Reckoning dev's biggest concern is you're still playing Skyrim

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 26 January, 2012

"I'm not going to pretend that Skyrim doesn't exist."

The biggest concern at Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer Big Huge Games right now is you're still playing Skyrim.

According to lead designer Ian Frazier, if you and lots of other gamers are still playing Skyrim, you may not be interested in Reckoning, out next month.

Reckoning is a huge, open world high fantasy RPG. Sound like a game you've played?

"Frankly, Reckoning is either going to do well enough that we're going to be in a good place or people are going to go, nope, I'm still playing Skyrim, I'm not interested, in which case we're hosed," Frazier told Eurogamer.

"It's going to be one of those extremes."

Frazier described Skyrim as "our big competitor". "It's hard not to go, it's the devil! It's evil!" he said.

But, he's a fan - perhaps not as big a fan as others, but a fan. "It's a good game. It's got problems. It's not God's gift to gaming, as some are describing it. But it is good. It's a lot of fun. They do a lot of stuff really well.

"But a lot of folks are still playing it, and that's been one of my biggest concerns. It's the same thing as if we had released first. It's hundreds of hours of content and it's a high fantasy world. Are people just going to be bored? Are they just done with high fantasy for a while? I hope not. But that's the big concern at the studio."

Alternatively, Skyrim's incredible success - 10 million players and counting - suggests interest in fantasy RPGs it at an all-time high.

"Not just Skyrim, but RPGs in general have been in an upswing over the last few years," Frazier explained.

"Skyrim in particular, here's a giant open world game where you can do whatever you want in this fantasy setting, and everybody goes, wow, this is fun, I like this. And a few months later, oh, this is the same sort of thing I like except I can do a lot more awesome stuff in combat. Let's hope that is the thing that makes us succeed."

Gamers and press have been quick to compare Reckoning to Skyrim ever since it was announced.

This situation has "its ups and downs", Frazier said, but he's happy to discuss his gargantuan rival - even if it's bad PR.

"PR wise it's not a good idea for us to talk about any of our competitors too much, or anything else in the RPG space because we're trying to sell Reckoning," he said.

"Our livelihood depends on it. But I'm not going to pretend that Skyrim doesn't exist and it doesn't have a pretty big bearing on our success in both directions."

Reckoning chief Ken Rolston - who led development on Elder Scrolls games Morrowind and Oblivion - raised eyebrows earlier this week when he said his game "has the best, coolest, fastest-paced, most tactile and silly-exciting fantasy combat of any RPG".

Frazier echoed those comments - indeed he went one step further.

"The combat - I'll be very blunt - it is leagues better than Skyrim's. It's better than pretty much everything in the RPG space. I'm proud of our combat," he said.

Frazier pointed to Reckoning's Destiny System, which governs the game's class system, and its art style, as other points of difference.

Reckoning's art style in particular is "a big selling point".

Skyrim "is a little monochromatic, and it's snowy. It's just very white," Frazier said. "It's snowing, it was just snowing and it's about to start snowing again.

"It is cool, it's just it is samey throughout. And it's a big world, so it's like, I just want some variety.

"One thing I think we've done a pretty good job with is the art for each major zone and each of the dungeons is completely different. It's like, I'm in a desert, I'm in a swamp - really radically different environments.

"We embrace colour left and right."

Reckoning has over 130 hand-crafted dungeons, Frazier revealed. "We just made them" with "brute force"," he said.

"Our level design pipeline is great. You can make a dungeon that's pretty cool-looking pretty darn fast. So we've been able to craft a lot of them with a lot of variety to them across the course of development."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (123) Latest comment 3 weeks ago

  • SteelPriest #1 4 weeks ago

    he's right, i am.

  • fragglerocks #2 4 weeks ago

    I am still playing Skyrim, but judging from the demo I can make time for this!

  • Kanselier #3 4 weeks ago

    Mr. Frazer, I will be all over your game. I need an open world RPG in my life that is not broken. Thanks.

  • Zozzilla #4 4 weeks ago

    I'm playing about...7 different things at the moment, but I'm sure I'll manage to add this to the list too.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #5 4 weeks ago

    I need an open world RPG in my life that is not broken.

    If it's big enough, and open enough, it'll be broken. Even Zelda was broken in the part that let you complete objectives in your choice of order!

  • Baleoce #6 4 weeks ago

    Grant Kirkhope's score for this sounds really good. I'll be checking the game out. It's true that people might still be playing Skyrim or in the middle of "RPG fatigue" after all the games recently released, but a truly great game won't get overlooked. If it's worth it, people will notice.

