Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning PlayStation 3
User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 246 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 187 out of 246
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 246
  3. Negative: 32 out of 246

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  1. CrusaderForever
    Feb 10, 2012
    10
    @Doublecross
    If I were you I would never use your computer again. All though your screen name is perfect! You are ruining an exceptional games metacritic rating because you didn't like a DEMO!!! That demo was 4-5 months old! Do everyone a favor and double slam your computer on the ground thus eliminating your stupidity from the internet.

    I am 13 hours in and I just adore this game. It    's just FUN! I am going through KoAR on hard and it's challenging. So far I haven't experienced a hiccup of any kind, it's been technically perfect. Well, I fixed my camera woes by lowering the sensitivity so that doesn't really count as a technical problem since it is now fixed for me. It is truly the jack of all trades for RPGs. They really have created something special. Does it have problems yes, no doubt, but so does Skyrim. Skyrim is a great game. KoAR is a great. They cannot really be compared. They both stand on their own 2 feet.

    I love the combat, oh the combat is exceptional! The sound, graphics, control, story/lore are wonderful. The graphics are gorgeous to my eyes. You have beautiful colors and dark dungeons. The world map looks huge! I am reading more books and scraps than I usually do in an RPG. I am very interested in the history of Amalur. Salvatore has done a wonderful job. There is always something new going on. There are a ton of quests. The leveling system is great. I am really enjoying the Alchemy, Blacksmithing and world itself. The Fateweaver is a great idea for tying massive character fate alterations into the story. The loot is huge and prevalent. I have found many items that upgraded above what I was currently using. The enemy design is second to none. You can see Todd McFarlane's genius here.

    There are problems and they are in the design. I didn't like how the hero didn't speak. Reminds me of Half-Life yet I didn't mind that Gordon didn't talk. But seeing my character stand there with no real emotion reminds me of someone who isn't quite right or has some sort of deficiency. The NPC lip syncing could use some work as well. The magic shield appearing out of no where bothers me too. I also don't like how my warrior sheaths his weapon so fast after killing an enemy even though other enemies are around. Also, the camera needs to be adjustable so you can make it farther away from your character. I believe that these design decisions can be fixed in a patch if the Reckoning forums are any indication of how much it bothers players.

    I cannot wait to pour more time into this special game. I can only hope it sells well so that they can come out with a sequel. I won't be interested in the MMO offering. However I am so very impressed that this their first game! Unreal, that they could hit a grand slam like this with their first offering.

    If you are on the fence get off and give this a try. Right now this is my 2012 GOTY! I am not sure if it will hold up with Mass Effect 3 less than a month away.    … Collapse
  2. InnerWarChild
    Feb 10, 2012
    8
    The dev team for Amalur get a decent amount of kudos from me for this title. There is a lot of work put into this game and most of it really does come off quite well. It's not god's gift to RPG's, so I do think anyone giving this game a 10 is a bit crazy (or maybe this is their first game played in their life). No, it's not a life changing experience (at least when you play it while not tripping on mushrooms). But it is definitely worthy of a buy if you like games like God of War and Fable or action-RPG's in general. Trust me the game has some meat to it, though to be honest it's probably NOT worth $60 whopping USD they are charging for the PC version. I don't understand why it's $15 more on the PC when as far as I can tell there is nothing specific to the PC version that would warrant it. I will do this review in a different way than most and list pros and cons an final thoughts

    PROS:

    -Nice art direction care of artist Todd McFarlane
    -Large game world
    -Huge amounts of lore. The game was written to some extent by world renowned fantasy author R.A Salvatore, and the lore comes from his novels as far as I know. Every PC you can talk to has a few dialog options to speak about to fill you in a bit deeper on the lore if you care about it.
    -Fun "God ofWar" like combat
    -Bajillion sidequests -Fully voiced NPC's
    -Armor/weaponcrafting, alchemy, gemcrafting
    -Just a good solid RPG. CONS:

