During the break (happy Thanksgiving) I played a little of this infamous game

http://www.shacknews.com/article/73968/ … break-even

Anyway, the game can be purchased for about $15 brand new, and I have to say it's so far been great. If you're a fan of Dragon Age or Dragon's Dogma, you should give it a shot. Graphic-wise, it's very pretty. I never played World of Warcraft, but the artwork looks very similar, which is not a bad thing. The storyline so far has been excellent. That's probably not a surprise since one of the writers is R.A. Salvatore. The combat is a lot of fun. The music is not as good as Dragon's Dogma, but it's nice. The sound effects are excellent. This appears to be a BIG game, with lots to do, and numerous outcomes for side quests. For example, if you invest in the "persuasion" skill you can persuade someone not to do something stupid, which keeps him from getting killed. In which case you can get a new quest from him later. Or, you can let him get killed and loot his body. It's nice that things like that can happen. Of course, the game is not perfect. I'm playing it on the highest difficulty setting, and it's already too easy. Your character has a power that makes him/her nearly invincible for a short time, and so you can take down any boss quickly. Of course, I haven't played the game that much. One of the unfortunate things is that since the game was a commercial failure, chances are there won't be a sequel unless someone purchases the rights to the IP.

Anyway, for those looking for an excellent RPG in the vein of Dragon Age or Dragon's Dogma, give this game a chance.

I can't remember who, but didn't someone buy the Kingdoms of Amalur license when it was sold off when the state that gave 38 Studios that original, psychotic loan tried to recoup their losses?

I think it was a pretty big publisher as well.

I haven't played the game myself but I've never heard anything bad about it (save for the too easy thing you mentioned)  but it will always be kind of legendary for the wrong reasons (e.g, the story behind it).

On related news I believe Curt Schilling's son brought a fake grenade into a airport. Wonder how much that ended up costing.

Good to hear. From the little I've played it certainly has the making of a grand series.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/big-leagu … 47309.html

I think this was going for three or four dollars on PSN a couple days ago.  I'm gonna wait and see what Amazon's lightning deal for Skyrim is tomorrow; will probably spring for one or the other.

So you'd say it compares pretty favorably to Dragon's Dogma?  You said the music's not as good, I'm sure the story must be better.  How do the graphics and combat measure up?

I prefer the music in Dragon's Dogma, which is not to say that the music in Amalur is not good. It's a matter of preference, but also keep in mind I finished Dragon's Dogma and have only scratched the surface of Amalur. That said, I must say that the story so far is definitely better. There are lots of people to talk to, and they're far more interesting than what you find in Dragon's Dogma (which is not saying much). The combat is very good. I would say it's very similar to Dragon's Dogma. The game is action oriented. The graphics are much more vibrant than in Dogma, and I personally think a little prettier. However, I also really enjoyed the style of Bitterblack Isle. Dogma gives you more or less an open world where you can go nearly anywhere, and Amalur is a little more restrained. The world is very big. However, you can't go off narrow edges or jump up on rocks etc. I think your best bet is to just give the game a try. I'm glad I did, and hopefully there will be a sequel somewhere down the line (although, I'm guessing without any financial support from RI)!