  • patch #7 4 weeks ago

    I'm still playing Skyrim... god knows I want to stop...just can't put the controller down...

    /cries

  • barkertron #8 4 weeks ago

    Don't worry Mr Frazier, I stopped playing Skyrim when it started crashing my PS3 after every 20 minutes of playtime. Stupid broken game.

  • Whitster #9 4 weeks ago

    I actually quite liked the demo of this, but he's right, I've still got plenty to do in Skyrim, and by the time I finish that ME:3 will be on the horizon. After that I plan to finish Zelda and noe of this even accounts for the Vita launch so I don't think I'll find time for this until at summer at the earliest. They probably would have done better holding this back for a May/June launch.

  • MattEdWithCheese #10 4 weeks ago

    Actually I'm playing the original Deus Ex on Steam but thanks for showing an interest :)

  • byakuya83 #11 4 weeks ago

    Perhaps he should delay release by a month or two and take onboard demo feedback. Personally I found the movement/camera either floaty or over-sensitive and the attributes/abilities/inventory all needs to be brought into line so it looks consistent and easy to view/navigate.

    On a positive note, it all looks great and combat works well.
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 15:50

  • ShiftyGeezer #12 4 weeks ago

    The demo is entertaining but bugged (on PS3). There are graphical glitches like a disappearing floor, and the sound cut out for me after an hour while the NPCs skip through their dialogue without me being able to read it. So I for one would definitely wait for the game's release and public bug reports before investing. ;)

  • CloisterBlack #13 4 weeks ago

    Had a certain chain of events not happened, I would have bought Skyrim on its first week of release, for the PS3.

    Luckily I did not, and later I restrained myself from buying it until the major issues were fixed on the platform.

    As of now, Bethesda still haven't made any progress on that front, and after having played the (mouthful of a) demo of Reckoning, I am pretty sure that I won't be playing Skyrim in the immediate future (if at all)

    Edit:
    @ShiftyGeezer
    The developer said that the demo was based on an old build of the game, in addition to the fact that it was not made in-house; it was commissioned to a third party, instead.
    Edited by 2 at 26/01/12 @ 15:55

  • Kanselier #14 4 weeks ago

    @MENTAL1ST
    There is a difference between ONE game breaking bug the team did not spot (in the case of Zelda and that bug has been fixed!) and the game breaking engine Skyrim uses. Skyrim was broken when Oblivion was released in 2006.

  • Raznilof #15 4 weeks ago

    I played the demo for a good hour or so and although it was polished to heaven and back, it didn't make me feel one way or another.

    Maybe it's not having Jeremy Soul's music but as large as the world claims to be, the opening forest felt like corridors with the same set pieces repeated.The stacked pieces of ruin on top of each where not the same epic view as Skyrim's believable, eroded world. Everything was straight angles in the architecture, pretty, but a bit too straight for my taste.

    Also, the combat felt floaty and quite frankly the problem is not Skyrim, for me it is that it felt similar to Dragon Age II, which was okay, but not something I need again so quickly.

    I wish them all the best and happy to read so many people love it (every developer deserves attention for their hard work) but it just didn't make me "feel" anything. And "feeling": an emotive attachment to the world, is still Skyrim's very welcome and strong gift to gaming, at least for me.
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 15:53

  • Porko_Rossi #16 4 weeks ago

    @Kanselier I don't think its practical for developers to spend an additional 3 years on QA testing every single possible order of completing and leveling up in a game like Skyrim.
    Maybe you would prefer a game much smaller and linear than Skyrim. But if my game completely crashed out permanently I'd be pissed off too.

  • FenderMaster #17 4 weeks ago

    If you're so worried about Skyrim, then hold the release off until April, May or the summer. Even if I finished Skyrim tomorrow, I'd want a change of pace, not to dive into another mammoth 100+ hour RPG.

    I'm still playing Skyrim, not even close to finished, and I've got bits and pieces to polish off on other big winter releases like Batman, Zelda and Uncharted. By late Spring/early summer I'll be finished and ready for something new, but it's too soon. I can't see this one doing well to be honest.

  • CheesecakeBobby #18 4 weeks ago

    He's absolutely right to criticise Skyrim's combat, and it seems as though Reckoning does a much better job in that area.

    But I have to disagree about Skyrim lacking visual variety. The time lapse videos on Digital Foundary show how untrue that is. Skyrim has so many different yet beautiful vistas. I would rather have a cohesive world with subtle differentiation in its regions than a patchwork mish-mash of SNOW AREA, DESERT AREA, LAVA AREA.

    I would however be impressed if Reckoning can do a better job than Skyrim of differentiating the dungeons. It must take a lot of time to make a huge volume of dungeon areas without making the player feel deja-vu before even seeing more than 1/4 of them.

