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Mothergamer (1607 KP) rated the PC version of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
Say Fable, Skyrim, and Dragon Age have a baby and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the result and what a brilliant result it is. Not only is there a fantastic in depth story created by R.A. Salvatore, there is amazing art work done by Todd McFarlane and an incredible musical score by Grant Kirkhope. Last but not least, there is of course the game's executive designer, Ken Rolston. Together, these individuals made one hell of a RPG video game, that was not only fun to play, it's worth playing through again and again.
The story begins with your character finding himself or herself revived from death by a creation known as the Well Of Souls. This event has disrupted the threads of fate that affect the people and events of Amalur leaving you with no determined fate. This opens you up to many possibilities and of course there are those who would exploit it for their own personal gain.
With an opening like this, Kingdoms Of Amalur's story has a lot of depth and there are many possibilities that one can take as it progresses. There is so much to explore on the map and there is a freedom to it as you can explore as much as you like. The story line itself leads to you exploring the kingdom of Amalur even further opening up new areas and you are not isolated to just one location.
All the areas are beautifully done and are different from each other. No similarities or one map used repeatedly here. There is even a dangerous beauty and creativity to all the fantasy monsters that are a threat to you such as mountain trolls. Although you will see some of the same monsters in different areas as well as types of NPCs and other characters, it mixes together so well it doesn't hinder the game play or the story. The dialogue with characters is well written and even more refreshing, well acted. It's never boring and in some dialogues it even adds more to the tale.
One flaw Kingdoms Of Amalur has is a couple of the quests had a few bugs, such as the Shine And Shadow quest. The quest couldn't be finished because of the quest items not being in the inventory or the Boss for this particular quest just didn't show up. It wasn't a terribly trying ordeal, but it was something that was noticed and something that could and should be fixed. Other than that, there was no other technical issues with the game for me. The game didn't freeze once during all the hours of game play and the frame rate didn't drop, and because of how much fun I had with the game, a couple of quest bugs didn't bother me at all. But, let's move on to the rest of the good.
The core of Kingdoms Of Amalur is the combat throughout the game along with the ability to fully customize your character and play to your character's strengths due to your fate or lack of one. The possibilities are endless and you can even open up new job classes as your character levels up as the game progresses. Award points earned after leveling up can be put into three categories: Might, Finesse, and Sorcery giving you added abilities and status boosts associated with whichever job class you have chosen. Combine this with all the questing and yes, that includes all the side quests, five guild story arcs, and the downloadable content of The Legend Of Dead Kel, that could easily give you 100 hours or more of game time. To sum up, Kingdoms Of Amalur isn't just a run of the mill RPG. It's something more. It has a great mix of excellent story telling, amazing game play, and an exciting world to explore that promises tons of great adventure. Overall, it is a game worth having in a gamer's collection.
The story begins with your character finding himself or herself revived from death by a creation known as the Well Of Souls. This event has disrupted the threads of fate that affect the people and events of Amalur leaving you with no determined fate. This opens you up to many possibilities and of course there are those who would exploit it for their own personal gain.
With an opening like this, Kingdoms Of Amalur's story has a lot of depth and there are many possibilities that one can take as it progresses. There is so much to explore on the map and there is a freedom to it as you can explore as much as you like. The story line itself leads to you exploring the kingdom of Amalur even further opening up new areas and you are not isolated to just one location.
All the areas are beautifully done and are different from each other. No similarities or one map used repeatedly here. There is even a dangerous beauty and creativity to all the fantasy monsters that are a threat to you such as mountain trolls. Although you will see some of the same monsters in different areas as well as types of NPCs and other characters, it mixes together so well it doesn't hinder the game play or the story. The dialogue with characters is well written and even more refreshing, well acted. It's never boring and in some dialogues it even adds more to the tale.
One flaw Kingdoms Of Amalur has is a couple of the quests had a few bugs, such as the Shine And Shadow quest. The quest couldn't be finished because of the quest items not being in the inventory or the Boss for this particular quest just didn't show up. It wasn't a terribly trying ordeal, but it was something that was noticed and something that could and should be fixed. Other than that, there was no other technical issues with the game for me. The game didn't freeze once during all the hours of game play and the frame rate didn't drop, and because of how much fun I had with the game, a couple of quest bugs didn't bother me at all. But, let's move on to the rest of the good.
