The first thing I thought about this game after seeing the art style used was that it was like Fable. For those of you who have played that game series, the games graphics are very similar looking, so much in fact that I have heard people (including myself) say that this game is what Fable should have been. Honestly, after the look of the game though, that is where the comparisons with Fable end, but it is such a similarity I need to point it out.
Now there are a few things with this game that did not sit well with me. There are a few problems that annoy my gaming experience, but they weren't bad enough to stop me from playing the game.
First is the inventory system. Lets say I pick up a new weapon and I want to equip it. In order to do that I have to go through the following procedure:
Press ESC -> Click Inventory -> Click Weapons -> Click Primary Weapon -> Double click Weapon I want to equip -> press ESC as many times as it takes me to get back to the game.
Now I don't know about you...but this is way too many clicks for my liking. I have spent most of my game time going through the inventory screen because it takes so long to do things. However there is also something good to say about the inventory in Kingdoms of Amalur, and that is the junk system. Quite simply when you loot items you can designate that they go into the junk section of your inventory. Then when you go to a vendor, you simply click 'Sell All Junk' and ta-da, everything in your junk has been sold. It's a really simple thing that helps to save you a lot of headaches, even if the inventory itself does make some of those headaches.
The second thing that I think is a bit of a problem for the game is the locked in field of view (FoV). The world, if you take the time to look at it, is huge, beautiful, and awe inspiring. However because of the locked in FoV, you don't get to see much of it at all unless you literally take the time to look around. The problem with this is that I want to see the beauty of the world as I am running around trying to finish quests. I don't want to have to stop and look in order to see how great it is. I mean sure, there are plenty of times where I have stopped to just stare at the beauty of this game (on highest settings by the way) but that is only because something has got my eye and just made my jaw drop. Most of the time I can't see anything which is really disheartening. I feel that the people who went into designing the world geography deserve to have it so they can show off what they created, but the game just doesn't let it happen.
Finally, the biggest problem I have with Kingdoms of Amalur, is its lack of memorable characters. I know there was some place where I had to kill a bunch of spiders and this evil lady who led them, but I can't remember what the name of the village was, or even the name of the person I had to kill. The whole thing in fact is hazy, I just know that I did in fact do it because it is in my 'Completed' section in my quest log. For me, the biggest part of an RPG is the story, and in order to have a good story you need to have memorable characters. So far Kingdoms has failed to deliver in that aspect which makes me sad because of what I am going to say after this paragraph. Honestly, I don't know what could have been done to make the characters feel more memorable. Maybe have them do something while you talk to them, make it so that something happens when you interact with them that makes you go, "Wow! That was awesome!" Instead, even if you are talking to your arch nemesis, all he does is talk, and maybe point at you. Nothing monumentally exciting happens during conversations. I have played the game for a while and the only 'big' thing that happened, that I remember, is that I was cleaning out this cave with this mercenary dude, and then there was a cinematic and something stabbed and killed him. I can't even remember the guy's name though, because before that he did nothing memorable that warranted me remembering what it was.
Well now that I have hit off on the major flaws of the game, how about we talk about it's big shining gold apple? The one thing that (for me at least) makes Kingdoms shine even though it is covered in all this muck. To put it simply; Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has the best combat system I have ever seen in any RPG I have ever played. There you have it. It has a bunch of flaws, but it has the most engaging, fluid, and awesome combat system I have ever seen. You can switch between two equipped weapons, use spells, dodge enemy attacks so you don't die; and it all fits together flawlessly. I have on multiple occasions tried to 'force spawn' world monsters so I could just fight things. Heck, Kingdoms could have just been an arena game, where it had this combat system and it dropped enemies in front of you, and I would say it was fantastic. However for some, the flaws of the game might be too much for them.
All in all I think Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a solid RPG that is loads of fun because of its combat system. If you think you can get past the problems of the game, then I suggest you buy it. Otherwise, at least maybe rent it, or borrow it from a friend or something to see if it fits your tastes. While this game may not be perfect, it is definitely not terrible and I know I will go back to it from time to time when I want something different to play.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360
-Adam Gadal
If you have any questions, comments, or just want to say hi, feel free to email me at geekoftheweek@fusionrockradio.com