    -Your character has no voice - Some people don't mind this, but I prefer my protagonist to have a voice of his own. It is just one more thing that adds character and charm. -NPC's are too stiff during dialog- In games like Mass Effect 2, the characters really feel like they are "there". Here, everything is very wooden, and I'd like to see the next game in the series do more with the "acting". -Graphical texture pop in is very annoying and no way to fix it on the PC since it is hard coded into he game cross platform. This was done to make developing for the PS3 easier and so they could launch all platforms at the same time. To me it's very annoying and my eyes are constantly being drawn to these graphical anomalies because they just pop in so close to the character and they are therefore distracting to my game experience. -No worthwhile camera control - The camera is in my and many other players' opinions way to close to the character and there is no way to move it back. They give you an over the shoulder option (think Dead Space) but it's pointless and I don't know why anyone would use it to be honest. In a game like this you need to be able to see all sides of you. -Some claim the game is "too easy" even on Hard mode. -Some of the skills in the skill-trees can be rather "meh", but to get the highest tier abilities, you are forced to take them making some levels seem like a waste.
    -No autorun key (Trust me you will wish for one, though on the official forums someone linked a tool that you can run while playing the game where you can set an autorun key)
    -No real easy way to scroll through abilities making it hard to use them in the heat of battle (PC version, I don't know how it is on the consoles) though the program mentioned above allows you to also scroll through them with the mousewheel if you choose. -No real use for gold. I have currently $500,000 and I barely buy anything. There's definitely items that I could buy that will be an upgrade to my equipment, but since I maxed out smithing, I keep waiting to find the "Master" parts to craft top grade items. So in essence I'm running through the game with a slight handicap, but I've invested in alchemy so I pop potions galore to keep me alive. I would like to feel like i NEED to buy these items and do something with this gold though. THOUGHTS:

    I don't understand how some people are hating on this game. In my opinion these people are very jaded gamers that have seen it all by now and expect games being released now to change their life or something. None of the cons written above even when all combined are enough to stop me from playing and enjoying this game. I like the combat, I want to see what is next in the story, I like the loot hunting, the world looks nice, the story is very competent, and I really don't know what else in this era of gaming an RPG can offer besides that sort of gameplay. I highly suggest you purchase it at some point and show EA that giving a new game franchise a shot is a lucrative investment, or else all we may see is the same old same old. I really want to see what these guys do in a second installment because I think it will be what the Witcher 2 was to its predecessor.    … Expand
  3. Anarion25
    Feb 8, 2012
    10
    What an awesome game! I love Skyrim and that doesn't stop me from enjoying it! It is not an open world like Skyrim but it's certainly not a linear world like Dragon Age 2. Combat is fantastic and the freedom of character design is great.
  4. dpc
    Feb 7, 2012
    5
    I agree with Orc, but even his rating is too generous. Gameplay is good and definitely fun, but I doubt anyone will be having orgasmic seizures over the originality of it. The other reviews here, especially CMPN, seem too neatly written and succinctly structured to sound like a genuine player. While playing the game, I had a vague deja vu feeling. After a little while you get the sense that this is really nothing new. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but to me it's as enjoyable as Two Worlds II (which I sorta liked before the lack of polish and weird ideas finally did me in). The art style while kind of cool takes away that feeling of being immersed in a world like Skyrim does. And I'm not saying all games have to try to be "realistic" (yes, we know Skyrim isn't either), but you don't get the sense that you own the world. You always know you're playing an arcade-y type game. And that may appeal to a lot of people. To me, it's just ok.… Expand
  5. Johnsocr
    Feb 7, 2012
    10
    This game is one of the best games you will ever play. Did you like Skyrim? This game is way better. Did you like God of War? This game is way better. Basically this game delivers everything and anything you hope for in an amazing game. They even give you free DLC on the first day! Big Huge Games & 38 Studios hit it out of the park with this one! It's awesome being able to customize your character any way you prefer. You aren't stuck with the generic mage class or warrior class. You can pick any combination and you are still rewarded for doing so! Go buy this game you won't be disappointed!… Expand
  6. sulsa11
    Feb 7, 2012
    10
    Fantastic gameplay and I love the questing and leveling. 200 hours here I come. Glad I got the collectors edition as well. Mcfarlane and team did a great job for my cravings.
  7. aeyroch
    Feb 7, 2012
    10
    Sweet combat system, stunning graphics, fantastic gamer support and feedback from devs online, better storyline than Dark Soul's and Skyrim both. I have no idea what people like Adam Sessler are smoking but they obviously have double standards. Since reviewers like him seem to only be able to compare games like this to Skyrim... Kingdoms of Amalur IMO has better combat, storyline, and graphics versus Skrim not to mention FAR less bugs and MUCH better support from devs.… Expand
  8. Velendris
    Feb 7, 2012
    6
    I wanted to like this game but there's just so much holding it back, the color palette and graphic design is pretty upsetting. It's like they went through a World of Warcraft filter and picked out the worst color combinations imaginable. And the NPC faces, they make Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion facial animation look good. Along with wrestling with the camera throughout your play session this games leaves much to be desired.… Expand
  9. CMPN
    Feb 7, 2012
    10
    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning delivers exactly what it promises: a pitch-perfect fantasy RPG, with visceral, intuitive gameplay that is easy to pick up, difficult to master, wildly flexible and just plain fun, in a way that has yet to be seen in the genre. The world is accessible and vast, offering genre fans plenty to sink their teeth into. One gets the sense that they are watching an entire world unfold before them, one rich with history and lore and life. Amalur opens itself up to the player in a way that is both familiar and refreshing, then empowers the player to do incredible things. 38 Studios and Big Huge Games have created a world worth saving, and they have given us some pretty damn cool tools, with which to get the job done.… Expand
  10. bsNYC
    Feb 7, 2012
    7