  • NewbieZilla #19 4 weeks ago

    @patch Playing one handed?

  • FogHeart #20 4 weeks ago

    I've actually only played a couple of hours of Skyrim so far, but my criticisms have been much as detailed here - the combat is still clumsy, and the world looks drab. The latter is just because the setting - stone, snow, coniferous flora - is drab. This game is suddenly on my wish list with a colourful world I'd much rather inhabit. I particularly look forward to juggling my enemies with multiple rock spikes to the kn-

    /shuts up

  • jetsetwillie #21 4 weeks ago

    @MattEdWithCheese that is my fav game ever. but i went back to play it recently and time has not been kind to my old friend, even with the better graphics mod it just felt really dated.

  • stryker1121 #22 4 weeks ago

    I think there's some relevance to what he's saying. I feel like I need a break from open-world RPGs, and there's too small a window between KofA and Mass Effect 3 for me to get both.

  • DrStrangelove #23 4 weeks ago

    Yes I'm still playing Skyrim and I will continue to do so, because it feels just so much better and deeper (and tighter... sorry -.-) than the Reckoning demo, and I particularly disliked the JRPG-style frenzy combat system you're so proud of.

    Does EA tell their devs to publicly compare their game with the genre's big boy, and claim it's much better? I'm so tired of NFS is better than GT, Battlefield better than CoD, etc.

    Just release the fucking game and let gamers and press decide. EG will give it 8/10, so you already lost against Skyrim.

  • Climhazzard #24 4 weeks ago

    I just dont like Skyrim. Bit too dull and grainy graphically for me and just cant get into it. Combat does indeed look much better for this. I need a review!

  • Zyklonbzombie #25 4 weeks ago

    As slick as the demo played, I just can't dig the style. It's utterly interchangable with a thousand other RPGs. It actually looks like an MMO.

  • Jonny5Alive7 #26 4 weeks ago

    I started playing Skyrim at the beginning of the month, I thought I better play it soon so I've got through it by the time Mass Effect 3 comes out and thats not until March! So theres no chance I'll have time for Reckoning, its slightly daft releasing it so close to be honest.

  • TONYgr #27 4 weeks ago

    Well i'm still playing dark souls,in my 4th playthrough,170 or so hours.He should worry about that too lol!
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 16:10

  • bad09 #28 4 weeks ago

    Yep got Skyrim for Christmas and still barely dented it :)

    I'll still pick this up eventually though I thought demo was cool and I like the art style, the Dwarfs made me laugh.

  • GAmbrose #29 4 weeks ago

    If they are that worried, why don't they delay the release until the end of Q1 2012 (thus still making their financial quarter) and use the extra few weeks to polish the game and make it as good as it can be? Rather than patch it as time goes on like most developers seem to nowadays.

  • Daeltaja #30 4 weeks ago

    Don't frett dude. I'll be buying your game. I know of a bunch of other 'Skyrim' lovers who have said they'll be playing Skyrim right up until Reckoning launch.

    I see them as two entirely different experiences, though.

  • TheBusterMan #31 4 weeks ago

    Well I would still be playing Skyrim,but I can't finish the Thieve's guild missions thanks to bugs!

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #32 4 weeks ago

    TBH I'll be quite disappointed if that doesn't do reasonably well in sales, Skyrim may be on the 'to do' lists of many many people, but this game fits in the middle ground between Skyrim, Dragon Age and Fable.

    Added to that the combat works really really well rouge/wizard skill switching flows at least just as well as an fighter (DMC/Bayanetta), the only fault I found was the lock on system doesn't really work with bows and selecting targets, but that can be fixed in a patch.

    Bottom line is if you like Action RPGs this seems a solid title to be on your lists this year

  • FatalHybrid #33 4 weeks ago

    @Jonny5Alive7 Not much they can do about it.. EA are their boss and EA have release schedules to.

  • DrStrangelove #34 4 weeks ago

    Also, I haven't encountered an RPG with better combat than Skyrim yet. If someone smashes his greatsword against your shield, you can almost feel what a heavy blow that is.

    Reckoning is going the opposite direction with its cartoon-style combat, so it's even doubtful if you can compare the combat system of the two.

  • FatalHybrid #35 4 weeks ago

    @GAmbrose Not so easy.. What EA says goes and if EA want it out by middle of next month it has to be out. These guys aren't some random indie dev that can decide when the game hits shelves, they went to EA for funding and as a result EA call the shots.

