Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the first game from developer 38 Studios, owned by former Major League Baseball player Curt Schilling, and its subsidiary Big Huge Games. It was published by 38 Studios and Electronic Arts. It is an open-world role-playing game (RPG) and is available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC. Amalur is one of my favorite games for a multitude of reasons. This review will focus on the story, overall world construction, and game play because I feel that they are the most important aspects of the game. The story of Kingdoms is far and away the best part of this game. Legendary fantasy author R.A. Salvatore, writer of the Forgotten Realms series, was the head writer and “world creator” for the game. Creating a story that keeps players …show more content…
Salvatore's writing and the artistic skills of Todd McFarlane (The Amazing Spider-Man, Spawn) make for a beautiful, detailed, and expansive world. Kingdoms of Amalur is set in the Faelands, which are divided into four distinct regions. Spanning miles and miles of land, the developers included a convenient fast-travel system that allows you to instantly teleport to any city, village, or dungeon you've previously been to. This feature makes what first appears to be an intimidating land much easier to navigate. This is definitely a must-have considering the hundreds of side quests available in the game. One could theoretically play for days having never even touched the main storyline. The quests are offered by citizens in need of help, and each NPC's look and personality feels unique. This abundance of things to do and people to help, as well as the beautifully-designed and varied settings, really makes the world feel alive. For the less completion-oriented player, however, all of the side quests can start to feel redundant; find this, kill those, rescue that person, repeat. Those quests are optional, however, so the player is free to do as many (or as few) as they
The main characters, both good and evil, are well-fleshed out. Robert is the typical hero: he is always doing the honorable thing and fighting the enemy to save the princess - even if it means dying in the process. Simmonne is sweet and honest; however, at times I felt that the author depicted her as a weak female in a world dominated by men. Oul’sor, Robert’s worthy enemy, is blinded by
Quests help guide the player through the ideas of the developer, progressing them through new environments, introduce them to fictional characters, teach them how to engauge in combat, all while masking the experience in some form of narritive. It becomes an [[interactive]] experience for the players to both learn the game and enjoy themselves. In this form of developer led story telling, players are putting thier trust in what the creator of the game will provide for the time spent in game. We go into the game with little knowledge other than what assumptions we may already possess
Horrific violence, terrifying threats and public terrors strike fear into the hearts of thousands who oppose the Assyrian Empire. “An Assyrian Emperor’s Resume: Ferocious Conquests a Specialty” remains a paragon of these unspeakable tragedies transpiring around 875 B.C. Written by Ashur-Nasir-Pal II (or one of his subjects), this anecdote highlights his conquests as he claims ancient cities’ wealth, while brutally murdering foreign people and destroying their lands. Geographically, the story takes place in the Middle East, specifically North Mesopotamia. According to the author, he conquers places like Hudun, Zamua, Zamru, Iritu and Ammaru. The historical value behind this piece portrays prominent aspects of their society and depicts how Assyrians reigned, while hinting at the empire’s values; therefore, this historical account provides evidence, which exhibits the attributes of the Near East during Ashur-Nasir-Pal II’s reign.
Title: The title gives me the idea that there will be a kingdom with a queen. The title sparked my interest because I love books about princes and princesses. The title does fit well with the text because the book is about an evil queen and a girl trying to change the world.
The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer is an amazing book. So far this series has me hooked on the amount of creativity that goes into these stories. I love the way Chris Colfer describes The Land of stories in such detail. For example, the very first paragraph was full of imagery. “The East was in a period of great celebration. Daily parades marched through the village streets, every home and shop was decorated in colorful banners and wreaths, and handfuls of flower petals were thrown through the air. Each citizen smiled, proud of what they had recently accomplished.” I also really enjoy how Colfer has connected all the fairytales into big world and how everyone’s stories overlap each other. For example, in the story
In both I Am Legend and “By the Waters of Babylon,” the author and the director have very comparable styles when it comes to certain aspects of their work. The theme of both the film and the story revolve around the idea of humanity destroying itself due to the misuse of power and misunderstanding of the knowledge they had acquired. On the contrary, the mood in I Am Legend and “By the Waters of Babylon” are vastly different. In the film, the viewer feels the pain and loss embodied by Robert Neville himself; while in the story, John didn’t have any personal losses related to the catastrophic event that overtook those before him. Therefore the reader doesn’t connect to John in the same empathetic
Beowulf has delighted and intrigued a wide array of people for centuries. The timeless nature is visible in modern-day extensions of this epic, through heroics and battles of good versus malevolent forces. Beowulf continues to appeal to sophisticated audiences because it tells the story of a great hero prevailing over evil, a timeless theme valued by society and portrayed by his counterparts in modern media, although these new heroes display more complex qualities.
