Seems like Kingdoms of Amalur is not as great as we had hoped

Kill Screen just published its review and boy, is it grim. Personally, I lost my appetite for the game altogether after reading that review. Seems like it is an abomination. Gonna read some more reviews before making my final decision but thank God I didn't pre-order it.

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-kingdoms-amalur-reckoning

Post the other reviews you read here, please.

IGN gave it a 9...

Kill Screen just published its review and boy, is it grim. Personally, I lost my appetite for the game altogether after reading that review. Seems like it is an abomination. Gonna read some more reviews before making my final decision but thank God I didn't pre-order it.

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-kingdoms-amalur-reckoning

Post the other reviews you read here, please.

pooyanh

Don't trust professional reviews, there could always be a back agenda to them.

Wait for player reviews.

BTW, that review is way off imo by just playing the demo which is an old build.

It seems that his complaints are what I suspected all along; generic RPG tropes and more actiony combat. That's not necessarily indicative of a terrible game, but it causes me to want to replay older games rather than play this, at least while waiting for a price drop.

PC Games (Germany) gave PC version 8/10

IGN gave ps3 version 9/10

Another one I saw was a 8/10 and a 7.5/10

Try the game yourself or try it at a friends place. Seems some like it alot and some not so much. Still, lowest review 7.5 with highest being 9/10 isn't to bad if you follow or care about reviews.

I was nto a fan of the demo (other then the combat nothing else i liked), but there are some good people working on this game and I do like rpgs so I definatly want to give it a try.

[QUOTE="pooyanh"]

Kill Screen just published its review and boy, is it grim. Personally, I lost my appetite for the game altogether after reading that review. Seems like it is an abomination. Gonna read some more reviews before making my final decision but thank God I didn't pre-order it.

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-kingdoms-amalur-reckoning

Post the other reviews you read here, please.

FelipeInside

Don't trust professional reviews, there could always be a back agenda to them.

Wait for player reviews.

BTW, that review is way off imo by just playing the demo which is an old build.

[QUOTE="pooyanh"]

Kill Screen just published its review and boy, is it grim. Personally, I lost my appetite for the game altogether after reading that review. Seems like it is an abomination. Gonna read some more reviews before making my final decision but thank God I didn't pre-order it.

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-kingdoms-amalur-reckoning

Post the other reviews you read here, please.

FelipeInside

Don't trust professional reviews, there could always be a back agenda to them.

Wait for player reviews.

BTW, that review is way off imo by just playing the demo which is an old build.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]

[QUOTE="pooyanh"]

Kill Screen just published its review and boy, is it grim. Personally, I lost my appetite for the game altogether after reading that review. Seems like it is an abomination. Gonna read some more reviews before making my final decision but thank God I didn't pre-order it.

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-kingdoms-amalur-reckoning

Post the other reviews you read here, please.

Elann2008

Don't trust professional reviews, there could always be a back agenda to them.

Wait for player reviews.

BTW, that review is way off imo by just playing the demo which is an old build.

It's awesome. Kill Screen sucks.

[QUOTE="Elann2008"][QUOTE="FelipeInside"]

Don't trust professional reviews, there could always be a back agenda to them.

Wait for player reviews.

BTW, that review is way off imo by just playing the demo which is an old build.

FelipeInside

Gamespot - 7.5
Game Informer - 8.0
Destructoid - 8.0

Sounds passable to me, at full price at least.

That Kill Screen review was pathetic. It sounded more like the guy was trying to exercise his skills in written literature instead of actually talking about the bloody game.

The grand innovation inReckoningpurports to be its combat system, which borrows the carnivorous slapstick ofDevil May CryandGod of War, wherein particular combinations of button presses can be strung together in cartoonishly exaggerated attacks, punctuated with a moment of slow-motion spatter. Traditionally, medieval role-playing games likeReckoninghave had to dilute these kinetic pleasures into a weak tea of dull, mechanistic axe swings, largely a consequence of wanting to create large worlds where simply wandering alone in the wilds was its own satisfaction.

Translation: Reckoning has gameplay mechanics reminiscent of action titles such as Devil May Cry and God of War.

Get to the point already. As for this game I never thought it looked that good, but now that these reviews are saying the combat is great I'm more inclined to pick it up.

