KoA: Reckoning Review

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt!

If Skyrim, Fable and God of War had somehow conceived a child, it’s name would be Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. This game just barely made it into my top list of 2012 (however short that list is at this point) if not for the god-awful camera. Once you get used to it the game is really quite fun and worth the money spent.

What I Liked

The combat is what really hooked me in the game. I’m the type of guy that loves to play all the different ways a game could be played. In Skyrim, for example, I have 3 characters almost to max level, each having gone a different path (Mage, warrior, stealth). I had to make different characters because unless you use Console commands (on the PC) you cannot undo your points you spend on perks. With Kingdoms of Amalur, or KoA, you can pay a Fateweaver to undo your points and skills and replace your gear and play the game completely different without having to play the story again. I really like that aspect of it, although it does get quite expensive at times.  The combat is fluid, fun and reactive. My favorite fights involved large number of enemies since they lasted longer. 

The story in the game would be the weakest point of the positives. With all the hype over R.A. Salvatore’s involvement writing it I was expecting something uniquely epic. The aspect about your specific nature in regards to you not having a destiny is interesting. But after that you pretty much go from town to town, collecting quests, with giant spiders, elves (Fae), Gnomes (Gnomes) taking up much of your screen time. It’s a solid story, but nothing ground breaking.

The graphics are nothing that will set a new standard, but they are pretty. Very good design with the colors they used. You’ll travel from magical forests to rolling plains, mountainous regions, desolate deserts and magnificently large cities. I thoroughly enjoyed the cartoonish look, and the effects for combat never wavered. It reminded me heavily of Fable, but smoother and with a more vivid color palet.

Many people may complain about the quests being the old reliable sorts like fetching these plants, kill these spiders, rescue this damsel. Though with the combat as good as it is, I never minded it one bit. I had a lot of fun killing all the kobolds in an area until one of them dropped what I needed, or hunting down the leaders of a gang of bandits for sweet revenge.

The crafting in was actually addicting. Set up as an experimental based style (try these combinations of materials to see what you get) and once you got it down, maximizing my weapons, armor and potions became something I spent a lot of time doing.

The systems behind the combat and crafting will be familiar to anyone who has played an RPG in the last 15 years. Skill trees and Talent Trees are essentially what we have in this game. The difference is this is one of the few games I’ve played that actually rewards you for putting points anywhere you want. There are the 3 talent trees, then depending on where your points are and how much is spent, you get “Destinies” and these give you bonuses that pertain to the points you spend. If you want just straight Might points, then you’ll gain more and more powerful Might destinies that enhance things like melee damage, armor, blocking, etc. If you want to mix up Sorcery and Finesse, you’ll gain bonuses to Mana regen, elemental damage, crit, etc. Things that would enhance the abilities you use in those specs. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the different trees and the system lead me to try as many as I could!

Something that all RPG games need is a map, something to show you where you are. The map in this game I found to be very helpful. Quick travel is available for free anytime you can see the sky, and you can travel to any town, dungeon, spider-infested cave that you have been to in person.

I played this game on the PC, but I used a wired Xbox 360 Controller (No I don’t have an Xbox anymore). For action games in third person that are not shooters, I generally prefer the feel of a controller. Although if I wanted, the keyboard and mouse option was available anytime. All I had to do was move the mouse or use the keyboard and it would just switch automatically. Same goes for going from keyboard/mouse to controller.

What Could Be Improved

My biggest gripe with this game is the camera. It’s not very easy to control, it is way too close to you (with no option of adjusting that distance) and it doesn’t allow the game’s awesome color palette to be shown. In times of combat, the camera does zoom out, but I wish I could let it stay that way outside of combat. The game has really great graphics and the color they used would be better shown off if we could see more of it and less of the ground and of my character.

The dialogue in the game was painful at times. It’s pretty bad, and there really is no reason to make those bad or good choices, it’s pointless. Your character doesn’t speak, which I had no problem with, but it would of been cool if he had some Link-like grunts and screams. The talking animations for the NPCs are also laughable at best leaving much to be wanted.

When you start out your game, you will of course be customizing the look and feel of your character. In this, the game is quite weak. A few different options for race, some stat bonuses here and there, but in the end, you’ll be wearing armor that hides all of the details of your character anyways.

Score 3.8 / 5

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has a lot going for it. Very fun combat, great RPG elements, a decent story. It does suffer from a fairly awful camera, but it’s not enough to stop me from playing the game. I know this is the first in a new franchise of Kingdoms games, so I look forward to 38 Studios’ next game with a few added improvements.

Brawl Busters Review

Brawl Busters: I think Smash Bros got Team Fortress preggers. Probably the Scouts mom.


