Could 38 Studios and Big Huge Games' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning be the next big thing? Senior Staff Writer Christopher "Pwyff" Tom traveled to Baltimore to get some hands-on time with the game and find out!

What most impresses me about Reckoning's class system was just how diverse it is. Some players expressed fears that all classes would be forced to take a hybrid melee / magic route to succeed, but Reckoning is really about giving all builds the tools they need to advance. I started off with a warhammer and bow Might / Finesse character, but I still found some utility in throwing out a lightning spell every now and then. There are also a number of specializations available within the three skill trees, so compared to another Might / Finesse character, my build and combat style could be completely different from theirs. Reckoning even has an option for the most indecisive of players, with a powerful, balanced class that requires an even distribution of points across all three paths of Might, Sorcery, and Finesse.

There are a lot of great systems in Reckoning (including the opportunity to name all of your crafted equipment!), but the last one - and most important! - I'll discuss at length is the combat. After spending a good amount of time investigating everything but the main storyline (including a decrepit castle with lore stones that recounted, in voiceovers, vivid tales of the inhabitants' demise), I eventually decided to see how much of Reckoning's combat system I could explore. After lunch, I popped the game over to hard mode and began to churn through the main story, hoping to see what sort of challenges the game could throw at me. I also found a pair of epic daggers and a nice chakram, so I paid a hefty gold fee and respecced myself to a Finesse / Sorcery build.

When it comes to action RPG combat, I tend to gravitate toward games that are fluid and responsive, while still rewarding tactical play. Thus, some of my favorite action games also have high levels of difficulty, like Overworks' Shinobi on the Playstation 2, or From Software's Demon's Souls. This isn't to say that Reckoning was as difficult as the afore-mentioned titles, but I found myself really immersed in the combat of Reckoning in a way that few other titles have done. The combat of Reckoning is very smooth, and I was pleasantly surprised at the great combo opportunities and frame-canceling moves you could perform.

There is a very real and tangible rhythm to Reckoning's combat, and I was very relieved that it wasn't a button mash-a-thon that has become so prevalent in other action RPGs. At one point, I almost died to a pack of wolves that were staggering their attacks from all sides so that I couldn't dodge and pick them off one at a time. Near the end of the event, I did die to an enormous troll boss, as my newly acquired blink ability had a few more startup frames than my normal dodge, so my timing was off and I took a club to the face (which was a near OHKO on hard).

In the end, the only worry I can voice is really the pessimist (some could say the journalist) speaking. I'll admit right now: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has me absolutely enamored. A month after my experiences, I'm still appreciating just how well-crafted this game is. On that note, I could have easily spent twenty hours exploring the first region of Dalentarth (which some games might consider a good 35% content point), and I intend to do so when the game launches, but my hope is that Reckoning can continue to deliver this impressive level of experience in the dozens, maybe even hundreds of hours of playtime promised beyond.

Reckoning is a very ambitious game, and if 38 Studios and Big Huge Games can deliver on that ambition, then I'll be the first in line for whatever comes next in the Amalur universe.

Christopher "Pwyff" Tom, Senior Staff Writer