  • deded #36 4 weeks ago

    @barkertron I stopped playing Skyrim after twenty minutes, when it had locked up my PS3 twice, first time in the opening cut-scene. Stupid, stupid broken game. I refuse to touch it again until 1.4 comes out. The single worst game experience I've ever had.

    Amalur on the other has given me hours of enjoyment just from the demo. Sure, that has some issues too but it doesn't get in the way of the game. As it is I expect to be deep into Amalur before 1.4 comes out and Skyrim will have to wait.

  • WillyWongler #37 4 weeks ago

    I put 220 hours into Skyrim and laid that thing to rest (till dlc comes along) so I'm ready for another open world RPG. I'm still quite worried about how the camera and the soundtrack will turn out though. Those kinds of things can make a big difference in a genre like this if I'm expected to spend so much time exploring it.

    I am looking forward to the combat system. As much as people tear into Ken Rolston's comment about it being the best, he's not far off the mark. I don't personally categorise Demon's/Dark Souls into his comparison. They're almost a totally different genre to me.

    If you compare Reckoning to things like Skyrim, Divinity, Arcana, Two Worlds and it's ilk, his comment makes more sense.

    As a side note, those interested in the Souls gameplay should consider trying Risen. Which has a very underrated combat system. Though structurally it is more similar to the games mentioned above.

  • Monkey_Puncher #38 4 weeks ago

    I wanted to like this more than I did, I just wasn't at all convinced by the demo. The world seemed rather empty and lifeless, I can't put my finger on quite why this was. Even the Fable games seem to have more going on in their world than the demo of Kingdoms of Amalur did.

    I usually go into these games and want to take my time and explore the world, but I can't say I really felt any motivation to do that in the demo unfortunately.

    I hope the full game is better, I'll definitely be interested to see how it reviews.

  • midnight_walker #39 4 weeks ago

    I'm fairly interested in this. Unfortunately I still have a load of games to work through, so I'll get it when it inevitably drops in price. Frankly I don't see it selling all that well, so that will probably be fast.

  • ZuluHero #40 4 weeks ago

    Don't worry, i'll be playing! Can't wait too!

    Hopefully I can just finish Zelda first!

  • Shikasama #41 4 weeks ago

    If Skyrim isn't God's gift to gaming then what the hell is a less attractive Fable clone?

  • coomber #42 4 weeks ago

    @ShiftyGeezer Those bugs you mentioned have been addressed elsewhere. The developers said they were bugs that have been inserted by the third-party who put the demo together. Apparently they accidentally deleted a sound file they didn't think they would need. Hopefully your fears will prove unfounded...

    I think Ian Frazier is right though. The vast majority of Skyrim players will be done with the game, but I'm not so sure they will want to dive straight into another huge RPG. I hope they do. I'm sure I will!

  • fongy #43 4 weeks ago

    Trust me... with all the bugs... I suspect many like me haven't played it since week one...

  • Xboxfanuk #44 4 weeks ago

    Do you like to solo in games like Everquest or WoW? Do you enjoy action games like God of War? Did you enjoy the combat and art style of Fable? If the answer is yes then you will adore Reckoning. Because basically it's built almost like a big MMO instance. The pathing and zone design is very Fable, the combat is Fable+ and the story is probably more like a great fantasy novel with TES mixed in there.

    This game will probably be fairly bug free due to the extended time they had before Christmas to polish the game. And they have been gold for awhile so expect any dev time to be on patch if anything goes astray and they are releasing sizable DLC pretty soon after launch.

  • reeferchief #45 4 weeks ago

    I dont see me leaving Skyrim in a hurry, then I've got some catch up to do with a few other games, Max Payne, Mass Effect 3 and a couple of others on the way, I might be able to squeeze you in when your at the £10 Bargain bin bracket Ian, how does that sound?

  • guernican #46 4 weeks ago

    @Kanselier

    Surely there is no such thing.

  • darc #47 4 weeks ago

    @Xboxfanuk "I am looking forward to the combat system. As much as people tear into Ken Rolston's comment about it being the best, he's not far off the mark. I don't personally categorise Demon's/Dark Souls into his comparison. They're almost a totally different genre to me."

    I can see your point, but my question is, why should they *have* to be different genres? Why not a Skyrim-esque story-driven RPG with the combat mechanics of Dark Souls?

  • Toothball #48 4 weeks ago

    I'm not actually playing Skyrim. I'm not all that big on open world games though. It can be hours of fun to get lost in those, but I've got too many other unplayed games to get caught up in one.

  • alexbulluk #49 4 weeks ago

    I haven't started Skrim yet. Not bothering until it works properly on PS3.

