdoms of Amalur - hey, EA, 38, can we talk about that naming convention some time?) isn't any of those things at all. There are comparisons to be made though. Namely to Secret of Mana and Diablo II.

Last week, Anthony Gallegos wrote an impassioned feature about why gamers should give Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning a chance. I couldn't agree more. Having spent a couple of hours with the game recently, there's plenty that stands out the fluid, versatile combat, the bold, colourful art direction, ...

EA has announced the limited edition versions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Three options will be available in the U.S. and Canada: the Special Edition, the Collector's Edition and the Signature Edition...

No, really. You get a troll. Specifically, a 12.5" tall "Prismere Troll" statuette designed by McFarlane Toys, with the purchase of two of the newly announced Special Editions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

In all, there are three levels of specialness. For $80, you get a parchment map, a seven-piece dice set, replicas of the 40 "Destiny Cards" found in the game, a soundtrack, and DLC weapons that increase XP gained from "Fate Shift Kills." The $200 "Collector's Edition" adds the aforementioned troll and a concept art lithograph signed by Ken Rolston. This edition is limited to 700 units.

For the person who is really sure Reckoning is his or her jam (despite never having played it), there's the $275 Signature Edition. That has all the other stuff, but the troll is "signed by Todd McFarlane, R.A. Salvatore or Curt Schilling," and you get a custom sketch by Todd McFarlane. There are only 300 of these to hand out.

All three are available for pre-order here. If you're a really true fan, of course, you'll buy one of each. Just saying.

#kingdomsofamalur As competent and appealing-looking as Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is, I have some reservations about it. At what point, I found myself asking as I played, will we finally reach a fantasty lore-saturation point? More »

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has a lot going against it. The first game in an unproven franchise, the name certainly doesn't inspire the love of fans. Screenshots, too, also don't help Reckoning resonate with gamers, as they don't convey the depth of the experience. The question, then, is what can ...

Reckoning's combat system has been a stand-out feature of the upcoming RPG. The latest trailer describes the many options available to vanquish pugnacious pests in Amalur.

Ken Rolston is a pioneer, an explorer. Sure, he's not really built to trek across savannahs in search of mountain-ranges; he merely creates entire new worlds. His tools of the trade are not crampons or ice-screws, but multi-sided dice and pewter figurines...

I've been gaming for well over 20 years, but some of my fondest and most vivid memories have to do with NES RPGs. Back then, I would pore over fold-out sheets, carefully study enemy statistics, and memorize dungeon layouts. Those games made me an RPG nerd, but these days, worthwhile RPGs are few and far between, and my passion for the genre has fallen considerably...

Reckoning narrator Claudia Black covers fates and destinies in the latest trailer for the upcoming RPG. If she did voiceover work on a car repair series we'd all be mechanics by now. Oh, Claudia, why must you use that sultry voice for nerdy evil?

We were going to write a post about this Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer diary, but then we saw the lamp on the desk of Big Huge Games cinematic director Marty Stoltz. And then ... the words just stopped.

38 Studios has its hands full with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, its upcoming hack-and-slash RPG that's set to be released in February of 2012. I've played Reckoning and I think it has a great deal of potential from a gameplay point-of-view, but when you hear about how ridiculously ambitious its ap...

I’m writing this about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning while sat on the train on the way to go play a few hours of Skyrim, which means I’m suffering more than the usual degree of mental discombobulation. Which open world is which? Which was the one with the Red Legion? Which was the one where I was battling rock trolls atop wobbly rope bridges? Which was the one where I was compared to a god? (Oh yeah, that one’s both of ‘em.) That’s the thing with vast, free-form RPGs: there’s only so much room in your head. Usually we only have one at a time to contend with, but 38 Studios’ surprisingly sandbox roleplayer is due to arrive at about the time we’ll have finished climbing Skyrim’s icy mountains and be ready for something else. If all goes to plan, we’re going to be spoilt for choice.

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Todd McFarlane, R.A. Salvatore and Ken Rolston walk into a bar. Mcfarlane orders a round for everyone and happily begins drinking. Salvatore takes one sip of his and spits it out, exclaiming, "What is this?" McFarlane finishes his gulp, sets down his glass and answers, "I reckon it's the king of beers, Bud Light." Salvatore and Rolston beat up Mcfarlane using their full pint glasses, leave him with the tab and storm out. As they're leaving, McFarlane mumbles through the blood in his mouth, "I always knew you were a mauler!"

You're welcome. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has an intriguing cast behind its conception, and the devs that got to work with McFarlane, Salvatore and Rolston certainly have plenty to say. See what the narrative designers thought of the terrific trio in the above video.