I tell you what was painful...reading that awful review. One of the most pretentious and overblown reviews I'd ever read. I may or may not like Amular and maybe other negative reviews will come out, but *that* review I can guarantee only sways me towards the game. Whatever someone who thinks like that dislikes, I'm sure I will enjoy.

I tell you what was painful...reading that awful review. One of the most pretentious and overblown reviews I'd ever read. I may or may not like Amular and maybe other negative reviews will come out, but *that* review I can guarantee only sways me towards the game. Whatever someone who thinks like that dislikes, I'm sure I will enjoy.

Renevent42

KillScreen seems like an incredibly pompous site in general. Just check out that Duke Nukem Forever review, which manages to stretch "this game **** sucks" to something like 6 pages of utterly incomprehensible anecdotes from the writers life.

Kill Screen just published its review and boy, is it grim. Personally, I lost my appetite for the game altogether after reading that review. Seems like it is an abomination. Gonna read some more reviews before making my final decision but thank God I didn't pre-order it.

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-kingdoms-amalur-reckoning

Post the other reviews you read here, please.

pooyanh

The only reason the game got any sort of hype was becuase people who hated Skyrim needed some other game to support.

The reviews for Kingomd of Amalur are going to be all over the board and not nearly as consistent as Skyrim's.

I wish the Bethesda haters would just go away. They make fantastic games but this group of jaded PC fanboys who want every game to be a complex mess of menus, dialog trees, and terrible gameplay that's more "hardcore" needs to just shut the hell up.

The only reason the game got any sort of hype was becuase people who hated Skyrim needed some other game to support.

The reviews for Kingomd of Amalur are going to be all over the board and not nearly as consistent as Skyrim's.

I wish the Bethesda haters would just go away. They make fantastic games but this group of jaded PC fanboys who want every game to be a complex mess of menus, dialog trees, and terrible gameplay that's more "hardcore" needs to just shut the hell up.

Wasdie

The game is going to appeal to those who enjoy killing tons of enemies, looting their dead bodies, and exploring a nice large open-ish world. I think the amount of people that concept appeals to is pretty significant, and hating Skyrim certainly isn't a prerequisite.

Kill Screen just published its review and boy, is it grim. Personally, I lost my appetite for the game altogether after reading that review. Seems like it is an abomination. Gonna read some more reviews before making my final decision but thank God I didn't pre-order it.

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-kingdoms-amalur-reckoning

Post the other reviews you read here, please.

pooyanh

I do not read reviews. Gamespot gave Scratches a 3.5 and I thought it was one of the best horror adventure games I've ever played. A review is an opinion. I have my own, thank you very much and it most likely differs in some way to everyone else's.

I wish the Bethesda haters would just go away. They make fantastic games but this group of jaded PC fanboys who want every game to be a complex mess of menus, dialog trees, and terrible gameplay that's more "hardcore" needs to just shut the hell up.

Wasdie

Oh man, I could NOT have possibly said it better myself. Well said and I agree 100%!

One of the crucial elements of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a signal example for story-based role-playing, is the knowledge that any other character you encounter in the world can be attacked. And in the instances when you're sent into a dungeon to fight a particular group or species of enemies, it's safe to predict that very soon after players will discover a village where the supposed enemies live, hear their sympathetic side of the story, and, if one so chooses, abandon an old affiliation for a new one. The point of combat in a game so made is not to make the player feel hyperbolically powerful, but to make them feel like they should be thinking carefully about who it is they've chosen to attack.

terrible review

That is not the Skyrim I play, and I love Skyrim.

It got great reviews everyhwere else and I've heard it has some of the best RPG combat around.

gamespot 7.5 is low, especially the comments about boring quests. In an rpg i value the story and quests more over the action/fight I'll pass.

The only reason the game got any sort of hype was becuase people who hated Skyrim needed some other game to support.

The reviews for Kingomd of Amalur are going to be all over the board and not nearly as consistent as Skyrim's.

I wish the Bethesda haters would just go away. They make fantastic games but this group of jaded PC fanboys who want every game to be a complex mess of menus, dialog trees, and terrible gameplay that's more "hardcore" needs to just shut the hell up.

Wasdie

That isn't entirely true.

This game got my atention and the atention of many others because Salvatore wrote most of the story, McFarlane designed lots of the creatures and places and it even had designers from Elder Scrolls helping as well.

IGN gave it a 9...

Deamon321

IGN works on bribes, so don't rely on it.

