[Acert93]

I enjoyed the demo when I tried it a few weeks back. For an RPG it had the best controls ever. The demo froze my Xbox so I never tried more to see if the combat was deep enough to get me hooked but the game design didn't interest me at all. But if this was really a test run for an MMO with some killer controls & you can play with your friends count me as interested long term. I loath most RPG and MMO controls so +++ from me on that front, enough that I was actually interested in the game. As others note it seems that the core parts of the game are good but the graphics, audio, story, design, etc are all very 2nd class. Which is good--because if the title sells well it leaves the door open for the game to get a LOT better. So kudos EA!

[Silent_Buddha]

I get the feeling when I try it over at a friends place that the game was developed primarily with drop in and drop out style of gameplay.

Meaning nothing is so involved that you can't pick it up for 5-10 minutes of game play and then stop and still feel like you accomplished something.

The flip side of being able to pick it up and put it down at anytime however is that it doesn't have a long lasting hook that keeps you wanting more. Then again each of my sessions with the game has been fairly short. Maybe if I sat down and played it for an hour or two I'd get a different impression.

Regards,
SB

[Cornsnake]

Beat the game at 83 hours. Really disappointing ending. The story is poor for the most part, the Fae seem to be the only exception. None of your companions are interesting. And even then the story presented very poorly. It uses the same very basic facial expressions throughout, and it zooms right in on those deadeyed characters. The few cutscenes are also done badly, cutting to a black screen between what seems like every shot.

The combat is great though if you can keep yourself from breaking the difficulty. I'd like to play some more, finishing up the remaining side quests, but there is a problem. I have enough gold armor sets and purple weapons to completely fill up my stash and most of my inventory. If I get any more I'll need start selling them, and if I do that they'll be gone because shops won't hold on to your items forever. I hope we get a patch soon that fixes that problem. I don't feel like playing any more in the meantime.

[Shifty Geezer]

Given the compnay has gone bust, that means that there'll be no DLC or further patches. What's the state of the game now?

[Cornsnake]

Originally Posted by Shifty Geezer

Given the compnay has gone bust, that means that there'll be no DLC or further patches. What's the state of the game now?

Same as on release. There was never a patch to fix the camera, or balance the game's difficulty, or fix some of the game breaking bugs.

I never bought the DLC, so I don't know about that.

[Jedi2016]

My problem with the game was that I peaked at fairly low-level. I had all the base skills I wanted, and nothing was ever going to change from there until the end of the game. I would become more powerful, but the combat wouldn't change. Once I realized that, I stopped playing.

A properly-designed RPG shouldn't let you do that. There should always be a carrot dangling at the high levels, something other than another 10% increased damage with shock spells or 5% armor boost or whatever.

And the sound bug (PS3 version). Out of sync audio is one of my major peeves in any form of media, and this game did it every time you turned a corner. It's astounding that they didn't think it was enough of a problem to fix before launch. Or after launch, for that matter. And now it will never be fixed.

[Bigduo209]

I enjoyed KoA, it definitely had quite a few issues but the game overall had some serious potential.

I really think that if this company didn't drown under debt from the MMO development, they could've crafted a pretty great sequel to KoA.

R.I.P. 38 Studios and Big Huge Games.

[Acert93]

I didn't dig the demo (it froze on me a couple times and the theme wasn't too interesting to me) BUT I loved the action "GoW-like" RPG aspect and was VERY excited that it sold ok. I was hopefully we may see more Action-RPGs in the future.

[Cornsnake]

KOA didn't do so well either. It only sold 1.2 million copies, when it needed to sell 3 million just to break even.

The combat was definitely nice, but it isn't the only Action-RPG with a good combat system out there. The Souls games always had great combat. And the just released Dragon's Dogma also has great combat.

[Acert93]

Originally Posted by Cornsnake

KOA didn't do so well either. It only sold 1.2 million copies, when it needed to sell 3 million just to break even.

1.2M is good sales in your first couple months.

Their lack of budgetary control is a totally different issue. The amount of money they invested in a first-run IP is *nuts* and irresponsible.

[Cornsnake]

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning 2 was already in pre-production prior to the closure of 38 Studios, developer Big Huge Games has revealed.

Despite 38 Studios' financial troubles, there's still a chance the Reckoning sequel could resurface under a different IP. In fact, Reckoning was originally conceived as an RPG called "Ascendant" at THQ, before it was converted to suit the Amalur universe. If another publisher picks up its existing framework, we could see BHG staffers pull the same trick again.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...s-in-the-works

I wouldn't mind seeing this happen. The combat was always the best part of KOA. The story and lore that's tied to the IP was pretty weak for the most part.

It might indeed do well if they stick to a more reasonable budget.