    This game could well be a good alternative though :)

  • uknortherner2000 #50 4 weeks ago

    "According to lead designer Ian Frazier, if you and lots of other gamers are still playing Skyrim, you may not be interested in Reckoning, out next month."

    Sadly, no. I would have had time for this along with Skyrim, but I will no longer hand over my money to EA.

  • Lord_Gremlin #51 4 weeks ago

    Well, Skyrim is broken on PS3. Make sure Reckoning is fine on PS3, throw in an exclusive DLC such as cheap sword re-skin, and you're at least partly safe.

  • super_monty #52 4 weeks ago

    Dont worry fella I have had a lot of fun with Skyrim.

    The main quest is complete I am practically indestructible but I have that many glitched quests and stuck items in my inventory I will probably trade it in for this or Xenoblade C.

  • RevanNL #53 4 weeks ago

    Fair concern, since Skyrim will come out of beta with the 1.4 update. That's at least when I will start playing (on PS3). Aside from that, it also doesn't help that Reckoning just isn't that good (based on the demo)

  • dr_faulk #54 4 weeks ago

    Grant Kirkhope! (musical) Score!!

  • super_monty #55 4 weeks ago

    @RevanNL

    it stutters like mad even on my 360 I not sure how good the update will be for the PS3, i hope it works.

    The best version seems to be for PC though.

  • username84 #56 4 weeks ago

    This looks a bit cartoony for me. The combat also looks forced and arcadey. Not for me I think. Good luck to em though.

  • Lycanthroat #57 4 weeks ago

    I wasn't really impressed, Mr Frazier.

    I was happily enjoying the Kingdom of Amalur demo when I experienced a plethora of troublesome glitches. A part of my floor disappeared in the forest which then proceeded to mess up and multiply my character a million times (a time lapse effect?), all my sound effects then muted themselves (with no way to get them back) and I wasn't able to draw my weapons in one battle, until I spammed square and triangle relentlessly, then it just sort of popped and started working again.

    This isn't taking into account minor stuff like quest marks on the map not disappearing properly, one of the gnomes losing the ability to lip synch and the Fae on the hill skipping through all her dialogue (as in going through it very fast, so I couldn't read it) and also being silent.

    I understand the demo was outsourced, but that's not a good enough excuse. I waited for patches for Dark Souls to fix unfair glitches in PvP, I am *still* waiting for Skyrim to become playable past a 6MB savefile and I'm afraid I'm not going to be waiting for patches for the Kingdom of Amulur when it is released. Unless of course, the game has none of these glitches (which I will want to see for myself).

    EDIT: Also - No. No no no. The combat is miles better than Skyrim, but you're being silly saying it's better than Dark Souls.
    Edited by 2 at 26/01/12 @ 17:23

  • Collymilad #58 4 weeks ago

    Not playing Skyrim at the moment. Have put 50 hours into it and plan to go back into it next month and do at least another 50...

  • WillyWongler #59 4 weeks ago

    @darc I think you meant to address that to me.

    No they don't have to be. They just simply are in my opinion. I'm just saying that Reckoning and Souls games aren't really comparable. So his comment didn't ruffle my feathers as it did to a lot of other Souls fans. I compare Reckoning to games that it is similar to.

    If you want "Skyrim-esque story-driven RPG with the combat mechanics of Dark Souls" try the aforementioned Risen.

  • obidanshinobi #60 4 weeks ago

    I would think that the dev's biggest concern should be the lack of advertising considering the game is out in 15 days :eek:

    Got Skyrim, Forza 4, Dark Souls and Saints Row 3 to get through first :D

  • obidanshinobi #61 4 weeks ago

    Post deleted at 17:30:14 26-01-2012

  • darc #62 4 weeks ago

    @WillyWongler Yes I did mean you, sorry about that.

    You'll not be surprised to hear that Risen is one of my favorite games of all time. An underappreciated gem IMO.

  • Amistat #63 4 weeks ago

    I find it strange this gets compared to skyrim so much, from the demo it was alot closer to the fable series I felt.
    I think "fable deluxe" is probably the best way to describe what I saw; the same sort of colourful humourous fantasy world with similarly over the top combat. Now however you've got a real stealth system, real levelling up, real npc interaction, multiple races, etc etc ultimately this seems like the fable 3 I wanted, as such I'm gonna be all over that shit =P

  • Lonewolf2002 #64 4 weeks ago

    Played as much as I am going to play of Skyrim (over 120 hours worth) until the "meaty" DLC comes out. Booked 1/2 day off of work for the 10th to spend an afternoon on this.

  • IronCladChicken #65 4 weeks ago

    @MENTAL1ST
    Xenoblade seems okay?

  • LittleRiver #66 4 weeks ago

    I played the demo and enjoyed the experience.

