Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

I find it hilarious that the same people who are complaining about how buggy this game is, or it's cost, are also the ones saying it is like 'Skyrim' - the game that to this day can't be played without a community debug mod and is released at 60 dollars for every device on earth. As always the overall rating for this game is lower than the verified owners rating, which continues to prove that GOG should only allow those who buy a game to review it, to avoid these idiots being so upset at not being able to afford something, like they are entitled to it by birth or something, that they take it to multiple platforms. To the game, this is an amazing title by all accounts, and altough not perfect, no game is, it is very close. All NPC's are voiced which even nowadays is a hit or miss, the combat mechanics are smooth and satisfying and altough you can button mash good things await those who memorise the combos. The graphics are stunning, despite a lacking draw distance, and clearly a lot of work was put in making the graphics updated. The story is ok but its in the side missions that this game really shines. The loot is quite excessive and you will have to make regular trips to sell it all and the enemies are varied and well planned. This is an absolute must-buy, I really suggest you ignore the negative comments as they are made by sad people who feel entitled to things in life. I have played for about 100 hours and I haven't ecountered a gamebreaking bug yet, but my game has had a couple of audio bugs, nothing that a reload can't sort out.

I originally wrote a review of this game at launch. Back then I was less than thrilled, half due to what seemed to be more bugs than the original, and half due to my own expectations of how this remaster would look and feel. I'm still playing through it, now about 50 hours in, and I have to say, it's getting better. Maybe the majority of the bugs I experienced were concentrated in the opening area. Maybe they're getting fixed. Maybe I've just become accustomed to them. Whatever the case, I've recently noticed that I'm noticing them less. There are still some obvious visual bugs to be sure, but none that distract too much from the world and the experience of playing the game. What we're left with is a bright and colorful game with a huge world and excellent combat mechanics. The varied character builds and destinies add a lot of replay value to this game, a single play through of which could easily take around 100 hours, including side and DLC quests. However, I still wish there were more. I wish THQ Nordic had improved the texture or lighting quality, and I wish they had added some new destinies in order to provide even more build variety. Perhaps one day they will. At this point I'm flipping my recommendation to say that I DO recommend this game, although at a sale price. I think not enough has been added or polished to justify this release's price tag compared to that of the original. However, I have hope, and I imagine it will continue to get better.

This isn't a bad game, but I don't understand where all the excess hype for it comes from. I know from experience how tempting it is to get excited for this game when you look at screenshots and videos, and read all the glowing reviews. ...But actually playing it reveals a more anemic experience than it should be, with highly derivative and repetitive quests, boring characters, dodgy camera limitations, and shallow world interactivity for a game of its ilk. So despite the generous size of the world and numerous quests, everything quickly starts to feel 'samey' and derivative, leaving you fatigued with boredom before you get anywhere near done with the campaign. The combat is also more shallow and repetitive than it at first seems to be, and gets old just as quickly as everything else. On top of this, the game commits the unforgivable sin of enabling every enemy attack with a very fast 'home in' effect on the player. This creates a ridiculously frustrating experience of constantly being stun-juggled out of combos all the freaking time. Yes, you can block, but that means you're always playing a tedious turtle game rather than justifying the more exciting combo options provided. A lot of the above complaints are probably due to the fact that the original framework of the game was purportedly built to be an MMO, but got converted to a single-player experience at some point in development. But that knowledge doesn't negate the diminished enjoyment these issues bring against the overall experience.

A game that never got the attention it deserved. It takes a while to get into, but once you get the hang of things it's great fun. +The armor sets look great +Combat is fast and feels good +Many different platstyles that are all fun in their own way

When you first start out in Amalur, you will be pleasantly surprised: how is it, you may think, that I've never heard of this well-written game with pleasant graphics, atmospheric music and an intriguing plot? But about twenty hours later, you will have seen all of the games opponents, done the 2 types of quests (fetch or kill), and have enough of a feel for what the game has to offer to make the next 80 hours feel repetitive and dreary. Maybe I'm getting older and valuing my time more, but I used to be able to power through a game's dead spots if it meant seeing a good plot through. But in Amalur, there are no dead spots. There are no peaks. It's all the same. And after 100 hours and change, doing more of it may start feeling like work instead of play (the game's even longer: 100 hours was all I could stand). It's not a bad game. The writing is solid and consistent, the voice acting -- excellent (honestly, it's been years since I've seen this level of commitment from even the smallest bit players); and the overall finish very good. And some areas (especially the DLCs) are very well done. KoA simply overstays it's welcome. I've read that, originally, it was supposed to be an MMO and that's exactly what it plays like: except without other people to liven things up. If you don't mind boring gameplay, this game is excellent value for the money and will occupy you for yonks. But if you want something memorable or original -- I'd give Amalur a pass.