Kindoms of Amalur: Reckoning Wins Big at E3
There is still some news to be had concerning E3, which wrapped up earlier this month. One such story concerns the upcoming RPG by Big Huge Games and 38 Studios, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Headed up by Ken Rolston (of Morrowind and Oblivion fame), Reckoning is “an epic, open-world role-playing game set in Amalur, a mysterious and magical new fantasy world created by New York Times best-selling author R. A. Salvatore. Brought to life visually through the trademark visceral style of renowned artist and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, Reckoning brings a new level of intense action combat to the RPG genre.”
Apparently, Reckoning won a lot of accolades at E3:
In a show dominated by sequels and established franchises, Reckoning was one of the most nominated new titles at this year’s E3, and thus far has captured two of the awards, further growing the anticipation for 38 Studios? new role-playing game. The nominations and awards come from the game industry’s leading media outlets including Game Informer, IGN, G4TV, GamesRadar and more. Reckoning is being published by Electronic Arts and will launch in 2012.
“I couldn?t be more proud of what this team has accomplished to date and I’m very appreciative of the respective outlets for their recognition of Reckoning,” said 38 Studios Chairman and Founder, Curt Schilling. “To have our first title for our original IP be recognized as one of the best titles at the show, considering the crowded field of games at E3, is incredibly gratifying after the years of hard work this team has put into Reckoning.”
“Oceans of product at E3. Damn few new IP. And ours is swimming in award nominations. How’s that possible?” asks Ken Rolston, gaming industry icon and Executive Design Director at 38 Studios/ Big Huge Games. “Great ideas, great teams, great leaders, with the relentless confidence of winners.”
Oh, and it just so happens that Ian “Tibby/Tiberius Moongazer” Fraizer is the lead designer on the game. Coincidence?
Feel free to check out Reckoning via its website. Thus far, there isn’t that much which is known about the game, apart from a number of videos and images of its combat. The story’s protagonist is evidently a resurrected hero of some kind, and the world is supposedly large and open — no surprise, given Ken Rolston’s involvement. The graphics look pretty darn good, and the artistic style nothing short of incredible.
Playing Lazarus now. Go Tibby!
I’ve been enjoying Lazarus for the past couple of months….took a break 1/2 way to delve into Oblivion. On the merits of how much I am loving Lazarus I’ll be giving KOA a close look for certain!
Excellent, no dwarves but we do have gnomes!
Having watched the E3 videos on G4, it reminds me of the action RPGs of the 8-bit and 16-bit era, particularly the PC Engine. Walking up to a counter to buy/sell stuff, talking to random people, etc. It wasn’t horribly cut scene laden like most modern RPG’s that attempt to be all cinematic and in-your-face. It also presented the action in a more consistent way without raping the camera like some kung fu movie.
The combat looked okay-ish, which struck me as odd because the G4 crew kept hyping it. It was suspiciously odd, actually, and reminded me of how much they hyped that indie mecha FPS (forgot the name).
I just hope the gameplay mechanics are smooth and logical and that it lets you do more than just fight, get new gear and participate in random quests alongside the larger must-do quests of the overarching storyline. The formula works, but there have been far too many games over these last couple generations for that kind of shit to cut it anymore with me.
I’ve found it’s hard to tell if a game is good or not until you actually play it. Usually a good game gives you this undefinable feeling of solidity (or shittiness) right from the beginning, and videos typically don’t convey that.
Also the fact that Curt Schilling is playing and making games is so badass I feel compelled to play it regardless, haha. Big baseball fan…go Braves!
Wonder how much of Reckoning will be Ken’s influence, and how much Ian’s.