[QUOTE="terrible review"]

One of the crucial elements of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a signal example for story-based role-playing, is the knowledge that any other character you encounter in the world can be attacked. And in the instances when you're sent into a dungeon to fight a particular group or species of enemies, it's safe to predict that very soon after players will discover a village where the supposed enemies live, hear their sympathetic side of the story, and, if one so chooses, abandon an old affiliation for a new one. The point of combat in a game so made is not to make the player feel hyperbolically powerful, but to make them feel like they should be thinking carefully about who it is they've chosen to attack.

Baranga

That is not the Skyrim I play, and I love Skyrim.

troll review. and I love skyrim too.

must have been high as sh*t. I don't even understand it.

The only reason the game got any sort of hype was becuase people who hated Skyrim needed some other game to support.

The reviews for Kingomd of Amalur are going to be all over the board and not nearly as consistent as Skyrim's.

I wish the Bethesda haters would just go away. They make fantastic games but this group of jaded PC fanboys who want every game to be a complex mess of menus, dialog trees, and terrible gameplay that's more "hardcore" needs to just shut the hell up.

Wasdie

Usually agree with ya, but dont here (except that Reckonings reviews would be all over the place).

I LOVE skyrim, this after hating Fallout3 and Oblivion. I own every Bethesda game they have ever released, was there abck when Arena first came out.

Far from a bethesda hater, just I call it as I see it.... I didnt have as much fun with Oblivion or Fallout3 as I did with there other games like Daggerfall, Morrowind, Skyrim,etc.. And I also thought Obsidian did a much better job with Fallout New Vegas then Bethsda with F3.

I love my hardcore old school rpgs as much as anyone, but if Bethesda makes a game I enjoy Ill say so (morrowind, Skyrim), but if I dont like what im playing by them (Fallout3) them Ill say my opinions. I loved New Vegas, hated Fallout3, but I had hope that Bethesda would entertain me again with Skyrim and they did, very good game (far from perfect but a very well made game).

Reckoning definatly isnt a skyrim killer (dont know who on earth has been saying that but its silly lol). But its a good game in its own right, somethigns it does better (combat) and a bunch of other things it does not do aswell. Id actually say Reckoning has much more in common with Diablo2, Neverwinter Nights or Fable then Skyrim.

I am a gamer first, no fanboy or hater, so far I have enjoyed both Skyrim and Reckoning a good deal. Two totally differnt rpgs, but both with some very good qualities. Only played 5-6 hours of Reckoning so far but id say Kevin had it right with his review, its about a 7.5 or 8/10 which is still a very good game. Maybe not GOTY like Skyrim, but still a pretty good rpg.

Anyways, /RANT OFF, just wanted to say that there are some pc gamers that do enjoy old school or hardcore rpgs and do still appreciate what Bethesda has done with Skyrim.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

The only reason the game got any sort of hype was becuase people who hated Skyrim needed some other game to support.

The reviews for Kingomd of Amalur are going to be all over the board and not nearly as consistent as Skyrim's.

I wish the Bethesda haters would just go away. They make fantastic games but this group of jaded PC fanboys who want every game to be a complex mess of menus, dialog trees, and terrible gameplay that's more "hardcore" needs to just shut the hell up.

kozzy1234

Usually agree with ya, but dont here (except that Reckonings reviews would be all over the place).

I LOVE skyrim, this after hating Fallout3 and Oblivion. I own every Bethesda game they have ever released, was there abck when Arena first came out.

Far from a bethesda hater, just I call it as I see it.... I didnt have as much fun with Oblivion or Fallout3 as I did with there other games like Daggerfall, Morrowind, Skyrim,etc.. And I also thought Obsidian did a much better job with Fallout New Vegas then Bethsda with F3.

I love my hardcore old school rpgs as much as anyone, but if Bethesda makes a game I enjoy Ill say so (morrowind, Skyrim), but if I dont like what im playing by them (Fallout3) them Ill say my opinions. I loved New Vegas, hated Fallout3, but I had hope that Bethesda would entertain me again with Skyrim and they did, very good game (far from perfect but a very well made game).

Reckoning definatly isnt a skyrim killer (dont know who on earth has been saying that but its silly lol). But its a good game in its own right, somethigns it does better (combat) and a bunch of other things it does not do aswell. Id actually say Reckoning has much more in common with Diablo2, Neverwinter Nights or Fable then Skyrim.

