Kingdoms of Amalur (MMO 2012)

[Syrak]

Another RPG on the horizon in early 2012. It has a fairly famous list of people working on it like Todd McFarlane and RA Salvatore so I'm keeping an eye on it.

Here is a long e3 demo that was posted on IGN.

http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/09/07/kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning-a-22-minute-video-walkthrough?objectid=64688

[Nadric]

Looks pretty damn cool, but it's a single player (http://www.ea.com/reckoning/1/faq#GameDetails) game.

[Sol]

Looks like Fable met Baldur's Gate. Interesting, will probably check it out.

[Syrak]

Oops, regular RPG then, which is probably better anyway since everyone will be playing Guild Wars.

[Koltas]

They did mention that after the single player RPG that they'd be working on making an MMO based on the same universe, etc.

[Mourne]

Yeah, single player first, then they're going to turn it into a MMO.

I usually stay away from single player games as they never really hold my attention for very long, but Kingdoms of Amalur is the first one I've been interested in since Red Dead Redemption.

[Koltas]

This released today. Already picked it up on Steam. :bow:

Info about the game: http://reckoning.amalur.com/

Video of gameplay and interview with the game designer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph245qWavKs

Get the demo on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/102500/

My quick review of the demo:
Played through some of the demo, it's a pretty interesting game.

For those wondering what its actually like - Try taking the art direction from Fable, and combining it with the open world of Skyrim, then taking parts of the combat gameplay from God of War or Devil May Cry, with a loot system more like an ARPG like Diablo.

It doesn't have the ridiculous polish of Skyrim or Diablo 3, but you can tell there is a lot of good gameplay to be had... Big world, tons of things to do, interesting class system, fast paced responsive combat, etc.

A few things bug me about the menu and inventory system, but I have a feeling those things will be tweaked by release, and using a controller will be a lot more fluid than using a keyboard & mouse.

The dialogue system is also not near as quality, as say, any RPG Bioware has released. Bioware has spoiled us lately on how to execute incredible dialogue in a game, but at least in KoA:R you can skip all of the dialogue and get straight to the quest if you want to... Or if you feel like reading a ton of lore and story that R. A. Salvatore wrote, there is plenty of stuff to delve into.

Class calculator: http://www.38watch.com/calculator/

Live stream of the gameplay all day today: http://www.twitch.tv/team/reckoning

[Koltas]

On a related note: R.A. Salvatore, who wrote 10,000 years worth of lore for this game, is doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) over on reddit right now.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/pey0c/i_am_ra_salvatore_firsttime_reddit_visitor_ive/

[Syrak]

I was going to go with a Finesse build for the sweet backstabs but I'm finding that I don't have the patience to actually sneak up on people. Also, the daggers are pretty unimpressive in a regular fight.

I'll probably just switch to a Warrior Mage and smash people with a huge sword and lightning.

[Koltas]

I played the demo with mouse and keyboard. The UI/Menus felt pretty awkward at times. I'm playing the full version now with a controller and it's much better.

Going with a Rogue/Mage (http://reckoning.amalur.com/en/r/game/destinies/mage-rogue) for my first playthrough. It's great so far. Wreck people from stealth with daggers. Throw chakrams around for medium range attacks. Blasty things with lightning for stuns. :bow:

Here's a rogue/mage gameplay vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Y3DwaJeAU

[Koltas]

I was going to go with a Finesse build for the sweet backstabs but I'm finding that I don't have the patience to actually sneak up on people. Also, the daggers are pretty unimpressive in a regular fight.

I'll probably just switch to a Warrior Mage and smash people with a huge sword and lightning.

:werd: Stealthing so far requires some patience. Using the 2h hammer made me want to reroll as a fighter-type.

I'm finding out now that you really need 2 differing types of attacks to switch between - not only for ranged vs melee, but for physical damage vs elemental damage. A lot of times the mobs you fight will be resistant to physical but vulnerable to fire, or vice versa.

[Noremac]

So far I only have gotten to the first town, but going into that Fate shit is COOOOOOOL.

Am rolling a Greatsword/lightning war/mage build. So awesome.

I really didn't find it that awkward on the keyboard and mouse when you turn down the sensitivity on the mouse and got used to it. Also, I don't have any controllers so I have to get used to it anyways.

[Syrak]

So far I only have gotten to the first town, but going into that Fate shit is COOOOOOOL.

They should call that "God of War" mode, lol. I think my next character is going to be an angry bald guy with a red tattoo on his face so I can really feel like Kratos.

As for controllers just keep an eye out for sales on WIRED Xbox 360 controllers and you'll be all set when you find one.