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The many faces of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's main character
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning isn't just about retreading fantasy tropes in an action-RPG setting for the trillionth time, as the latest trailer demonstrates. It's also about stabbing dudes. And setting traps. And shooting fireballs. You know, important stuff.
EA literally trolls fans with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning special editions
No, really. You get a troll. Specifically, a 12.5" tall "Prismere Troll" statuette designed by McFarlane Toys, with the purchase of two of the newly announced Special Editions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. In all, there are three levels of specialness. For $80, you get a parchment map, a seven-piece dice set, replicas of the 40 "Destiny Cards" found in the game, a soundtrack, and DLC weapons that increase XP gained from "Fate Shift Kills." The $200 "Collector's Edition" adds the aforementioned troll and a concept art lithograph signed by Ken Rolston. This edition is limited to 700 units. For the person who is really sure Reckoning is his or her jam (despite never having played it), there's the $275 Signature Edition. That has all the other stuff, but the troll is "signed by Todd McFarlane, R.A. Salvatore or Curt Schilling," and you get a custom sketch by Todd McFarlane. There are only 300 of these to hand out. All three are available for pre-order here. If you're a really true fan, of course, you'll buy one of each. Just saying.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning trailer gets combative
Reckoning's combat system has been a stand-out feature of the upcoming RPG. The latest trailer describes the many options available to vanquish pugnacious pests in Amalur.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning deals fate cards in latest trailer
Reckoning narrator Claudia Black covers fates and destinies in the latest trailer for the upcoming RPG. If she did voiceover work on a car repair series we'd all be mechanics by now. Oh, Claudia, why must you use that sultry voice for nerdy evil?
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning dev diary illuminates cinematics
We were going to write a post about this Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer diary, but then we saw the lamp on the desk of Big Huge Games cinematic director Marty Stoltz. And then ... the words just stopped.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning declares its pre-order bonuses
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is looking to sign up adventurers before its February 7 launch with some in-game pre-order trinkets. The retailer specific bonuses come in three varieties, with items that enhance early game armor, weapons or exploration. The "Destinies Choice Pack" is for those who'd like to start with unique armor, and includes the "Twist of Fate" card and Compass of Fate -- your guess is as good as ours as to what those do, but they sound magical and useful. The "Fate-Touched Weapons Pack" includes an arsenal of "rare Fate-Touched" weapons for all classes. Finally, the "Ultimate Treasure Hunter Pack" is for explorers who want to seek out reagents and get a leg up on their alchemy. The specific retailers offering the "Destinies Choice Pack," "Fate-Touched Weapons Pack," and Ultimate Treasure Hunter Pack" should be detailed on the Reckoning website soon.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning 22-minute gameplay walkthrough
We were impressed by Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's combat during our hands-on time at Gamescom. The combat is highlighted around the 10:30 mark of this 22-minute walkthrough, which covers a ton of ground for the RPG.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning preview: Reckon the combat is solid
It's hard not to be skeptical about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. An RPG, by known strategy developer Big Huge Games, that was rejiggered to fit into Curt Schilling's 38 Studios long-in-development MMO's universe after the developer's acquisition. In our March preview of the game at GDC we said that the developer "might just pull this off." Now, after playing Reckoning at Gamescom, I have to say that Big Huge Games could exceed expectations when the game launches February 7. During my demo with Reckoning I played as a mage and warrior, the two had distinct animations, but at their core were similar when it came to the rules of combat. Both characters I tried were level 20, so I was dropped right into a high-level character without much training. It wasn't really a problem as the combat system is quite intuitive. If you've played Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bayonetta or Fable, you'll easily pick up the fantastical warfare. %Gallery-129421%
McFarlane reckons Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will arrive in February
Todd McFarlane is probably the busiest guy ever at San Diego Comic-Con 2011, but he found some time to stop by the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning panel to drop some news bombs on us. When asked about the game's current release window, McFarlane told attendees, "It's scheduled for February, unless EA tells us otherwise." That's a bit of a bump from the game's initial launch window of Fall 2011 -- we're surprised that EA wouldn't want to make that announcement themselves. Perhaps McFarlane wasn't supposed to let the cat out of the bag; not that EA could do anything about it, since McFarlane is the President of Comic-Con.
