Game News Big Huge RPG is Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

[Jason]

Tags: Big Huge Games; Project Mercury

<p>Big Huge Games' single-player <a href="http://bighugegames.com/news/ea-publish-rpg-developed-big-huge-games" target="_blank">RPG project</a> is no longer known as Project Mercury or Big Huge RPG. This epic meeting of the minds between Ken Rolston, R.A. Salvatore, and Todd McFarlane is now <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29508/38_Studios_Revealing_Big_Huge_RPG_Kingdoms_of_Amalur_At_Comic_Con.php" target="_blank"><strong>Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning</strong></a>.</p>
<blockquote>"We are thrilled to be developing an open-world RPG under the leadership of one of the greatest RPG designers in the industry, with creative direction by one of the most iconic artists of our time, set in a rich universe imagined by one of the top fantasy genre authors in the world," enthused 38 Studios CEO Jen MacLean. "We can&rsquo;t wait to share the first details of this universe we have been so dedicated to building over the past few years.&rdquo;<br /><br />As part of the announcement, Rolston said the Big Huge team has taken the visual and narrative work of McFarlane and Salvatore, respectively, and built "the open-world exploration, vast narrative and character customization fans expect from the best RPGs."<br /><br />Added Rolston, "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."</blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29508/38_Studios_Revealing_Big_Huge_RPG_Kingdoms_of_Amalur_At_Comic_Con.php">Gamasutra</a></p>

 

[Mangoose]

"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.

OH MAN

 

[ironyuri]

I quite enjoy R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novels (the Dark Elf/Icewind Dale etc trilogies) and the Cleric Quintet. I am glad that Salvatore is contributing to a game.

(Note while I enjoy his novels as trashy fantasy they are not my favourites you Codex assholes.)

 

[mondblut]

"And we've added something new

Why does he lie?

 

[Andhaira]

Why did it have to be action rpg/ Why not turnbased? *sigh*

 

[Castanova]

They couldn't have possibly come up with a more generic title, could they? And, yes, there's nothing I want more in my fantasy RPG than fast-paced, graphically stunning combat! It's totally immersive, yo.

 

[Freelance Henchman]

Geographic area of Generic Fantasy World: Noun

 

[Zed]

Amalur. Silly.

 

[Volourn]

Zed. Silly.

Bajzistan. Silly.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Guess it depends on how they design the combat. If it's something challenging and fun like a PB game or Demon Souls then it'd be alright. But if it's just another Oblivion or Witcher then they can fuck right off.

-edit
Wasn't Ken Rolston lead designer on Oblivion? Nevermind then, this game is doomed.

 

[Lesifoere]

I quite enjoy R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novels (the Dark Elf/Icewind Dale etc trilogies) and the Cleric Quintet. I am glad that Salvatore is contributing to a game.

(Note while I enjoy his novels as trashy fantasy they are not my favourites you Codex assholes.)

I'm sorry, but even enjoying those is sufficiently indicative that you have no worth as a human being.

 

[Darth Roxor]

"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 RPG

OHMYGODAWESUMFAPFAPFAP

 

[Shannow]

I quite enjoy R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novels (the Dark Elf/Icewind Dale etc trilogies) and the Cleric Quintet. I am glad that Salvatore is contributing to a game.

Prepare for codex hate. Lesi will just be the start (I think she was raped by Drizzt. He's black after all)...
But so you feel better. I liked them too when I was a kid and I still consider them to be far from as awful as people here like to claim.

Added Rolston, "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."

Gods, why? Why the fuck do devs of aRPGs always come up with this shit?
I really don't mind aRPGs once in a while. The problem is that the fucking genre is fucking full of those and that they're fucking not making any TB RPGs. That coupled with
"finally computers are so advanced that we can leave TB behind us"
or
"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.".
This makes me

 

[Darth Roxor]

I liked them too when I was a kid and I still consider them to be far from as awful as people here like to claim.

Same, although from the Icewind Dale trilogy only the first book is worth a damn, and the third book of the Dark Elf trilogy sucked.

 

[Brother None]

This is the worst game title I've seen in years.

They should just release it as Ascendant. Or Project Mercury.

 

[Lesifoere]

I quite enjoy R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novels (the Dark Elf/Icewind Dale etc trilogies) and the Cleric Quintet. I am glad that Salvatore is contributing to a game.

Prepare for codex hate. Lesi will just be the start (I think she was raped by Drizzt. He's black after all)...
But so you feel better. I liked them too when I was a kid and I still consider them to be far from as awful as people here like to claim.

There you go re: your worth as a human being.