    I play RPGs for one reason: immersion. For me, immersion requires seamless and fun user-interface, a compelling plot, consistent suspension of disbelief, and characters you care about. More importantly, at its best, complete immersion is not a concatenation of these requisites but rather a coalescence. It is this rubric that informs my review of KOA:R. UI: the interface ranges from good to great. Combat manages to accomplish that all too difficult feat of being easy to engage yet rewardingly difficult to master (while not analogous in execution, it is analogous in quality to Arkham City). Bravo Big Huge Games! Menus are intuitively laid out yet complex. Game designers who worry that the complexity associated with RPGs (stats, loot, skills, crafting) is inherently anathema to intuitive menu design can learn a lot from KOA:R. Again, well-done BHG! Plot: fantasy stories are probably the most difficult to tell. They have to be foreign yet familiar enough not to alienate...and not so familiar that originality is lost. KOA:R is original, but its novelty does not rest on a unique plot but on a unique setting--unfortunately, it is unique in the wrong way. KOA:R setting is vast and complete with Tolkien-esque attention to detail and equally Tolkien-esque jargon. I am sure RA Salvator 's universe could rival Tolkien 's in size, scope, and minutiae. But I am equally sure that I do not want to take the time to learn about it. To be clearer, I'll compare it to Dragon Age: Origins whose setting, while not as complex, is fairly deep and detailed. But its profundity is teased out in a natural way so that the complexity never seems complex. You know as much as you need to but just a tiny bit shy of what you want to so that you keep going. Paradoxically, you are both satiated yet starving for more. Moreover, you always feel purposeful. In every quest you are dispatched, taking one huge step to your goal (even when you are, unbeknownst to you at the time, so far away from the end-game). This allows you to take in every detail and appreciate the intricacies of the universe as they unfold invitingly. KOA:R, on the hand, does not seductively weave your story amidst an elaborate tapestry of Amalur 's rich history so much as it vomits its details and sequesters its mystery. Consistent suspension of disbelief: KOA:R has rich animations both in dialogue and combat that serve well to foster immersion. Its effectiveness, unfortunately, makes glaring those instances when you are reminded that you are playing a game. For instance, you will be engaged in satisfying combat, overcoming overwhelming odds with brilliant strategy, watching your lithesome strikes, felicitous parries, and...uh...suddenly appearing/disappearing shield. Oh yeah...I am playing a game. Immersion ruined. The bad camera angles also take away from immersion. It's a bit too claustrophobic for my tastes. Characters you care about: While not impossible, it is rare for a game driven by a user-created-from-scratch-character to enthrall me. Usually, immersion for me requires a somewhat defined character (Mass Effect, Witcher). Again, to illustrate, DA:O made a nice compromise by giving me various origins from which to choose but each had his/her own touchstone to the world. I need this touchstone to be immersed. Especially if my character is voiceless. I felt isolated from the world in KOA:R. I felt like I was playing in someone else 's world, a world to which I didn 't truly belong. I never really cared for my character because of this: the more I cared about the world, the more glaring my alienation felt; the more I cared about my character, the more truncated the world felt. In other words, I was not immersed. Parting Thoughts: My expectations (which were high) have definitely shaped my criticisms--hence the negative slant of my review. But make no mistake: I am VERY impressed by BHG 's creation. This is their first game. FIRST! Think of Naughty Dog 's first game. Or how about Bethesda 's? Rockstar 's? Yeah, I know, right?! BHG undertook probably the most difficult kind of game to create and this is their first effort? WOW! I cannot wait for their second game. As an economist, I rate games by the price I should (in hindsight) be willing to pay for it. If you want to support this developer (and you should!) buy this game new. But buy it once it drops to $40-45… Expand
  11. Testdrive
    Feb 8, 2012
    5
    After 1 hour of play, it gets really boring. The shining coat wears off. The animation of voice acting is very 2000. The special combat turns into something bothersome. I just want to kill the monster and move on. It looks special the first time but not the 50th time. UI is not something to write home about on the PC version. After one hour, I do not care about any of the NPC or the story. I thought the action will keep me going but as said before. It gets stale. It seems to me this game just want to ride the popular names and rake in money while they can. If you really want to play the game, wait till Steam has it on sale. It will not be long.… Expand
  12. msbungle
    Feb 8, 2012
    3
    I really wanted to like this game, but obviously I didn't. Just remember that all reviews are written from a perspective. My perspective is someone who mainly plays MMO's, Sims and Elder Scrolls on the PC. So if you are a pc-gamer such as myself, then this review may have merit - if you hate and abhor all things PC-gaming, then feel free to ignore the rest of this. Or maybe, as others have said, you have nothing else better to play right now and so this may be good for you too.