Since the birth of League of Legends and the change to F2P that Team Fortress 2 has made, many developers are trying to break in to this rapidly expanding market. Sadly this means the emergence of lookalike imitators and sub par attempts at a decent gaming experience. But amongst the proverbial crap that we as gamers are forced to experience when a new fad becomes popular there is hope. A rising star, Brawl Busters, has caught the attention of this player and maybe even changed my whole opinion on pvp games in general. The combat is fresh and easily adaptable controls give even the less seasoned pvper a chance for glory. With a variety of game modes and a humorously animated art style this title just grabbed my attention.

Story: N/A
You start out in a magical kingdom searching for a princess who never really puts out even after you save her over and over again. I know its madness...wait...no that's not right... okay sorry guys I was wrong no story here. Oh well its a free pvp game so no biggie.



Gameplay: 4.5/5

This is where the game shines. If I could choose one thing that sold me it had to be the combat. Its fast paced, hectic and unpredictable, delivering those heart pounding moments that make player vs player what it is. The main mode of the game is your classic red vs blue team death match. Four player teams go head to head beating the piss out of each other till one side gets to nine kills. There are 7 levels total that are all designed fairly well with out giving any one class a real significant advantage over the other. The only thing I had minor issue with was that a couple of the levels felt a little small causing more A.O.E spam battles than tactical combat.

  I liked how each of the 5 classes you get to choose from had a way of dealing with each other. Rarely would moments arise where you were just plain screwed, unless you were being triple teamed in a corner but that goes without saying (oh my). Whether you live or die revolves solely round your tactics, reaction and luck. Even though I would have to note that some classes might need a little nerfing/buffing as they currently stand.  

Aside from the PvP combat there is also a team co-op mode that allows you to pit yourselves against waves of zombies. Honestly I preferred the team battles more but this was pleasant change of pace for time to time. Especially when finding a match to join was taking too long or a  losing streak was getting old. 

 

I wouldn’t go as far to say that this title’s gameplay is revolutionary or the birth of a new genre. If anything it feels like a cross between Team Fortress two and Super Smash Bros (Which is a pretty bad ass combo if I do say so). But its fun, fast and easy to just jump into at your leisure which makes it ideal for the free to play market. Nooblets and pros alike can both find their niche in this new style of online pvp warfare.

Graphics: 4/5

The visuals are not worth raving or complaining about but they do their job well. The art is over the top and heavily animated slightly resembling the style of Team Fortress 2. One thing in particular I really enjoyed was the character creation / customization. From the armor sets to different weapons there is a variety that gives your avatar a nice personal touch. My only criticism I had with the game was that the amount of different customizations were just ok. As good as the current cosmetics in the game were more would of been nice so I didn’t run into my clone in the opposite color as often. 

Presentation/Interface: 3.5/5

  This is where I had the most discrepancies with the game. In combat the U.I. was superb. Straight forward controls and easy to understand interface that didn’t clutter your screen made game play a breeze. Yet at the main menu I found it a bit clunky to navigate. Performing tasks like buying multiple items at once or currency to spend in the game is a chore. Even the friends list, which can be described as basic at best, makes playing with friends a very manual task. Also not being able to group up and queue for games with your friends was a tad bit lame. Granted this is a newer title and maybe with time these UI improvements will be implemented. As for how it stands now its not a deal breaker but its  definitely a facet that could use some modifications.

Sound: 4/5

Similar to the graphics the audio didn’t have any soundtracks I'm about to slam on my ipod but it worked for what it is. The sound effects don’t distract from the game play which is always the goal and the music evokes a playful yet competitive spirit. It would of been nice though if muting the music in game actually muted the 20 second jingles that played when you received a team power up. I know this isn’t the biggest issue but for someone who plays their own music half the time when gaming it would of been an added bonus.  

Overall: 4/5

  In short its a free to play pvp game so if your looking for depth and not recreation then you’re in for a cold shower. This title sets out to be a casual game that people can sink a few hours into here and there and I believe they accomplished that goal. Yes there are a few things that could use some touch ups but its a newer release so some slack should be granted for now. Whats important is the gameplay, its a blast and easy to get used to, making it ideal for the free to play genre. Personally I enjoyed the game. As someone who went in somewhat skeptical I have to say its at least worth the free download and the old college try. If you don’t like it at least you can say you made up your own mind which is pretty bad ass in itself. 

Rundown:

+ Easy to learn combat
+ Free to play
+ Offers PvP and Co-Op modes
+ Runs well on most PCs

- Mild amount of customization options
- Interface needs work
- Friend networking almost non existent.