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Available on: Xbox 360, PC, PS3

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review

The action RPG genre gets some much needed action

Words: on February 7, 2012
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75 comments

  • MetroidPrimeRib - February 7, 2012 12:22 p.m.

    Day one dlc locked out on disc that you can only get with an online pass that you have to get from buying the game new

  • KnowYourPokemon - February 7, 2012 6:56 p.m.

    What? You mean purchasing a used game actually has you miss out on something compared to people who buy it new at full price? My god the absurdity!

  • MetroidPrimeRib - February 7, 2012 8:24 p.m.

    So you're saying Day One DLC that is on the disc locked out that cannot be accessed without internet is okay as long as you spend extra money to support it.

  • KnowYourPokemon - February 7, 2012 8:35 p.m.

    Actually, replace "forced" in my comment with "given the option" because like I said, this "DLC" isn't needed to enjoy the game. It's just an extra that people who actually support the developer get for free.

  • MetroidPrimeRib - February 7, 2012 9:23 p.m.

    They take part of the game out and sell it back to you. Would you buy a cake with 7 out of 10 slices when the baker asks for extra money for the rest because you're "supporting a baker you like." Also it is in fact, they're fault, for having EA publish their game. I see no fault for them not to be blamed for being Right Hand of the Devil.

  • KnowYourPokemon - February 8, 2012 5:21 a.m.

    Oh my that is a horrible analogy... Would you honestly try and buy someones used cake? Or are you saying that the cake is brand new and they're asking for more money to get the whole thing because that is completely wrong again. Let me ask you this. Would you expect to buy a used car and have it work as perfectly as a car that is brand new? Of course not. What do a lot of people who buy used cars have to do? Spend extra money into them so that it can work as good as they want it to. It's the price to pay for getting something used. Nobody else buys something used expecting it to work like something new so I'll never understand how some gamers think they're the exceptional group in the matter. And as far as "supporting the baker you like" you have a choice, no one is forcing you to pay the extra, you can still get your used game, it just won't come with the extra little bonus you would have received for getting it new.

  • TheHowetzer - February 8, 2012 9:22 a.m.

    If you want to follow the cake analogy here I think we would have to go with something more like this.... "Here's your nice new cake sir, if you'd like me to add some delicious little sprinkles on top I can for an extra dollar." I don't see anything wrong about that. Also, if you do see a problem with it exersize your right to NOT buy it...it's not like its Obamacare we're talking about here where you no longer have that right. lol. From cake to Obama care, nice even for me. Oh yeah this was about a game wasn't it? I don't like the game and I will not be buying it. I like Skyrim. There we go. ( see what I did there Metroid? I told the baker to keep his damn cake AND the sprinkles.)

  • MetroidPrimeRib - February 8, 2012 11:36 a.m.

    But with used cars they don't take parts out and purposely sell them back to you. "You have a choice" not to buy shitty games and support EA. To bad you do it anyway.

  • KnowYourPokemon - February 8, 2012 2:16 p.m.

    A used car won't work without the right parts, this game will work fine without a couple of extra quests. There's no perfect analogy so yes some things will be different but the idea is pretty much the same, you don't buy something used expecting the full product like it would be if it was purchased brand new. And yes by all means let's completely erase any sense of an argument and turn it into a simple "EA sucks!"...

  • KnowYourPokemon - February 8, 2012 2:24 p.m.

    That's a better analogy. And I'm not saying I completely agree with Day1 DLC with this, but to use it in a way to fight against used game sales at no cost to people who actually support the developer (because really, EA isn't the soul entity behind this game, they're just the publisher, unfortunately.) isn't a horrible idea. Not prefect, but not horrible.

  • patbateman17 - February 9, 2012 6:45 a.m.

    So I'm not comparing games because I think the comparisons are silly (just like trying to compare Dark Souls and Skyrim when they are just two great games with different takes on the genre) - but I'm a PS3 user currently debating whether to get Skyrim (patch today to hopefully fix the lag issues) or KoA. I liked the KoA demo and LOVED Fable, but I'm just not super sure. I rented Skyrim and was totally overwhelmed, but relish creating a super powerful warrior mage character that rips guys to shreds and has awesome armor (the epic mage battle youtube vids convinced me :). Any thoughts? Again not comparing the 2 or 3 games since I'm sure they are all good. I'm currently working through Dark Souls but def. want something I can play without stress haha. Appreciate any insights! Thanks!!

