Initial Impressions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Hello everybody!  At the end of episode 15 of Conversations with IrishPride, I said I would have my initial impressions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning after I had a chance to play it.  Well, after putting seven hours into the game, I'm ready to give you my very quick impressions of the game.

 

The reason this is going to be a very short article is because Assimilator will be posting a full fledged review shortly.  But, I said I would provide you all with my initial impressions and I am here to deliver that.

 

Fun is to be had in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning!!!I was right about KoAR, it is simply a fun game to play.  The story is intruging enough to make the bland questing not feel monotonous.  All the characters are voice acted, except for you, and they do a pretty good job keeping you engaged.  It's no Mass Effect voiced dialogue, but for the sheer content of this game, the voice acting is good.  Where KoAR really shines above other open world RPG's is the combat system.  Combat is fast, fluid and the animations are spot on.  It is super easy to be striking an opponent with your primary weapon, then add your secondary weapon, followed by a lightning spell.  I'm actively looking for something to kill when I'm exploring the lands because the combat is that much fun!

 

That's all I'm going to say about KoAR since Assimilator will have a kick ass review shortly.  But, if you're impatient and don't want to wait for the review and you are wondering if this game is any fun, I will say emphatically, YES!  It is a lot of fun and I cannot wait to get back into the game.  My rogue character is itching to kill some more bandits.  Stay tuned for Assimilator's review!

Conversations with IrishPride Episode 15

It's All About the Gameplay Baby!

Herro everybody and welcome to episode 15 of Conversations with IrishPride!  While our podcast section is close to the mammoth benchmark of 100 episodes, I'm pleased that I've reached 15, that's good for me *air high five*!  Okay, I'm done patting myself on the back.  Today I'm going to be talking about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.Can't wait to get started!

 

It's been awhile since I've bought a new game on release day, this whole trying to buy a house thing really puts a damper on my game purchases!  Anyhow, I've been keeping an eye on KoAR and decided to buy myself a birthday present and get it.  I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet due to work, but I have it installed and ready to go on Steam when I get home from house shopping. 

 

I've played the demo and must say, it is a blast to play.  Sometimes as gamers we forget why we play games.  Or there are some gamers out there, specifically in the MMO world, where they take games way to seriously.  I don't know about you all, but I play games because they are fun.  They are a form of entertainment that I use to forget about daily stresses and not have to worry about bills, work and life in general.  KoAR seems to have struck a fantastic balance for me in the 'just plain fun' department.

 

When playing a new game, a lot of gamers want to know how it looks.  If the graphics are top notch.  Others want to know about the story.  Is the game worth my time.  One of the biggest criteria I look for in a game is the gameplay.  When you're potentially going to be sinking multiple hours into a game, especially an RPG, I need to know I will enjoy my time and to me, flawed gameplay is not enjoyable. 

 

Knowing very little of the story, I essentially bought KoAR simply for the flawless gameplay.  The combat in Reckoning is an absolute blast to play.  I'm a fan of RPG's and am a bigger fan of level progression, loot and action paced combat RPG's and KoAR seemed to be right up my alley.  I'm eagerly waiting to sink my teeth into this game to see if it was worth a day one purchase.  Check back soon and I'll have my initial impressions of the game.

 

This is IrishPride signing off and until next time, go ninja go ninja go!

 

~IrishPride

The Gameslave Podcast - Episode 98

We have reached episode 98 of The Gamesalve Podcast.  We are taking a break next week, so that means 3 weeks to episode 100!

Notes can be found here.

NDK Sets Record Hotel Reservations

As many of you may know NDK is a bit off still, about 8 months roughly away, but that doesn't mean you can get lazy and complacent. Reservations for the DTC Marriott, the hotel where the convention is held, started yesterday. All the normal and atrium rooms for the hotel sold out in an hour. This is a record for the convention and a sign that they are quickly out growing the convention space of the hotel, but we already knew that. At the time of this writing the hotel still had outside balcony rooms available and it is possible a cancellation will open up some rooms in coming months. I personally would not hold my breath on that happening. The anime geeks will be watching for those like hawks.

If all else fails then you can also get a room at the Hyatt and Hilton hotels nearby. From experience the Hyatt (after correction) is a nice hotel with a decent restaurant and the walk over isn't as bad as you would think. It's also good to remember to pre-register for the convention just in case with the attendance cap in place because you don't want to be left out do you?

To see the posts for NDK record hotel reservations, please visit their website here.  If you'd like to pre-register for NDK, you can do so through this link here.  We look forward to seeing you all there again this year!

Update on 2012-01-27 22:30 by Chris "Assimilator" McLerran

OK, Carebear informs me it was the Hyatt that we stayed at, not the Hilton.  Too many Hotels with starting with H.

Also here is the link to NDK Registration: http://ndkdenver.org/registration

Blizzcon Delayed

Conventions apparently are really expensive. First you have to pay someone to do the planning, then pay for a location, and then get and pay staff to manage it. The cost and time it takes to make a good convention can add up pretty quickly and even the money printing press that is Blizzard has a budget.  Taking this into account, Blizzard has done something that they are very good at with their games; they've delayed the next BlizzCon.  They've delayed it in order to devote more time to and resources to Diablo III, Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. Blizzard has decided to hold the next BlizzCon in 2013.

Personally I cannot fault them for this. They have a lot of games on their plate and I have never really given thought to going to BlizzCon anyway. What this convention delay means for me is that I will get Diablo III sooner as they can use the resources from the convention to finish it and their other upcoming games.

I can already hear some people that are disappointed about the lack of Blizzard related tournaments due to this delay. Well there is good news for you. Blizzard is going to host a 2012 Battle.net World Championship in Asia later this year. Ok, so it's not too good for American gamers since it is not held within the country and it will be much more expensive to go compete in Asia then L.A., but at least it is something.

The Gameslave Podcast - Episode 97

Welcome to Episode 97 of The Gameslave Podcast. This week we have a lot more games then we normally end up talking about, and then we end on a Zelda rant. Really need to learn how to stay on topic.

Notes can be found on the podcast page.

This Weeks Geek - Good Games I Have a Hard Time Playing

Do you ever have an issue with playing a game that you know is supposed to be good; a game that by all rights is a great game, but you just can't get yourself to interested in it?  I recently started playing Saints Row The Third on the PS3.  My friends have said it is a funny game. Reviews have said that it has great gameplay and is extremely entertaining to play. However, I have a hard time staying interested in it because of the type of game it is. Since this is the only reason I can think why I'm not enjoying this type of game for what it is, means that I'll have to talk about some of my game history.

How can I not like this?The gameplay in the Saints Row series is based (loosely) on the GTA series.  This is a series that has never once interested me.  I have not played GTA III, Vice City, or San Andreas, so you get where I am going with this right? Now at its core, Saints Row uses the same open world formula as GTA; which envolves stealing a car and killing people at its core.  The game setting is present day with the average person present.  Saints Row may not take itself seriously, but it is close enough in game play and style to GTA that the humor isn't enough for me to separate them.  I'm trying to find the motivation to keep playing Saints Row The Third, but a current era game without some fantastical element is not my normal draw.  I enjoy typically enjoy superhero games (inFamous), fantasy games (Skyrim), or high technology games (Mass Effect).

So you see my problem with Saints Row The Third?  It is a truly great critically acclaimed game, that just does not scratch my gaming itch.  I know that others people have games that give them similar issues.  ZeldaQueen is a an RPG fan that never got into The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for example, but what games do you have issues with?  Sound off in the comments.