    First, I will say there were a few things I liked. The story seemed okay, the graphics were cartoon-y, but not in what I feel is a bad way. The combat was fast and fluent , but you can still pause the game for pots or to change weapons, etc - just like other solo RPG's. There were quick slots at the bottom of the screen which I really liked - I hate having to hit every button to find the weapon or spell I want in Skyrim. Otherwise, I really felt like they took WoW, Rift, Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age, put them in a blender, and then just created a back story for it. It feels more linear than any Elder Scrolls game and like there is a bit of hand-holding involved - which is what I really disliked. BUT, others may be annoyed by the lack of linearity and back store in ES games. Then this game may be for you. Now, I've read in other places that if I would have just played for 5-7 hours, it becomes more open. I have a few other games I am playing right now that have kept me interested from the beginning so 5-7 hours is unacceptable.

    And I'm sure there will be the naysayers so let me show you a few comparisons:
    In KOA you wake up and don't know your history (every elder scrolls game), and then you have to fight your way out of this "dungeon" area (Oblivion) all while being shown the finer points of the game. One of the first things I found after leaving the dungeon and continuing on with the story was a stone alter. When I clicked it, I got a buff (elder scrolls). I'm not sure why so many people care so much about whether this game "beats" Skyrim or not though. It's not like Salvatore or Shilling are going to pay you for kissing their butts and neither is anyone at EA. They will just continue to take your money! If you are on the fence about this game, I would say wait a few months until it goes on sale on Steam and then pick it up.    … Expand
  13. gehirnspasti
    Feb 29, 2012
    4
    First off, I was SUPER EXCITED for this game. All the interviews and pre-release footage made me hope for an RPG that was as good as Skyrim in story, atmosphere and open-world gameplay, yet with refined action combat so that the countless hours I was gonna spend playing would be fun and, most importantly, challenging. But this game turned out to be a letdown. I'm 50 hours in and have absolutely no desire to finish this game anymore. When I first started my new game I was incredibly motivated to keep playing, explore the world and do as much sidequests as possible. The combat is fast, fluid and really felt like, well, combat (as opposed to e.g. Skyrim). The skill system seemed fine and I very much enjoyed the first 15 hours of the game as rogue, hacking, slashing and backstabbing my enemies. I also appreciate that both rogue and warrior have access to magic. The abilities are fun and fit well into the playstyle of each class. The cartooney style of the world isn't exactly 'beautiful', but it worked for me, granted the size of the game I didn't care all that much about graphics. To this point I was happy I bought the game. As I continued playing though, I noticed how the game wasn't increasing in difficulty. Sure, I could still pull off sick combos to make the combat more fun, but it really would've been enough to just mash the square/triangle buttons the whole time. To spice things up a little I decided to reset my skills and tried out different classes. At this point, as I realised how easy COMPLETELY overhauling your character is, and how you wouldnt have to face any consequences, like being a really weak warrior when you were a mage before, I started to lose interest in my character. Usually you care about your character in an RPG and about the decisions you make, but in this game, where you have absolutely no disadvantages for doing whatever the hell you like, this is not the case. There is no reason for you to really commit to this game, and this is what really bugs me. We were promised a "hardcore open world RPG with fast action combat", but what we got is a mediocre button masher that has RPG elements like an open world, lots of quests and skill trees. These RPG elements however are so badly put together, that this can't be called a real RPG. Let's take a look at each aspect more closely:
    The world: It's big, more or less open, has capital cities and lots of dungeons. Exploring it might be fun at first, but as the world isn't fully open (like Skyrim) and you're unable to jump, you cant scale cool structures you might come across or get into really secret places, which ruins the overall experience. Other than loads of random loot, of which only about 5% are useful, there is no real reward in exploring. Even finding set pieces becomes annoying as they are very frequent and often pretty useless (also there are basically no item requirements, another reason why not to care about your character and equipment). The world quickly gets boring, as every big area is divided into 5 to 8 smaller areas which basically look all the same. There are forests, plains, a canyon/desert and the obligatory dark/evil final-boss-area.
    Quests: Meaningless. That's probably the most accurate word to describe it. I appreciate how every NPC got its own little backstory and the voice acting is mediocre to good (the facial animations were truly terrible though). But the quests they give are always, ALWAYS, "get that thing out of that dungeon", "kill these guys" or "talk to that guy". The quest rewards are usually the same garbage you find when exploring and collecting random loot, so no point in delving into the storylines and paying attention to what's actually happening. The skill system: At first glance it might appear deep. As you continue playing, however, you quickly realise there is no depth at all and you'll quickly have reached the final talent in your tree not even halfway through the game. Getting your ultimate would feel like a huge accomplishment in any other RPG, not so in KoA. It sure is fun to use those talents at first, and you're very powerful when doing so (too powerful even), but it's impossible to care even the slightest about them, as you can reset your skills as you please. What disappointed me most, is that there is an OUTRAGEOUS imbalance between each skill tree. While it was fun to play rogue, playing a mage is so absurdly easy, that it's almost insulting to call this a video game. Even on the highest difficulty there is no challenge whatsoever. If you're not completely dull, you won't die, and as mage you'll one-shot downright everything. When I play an RPG, I want challenge, depth and a character I care about. KoA has none of these. It looked very promising, as it was supposed to breathe new life into the genre with its refined combat, but this game is nothing but a HUGE disappointment. 4 points for the fun start and how the game runs almost without bugs/glitches whatsoever.    … Expand
  14. xxMurdoK
    Feb 7, 2012
    8
    Pretty fun game.. Story lacks any kind of focus and the lack of your character speaking or the npc's around having facial expressions you never really get attached to the story. Combat is a big improvement in the genre although judge up against counterparts of actions titles such as DMC or GoW the controls are "far" from tight and responsive and nowhere near as fluent. After 10 hours of play I can definitely recommend due to it's just plain fun factor and at the end of the day who really cares about the comparisons if a game is fun it's fun and this game is DEFINITELY fun!… Expand
  15. IcarusLives
    Feb 8, 2012
    9
    Fantastic game. It combines elements of crazy action games, with deep RPG elements. The world is rich and pretty, the characters are interesting, and the combat is incredibly satisfying. It's a very easy game, so pump up the difficulty. I'd be ballsy enough to compare it to Skyrim.
  16. DSouls_guy
    Feb 7, 2012
    9
    Kingdoms of Amalur can only be described in one way and that is.....AWSOME!!!
    When I played the demo I didn't think much since it was very buggy and unpolished at the time,but I decided to get this game anyway's and see the finished product and I'm Happy I did so.koa is worth a look since it doesn't have game breaking bug's like Skyrim which I haven't played since 11/13/11 thanks to Bethes    da not being good enough on their promise of patch 1.4 being released on time *go Figure*KOA is a must own for any rpg fan.now there are some technical problems here but none are game breaking so far and I'm enjoying KOA alot.this game get's a good ole 9 out of 10 from me.… Expand
  17. lostkoss
    Feb 7, 2012
    5
    I expected more. I just couldn't shake a been there done that feeling while trying this game. I do give them credit for making a decent arcade combat. The rest of what I saw from the crafting to the questing reeked of a generic sameness. If I wanted to play WoW or Rift I would , uhhh, go play WoW or Rift. At least then I would have some one to show off the fact that I did a bunch boring fetch and kill quests in a zone like structure.