    He is right about Skyrim though; actually I only finished Oblivion in December (if you can ever really finish) so I am a bit bored of Fantasy- I still haven't unwrapped Skyrim (getting Skyrim at Christmas is why I had to finish Oblivion)as I have been playing other things.

    Even if Amalur gets great reviews it will be a while before it is even on my radar.

  • Yuroko #67 4 weeks ago

    Yeah, I'm still hooked. I have 3 unopened games from Lovefilm that I have no interest in opening just yet. I adore RPG's though so I promise to buy your game at some point, just give me another 50 hours.

  • LittleRiver #68 4 weeks ago

    @Amistat

    Yes much closer to Fable I would say.

  • lafery #69 4 weeks ago

    There cannot be enough RPGs. Bring em on!!

  • Lunatic4ever #70 4 weeks ago

    Finnaly a developer that does not support the game enthusiastically despite knowing that it's nothing new...he knows Amalur is just more of the same. He said it by stating that Amalur is like Skyrim "except I can do a lot more awesome stuff in combat". Well if that is the only praise worthy point of difference...I'm out. Well, I was anyways because of the demo which really I really didn't enjoy. It was okay but it needs more than that to make me purchase a game.

  • gorf #71 4 weeks ago

    I must say I like the understated art direction of Skyrim - it portrays a realistic world which was more immersive as a result. The art in the Reckoning looks a lot like the outmoded artwork of recent japanese RPGs such as squares output - over elaborate designs, overuse of a full colour pallete- because its.... available - makes every scene look like a gaudy chritmas present.

    Also, trying to surpass the music of Skyrim is going to be a big ask
    Edited by 4 at 26/01/12 @ 18:07

  • golem09 #72 4 weeks ago

    Hmm, especially the combat made me turn off the demo, I found it very boring. Too bad from everything I knew I really wanted to like this game.

  • Scimarad #73 4 weeks ago

    Yep, definitely still playing Skyrim and that is my biggest reason for not getting Amalur straight away.

  • misinformed #74 4 weeks ago

    Ive seen plenty of other RPG's come and go and ive yet to find one thats as engaging as the Elder scrolls series.

    I bet its on par with Two Worlds 2, even though the setting was pretty good and the graphics were really quite nice, unfortunatly i lost interest after 4-5 hours.

  • Raconteur #75 4 weeks ago

    "The combat - I'll be very blunt - it is leagues better than Skyrim's. It's better than pretty much everything in the RPG space. I'm proud of our combat," he said.

    The combat system is the main reason I won't be buying this game. That and the fact I am still playing the superior Skyrim.

  • evarofzentral #76 4 weeks ago

    I am still playing Skyrim but don't worry, I'll get to Amalur evenutally.

  • florin87 #77 4 weeks ago

    if reckoning can't beat the slightly above mediocre skyrim on it's own then whether people are still playing it or not should be the least of their concerns.

  • KanePaws #78 4 weeks ago

    It feels like a single-player WoW with spam-click combat. So, I guess it feels like WoW with spam-click combat.

  • hiddenranbir #79 4 weeks ago

    They could have made it steampunky fantasy.

    Surely they should have known boring medieval-fantasy is the busiest period.
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 19:40

  • DannyGunSlinger #80 4 weeks ago

    Skyrim is done and dusted, can't wait for this now! I agree, from what I've played of the demo, the combat is a lot better...

  • 43n1m4 #81 4 weeks ago

    Yeah, I'm still playing Skyrim. And unfortunately my schedule doesn't leave me with much time for other games at the moment. But if Reckoning is good, I'll support them - been a big fan of RPGs since the 80's :)

  • Arsecake_Baker #82 4 weeks ago

    ""The combat - I'll be very blunt - it is leagues better than Skyrim's. It's better than pretty much everything in the RPG space. I'm proud of our combat," he said. "

    Dark Souls! End of.

  • Razz #83 4 weeks ago

    Just Skyrim?! I'm still playing Batman Arkham City too :D

  • Slipstream #84 4 weeks ago

    I stopped playing Skyrim halfway through...it became more of a daily chore than anything as I was trying to get as much done as possible and not rush the story, and the fun had all but waned...

    Played the Alumar demo and the combat was so fun, and the vibrant colours and WoW style environments really won me over.

    I've messed about with the Finesse tree a few times since and I am very eager to get my hands on the final game.

  • funkateer #85 4 weeks ago

    My problem with the game is that I hope the bugs I encountered in the demo will be ironed out. The first 10 minutes felt really smooth and looked nice and colourful and I really liked the combat, but then all of a sudden the sound mostly disappeared and the conversations were all borked.

