You are wrong. /this game was not an mmo made into single player. BHG had a single player game in the works when 38 Studios bought them. They just made it Amalur themed after. The team working on the MMO has always been working on the MMO.
No I am not. Try following gamasutra for years or being in the industry. From a design standpoint this is an MMO. R.A. and Todd with Shilling all came together to make an MMO. One that Shilling could be good at I guess. Those drives translated into what we have here. There may be two teams that may all be fine and well. But why do you think they bought the team/game? Because they were further along then they were. It came down to being cheaper ergo 'safer' to buy something constructed, and then throw the creative anergies they had already developed into something with staff and ability. The dream of the MMO may still be there and in development but this was a stop-gap to stroke some egos apease investors that need to see a title every quarter and put something to market before the whole op folded on itself.
You are wrong. /this game was not an mmo made into single player. BHG had a single player game in the works when 38 Studios bought them. They just made it Amalur themed after. The team working on the MMO has always been working on the MMO.
By the way...that team was tiny to start. hardly an MMO sized team. Not sure how many are on it now, likely quite a few but saying they have always been working on it is inaccurate. Most of those people were working at other jobs for other companies when this little venture started..ohh what was it...back in 2006/7?
You are wrong. /this game was not an mmo made into single player. BHG had a single player game in the works when 38 Studios bought them. They just made it Amalur themed after. The team working on the MMO has always been working on the MMO.
By the way...that team was tiny to start. hardly an MMO sized team. Not sure how many are on it now, likely quite a few but saying they have always been working on it is inaccurate. Most of those people were working at other jobs for other companies when this little venture started..ohh what was it...back in 2006/7?
You may want to go back re-research your info regarding single player and the MMO from the industry and/or gamasutra. The previous poster was right. Amular was converted and altered to fit the goals of what 38 Studios wanted to accomplish. KOA is NOT the MMO converted into a single player. It has some similarities, but only in the capacity of a single player game.
First off, you basically cannot buy this game used nor sell it, because it uses an online pass mechanism. So spending $60 on it sucks if you don't like it, that is money out the window.
NOTHING stopping youi from buying it used, or selling your used copy, AT ALL.
Really, if the loss of a whole 7 quests would prevent you from buying it used, you werent interested in teh first place.
Apparently you either dont know how online passes work, or just refuse to know, because it in no way shape or form ever prevents you from selling it or buying it used.
Apparently stating the truth in my sig is "trolling" Sig typo fixed thanks to an observant stragen001.
Hey folks, I just wanted to pop in and say that this is a first impressions piece, not a review. I'm playing the hell out of the game now, and the full review will come next week or the week after. For those who feel that 5 levels is too little to judge by, again, it's a first impressions. Basically 2-3 hours played at the time I wrote this.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
I find the art style reminds me a lot of WoW, its kind of cartoony. It also rubs off a bit of an adventure game, like Ratchet and Clank. For example, you can destroy crates and get money just like you do in most of these adventure games. The story, only judging by the demo, seems intersting and the combat seems like it can be addictive. Still I don't think Ill find myself as immersed in it as I am in Skyrim. The vibe I get from the game is more of just play it and have fun rather than immerse yourself in the world and story.
I share the same disappointments about the game as were expressed in the article but I enjoy the combat ( reckoning mode is awesome!) , the build system, and the story so much that the negatives are easy to get past. I normally shy away from single players and lean more to MMOS because I dont like to purchase games that I 'm gonna finish in a few weeks /months but this game has so much content that I can see I 'm going to get a lot of game play out of it and I 'm happy to see that this game is just the ground work for an MMO which means that KoA will just get bigger.
I see people are grumbling about the art style but I think it works well with this genre and I 'm not so sure that the gorgeous spell effects would work well if the art style were more "realistic". I do wish the characters were a little more attractive, though. I had to tatt up my char's face just to make her more appealing (she looks more like Harle Quinn from Batman) , but over all I'm glad I bought it and I look forward to playing it everday.
I don't know why some gamers insist on flaming and trolling a review just because the game is not perfect for them. Those gamers need to get a grip. No game is ever perfect, period. I like the game and recognize its flaws, but I still like the game. I look forward to future dlc and games from 38 studios.
