from the Coco desk
Curt Schilling and Conan O’Brien duel in a virtual world. Need we say much more?
Archive for the ‘Copernicus’ Category
Curt Schilling Vs. Conan O’Brien: An Amalur Battle
Thursday, February 16th, 2012, posted by MattKingdoms of Amalur: “Most Accessible RPG of Ever?”
Thursday, February 16th, 2012, posted by bigworldfrom the superlatives desk
38 Studios’ recent release of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has kicked up quite a bit of positive critical fairy dust.
A recent article on CNET debates whether it is the most accessible RPG ever.
Reckoning is the single-player prequel to the upcoming BigWorld-powered MMO Copernicus, also in development by 38 Studios and Big Huge Games.
While there’s a level of complexity to the game that will turn off simplistic hack-and-slash gamers, there is also less detail-heavy inventory management or collecting-and-crafting than in Skyrim or Dragon Age. Both of those activities are still important parts of the experience, but there’s a feel of constant forward momentum that keeps you from getting too bogged down in the submenus.
Amalur Video Review
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012, posted by bigworldfrom the video review desk
Gametrailers has the following to say about 38 Studios’ recently-shipped Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the prequel to the upcoming BigWorld-powered MMO Copernicus.
Amalur Has Had An Excellent Launch Week
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012, posted by bigworldfrom the launch desk
38 Studios’ Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has now been on the shelves for a week, and is enjoying tons of glowing reviews, as well as retail success.
The game hit number 1 in the UK games retail sales charts and currently has a Metacritic rating of 86.
The following publications have scored Amalur at 100…
Joystiq: “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning presents a world that is immaculately crafted and beautiful, yet still simple and accessible. Every corner reveals a person in need, a treasure to collect, a secret to uncover, a battle to wage.”
The Guardian: “In a genre where words such as “epic” are frequently overused, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning hits you with a the kind of mammoth role-playing experience that is increasingly rare outside MMOs.”
Gaming Nexus: “Kingdoms of Amalur is everything that RPG fans could have hoped for and so much more; everything you want from a good RPG is here.”
Digital Spy: “38 Studios and Big Huge Games have done a great job with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, providing a deep and sophisticated RPG with core gameplay straightforward enough to appeal to genre newcomers.”
A New York Times review describes the game in the following terms…
Reckoning isn’t just good. It sings with infectious, engaging excellence. This is a game that knows exactly what it wants to be, what it wants to provide and what its players will enjoy. Then it delivers with confidence, style and, not least, fun in abundance. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is one of the finest action role-playing games yet made.
Congratulations to Curt Schilling and the team at 38 Studios! We’re more excited than ever for the release of the BigWorld-powered Amalur MMO Sequel Copernicus.
NY Post Interviews Curt Schilling on Amalur
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012, posted by bigworldfrom the Amalur desk
With 38 Studios’ Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning on the verge of release, we’re seeing quite a bit more chatter on the interwebs. The NY Post interviewed Curt Schilling, 38 Studios founder and baseball legend, about his upcoming action RPG. He seems to think it’s the cat’s pajamas, and we’re inclined to agree. We’re even more excited about the MMO followup, Copernicus, that’s being built on BigWorld Technology, and is being headed by the same all-star team that developed Reckoning.
“I’ve always been a gamer, literally my entire life, for as long as I can remember,” Schilling said. “The first true game I ever played was Wizardry. It came out in 1980 for Apple and was the first 2D non-text based game I have ever played. It was the most influential thing I have ever done and the greatest thing I’ve ever played.”
Amalur Demo Has Arrived
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012, posted by Mattfrom the demo desk
38 Studios’ Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the prequel to the upcoming BigWorld-powered Copernicus MMO now officially has a demo. The Amalur demo takes players through the character creation and intro dungeon tutorial and exposition, then provides 45 minutes of open-world exploration. Fourty-five full minutes of wolf slaying, chicken bashing, and slaughtering of innocent townsfolk (er… so we’ve heard). As a bonus, 38 Studios has teamed up with Bioware to reward players with Mass Effect 3-themed gear for their full purchase of Amalur.
Our early estimation, based on one playthrough, is that combat is the jewel of the title. This probably comes as little surprise to anyone who’s been following the game’s press, but we were nonetheless pleasantly surprised to find that combat is varied, responsive, weighty, meaty and ultimately very rewarding. The game’s environments are rich and immersive, drawing from a wide variety of fantasy palettes, all conveyed extremely tastefully. Character body and facial animations, combined with dialogue, are on par with any of the best AAA RPG titles available. The game provides an excellent balance between quick-draw action and a level of character visual and stat customization that is accessible, and not too shallow nor too overwhelming. The narrative, environments and character design are all exactly what you’d expect from R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane, and the same can be said for the rest of the staff. Amalur may just be the sleeper action RPG hit of the year, this early into 2012.
We look forward to the game’s official release, and are even more excited about being able to tell you more about the BigWorld-powered MMO followup, Copernicus.
R.A. Salvatore & Copernicus MMO
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012, posted by Mattfrom the Drizzt desk
It’s no news that iconic fantasy author R.A. Salvatore is part of the team working on 38 Studios’ upcoming BigWorld-powered MMO, Copernicus. He joins Curt Schilling, Todd McFarlane, and a host of game development icons in the MMO followup to the upcoming Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. This Boston Globe article focuses a bit on Salvatore and his role in narrative development.
“I tried to think of the people that were the best in the world at what they did,’’ Curt Schilling wrote in an e-mail, explaining why his Providence-based video game company, 38 Studios, partnered with Salvatore. The former Red Sox ace needed a detailed fantasy setting for two projects: A World of Warcraft-like online game currently called Project Copernicus (still in development), and a single-player game, called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (set to launch Feb. 7).
