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Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios knocks this one out of the park.

It’s hard not be struck by deja vu while playing Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, as it’s an amalgamation of every major Western RPG of the last five years. The art style and vibrant color palette are heavily inspired by World of Warcraft, the loot system rivals that of Borderlands, and the character development is an interesting Dragon Age: Origins/Fable hybrid. While Reckoning is quite liberal in its search for muses, it expands beyond many of them to forge a unique identity. Reckoning is to the games it borrows from, as baseball is to itself from 40 years ago; the concepts are basically the same, but everything is on steroids, making it far more enjoyable.

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I’m still amazed at just how much better a similar spin-off game is.

I’ll be honest; I don’t know much about the history of the Dynasty Warriors series, so I can’t provide you a comprehensive look at the differences from the last iteration of the series. From what I understand, there have been a number of improvements, including a more directed story experience with better character development, better graphics, more varied characters, and the inclusion of weapon machinery that can be utilized in battle. From a newcomer’s perspective, the additions don’t seem to make the game very interesting. Players can expect hours upon hours of grinding through underpowered enemies with little to break up the experience and keep it fresh. Having played the game side by side with Samurai Warriors: Chronicles, it’s clear that Dynasty Warriors doesn’t have the same flair as its spin-off series.

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