No I am not. Try following gamasutra for years or being in the industry. From a design standpoint this is an MMO. R.A. and Todd with Shilling all came together to make an MMO. One that Shilling could be good at I guess. Those drives translated into what we have here. There may be two teams that may all be fine and well. But why do you think they bought the team/game? Because they were further along then they were. It came down to being cheaper ergo 'safer' to buy something constructed, and then throw the creative anergies they had already developed into something with staff and ability. The dream of the MMO may still be there and in development but this was a stop-gap to stroke some egos apease investors that need to see a title every quarter and put something to market before the whole op folded on itself.
werd
This game has been in development at Big Huge Games for nearly seven years, way before 38 Studios bought them. They were working on an action-RPG called "Ascendant". Since they were a THQ studio, they had financial problems because THQ is a poorly run, mismanaged Publisher. However, BHG is a great studio with past, proven successes like Rise of Nations. So they decided to sell of the studio or shut it down entirely.
This is when Curt Schilling stepped in with 38 Studios and bought them. The Kingdoms of Amalur universe was planned from day one to be a Trans-media IP, and a single-player RPG was always envisioned. However, when the opportunity to purchase BHG from THQ came up, they did so. Before this opprotunity came up, the single-player RPG was a project planned for after the MMO.
At that point, the engine and core mechanics of the game were already developed, and they dropped the "Ascendent" stuff and used the Amalur IP instead. You can see an early video gameplay of "Ascendent" here which shows the game before it was retooled for the Kingdoms of Amalur Universe.
Meanwhile, 38 Stduios had moved their studio to Providence, Rhode Island, secured a loan from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. This loan is entirely to create jobs for the State of Rhode Island, and the MMO studio, which never ceased its work, and is still in development under close scrutiny by the State of Rhode Island itself. None of these funds were used to finish development of Reckoning. Whether Reckoning is a success or failure the MMO will still come out.
This is where EA came in. In order to finish up the single-player RPG, they secured a publishing deal with EA Partners which gave the MD studio the funds needed to finish the project. EA will receive the lions-share of the profits on Reckoning. However, had they not took a chance on the single-player RPG it would never have been made.
Edited to Add: Actually, technically speaking, the deal with the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation isn't even a loan. It's a good-faith guarantee that the State will back a privately-invested loan should 38 ever default and its incremental payout is based on performance milestones.
Sounds like things are going well too, I'm glad he mentioned it and figured he would, not sure how I would have felt if he didn't, I going to have to give this game a decent look
I don't know why some gamers insist on flaming and trolling a review just because the game is not perfect for them. Those gamers need to get a grip. No game is ever perfect, period. I like the game and recognize its flaws, but I still like the game. I look forward to future dlc and games from 38 studios.
Just checked your post history, I think you can answer that question really well
"There are two great powers, and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit."
John Parry, to his son Will; "The Subtle Knife," by Phillip Pullman
i wish games here in australia were 60 bucks. try paying 90-110 bucks for a console game and 90bucks for a new pc game lol. steam and cd key sites ftw!
ive heard that the FOD from the demo never got sorted out i had it on max settings and i was staring at his back most of the time unless enemies spread out, then it would zoom out. any know if theres a manual fix to change in the code? just until theres a patch. cheers
The game is amazing on a pc, the combat and moves you do leveling are just fun as hell. Reckoning mode gives you finish moves just like Mortal Kombat. The world is not linear at all with up to 400 hours of content. KOA > Skyrim any day of the week to me.
"Its better to look ugly and win than pretty and lose"
While I think the comparisons with Skyrim are a bit misleading; this game is more a combination of a lot of games. As far as openworld-ness, it sits somewhere in between Dragon Age and Elder Scrolls. It has a lot more freedom than Dragon Age, but isn't as open world as Elder Scrolls. That being said, there is an abundance of side quests and dungeons to explore, granted, I'm not that far in and I'm basing this off of what I have seen thus far. The art style reminds me a lot of WoW, the combat reminds me of God of War and the skills/talents remind me of Dragon Age or a simplified Neverwinter Nights. I like all those games that I've mentioned, so for me, this game is kind of like a happy medium of all of those games. I'm not saying it's better or worse than any of them, but there are little things that remind me of some of my favorite games and I find it kind of refreshing.