 

[Volourn]

"Same, although from the Icewind Dale trilogy only the first book is worth a damn,"

Nah. 2nd book was better... because it focused on a dwarf more. That's huge bonus points.

 

[ironyuri]

I quite enjoy R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novels (the Dark Elf/Icewind Dale etc trilogies) and the Cleric Quintet. I am glad that Salvatore is contributing to a game.

Prepare for codex hate. Lesi will just be the start (I think she was raped by Drizzt. He's black after all)...
But so you feel better. I liked them too when I was a kid and I still consider them to be far from as awful as people here like to claim.

@Lesi / Shannow - The last time I read Salvatore was 5 years ago when I finished the last of the final part of the quintet following the Drizzt story after Icewind Dale. They were good for passing the time and as far as trashy fantasy goes they followed the same characters to create a long over-arching narrative, something you don't often get. My favourite fantasy was Tolkien, to the point I read LotR every six months when I was younger. I haven't picked up a fantasy novel in some years.

Salvatore however is not a hack, though his combat writing makes it sound like he's calculating dice rolls and he foregrounds the trope of racism/sexism via the media of Drizzt/Catti-Brie far too obviously and too often. Nonetheless the novels are a fun read when you're sitting on the toilet.

PS:

 

[Zed]

Zed. Silly.

Bajzistan. Silly.

Zed is awesome and Bajzistan is hilarious.

Superduper generic fantasy world name is silly. Not Avadon-silly but silly.

 

[Shannow]

snip

There you go re: your worth as a human being.

Since I'm a misanthrope and think humans are a cancer upon the Earth... we're probably in agreement

@ironyuri: Mentioning LotR: big mistake

 

[ironyuri]

"Same, although from the Icewind Dale trilogy only the first book is worth a damn,"

Nah. 2nd book was better... because it focused on a dwarf more. That's huge bonus points.

I like that you like dwarves, Volourn.

In my roughly 9 year career on MUDs/MUSHes I have only ever roleplayed dwarves. All my Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale/Arcanum and Dragon Age characters have been dwarves.

Perhaps we could make love some time?

@ironyuri: Mentioning LotR: big mistake

I'd go into why writing Tolkien off is stupid, but I won't. This thread is not about that, it's about Lesifoere's butthurt over R.A. Salvatore and blackamoor-elves.

 

[majestik12]

Salvatore is by no means a great writer, but his involvment is still a good thing. Raymond Feist did a great job on BaK, and he is hardly much more talented than Salvatore. My point is: mediocre professional writer is still better than designers-turned-writers that most development teams tend to rely on.

Ken Rolston and Todd McFarlane are cool guys, so this collaboration can turn out pretty nice.

As for "a fast-paced, graphically stimulating action combat experience", this is definetely same old nextgen bullshit. But Arcanum, VtM:B, PS:T and Morrowind all have shitty combat systems and still are highly enjoyable games. If the devs manage to get other parts right (which is quite posiible, IMHO) we might have a winner.

 

[Darth Roxor]

it's about Lesifoere's butthurt over R.A. Salvatore and blackamoor-elves.

AND Tolkien, for the record.

 

[Shannow]

@ironyuri: Mentioning LotR: big mistake

I'd go into why writing Tolkien off is stupid, but I won't. This thread is not about that, it's about Lesifoere's butthurt over R.A. Salvatore and blackamoor-elves.

Derailing a thread on the Codex? Preposterous!
I'm just curious in what kind of mood Lesi is today. I probably already killed it with my anticipation

 

[Lesifoere]

@Lesi / Shannow - The last time I read Salvatore was 5 years ago when I finished the last of the final part of the quintet following the Drizzt story after Icewind Dale. They were good for passing the time and as far as trashy fantasy goes they followed the same characters to create a long over-arching narrative, something you don't often get. My favourite fantasy was Tolkien, to the point I read LotR every six months when I was younger. I haven't picked up a fantasy novel in some years.

There's better fantasy now. There has always been, if anything.

Salvatore however is not a hack, though his combat writing makes it sound like he's calculating dice rolls and he foregrounds the trope of racism/sexism via the media of Drizzt/Catti-Brie far too obviously and too often. Nonetheless the novels are a fun read when you're sitting on the toilet.

Excuse you, what's your definition of a hack then? Consider me bemused. If you write for WotC, then you're pretty much a hack churning out published D&D fanfiction. It's hard to get more hacktastic than that. Though since you brought up reading while sitting on a toilet, Tolkien's probably quite good for that.

Shannow and Darth: durr banal-shit-boring.