[Bigduo209]

Originally Posted by Cornsnake

KOA didn't do so well either. It only sold 1.2 million copies, when it needed to sell 3 million just to break even.

The combat was definitely nice, but it isn't the only Action-RPG with a good combat system out there. The Souls games always had great combat. And the just released Dragon's Dogma also has great combat.

That wasn't a number to cover it's development budget, it was a number to cover the company's existing loan payments (which is unreasonable to expect on a brand new IP). He said it was a failure purely based on that one aspect.

Again the numbers were good enough, just not what the RI Governor expected from one game to cover the loan. The Govenor was speaking on gaming business, a business he didn't have any idea on how things worked.

[Shifty Geezer]

I think that 3 million is bunk.

An anonymous ex-Big Huge Games staffer cleared up a common misconception, stating that in its day to day interactions Big Huge Games remained completely separate from 38 Studios. "Reckoning was developed with EA publishing money, NOT Rhode Island tax dollars... It had nothing to do with the $50 million dollars from RI. That money went directly to the MMO project."

The RI official who said they needed 3 million sales wasn't really involved if this BHG staffer is correct. KOA was an independent development funded by EA and it succeeded or failed based on how well it amde EA money. EA declined the sequel, so I guess they weren't happy, but the game could have been profitable - just not enough to appeal to EA.

[Brad Grenz]

Yeah, I think the 3 million figure was what they would have needed to sell to be able to fund ongoing development of Copernicus with the profits from Reckoning. According to Schilling today, EA was very close to signing a 35 million dollar deal for a Reckoning sequel, but backed off after the governor started shooting his mouth off about how bad things were with 38.

[Shifty Geezer]

Really? That sucks hard if true. I hope BHG get picked up and given another shot. 1.2 million for a new IP up against Skyrim is very good. KOA could still more with suitable word-of-mouth marketing alongside expansions and bug fixes, and a well made sequel might manage more.

[Scott_Arm]

Sad to hear. Flawed game, but still a good one.

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Originally Posted by Brad Grenz

Yeah, I think the 3 million figure was what they would have needed to sell to be able to fund ongoing development of Copernicus with the profits from Reckoning. According to Schilling today, EA was very close to signing a 35 million dollar deal for a Reckoning sequel, but backed off after the governor started shooting his mouth off about how bad things were with 38.

Apparently pre-production work had started on KOA2.

The big problem was the politics. It seems the previous governor was as bit starstruck and offered the 75 million loan. The current governor has been against it from day one, killed the loan at 50 million and has been bad-mouthing it ever since. He can say how right he was now his threats to pull the company down have caused EA to back out of a KOA sequel and (surprise surprise) brought the company down.

[Cornsnake]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...of-amalur-devs

Epic Games is planning to open a new studio in Baltimore staffed predominantly by former Big Huge Games employees.

"There's a million things to work out. How many of the team can we hire? What will it be called? What will they be working on? We don't know all the answers yet. Please give us some time to figure it out; we hope to have more to share soon.

Finally some good news.

[Shifty Geezer]

Couldn't they start with DLC for KOA as a cheap starter to expand it? Although I guess they won't make any royalties on further KOA sales.

I think my interest in KOA has dropped off pretty much completely now, with Dragon's Dogma getting my attention.

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Originally Posted by Shifty Geezer

Couldn't they start with DLC for KOA as a cheap starter to expand it? Although I guess they won't make any royalties on further KOA sales.

They don't own the IP, but there is talk of retooling KOA 2, much as they retooled KOA from it's original story to make it fit into the Copernicus world, and therefore make a kind of single player Copernicus.

Originally Posted by Shifty Geezer

I think my interest in KOA has dropped off pretty much completely now, with Dragon's Dogma getting my attention.

That's a shame, because KOA is still a good, fun game with a couple of DLCs. Certainly worth picking up at a discounted price.

[Cornsnake]

Originally Posted by Shifty Geezer

I think my interest in KOA has dropped off pretty much completely now, with Dragon's Dogma getting my attention.

Dragon's Dogma is the better game if you ask me. KOA is good though, it just falls apart towards the end. It's also the very definition of generic, while Dragon's Dogma, art direction aside, is anything but. Dragon's Dogma is one of those love 'em or hate 'em games though, it's not for everyone.

[BoardBonobo]

Originally Posted by Shifty Geezer

Couldn't they start with DLC for KOA as a cheap starter to expand it? Although I guess they won't make any royalties on further KOA sales.

I think my interest in KOA has dropped off pretty much completely now, with Dragon's Dogma getting my attentattention.

Having just got dragons dogma, cod 3 (which I finished in sitting), and KOA. I must admit I'm enjoying KOA far more than I thought I would. It has a proper story, good voice acting, and I'm enjoying the combat far more than with Skyrim.

I would happily invest a sequel, for me this is to current rpg trends as border lands was to fps games.