All things considered, I'm enjoying the game a lot and am looking forward to the mmo/other games from 38 studios.
The game is amazing on a pc, the combat and moves you do leveling are just fun as hell. Reckoning mode gives you finish moves just like Mortal Kombat. The world is not linear at all with up to 400 hours of content. KOA > Skyrim any day of the week to me.
I have no idea where you getting " up to 400 hours of gameplay". Even on the official site the testers who did every single quest in the game were around 200.
Some of the game review sites have finished the main story line and finished the game in 30-40 hours ( main quest line play through).
This game may be good or bad but making up numbers like 400 hours is not even close to accurate.
If this game is meant as a "step up" for the MMO ... wouldn't it be smart to release it for free?
You give your new addicts the goods for free .. untill they depend on it
Maybe they would like the additional funding to help them finish their mmo?
If they have enough faith in their MMO, they don't need it
At least they can reuse a lot of things.
If you knew what you were talking about you might have a point.. but alas you dont. The mmo is going to take place in the future of the same world as Koa so the world will have changed citys may be just ruins etc...etc This is a prelude to what is going to happen in the mmo...
by the way faith has nothing to do with it people dont work for free.
Comments
You are wrong. /this game was not an mmo made into single player. BHG had a single player game in the works when 38 Studios bought them. They just made it Amalur themed after. The team working on the MMO has always been working on the MMO.
No I am not. Try following gamasutra for years or being in the industry. From a design standpoint this is an MMO. R.A. and Todd with Shilling all came together to make an MMO. One that Shilling could be good at I guess. Those drives translated into what we have here. There may be two teams that may all be fine and well. But why do you think they bought the team/game? Because they were further along then they were. It came down to being cheaper ergo 'safer' to buy something constructed, and then throw the creative anergies they had already developed into something with staff and ability. The dream of the MMO may still be there and in development but this was a stop-gap to stroke some egos apease investors that need to see a title every quarter and put something to market before the whole op folded on itself.
werd
By the way...that team was tiny to start. hardly an MMO sized team. Not sure how many are on it now, likely quite a few but saying they have always been working on it is inaccurate. Most of those people were working at other jobs for other companies when this little venture started..ohh what was it...back in 2006/7?
You may want to go back re-research your info regarding single player and the MMO from the industry and/or gamasutra. The previous poster was right. Amular was converted and altered to fit the goals of what 38 Studios wanted to accomplish. KOA is NOT the MMO converted into a single player. It has some similarities, but only in the capacity of a single player game.
NOTHING stopping youi from buying it used, or selling your used copy, AT ALL.
Really, if the loss of a whole 7 quests would prevent you from buying it used, you werent interested in teh first place.
Apparently you either dont know how online passes work, or just refuse to know, because it in no way shape or form ever prevents you from selling it or buying it used.
Apparently stating the truth in my sig is "trolling"
Sig typo fixed thanks to an observant stragen001.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
My Review Manifesto
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I find the art style reminds me a lot of WoW, its kind of cartoony. It also rubs off a bit of an adventure game, like Ratchet and Clank. For example, you can destroy crates and get money just like you do in most of these adventure games. The story, only judging by the demo, seems intersting and the combat seems like it can be addictive. Still I don't think Ill find myself as immersed in it as I am in Skyrim. The vibe I get from the game is more of just play it and have fun rather than immerse yourself in the world and story.
I share the same disappointments about the game as were expressed in the article but I enjoy the combat ( reckoning mode is awesome!) , the build system, and the story so much that the negatives are easy to get past. I normally shy away from single players and lean more to MMOS because I dont like to purchase games that I 'm gonna finish in a few weeks /months but this game has so much content that I can see I 'm going to get a lot of game play out of it and I 'm happy to see that this game is just the ground work for an MMO which means that KoA will just get bigger.
I see people are grumbling about the art style but I think it works well with this genre and I 'm not so sure that the gorgeous spell effects would work well if the art style were more "realistic". I do wish the characters were a little more attractive, though. I had to tatt up my char's face just to make her more appealing (she looks more like Harle Quinn from Batman) , but over all I'm glad I bought it and I look forward to playing it everday.