    With the pedigree of the people working on this game I expected more. Invisible walls everywhere and no jumping over that pebble in the road? Come on, gimme a break. 6/10 In my opinion this game is about as original and fun as Monster Hunter, from my PS2 collection, just bigger. I played on both a PC and PS3 - I thought it played better on a game pad, but still not worth release day money.    … Expand
  18. Implement
    Feb 7, 2012
    10
    This game has come as a big surprise to me. Its REALLY GOOD. The combat is the best I have ever seen in an RPG. It's like Dragon Age 2 times 1000. The story has been fun to follow so far, and the world is HUGE. The graphics are decent, the sound effects in battles are cool, there is TONS of QUESTS. G4TV should be banned from TV for giving this game a poor rating. We need more quality RPG's, and this is one of them! I will fully support this company to see Kingdoms of Amalur the next Elder Scrolls. They have made some really good design decisions, and I like their style more then I like The Elder Scrolls. I just wish that they would mate and have babies.… Expand
  19. viper548
    Feb 8, 2012
    10
    Have been gaming 30 years in some fashion or another and a gotta tell you this game as far as rpg's go is a breath of fresh air and exactly what the industry needed.All the other big name rpg publishers will have to change up their games to have this kind of fun gameplay,most rpg's feel like a chore to play but this one is incredible...way to go 38 and bhg good job..:)
  20. lsrngb
    Apr 6, 2012
    4
    Based on 55hrs of game play. I was really excited about this game, and I probably would have rated it about 8.0 after 10 or so hours, but that number seemed to continue going down the longer I played. The main issue with the game is that I don't find it immersive, I want a sense of wonder from my games, and this game did not have that. I can't find any compelling reason to finish the game. The game world feels plastic, the side quests feel like tacked on fetch quests, and I just don't care about the story. The game is very repetitive with quests and with combat. It felt very constraining to be able to unlock many different skills, yet only be able to use 4 at a time. At first, this destiny system seemed it would allow to create the kind of player that you want, but in reality it is much more constraining than many other RPGs. The ability to only use two weapons also seemed to put be constraints on play style. It was a very cumbersome process if you wanted to say use 1 magic weapon, one melee weapon, and a bow. Also, the most useful fighting method in the game is to merely spam the melee weapon button. Stealth is useless. The bow is also pretty pitiful, and many of the magic abilities you can't use much latter in the game because they have very long casting times, and because the enemies attack relentlessly it renders much of the magic useless. Therefore you just use melee, over and over and over. There are also camera angle issues. The game can be pretty, but mostly you just see the ground behind your character. I don't want to look at the ground the time when I could be looking at beautiful vistas.
    This game also does too much hand holding. You never have to search for a quest, you never stumble into a quest from a random dialog with an NPC. Amalur puts an exclamation point over the head of any NPC with a quest, so there is no point to explore and talk to anyone else. Also the dialog you need to choose is always the first option, and is highlighted. Dungeons are also too formulaic. They almost always have a circular shape so you can't get lost. Two days ago I had an epiphany when I realized that this game had become a chore to play. I was trying to finish it solely because I had spent money on pre-odering it. (oh, the pre-order bonuses were worthless. Do not PAY for them. You will have better equipment after about 8-10 hours.) I took the game and traded it in without finishing it...and I feel free. It's a game that I am happy to be rid of and sorry I wasted as much time as i did on it. Some of you may love this game..anyways this is my view.    … Expand
  21. pnathan_28
    Feb 16, 2012
    5
    When this game was about to release i was really excited for it , i mean just take into account the pedigree of talent behind the development team alone plus all the previews and pre-launch talk, mostly on G4 made me want to play KoA . That was then, now it's a completely different story. can only be chalked up to a MASSIVE disappointment. i really wish now i had waited for the reviews, the one by G4 in particular instead of getting caught up in the hype and pre-ordering KoA. Granted the combat is engaging and better than just about every rpg on the market but that is all this game has going for it. The graphics are OK, the camera is sub-par , the voice acting and dialogue are dull and boring.
    my biggest fault with Amalur is that, with any good rpg, you have an emotional investment in your character as they are an extension of ourselves , and in this respect KoA fails miserably. i tried (45 hours into it) till i just couldn't feign enthusiasm anymore. at no point did the game give me a reason to care about my character or the multitudes of fetch -quests that i was being sent on. all you FANBOYS out there that are waving your pitch forks around need to realize that this game did fail on delivering what it set out to. thank you to the brave few who came out with an honest review of this game while the rest of the reviews pretty much rehashed EA talking points .    … Expand
  22. LagJ
    Feb 7, 2012
    10
    Sure as hell would like to know how can you people review an 100-hour rpg that was released today. You did what, play the tutorial and formed an educated and meaningful opinion about the game? I played it once and liked it so here, let me contribute.
  23. Leram504
    Feb 10, 2012
    9
    Buy this game. I'm about 7 hours in and I'm having a true blast. From the opening menu, the game heavily reminds me of playing World of Warcraft II on my PlayStation 1. From the wonderful music (which is like a Danny Elfman score, a good thing!) the font they use for all the menus, the dialogue and the overall look--it will keep you wrapped in it's world. I played the demo and thought it was "okay, not bad" but I had two friends tell me it's really fun and I should pick it up. Very happy I did! The only thing two things I think that can bring the game down is the lip syncing in dialogue scenes and the facial expression are a little average, not wonderful. Along with frame rate drops here and there but it doesn't distract from the game much at all. The voice acting is great, I've been roaming towns and what's great is I haven't heard a voice repeated yet. The greatest two pros are the combat system (amazing) and story. I really feel like the story is Lord of the Rings meets Spawn. You play a person brought back to life from the Well of Souls and no one knows how you are changing "fate" where everyone else's fate is predestined. I'm currently playing the game on hard, which I recommend if you want a fair challenge! I think the real magic of the game begins when you start seeing that doing a quest for someone actually gains you some nice items or a lot of gold, useful things unlike a lot of fetch questing in games where you get junk. Also, the story is strong enough that I can't see you just side questing for too long between story missions. If you're looking for a game with a lot of character building, an awesome Gauntlet style combat system and a solid story--pick up, "Reckoning!"… Expand
  24. Tino
    Feb 7, 2012
    10
    This is a fantastic game, primarily because it was made by Curt Schilling. What more do you really need to know? I'm a Yankees fan and even I respect the guy. And he made a video game! I'm swooning! In all seriousness, this is actually a really great game. I do prefer it over Skyrim. This game tries new things where Skyrim just retreads old ground. In five years nobody will be playing Skyrim, but there's nothing quite like Amalur at this time, and there's a good chance I'll still be playing it in five years. Highly recommended.