I am a gamer first, no fanboy or hater, so far I have enjoyed both Skyrim and Reckoning a good deal. Two totally differnt rpgs, but both with some very good qualities. Only played 5-6 hours of Reckoning so far but id say Kevin had it right with his review, its about a 7.5 or 8/10 which is still a very good game. Maybe not GOTY like Skyrim, but still a pretty good rpg.

Anyways, /RANT OFF, just wanted to say that there are some pc gamers that do enjoy old school or hardcore rpgs and do still appreciate what Bethesda has done with Skyrim.

Very good post, agree with a lot of it. Can't agree with you regarding Amular though havent played the full game yet (c'mon 5pm!). I doubt it's anywhere near a Skyrim killer though (based on demo)...Skyrim is my game of the decade though lol. Who care if it isn't though? If it's still fun that's all that matters in my book.

I'll just leave off by saying this...I love Skyrim...I've been replaying Temple of Elemental Evil this last week...and I can't wait to play Kingdom of Amular.

The only reason the game got any sort of hype was becuase people who hated Skyrim needed some other game to support.

The reviews for Kingomd of Amalur are going to be all over the board and not nearly as consistent as Skyrim's.

I wish the Bethesda haters would just go away. They make fantastic games but this group of jaded PC fanboys who want every game to be a complex mess of menus, dialog trees, and terrible gameplay that's more "hardcore" needs to just shut the hell up.

Wasdie

Agreed! I like games like Dragon Age: Origins or Neverwinter Nights, but that didn't stop me from being blown away the first time I stepped into the wasteland/outdoors in Fallout 3/Skyrim.

Amalur isn't a bad game though. It's obvious that a lot of effort went into it judging from the size of the map alone. The game looks like it has a ton of content.

This is my opinion based on the demo, which I played until my 45 minutes were up, after leaving the tutorial area. The artwork and music are very pretty and well done. The world, story and gameplay, however, seemed vapid to me. I may buy it when it drops significantly in price, but I'll pass for now.

I didn't like the Kill Screen review either (won't go into the details, because everything about it was said in earlier posts), but I played about an hour into Amalur at a friends computer and I liked it. At the moment Metacritic has a score of 80 on xbox360 (34 reviews), 82 for PS3 (11 reviews) and 87 for PC (6 reviews) so it's definitely not bad. Regarding all the reviews (that I've read, 5-6 of them) it's not as immersive as Skyrim, but the fighting system is great and the leveling and looting is also well made. In the end it's just what you want from your game, and if you like (or can at least withstand) the cartoony graphics and if you like a fighting system that's more than just your computer doing math on who has the higher stats, then I think I can recommend this game to RPG fans.

[QUOTE="Deamon321"]

IGN gave it a 9...

tjricardo089

IGN works on bribes, so don't rely on it.

Well, IGN had a ton of "exclusive" stuff. They had an exclusive early review, they had a much-hyped ongoing "review in progress" where they continually praised the game, and they also had a lot of other exclusive content such as a live 2 HR review event / interview with the game's producer. Seems more than a little coincidental that they have the highest score I have seen so far.

That being said, I have the game on the way and am looking forward to playing it....but I think IGN is looking suspect right now.

It got great reviews everyhwere else and I've heard it has some of the best RPG combat around.

seanmcloughlin

The combat is decent to good, but it's overrated. I guess I've played one too many MMORPG's where I felt I had way more freedom and fun with combat. Just my opinion.

The reason why I mention MMORPG's because I really enjoyed a lot of combat systems in MMO's, more than say, an adventure or open-world game. Also because KOA has been said at times that it tries to be an MMORPG, yet a linear adventure-action-RPG (light RPG elements) like the Fable games. I'm not nearly as impressed with the gameplay and combat as the next guy praising it as the second-coming, but I guess the reason why people praise it so much is because it's undoubtly the best aspect of the game. Especially in contrast with its generic world and themes.

I think with a longer development time and higher production values, it would have been a much better game. But then you could also blame the content and lore that it was based on, which didn't give it much of a lift. I'm not very familiar with R.A. Salvatore's work, but nothing I've seen and read about me really impressed me. No doubt, he's still a very successful person and kudos to that. :) Just not a fan.