The viciously gallant epic Beowulf, Steve Baron’s capricious film Merlin, and Niccolo Machiavelli’s enlightening treatise The Prince all portray the struggle between good and evil, teach morals, and convey what it takes to be a superior king.
Since humans first emerged into the intellectual sphere of literature, extravagant tales of mystical lands, bloody wars, and gallant heroes spread far and wide. All treasured tales transpire time, From trespassing viking warlords, to poetic french vineyards, and indian tribes across the sea, each culture remains coated in these tales. In the twenty first century there is no need for memorizing stories, however in times gone by stories were circulated by tune or voice until christianity began to spread worldwide. Beowulf, written by an anonymous christian monk, possesses a timeless approach of a classic fight for love and glory; a case of do or die to audiences across the span of a lifetime with intricate tones,
A Kingdom Forgotten, the first book in the Throne of Souls series by new author Charles McDonald, Jr., is easily the most uniquely written novel I've read in many moons. There is nothing conventional about this book. Part Wheel of Time, part Warhammer 40000, A Kingdom Forgotten presents itself as a multidimensional epic that juxtaposes ancient kingdom magic with modern world science, and potentially vice versa. More than once I found myself comparing its asynchronous narrative to the movie Pulp Fiction, where the protagonist isn't always apparent, the hero isn't necessarily the good guy, and the present doesn't make sense until you've seen the future. To be clear, A Kingdom Forgotten was a wild ride from start to finish, and I am extremely eager to begin the sequel, Black Mirrors of the Soul.
The Assyrain kings believed for pure military success their army must completely wipe out the enemy. There should be no trace of the enemies after the battle unfolds. The kings also don’t show any mercy for their enemies killing them in very painful and destructive ways. They want everyone else to fear them and their armies after the battles. If the kings do not completely raid and cause mass destruction over their enemies, then their job has not been completed
c) Malaise examines the three postures used to depict women, whether as a wife or a mother, on Middle Kingdom stelae. Based on his classi cation, the stela in discussion can be grouped under the third type, which is de ned as a “complete emancipation.”41 In this third category, the woman, depicted standing or seated, is shown facing her husband or son; or sometimes portrayed on another register than the male. This posture emerged abruptly during the reign of Amenemhat II (40 percent), increased under Sesostris III’s reign (50 percent), and then di- minished under the rule of Amenemhat III (31
Mesopotamia was the foundation of western civilization. This was around 3500 BC when cities started evolving in world history. It was also known as the “land between the rivers.” The first city-states developed in southern Mesopotamia by the Sumerian citizens around 4000 BC. The history begins at Sumer; this society brings many things to the table for a starting civilization. In 3500 BC the Sumerian people learned their own writing system. They would write on cuneiforms, clay blocks which were easy to be transported but they were very fragile. The Sumerian people had an independent government which was ruled by a king, Sargon. The cities as well as
Skyrim continues to be one of the most popular games in the world. Much of the success of the game does belong to stunning storytelling and a great soundtrack. However, the continued
One of the most well know historical periods of Ancient China is the era of the Three Kingdoms, which records the period to some of the most well-known historical figures, heroes, and their complex yet intriguing relationships. The Three Kingdoms was a period of unrest, and battles which initiated in 220AD, when Wei replaced the Eastern Han Dynasty, and lasted until the reunification of lands in 280AD. Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the emperor was losing power and influence, which led to the inability for Eastern Han to unite the whole land. At the same time, the country was in anarchy as groups of warriors were uprising and rebelling against Eastern Han, proclaiming themselves emperor. However, these powers were too weak to claim