  • The-Jack-Burton #86 4 weeks ago

    And some of us are still playing Dark Souls, but I could probably take a 5 minute break to play something new

  • jabberwoky #87 4 weeks ago

    If its half decent, then I will get it as I love the genre. You have a sale, but after Syrim which on current projections will be late autumn. Maybe thats a new model for publishers - compete by releasing huge games so people have no time for anyone elses.

  • digitalkid #88 4 weeks ago

    Yeap.. still playin. Second character.
    Good luck to KoA anyway, i'll wait for gamer reviews.)

    And yeah, I don't thing that combat have to be arcade to be better then one in TES. What I like about it is seqence of poison-arrow-melee-block-magic-scrolls, instead of dodgeroll-dodgeroll-swing-swing-swing-dodgeroll-qte. Knight in plate armour can't jump and dodge like an acrobat.)))

  • Flipper79 #89 4 weeks ago

    60 hours of Skyrim and I've only visited 3 of the towns so far. Perhaps they should wait until next year to release this?

    Nah, will try the demo, see how it reviews and make sure it's not too buggy on the pc...if it all adds up I'll be happy to buy it closeish to release. Can't have too much RPG and even though I'm mostly playing Skyrim I still have a void left by the complete fail that was swtor.

  • Ptarmigandalf #90 4 weeks ago

    I love Ken Rolston to bits, but, having played the demo - sorry, the combat in Skyrim shits on Amalur from a great height.

  • Nephirion #91 4 weeks ago

    Sub £20 within a fortnight ....

  • Slipstream #92 4 weeks ago

    A Heroes Tale Trailer

    http://www.gametrailers.com/video/a-heroes-kingdoms -of/726133

    Just take my money already...

  • SliderNL #93 4 weeks ago

    I'm done with skyrim loved it completed it I want Amular i love the combat and style (better than all the fable games) the only game it has to compete with is one of the few pc games i will be playing this year jagged alliance back in action

  • levitate #94 4 weeks ago

    Considering so many people can't play Skyrim because of backward-flying dragons, arrows in heads and other shenanigans I think this game is more than welcomed in most people's hearts.

  • akmass #95 4 weeks ago

    I disagree with those who say Skyrim had a bad combat system. I think the point is that it has no combat system, it just has a whole world system and combat is part of it. You don't switch into a combat mode that's different from the rest of the game. Anyway, that's how I've come to think of it, and why I forgive what might be considered flaws.

  • Atmey #96 4 weeks ago

    I numbered over 15 games I am interested in in the next two months, date releases too close.

  • kassmageant #97 4 weeks ago

    i really like these guys, from what i read about them. they seem like a honest, hard working bunch, concerned to bring us best possible product. and modest, too - which is good, because if you're humble, it's easier to spot parts of your work that need improvement. they make a nice counterbalance to bioware and ME3 news, which, honestly, make me die a little inside when i read them.

  • brentmiller #98 4 weeks ago

    "PR wise it's not a good idea" - bulls**t - this is a blatant effort to RAISE the profile of reckoning to say its a skyrim competitor. ITS NOT. This is a open-world console RPG. Its competitor is fable 3, and its likely to be as well received as that title (e.g you love it or its meh)

  • duckmouth #99 4 weeks ago

    I hated the demo, couldn't even bring myself to play it for long enough to unlock the ME3 weapon.

  • Milouse #100 4 weeks ago

    If i hadn't read this article, i wouldn't relate Skyrim to this game after playing the demo (it feels a bit hack & slash to me, compare to Skyrim, and a bit like i play an Xbox 360 game on a way more powerful PC - not to mention 3D Vision short try almost turned me blind)

  • BobbyDeNiro #101 4 weeks ago

    @FenderMaster really good point, echoes what i feel, when you finish one epic you need something different, thats why i didnt play dead space 2 right after finishing dead space

  • Nikator #102 4 weeks ago

    Sorry to sound like a fool, but where do I find the demo? Can I just bing search it, kinda wanna check this out! (XBOX 360)

  • roughsleeper #103 4 weeks ago

    I'm gonna have to try the Demo again. When the open world you're given only has linear paths and invisible walls, sparkly treasure hotspots and an inventory that takes longer than Skyrims awful console mess to navigate, then it's other offerings better be superb. After my first hour with the game it felt like another console designed Fable 4.