This game has been in development at Big Huge Games for nearly seven years, way before 38 Studios bought them. They were working on an action-RPG called "Ascendant". Since they were a THQ studio, they had financial problems because THQ is a poorly run, mismanaged Publisher. However, BHG is a great studio with past, proven successes like Rise of Nations. So they decided to sell of the studio or shut it down entirely.
This is when Curt Schilling stepped in with 38 Studios and bought them. The Kingdoms of Amalur universe was planned from day one to be a Trans-media IP, and a single-player RPG was always envisioned. However, when the opportunity to purchase BHG from THQ came up, they did so. Before this opprotunity came up, the single-player RPG was a project planned for after the MMO.
At that point, the engine and core mechanics of the game were already developed, and they dropped the "Ascendent" stuff and used the Amalur IP instead. You can see an early video gameplay of "Ascendent" here which shows the game before it was retooled for the Kingdoms of Amalur Universe.
Meanwhile, 38 Stduios had moved their studio to Providence, Rhode Island, secured a loan from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. This loan is entirely to create jobs for the State of Rhode Island, and the MMO studio, which never ceased its work, and is still in development under close scrutiny by the State of Rhode Island itself. None of these funds were used to finish development of Reckoning. Whether Reckoning is a success or failure the MMO will still come out.
This is where EA came in. In order to finish up the single-player RPG, they secured a publishing deal with EA Partners which gave the MD studio the funds needed to finish the project. EA will receive the lions-share of the profits on Reckoning. However, had they not took a chance on the single-player RPG it would never have been made.
Edited to Add: Actually, technically speaking, the deal with the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation isn't even a loan. It's a good-faith guarantee that the State will back a privately-invested loan should 38 ever default and its incremental payout is based on performance milestones.
Sorry I am confused is this an mmorpg or co-op and secondly what does EA have to do with this are they just publishers.
Just checked your post history, I think you can answer that question really well
Interesting review.
But it is a review, *not* a preview!
"There are two great powers, and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit."
John Parry, to his son Will; "The Subtle Knife," by Phillip Pullman
good read,
now going myself a bit out of topic, in terms of graphic visuals this is how World of Warcraft should look today. A massive visual overhaul.
i wish games here in australia were 60 bucks. try paying 90-110 bucks for a console game and 90bucks for a new pc game lol. steam and cd key sites ftw!
ive heard that the FOD from the demo never got sorted out
i had it on max settings and i was staring at his back most of the time unless enemies spread out, then it would zoom out. any know if theres a manual fix to change in the code? just until theres a patch. cheers 
The game is amazing on a pc, the combat and moves you do leveling are just fun as hell. Reckoning mode gives you finish moves just like Mortal Kombat. The world is not linear at all with up to 400 hours of content. KOA > Skyrim any day of the week to me.
"Its better to look ugly and win than pretty and lose"
While I think the comparisons with Skyrim are a bit misleading; this game is more a combination of a lot of games. As far as openworld-ness, it sits somewhere in between Dragon Age and Elder Scrolls. It has a lot more freedom than Dragon Age, but isn't as open world as Elder Scrolls. That being said, there is an abundance of side quests and dungeons to explore, granted, I'm not that far in and I'm basing this off of what I have seen thus far. The art style reminds me a lot of WoW, the combat reminds me of God of War and the skills/talents remind me of Dragon Age or a simplified Neverwinter Nights. I like all those games that I've mentioned, so for me, this game is kind of like a happy medium of all of those games. I'm not saying it's better or worse than any of them, but there are little things that remind me of some of my favorite games and I find it kind of refreshing.
All things considered, I'm enjoying the game a lot and am looking forward to the mmo/other games from 38 studios.
I have no idea where you getting " up to 400 hours of gameplay". Even on the official site the testers who did every single quest in the game were around 200.
Some of the game review sites have finished the main story line and finished the game in 30-40 hours ( main quest line play through).
This game may be good or bad but making up numbers like 400 hours is not even close to accurate.
If you knew what you were talking about you might have a point.. but alas you dont. The mmo is going to take place in the future of the same world as Koa so the world will have changed citys may be just ruins etc...etc This is a prelude to what is going to happen in the mmo...
by the way faith has nothing to do with it people dont work for free.
maybe he died alot and took twice as long :P
Its only been out for 24 hours.
Invisible walls turned me off