Video Games

Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning – Review

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is perhaps one of the biggest (and most certainly ambitious) games to be released in 2012.  Although it had been in production for a very long time (the title screen has a copyright of 1997-2012), there were enough big names behind it as to where the hype regarding the game was justified.  In addition to being produced from a studio ran by former MLB pitcher Curt Shilling, the game garnered such names as Ken Rolston (of Elder Scrolls IV fame), RA Salvatore, and Todd McFarlane, just to name a few.  Now that the game has finally been released worldwide, I can finally say that while Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a good game, I do not think that it necessarily transcends the genre in the way that, say, something like Skyrim did.

Those who were fans of Oblivion will find quite a few of the same trappings in Reckoning (because of the length of the title, I will now refer to the game simply as Reckoning), as the player will be running through a fantasy setting with the ability to do most of what was able to be done in Oblivion (such as lockpicking, looting, owning property, etc.).  The gameplay itself is similar in a sense to something like Fable in that you are playing from a third person perspective, but where Reckoning differs is that you have a primary weapon, and a secondary weapon that are mapped to square (X on xbox 360) and triangle (Y).  This means that instead of light and heavy, there are certain patterns that you have to do the button presses to in order to execute combos.  By this, I mean that holding the square button and then releasing will let out a charged attack of the weapon type mapped to that button.  There are multiple combos, but most of the time, I found myself just mashing the button, as that seems to be the best tactic.  There are three main trees that you can put points into, which follow the basic rouge, mage, and warrior path lines, but because it doesn’t really force you into any certain style, you will come across quite a bit of loot that you either cant use or have not use for (because it corresponds to another class).  In addition to the class trees, you can put points into more general skills, such as Blacksmithing or Stealth, but, if you want a pointer, you should definitely max out Sage crafting, as maxing this out allows you to craft Health Regeneration gems which you can add to your armor or weapons which will help you immensely.

Activision Confirms New Call of Duty for 2012

Surprise!  As if you probably didn’t figure this out already, Activision plans on releasing yet another entry into their Call of Duty franchise in 2012.  But really, this comes as no surprise, as seemingly each new incarnation of the popular FPS breaks sales records annually, and usually the very records that the previous game set.  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has reportedly made the gaming giant more than a billion (yes, the “b” word) dollars already.  It shows no signs of slowing down either, and many are speculating that this year’s entry will be a sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Skyrim DLC Ideas from Todd Howard

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim director Todd Howard has some ideas he garnered from a company-wide creative session at Bethesda for DLC for his team’s mega-hit open-world RPG.  Howard expressed that the following are all “experiments,” but who knows what could come of them?

Activision Comments On Dwindling MW3 Sales

Modern Warfare 3 has been lagging somewhat in sales over the last month or two, 50% of what CoD: Black Ops was doing about this time after its initial launch. Why is that? Is the simple fact that everyone who decided they wanted the game has finally got it and the market for the game is finally drying up? Apparently not, because it’s upsetting enough news to warrant Activision releasing a statement.

Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning – Review

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is perhaps one of the biggest (and most certainly ambitious) games to be released in 2012.  Although it had been in production for a very long time (the title screen has a copyright of 1997-2012), there were enough big names behind it as to where the hype regarding the game was justified.  In addition to being produced from a studio ran by former MLB pitcher Curt Shilling, the game garnered such names as Ken Rolston (of Elder Scrolls IV fame), RA Salvatore, and Todd McFarlane, just to name a few.  Now that the game has finally been released worldwide, I can finally say that while Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a good game, I do not think that it necessarily transcends the genre in the way that, say, something like Skyrim did.

Those who were fans of Oblivion will find quite a few of the same trappings in Reckoning (because of the length of the title, I will now refer to the game simply as Reckoning), as the player will be running through a fantasy setting with the ability to do most of what was able to be done in Oblivion (such as lockpicking, looting, owning property, etc.).  The gameplay itself is similar in a sense to something like Fable in that you are playing from a third person perspective, but where Reckoning differs is that you have a primary weapon, and a secondary weapon that are mapped to square (X on xbox 360) and triangle (Y).  This means that instead of light and heavy, there are certain patterns that you have to do the button presses to in order to execute combos.  By this, I mean that holding the square button and then releasing will let out a charged attack of the weapon type mapped to that button.  There are multiple combos, but most of the time, I found myself just mashing the button, as that seems to be the best tactic.  There are three main trees that you can put points into, which follow the basic rouge, mage, and warrior path lines, but because it doesn’t really force you into any certain style, you will come across quite a bit of loot that you either cant use or have not use for (because it corresponds to another class).  In addition to the class trees, you can put points into more general skills, such as Blacksmithing or Stealth, but, if you want a pointer, you should definitely max out Sage crafting, as maxing this out allows you to craft Health Regeneration gems which you can add to your armor or weapons which will help you immensely.

Syndicate: Preview

As with Fallout 3 and the delayed Xcom, Syndicate is yet another property brought back and re-designed to appeal to a new wider audience.

Tablet Controller for Xbox 720?

Following in the footsteps of Nintendo’s Wii U, Microsoft is reportedly developing a tablet controller for its next console, according to Xbox World Magazine. The tablet will look similar to the Playstation Vita, but smaller than the Wii U’s controller, the report says. Also, it is described as “an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks.”