    (Also, I hear there's a mission where you paint blood on a sock, but I've not gotten to it yet.)

    (Oh, also, how much do you think those Diamondbacks hated Byung-Hyun Kim after Game 4 and 5? Holy S.)    … Expand
  25. Deadlazy
    Feb 10, 2012
    9
    Most will dismiss this game thinking they know better in the first few hours. I almost did. However, this game continued to get better and exceed my expectations. It's not going to come off as a fantasy simulation but rather a fun game. I would look to the critic reviews and like always ignore user reviews.
    For those out there that were so excited for the first Fable and ended totally     disapointed and annoyed this is the game you were hoping for. I would so love to turn my toon into a fat tub of guts but with only that lacking this is a truly fun game.… Expand
  26. aspentitan
    Apr 30, 2012
    8
    Kingdoms of Amalur is a mixed bag collection of all the popular features of the rpgs of the past. It can best be described as a (PS2) Champions of Norrath/Baldurs Gate backbone into which they stole elements and expanded the gameplay based on certain inspirations of other popular rpgs such as oblivion, fable, white knight chronicles and to some degree even god of war. A few new features have been added such as "reckoning mode" and "fate" and so the developers in my opinion despite ripping off every other rpg game have made a brilliant game with a ton of customization. I can't see anyone who isn't a rpg fan not liking this game. The game is role playing through heavy customization, not role playing in the sense of heavy story and immersion. This is by far a hack and slash oriented towards actionable customization. There is an abundance of stuff to do although most of this is fetch-questing which i'm not really a fan of to be honest but this game was enjoyable none the less because I found the enemy bestiary quite well crafted. Each enemy or creature acts as a unique creature which really helped boost the appeal of the game for me - each creature has their own unique strengths and weakness' and in turn this made combat very fun and allowed tactiles to be enjoyed, unlike most hack and slashes this one has unique ways to fight, and this is especially fun by being able to toggle difficulty at any time anywhere in the game. For an EA game they finally did a good job on this one!!!: Very few software problems. Camera can be a little wonky and could definately use a rebuild in certain spots of the game it was very frustrating. This is the real major gripe but the games very playable in most areas with no problem. A few glitches remain such that sometimes quest icons get lost but they come back with a small amount of menu changing and also some stuff you quick slot cannot actually be enabled. Typical EA gltichs right but as least they are not overwhelming in this game. Overall there is plenty to do in this game albeit a hack and slash, but with the customization available and a lot of the other goodies embedded in this game I think an 8 for a score is very reasonable.… Expand
  27. Mattaclysm
    Feb 8, 2012
    8
    A game like this takes me back to the PS2 era when we had a lot of these types of games. Not exactly the open world size, but there were games like Baldur's Gate and Champions of Norrath which is probably better to compare KoA to. When these kind of RPG's were called action rpg's that is. I'm not sure what the lobbying about the battle system is. It's a cool but there isn't a lot of depth to it. Comparing it to god of war? Come on... The game is awesome but I'm not giving it a ten, I think a ten is too much because this game isn't perfect. My game froze once, within the first hour of my playtime actually. I have seen a few bugs as well but not anything Skyrim-esque. I fell through the map and had to reload my last auto save. So lucky for auto save otherwise I'd hate this game. The story is alright and the voice acting ranges from good to ok.. It's not Uncharted 3 or something not a lot of these types of RPG's have stellar VA. I personally enjoy the soundtrack it's amazing and goes well with the environments you're put in. I haven't seen any weather effects, which I find is disappointing.. There is a night/day cycle but it's almost like it's broken. I've seen NPC's sleep during the day and not during the night. Weird things like that. There are a lot of side-quests, in fact... sometimes it gets to the point where it can be a bit overwhelming. Graphics are nice and shiny just the way I like them, NPC's are kind of ugly but no problem when the environment looks so pristine. This game is amazing and is well worth the money. I can find myself putting a ton of time into this game, the world is massive and takes hours to get through. KoA is no skyrim or dark souls but it's a good game on it's own and well worth playing.… Expand
  28. JPoppaWUSC
    Feb 10, 2012
    9
    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning provides the most fun I've had in a fantasy RPG since the 16-bit era. It has already been compared to The Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, Fable, and even Dark Souls, but frankly, I think it feels more like an evolution of hack-n-slash action RPGs like Diablo or Champions of Norrath, albeit with much deeper role-playing mechanics than you normally get from those games. The focus is obviously on combat, which borrows heavily from the Devil May Cry lineage (God of War, Bayonetta, etc.). With loot waiting to be snagged around every corner and after every battle, you can quickly build a character in any direction, and weapon-armor loadouts make an enormous difference in how that character handles. You also don't need to worry about experimenting with a set of skills, since you always have the option of wiping the slate clean or simply shifting your focus to a different set of abilities. Destiny cards then allow you to buff your character out with stat enhancements that match your desired focus, kind of like a flexible class system. You can easily create a magic-using rogue or a wizard with a longsword on standby, pretty much any combination you can dream up. There's no shortage of content, either, since the game's story quests and optional missions easily add up to 200+ hours. You can buy houses to store your junk, restore your health, and allow makeover options, and these residences can be upgraded in a variety of ways. There's also a day-night cycle that impacts NPC/enemy activity as well as adding some pretty environmental effects to the lush environments, though no dynamic weather is present like it is in Skyrim. On that subject, many players have criticised Amalur's level design for being more restrictive than Skyrim's, but in my opinion, the inability to cross mountains or go whereever you please adds to the brilliance of the map layout. Every area is designed in a memorable way, and getting from one place to the other can be a sort of environmental puzzle, more like classic 16-bit RPGs than the recent open-world trend. I see that as a positive, since it not only illustrates greater focus on design but also makes it a challenge to get from one side of the map to the other. You'll need to meet quest requirements, defeat bosses, and gain key items to access some of the coolest locales, and considering the intelligence of some enemy mobs, that provides a real sense of accomplishment. It's not Dark Souls, by any stretch, but if you fancy yourself a strong gamer, I would highly encourage playing on Hard, as Normal mode can seem too easy for veterans of the genre. Like Dark Souls, though, battles require a bit of strategy and precise strikes, but all of it is much faster and more forgiving than Souls. This game really is meant for fans of loot, combat, and exploration, and it does all of these elements very well. The only shortcomings are its minor technical flaws (mostly in glitchy audio) and its fairly standard fantasy lore/plot. The scripting and scenario writing isn't bad within those confines, though, since R.A. Salvatore provided most of the storytelling. Also, Todd McFarlane's artistic direction is cool, but it's much lighter-hearted than some of his comic book and action figure designs, resembling a more detailed World of Warcraft or Fable-esque aesthetic. Even the game's controls are a little like Fable, but again, Reckoning is clearly the more advanced evolution between the two. All in all, I would actually call Reckoning my favorite fantasy RPG of this generation, above Skyrim or Dragon Age: Origins, but considering it satisfies a different set of criteria than either of those games, it can co-exist with your other favorites just fine. Buy it for its fun factor. Buy it for its unique mixture of elements from other RPG heavyweights. Buy it because it's the first time we've seen God of War combat in an action RPG, and frankly, I want more!… Expand
  29. EliteOp11
    Feb 8, 2012
    8
    8.5 I'd say, Game has good combat which is a nice change of pace after Skyrim's dull combat. I enjoy the questing in the game, traditional RPG style. Story telling is top notch, tons of quests to be done and items to be had. Its an RPG'ers RPG.
  30. ferith
    Feb 7, 2012
    9
    This is a solid RPG imo....not the promise that Skyrim had in terms of an open world, nor the excellent combat system in Dark Souls....but it shines were both of those fell a bit flat, at least for me. Skyrim was a laggy disaster on the ps3 and its combat was very weak unless you were playing a stealth archer. Dark Souls combat was excellent but it fell short on the story side of the RPG. Sure there was story there but it was hard to find and sort through. This game has a feel that reminds me a lot of playing something like Diablo 2, only with far more world building involved. Others seem to be harping on its generic world building but I think we are all starting to get a bit jaded on traditional fantasy, and that is ultimately what this is...a traditional fantasy setting, albeit with bit of day-glo graphics. Story and graphics wise its everything that is to be expected in a solid fantasy setting.