The Guild Counsel: An interview with The Syndicate's Sean Stalzer on his new book
As you pack your bags for that trip to the beach (or that annual fan gathering) and you toss in that bottle of sunblock (or aspirin), you might want to make some space in your bags for some summer reading as well. Fortunately, there is a growing number of titles, such as Adam Trzonkowski's Guild Leader's Companion, that examine the methods and lessons of running guilds and online communities. To that list we can add Sean "Dragons" Stalzer's sequel, The Syndicate: Beyond the Legend, which is now available at Lulu and soon to be sold at Amazon. In the book, guild leader Sean Stalzer picks up from where his first book left off and gives us even more insight into the MMO industry and his guild leadership philosophy. The book is divided into three parts. The first covers The Syndicate's recent history and continued relationship with several MMO studios as well its job writing guides for Prima Games. In the second part, Sean explains his time-tested philosophy for running a guild, dubbed S.U.C.C.E.S.S. And the last section of the book looks at where MMOs are headed and what's needed down the road. Sean took the time to talk to Massively about his new book, and there was so much to discuss that this interview is split into two parts. In this week's Guild Counsel, Sean talks about the lessons he's learned from his work with MMO studios. He looks back at how it's influenced his leadership approach, and he gives a glimpse of why he's excited about his current work with 38 Studios. Read on for the interview!
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning trailer is our fantasy RPG fantasy
We're not sure exactly what you might want from a fantasy RPG/action game, but darned if this trailer for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning doesn't appear to have it all. A gorgeous fantasy world with ancient ruins and lush magical towns? Check. Freaky-looking monsters roaring with fervent anger? Check again. And over-the-top flashy spells and sorcery-augmented melee moves? That's a third check right there. Sure, we still haven't actually laid hands on this one, and we won't get to play it until we see it on the E3 show floor later on this week. But if nothing else, that's a quality good old-fashioned fantasy game trailer after the break there.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's PAX East panel released on video
The recently released developer walkthrough for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning gave us a small slice of the game's PAX East debut presentation. Today, the full, hour-long demo is available for your perusal. Check the whole thing out in the five videos posted after the jump!
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning walkthrough gets combative
We painted a picture with our words of the PAX East demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but we understand that some people prefer pictures painted with pictures. Check out a some developer highlights from the demo -- including a thorough look at the game's chaotic combat -- after the break.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning looks to back up big names with bright trailer
Never mind the dream team behind Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Forget the Elder Scrolls designer, the bestselling author, and the, uh, Spawn creator. All you need to know about are the lush environments and the profuse amount of magical stabbing. Like, there's a lot of it.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning preview: The path of promises
Curt Schilling and company made a lot of promises last year about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the first title from 38 Studios' long-awaited IP. He said that we'd see "combat that keeps you doing combat" along with a "deep quest narrative" and old-school RPG tropes brought around to match up with action gamer tendencies. "I don't know a way to tell you," Schilling said at the time, that "'Hey, we're taking God of War and marrying it with Oblivion.'" That's a tall order, made even taller by 38 Studios' origins -- while there are a lot of veterans working on this game, this is the first time they've all worked together, and certainly there's enough pressure and hype on the project that it seems like it could very well fall apart in disasterous fashion. And then we saw the game running in full motion for the first time this week here at GDC 2011. Sure, it's only an hour of directed gameplay, and sure, there's lots of work yet to do on the title. But there's this: All of Schilling's promises were up there on the screen, and it seems more likely than ever that 38 Studios might just pull this off. %Gallery-118445%
Curt Schilling on 38 Studios' MMO and the move to Rhode Island