  • Hellion83 #104 4 weeks ago

    Post deleted at 20:12:17 01-02-2012

  • Rack #105 4 weeks ago

    To me this is way more like the Fable 2 that Fable 2 should have been, both open world but this is a light and breezy snack that fits in-between Skyrim sessions. I don't get why they are so pleased with the combat though, It's no Dark Souls, it's no Witcher 2 and honestly with Thuumic I even prefer Skyrim's combat. It still fits nicely in a niche alongside Skyrim but it's a bit more uncomfortable next to Mass Effect for my money.

  • WeakOrbit #106 4 weeks ago

    Post deleted at 22:42:19 27-01-2012

  • WeakOrbit #107 4 weeks ago

    @Nikator go to genre in the demo section then RPG and it's one of the first you'll see.

  • newf #108 4 weeks ago

    @reeferchief Do you have a mental problem, or are you just a dickhead??

  • newf #109 4 weeks ago

    I played the demo twice and I love it.I never got very far into Skyrim before I traded it in.All my friends love Skyrim but I just couldn't get into it for some reason.I'll be a day one purchaser.

  • Snake_2011 #110 4 weeks ago

    love RPGS with no new games for 2 months this will be in my PS3 day one.

  • RodimusPrime13 #111 4 weeks ago

    I am playing skyrim

  • jogyourmind #112 4 weeks ago

    I fucking hate Skyrim for two main reasons, the one dimensional world which lacks the varied locations RPG's used to offer decades ago, and most importantly of all, the combat is fucking atrocious. For a single player, OFFLINE, rpg which has no concerns with lag or hundreds of players, to have such a pathetically simple combat 'system' it's just totally unforgivable to me. And when I think how many previous games they have made in this series and they STILL haven't got it right, after all this time, and after all the money they have made so far... that's why I fucking hate them.

    So Amalur Reckoning Whatever You're Called, if you can provide me with a Skyrim type experience but fix both those things... and this is also your first game?! Shit I might even buy two copies.

  • juliankennedy23 #113 4 weeks ago

    @Whitster Not to mention Witcher 2... I agree there launch time is a little sticky

  • juliankennedy23 #114 4 weeks ago

    @Amistat Yeah I got the exact same Fable vibe... hopefully the combat is a wee bit more challenging.

  • peppergomez #115 4 weeks ago

    is this game 3rd person only?

  • CORIANA_SIX #116 4 weeks ago

    was gonna start the 'rim when the 1.4 patch came to PS3...but Amalur is calling to me more now...what to do!?!

  • geeza2020 #117 4 weeks ago

    Will everybody stop going on about Dark Souls having a great combat system? Every enemy I fought was the same; strafe - backstab - repeat *yawn*. Oh and for bosses; look for high point to do falling attacks from - rinse & repeat. Oh how fucking innovative.

    Anyway, Reckoning looks far too similar to a thousand other rpg's I've played and feels a bit, well, uninspring when being played to really warrant a full price buy. Maybe I'll pick it up during the summer drought.

  • valyrian #118 4 weeks ago

    Noooooo dont worry!
    As good as Skyrim is its not the unbeatable, best of all time game I thought it was gona be, and all that stuff about living a life and not having to do quests is nonsense
    It just doesnt draw me back the way I thought it would
    Just hope DLC doesnt come out until March sometime, then Kingdoms will be f'd

  • valyrian #119 4 weeks ago

    @akmass I disagree too, I MAKE the combat awesome.
    I've seen so many piss poor button bashing gamers playing in first person its laughable, there utter useless with their hit someone and move back style, and then they complain that combat sucks
    Admittely Skyrim could do with some different fighting styles, the enemies in Dark Souls are awesome because there so varied, and their moves are all their own
    Bethesda should bring out enemies with varied fighting styles and strengths, being either a melee(single, or dual)or a ranged fighter(bow or magic) just aint cutting it
    I always loved how you could change your lightsaber style in KOTOR, why is no one copying this quality idea

  • OliverH #120 4 weeks ago

    @akmass If it was a "whole world system" then the parts would neatly fit into each other and be similar to each other. Crafting would both be a clickfest and be much more limited in its capabilities. As it stands, a part-time smith, part-time adventurer can be better BOTH at fighting AND at smithing than a professional smith in town.

  • spekkeh #121 4 weeks ago

    I'm long done with Skyrim, but that doesn't make your game look any less derivative and unworthy of my time. Sorry.

  • Munkeh111 #122 3 weeks ago

    Yup, still playing Skyrim, so much so that I am not getting FF XIII-2, and won't get anything else until Vita comes out

  • jogyourmind #123 3 weeks ago

    @spekkeh

    That's a lame excuse. ALL RPG's are derivative! Even going back to games in the 1980s that you have never even heard of, they are all derivative of the likes of Tolkein. The fact that some of you think Skyrim is somehow immune from those same criticisms is just sad.