    What I like perhaps most is what amounts to a classless system and the flexibility to not be locked into bad choices like with many other games. If you screw up, you can fix it...and its nice that that is built into the story of the game as well with fateweavers...if your going to allow for a respec mechanic, then you might as well have it be part of the story.

    so imo...if you want a solid single player RPG to just have some fun with, this is a good one to get

    At least it won't turn into a lag fest like Skyrim or have game breaking progression issues like War in the North, both of which I am still very frustrated with and have an axe to grind with. Of course, if I end up hitting those issues in this game I'll be right back here to edit this review!    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. RPG Fan
    Mar 8, 2012
    76
    Needless to say, Reckoning is a repetitive experience. If you've played the first five hours, you've seen everything the game has to offer except a few bosses and superficially different environments.
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  2. MEGamers
    Mar 5, 2012
    85
    When you set aside the forgettable characters and boring dialog you find a game that is so well polished in many of its other aspects. The title boasts one of the best combat systems ever in an action-RPG and a highly flexible class system that allows the player to choose to be whatever they want to.
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  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 4, 2012
    80
    Reckoning is not about narrative. In this respect, it's a defiantly linear experience. What it is about is gameplay choice within the oft-rigid of an RPG. The way it accomplishes this is particularly fresh, and maybe even suggests a new precedent in the evolution of the genre. It's about time, right? Big Huge Games has clearly been paying a lot of attention to what's going on, and the result is that Reckoning is a patchwork of everything great that's been done to forward modern RPGs in recent times. [March 2012, p70]
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