The core of Kingdoms Of Amalur is the combat throughout the game along with the ability to fully customize your character and play to your character's strengths due to your fate or lack of one. The possibilities are endless and you can even open up new job classes as your character levels up as the game progresses. Award points earned after leveling up can be put into three categories: Might, Finesse, and Sorcery giving you added abilities and status boosts associated with whichever job class you have chosen. Combine this with all the questing and yes, that includes all the side quests, five guild story arcs, and the downloadable content of The Legend Of Dead Kel, that could easily give you 100 hours or more of game time. To sum up, Kingdoms Of Amalur isn't just a run of the mill RPG. It's something more. It has a great mix of excellent story telling, amazing game play, and an exciting world to explore that promises tons of great adventure. Overall, it is a game worth having in a gamer's collection.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Jason wakes up on a bus in the middle of a desert with his best friend and girlfriend. The only problem is, he has no memory of them or who he is. Finding out he's a demi-god is no real help. Will a quest bring him closer to his memories? This is the first in the follow up series to Percy Jackson, and I really enjoyed it. The book could have been trimmed somewhere, but I was having so much fun I really didn't care. And the new characters felt absolutely real to me.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-lost-hero-by-rick-riordan.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-lost-hero-by-rick-riordan.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Once Upon the End (Half Upon a Time, #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The trilogy comes to an end as Jack completes his training for his new master and sets out on a mysterious quest of his own. Meanwhile, May is living with her wicked step-mother and Phillip is wishing for more adventures. Will these three reunite to overthrow the Evil Queen? If you've enjoyed the first two, you'll love how the series ends. There's more humor and more twists and suspense. I always had a hard time putting it down. And if you haven't read the series? Don't start here, but read all three of them.
My full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-once-upon-end-by-james.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
My full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-once-upon-end-by-james.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
While on a MouseQuest at Disneyland, Adam and Lance find what they think is Walt Disney's diary. A clue in it leads them on a quest through his life with a possible big prize at the end. This book is an example of everything that can go wrong with self-publishing. There are too many data dumps, the action is slow at times, and the characters are flat and unlikable. I'm enough of a Disney geek to enjoy parts of it, but it needed a good editor before it saw the light of day.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-hidden-mickey-1-by-nancy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-hidden-mickey-1-by-nancy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Double Bind in Books
Feb 13, 2018
This book completely caught me by surprise. I couldn't put it down... it tells the tale of Laurel, a young woman who was attacked while in college -- an attack that left quite an impression on her. Currently Laurel works for a homeless shelter. When one of her residents dies, her boss gives Laurel (an amateur photographer herself) a box of his photographs. Convinced he was somehow tied to a rich family, quite infamous in Laurel's hometown, she goes on a quest to learn everything she can about the man and his family. The book adds an extra layer as it weaves much <i>The Great Gatsby</i> lore into its own story.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Dark Passage (Kingdom Keepers, #6) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The Kingdom Keepers are still on The Disney Dream and the passage from Florida to California. But they may have stumbled on a way to stop the Overtakers in their quest to take over the Disney theme parks.
The climax was great, but for the most part this book wasn't that different from the previous few. Very little changes or gets resolved. I'm hoping that will really change with the next in the series which is supposed to be the last. I'll definitely know that park the best since it is set at Disneyland.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/11/book-review-kingdom-keepers-vi-dark.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The climax was great, but for the most part this book wasn't that different from the previous few. Very little changes or gets resolved. I'm hoping that will really change with the next in the series which is supposed to be the last. I'll definitely know that park the best since it is set at Disneyland.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/11/book-review-kingdom-keepers-vi-dark.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Rebecca Billcliff (2409 KP) rated Stranger Things in TV
Dec 7, 2019 (Updated Feb 11, 2020)
Epic Series
Three seasons in, and I am still enjoying it. There is a lot of intrigue around Eleven, and the Upside down. Though we are still waiting for season 2's side quest in the city to pay off, there are plenty of rewards for regular viewers.
With its great casting, epic cinematography, and all the 80s throwbacks, it's a great for all.
Just try and dislike those kids, I dare you.
It is tense, fun and witty, with some high stakes and great plot twists. Well worth a watch.
Thanks to a Smashbomb competition win, I now have a Demigorgan Funko Pop for my collection.
Almost as creepy as the real thing.
With its great casting, epic cinematography, and all the 80s throwbacks, it's a great for all.
Just try and dislike those kids, I dare you.
It is tense, fun and witty, with some high stakes and great plot twists. Well worth a watch.
Thanks to a Smashbomb competition win, I now have a Demigorgan Funko Pop for my collection.
Almost as creepy as the real thing.
Jackjack (877 KP) rated The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) in Movies
Mar 24, 2020
Oldie but a goodie
Ok lord of the rings, I haven't watched in years but seem to be working through my dvds and figured why not.
A fantasy tale of a young hobbit who's been left a ring that he must destroy in the fires of Mordor, with only the nine, sauron and orcs standing in his way, but with the help with an odd team and a long deadly travel he completes his quest. This film from the first all the way through to the hobbit battle of the five army's are full of action adventure even a bit of romance. Definitely worth the watch if you haven't don't so already!
A fantasy tale of a young hobbit who's been left a ring that he must destroy in the fires of Mordor, with only the nine, sauron and orcs standing in his way, but with the help with an odd team and a long deadly travel he completes his quest. This film from the first all the way through to the hobbit battle of the five army's are full of action adventure even a bit of romance. Definitely worth the watch if you haven't don't so already!
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