It's been nearly half a year since the deal was signed, but 38 Studios head Curt Schilling tells us that his company's "150 - 160" employees are already in the process of moving to Rhode Island. That includes full relocation for everyone involved (read: selling that dream Boston house for a cottage in Quahog), though the company's own website still reflects 38's original address. Surprisingly, he says morale hasn't been affected negatively. "The team is incredibly excited. It's our building! We have all six floors -- it's our studio and we're alone. It's our space," Schilling explained to us this afternoon at a San Francisco club-turned-EA event. "Gavin -- the studio GM -- and I, we really took a Disney approach," he said. "There's no detail too small for us in the new studio to make it a place where people walk in and say, 'I wanna work there.'" At the time, he wouldn't say much about what exactly the happy folks inside his company's new digs are making.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is 38 Studios' first game, due fall 2011
EA just took the wraps off of its 38 Studios-helmed, single-player "open-world" RPG, previously codenamed "Project Mercury." The real title: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. (Yeah, we also preferred Project Mercury.) The platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. While Reckoning isn't 38 Studios' long-in-development MMO, codenamed Copernicus, it takes place in the same "mysterious and magical new fantasy world created by New York Times best-selling author R. A. Salvatore." Developed by Big Huge Games, which 38 acquired from THQ last year, Reckoning is "being developed under the leadership of" Ken Rolston, who you may recognize as lead designer of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. With a fall 2011 release window, you can imagine details are scant, but Rolston did have something to say about his game. After detailing the contributions from novelist Salvatore and artist Todd McFarlane, Rolston said, "And we've added something new that we've always wanted from the genre -- a fast-paced, graphically stimulating action combat experience with fluid control and immersive, discoverable gameplay fans haven't seen before in other fantasy RPGs." We're sure to learn more on Thursday when McFarlane, Rolston, Salvatore, and 38 Studios bossman Curt Schilling take the stage at Comic-Con for a panel discussion on the game.
38 Studios meeting with Rhode Island reps regarding studio move
A week before 38 Studios is finally set to reveal its EA-published title, "Project Mercury," former baseball player Curt Schilling's Massachusetts-based studio is playing hardball for tax breaks. The Boston Globe reports studio heads are set to meet with Rhode Island reps on Thursday to discuss, in part, up to $75 million in loan guarantees in exchange for moving the company down south (about a 90-minute drive from its current location). Representatives from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation state that 38 Studios approached them about the potential move. According to the Globe, Schilling has said the studio plans to hire over 300 workers over the next couple years at 38 Studios and Maryland-based Big Huge Games, which the company acquired last year.
Big, huge interview: Big Huge Games head Tim Train
When 38 Studios isn't busy hiring former Nintendo execs, Curt Schilling's Massachusetts-based MMO developer is buying up close-to-death development studios -- take, for instance, Big Huge Games. Tim Train, the studio's president, illuminated the near-death experience that Big Huge had in a talk at PAX East earlier this year (slides from said speech can be found below). He explained how, with just a handful of days left and termination letters ready to send out, 38 Studios swept in and saved Big Huge and the vast majority of its staff. We found his story so interesting, we thought we'd follow up with Train and have him explain it once more, as well as speak about other topics. Will Big Huge ever produce another digital board game? Unfortunately, it looks like you could be waiting on that for quite some time. Hit the break for the whole thing. %Gallery-92043%
Former Nintendo VP Denise Kaigler joins 38 Studios
It appears that Denise Kaigler has returned to Massachusetts, as the former Nintendo VP of corporate affairs has announced that she's taken a position as chief marketing officer at Curt Schilling's 38 Studios. The notably vocal ex-Nintendo exec vacated her position at NoA late last year, saying then that she wished to spend more time with her family. Kaigler told us in an email this morning that "While at Nintendo, I was commuting regularly between SF, NYC, Seattle and my home outside of Boston. But we're all together now." In her new position, Kaigler serves as lead coordinator for all (but not thirty-eight) development studios operated by 38, including Big Huge Games and the team working on the "Copernicus" MMO. As CMO, Kaigler will also lead the publisher's marketing charge, we presume. Given her outspoken nature in the past, we also presume we'll be hearing more from Kaigler in the not too distant future.