  • FinderKeeper - February 9, 2012 11:08 a.m.

    Those who buy the game new get the online pass at no extra charge. Those who buy the game used (presumably to save money) have to buy the online pass. Sounds perfectly fair to me. If you don't like buying the game at $60, wait for the price to come down (which it will), and buy it then. It will still have the online pass included at no extra charge. It's a rather simple way to "monetize" the demand for a game more accurately. Those who want to play the game with the full features will buy it new instead of used, whereas before (all else being equal) they would buy used, since there was no loss of game functionality by doing so. Some of the money that was otherwise going to second-hand sellers will thus instead go to the publisher and the developers, and the sales figures (and thus revenue) for the game will more accurately reflect the demand for it. That can only be a good thing, as it enhances the likelihood that both the IP (whether new or not) and the developer can be financially viable. If you want the full car experience... i.e. choosing your color, accessorizing, options, etc., you have to buy it new. When you buy used, you take what you get. If you want a specific color, speaker setup, or wheel rim, you have to spend additional money. Such is life, in both cars and gaming.

  • FinderKeeper - February 9, 2012 11:22 a.m.

    I always enjoy reading the review from the start, and guessing at what the review score will be. Before I got to the last page, I was thinking "he's gonna give it an 8." That doesn't always happen with reviews, but I appreciate it when it does. It means that the reviewer has done a good job of explaining how he sees the game. Everyone will have a different opinion, so even though the readers may think the game is rated too high or too low, they know why the reviewer gave it the score he did. But yes, AAA titles from established powerhouses sometimes (not always, but more often than they should) seem to get the benefit of an extra 5-10% (for example, a 10 instead of a 9), because of "who they are", and not "what they are."

  • FinderKeeper - February 9, 2012 11:26 a.m.

    To be clear, I'm not referring to KoA as a "AAA title" nor to 38 Studios as a powerhouse. The powerhouses in this case would be Bethesda, Bioware, and Lionhead.

  • ParagonT - February 9, 2012 12:29 p.m.

    I think trying to stop used game sales is indeed a good way to go, but really they're turning gaming into a service rather than consumers buying game products, which is not a problem except for the price in my opinion. If we assume (this is not factual) that every traded in game is re-sold by second hand retail stores only once, it's easy to see how this would be devastating to companies. The main problem with this is that you, the costumer, still must pay sixty dollars for the game while the company potentially makes twice the financial return. Another issue I have is that if these codes starve the used game industry, the only way to obtain the game is to buy it new, which is no problem, except for the price of first retailers. Honestly, I've seen many games that are absolute not worth sixty dollars but interesting just to check at retailers to find the price un-moving. On the other hand... It could in fact lower second retailers price on used games. Although this could affect monetary return for those that sell their used game.

  • evermore9871 - February 10, 2012 12:16 a.m.

    For a second there when they asked if it was better than Skyrim I was like "You Bastards!" and then I saw "No". So I was just like "Oh thank god".

  • payonel - February 13, 2012 2:12 p.m.

    That is one pathetic rational for "not better than Skyrim" Basically what this unjustified review (is submitting|claims) is that it is more fun walking around and doing nothing but sight-seeing [world exploration] than actually playing the game and progressing your character [stats and combat]. Note that Reckoning does not fail in world exploration, it is actually enormous and dense in content; whereas Skyrim is enormous, yet sparse. Oh, and he has a fetish for dragons, so Skyrim wins.

  • payonel - February 13, 2012 4:34 p.m.

    That ending, "...so skyrim wins" was sarcastic, by the way :)

  • Nightwalker11 - February 25, 2012 midnight

    It's a real worthy of playing game.

  • nikrusty - April 13, 2012 4:57 a.m.

    Love the game :) thanks Big GAme Studios

  • yaswanth - September 24, 2012 6:25 a.m.

    GOod combat but boring world.

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Available Platforms: Xbox 360, PC, PS3
Genre: Role Playing
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