After playing the demo for 45 minutes, the game struck me as a solid 7. If I had more spare time, I might play it but as of now... I'll pass.

i am sure its fiiiiiiiiiine. after all, i like Dragon Age 2 :D

Kill Screen just published its review and boy, is it grim. Personally, I lost my appetite for the game altogether after reading that review. Seems like it is an abomination. Gonna read some more reviews before making my final decision but thank God I didn't pre-order it.

http://killscreendaily.com/articles/reviews/review-kingdoms-amalur-reckoning

Post the other reviews you read here, please.

pooyanh

There's nothing wrong with reading up on reviews. What is wrong is that you base your opinion of a game solely on reviews and not from your own personal experience.

I was playing the demo some just before going through this topic. I thought it was decent enough to warrant buying - not at the $60 price tag, but eventually....maybe when it hits $20-30.

I felt the game was kind of like Fable, but a step more towards action and less towards RPG. I had some fun with it and wished the demo wasn't timed - maybe just limited to hitting level 3. I'd like to play around with things.

At least play the demo. The demo for Drakensang wasn't ideal - it basically let you run through the first village and surrounding area, the story in that part is limited and the gameplay is a bit boring (too easy). It's not until you play the full game that you find out there's so much more to it; the story gets better and the gameplay improves. Drakensang's demo gave you a taste, but it wasn't the best demo. Kingdoms of Alamur demo does the same, gives you a taste at least.

Funny, I believe most of you have been gaming for years but evidently some still cannot decide for yourselves and rely on some tom, dick and harry's opinions because they write on websites. Some of my best fav games are those that actually got shot down from the mainstream review sites.

The only thing that you should particularly note is whether the game is stable or buggy, that's all. The rest are just subjective opinions and shouldn't be your main criterion in buying games.

The reviews awarding this game 8s and 9s make me laugh. I just absolutely cannot understand why such a mediocre game is being scored so highly. The folks over at Kill Screen apparently know their stuff. I haven't heard of them before, but after reading that review I know I need to start following them more closely. I feel like standards are being lowered every time a raving review of this game hits Metacritic.

The reviews awarding this game 8s and 9s make me laugh. I just absolutely cannot understand why such a mediocre game is being scored so highly. The folks over at Kill Screen apparently know their stuff. I haven't heard of them before, but after reading that review I know I need to start following them more closely. I feel like standards are being lowered every time a raving review of this game hits Metacritic.

THA-TODD-BEAST

The reviews awarding this game 8s and 9s make me laugh. I just absolutely cannot understand why such a mediocre game is being scored so highly. The folks over at Kill Screen apparently know their stuff. I haven't heard of them before, but after reading that review I know I need to start following them more closely. I feel like standards are being lowered every time a raving review of this game hits Metacritic.

THA-TODD-BEAST

I agree, i think the review was well written. Harsh, but harsh i good, and sorely needed these days. Personally i disliked the demo, and probably never gonna buy the full game.

[QUOTE="THA-TODD-BEAST"]

The reviews awarding this game 8s and 9s make me laugh. I just absolutely cannot understand why such a mediocre game is being scored so highly. The folks over at Kill Screen apparently know their stuff. I haven't heard of them before, but after reading that review I know I need to start following them more closely. I feel like standards are being lowered every time a raving review of this game hits Metacritic.

robertlie

I agree, i think the review was well written. Harsh, but harsh i good, and sorely needed these days. Personally i disliked the demo, and probably never gonna buy the full game.

[QUOTE="robertlie"]

[QUOTE="THA-TODD-BEAST"]

The reviews awarding this game 8s and 9s make me laugh. I just absolutely cannot understand why such a mediocre game is being scored so highly. The folks over at Kill Screen apparently know their stuff. I haven't heard of them before, but after reading that review I know I need to start following them more closely. I feel like standards are being lowered every time a raving review of this game hits Metacritic.

FelipeInside

I agree, i think the review was well written. Harsh, but harsh i good, and sorely needed these days. Personally i disliked the demo, and probably never gonna buy the full game.

Ok, i have no problem with you disliking the review, but i for one did like it :) You just have to trust me (or not) when i say i try my best to judge the quality of a review without bias...i mean i enjoy a well written review despite the fact that they are bashing stuff i like. In this case i could relate to what the reviewer wrote when compared to my experience with the demo. I don't dwell on it, i don't like the game, and i'm gonna move on. And to end with some sarcasm thinly covered with diplomacy; it is grand and nice if some people enjoy it, i mean, good for them. :)