#neverwinter Hoping to capture the attention of both traditional pen-and-paper role-players and video game RPG fans, Wizards of the Coast wants to put the city of Neverwinter on the minds of fantasy fans everywhere. That's why they've called in the big guns: author R.A. Salvatore and his most famous creation, Drizzt Do'Urden. More »

I have a hard time getting into role-playing games that don't let me make interesting choices. In essence, my character doesn't end up representing me; I'm just playing through an adventure that someone else designed for me to play in a very specific manner. Thankfully the upcoming action RPG Kingdo...

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is looking to sign up adventurers before its February 7 launch with some in-game pre-order trinkets. The retailer specific bonuses come in three varieties, with items that enhance early game armor, weapons or exploration.

The "Destinies Choice Pack" is for those who'd like to start with unique armor, and includes the "Twist of Fate" card and Compass of Fate -- your guess is as good as ours as to what those do, but they sound magical and useful. The "Fate-Touched Weapons Pack" includes an arsenal of "rare Fate-Touched" weapons for all classes. Finally, the "Ultimate Treasure Hunter Pack" is for explorers who want to seek out reagents and get a leg up on their alchemy.

The specific retailers offering the "Destinies Choice Pack," "Fate-Touched Weapons Pack," and Ultimate Treasure Hunter Pack" should be detailed on the Reckoning website soon.

We were impressed by Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's combat during our hands-on time at Gamescom. The combat is highlighted around the 10:30 mark of this 22-minute walkthrough, which covers a ton of ground for the RPG.

Back at E3 2011, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning turned a lot of heads with storybook visuals, satisfying action, and a nifty skill system. Now it's time for you to see all that in action. Below you'll find a 22-minute demo that walks you through the ins and outs of this action-RPG. If you have a question about the basics of the game, this should answer it...

It's hard not to be skeptical about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. An RPG, by known strategy developer Big Huge Games, that was rejiggered to fit into Curt Schilling's 38 Studios long-in-development MMO's universe after the developer's acquisition. In our March preview of the game at GDC we said that the developer "might just pull this off." Now, after playing Reckoning at Gamescom, I have to say that Big Huge Games could exceed expectations when the game launches February 7.

During my demo with Reckoning I played as a mage and warrior, the two had distinct animations, but at their core were similar when it came to the rules of combat. Both characters I tried were level 20, so I was dropped right into a high-level character without much training. It wasn't really a problem as the combat system is quite intuitive. If you've played Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bayonetta or Fable, you'll easily pick up the fantastical warfare.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is one of the RPGs I'm most excited about right now. Why? Because it's opening up the RPG genre in some really smart ways. Classes are out, for instance, and destinies are in: the game utilises a flexible system that gives players a lot more power to play the way they w...

#kingdomsofamalur Legendary The Elder Scrolls designer Ken Rolston proves himself one amazing combination thespian and salesman during his Gamescom presentation of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. It's "an enemy-pounding fun-fest!" More »

Mega-publisher EA tends to publish interesting, unsafe bets in February. In 2009, they released Dante's Inferno; in 2010, Bulletstorm. Today the company said Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a promising single-player action RPG of unusual pedigree, will hit Feb 7, 2012. More »

38 Studios' Ken Rolston, who just shook the Earth during the Gamescom 2011 EA Keynote with bon mots like "enemy-pounding funfest," just revealed the official launch date for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The promising action-RPG is due out in the States on February 7, 2012 and in Europe on February 10. We suppose we can wait that long -- though we're not sure our hearts can take it if Rolston keeps dropping glowing descriptors like enemy-pounding funfest.

The origins of a new IP and the valiant struggle of a new developer's action RPG!

Todd McFarlane is probably the busiest guy ever at San Diego Comic-Con 2011, but he found some time to stop by the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning panel to drop some news bombs on us. When asked about the game's current release window, McFarlane told attendees, "It's scheduled for February, unless EA tells us otherwise."

That's a bit of a bump from the game's initial launch window of Fall 2011 -- we're surprised that EA wouldn't want to make that announcement themselves. Perhaps McFarlane wasn't supposed to let the cat out of the bag; not that EA could do anything about it, since McFarlane is the President of Comic-Con.

Todd McFarlane is probably the busiest guy ever at San Diego Comic-Con 2011, but he found some time to stop by the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning panel to drop some news bombs on us. When asked about the game's current release window, McFarlane told attendees, "It's scheduled for February, unless EA tells us otherwise."

That's a bit of a bump from the game's initial launch window of Fall 2011 -- we're surprised that EA wouldn't want to make that announcement themselves. Perhaps McFarlane wasn't supposed to let the cat out of the bag; not that EA could do anything about it, since McFarlane is the President of Comic-Con.

The folks at EA offered an extended look at Reckoning during their E3 2011 online stream!