Kingdom of Amalur seems to be heading this way. Kingdoms of Amalur, has 4 playable races and 3 classes to choose from, the Almain (Human Noble), Varani (Normadic Human), Ljosalfar (Elf) and Dokkalfar (Dark Elf). The classes are Might, Finesse and Sorcery, which is the traditional Warrior, Rogue, Mage that infects most RPGs now, the difference with Kingdom of Amalur is that these are class trees which allow you to create a mixed fighter, which works well with the unique combat system that allows you to flawlessly switch between melee attacks, bows and magic without having to constantly pause and swap weapons. One of the games features is the 'Destinies' system, you begin as a Fateless One, meaning you begin without a class or someone prodding you down one specific path. As you progress and level-up you are granted new Destinies which you can select and change any time you wish. From a straight forward Fighter to a Mage-Rogue, even a Jack of All Trades if you prefer switching between the different weapons systems on a whim. Each destiny grants different bonuses specific to the class they represent and hopefully this should add to the games no-class specific combat system. At first glance the game seems like any other RPG at heart, but in actual fact it contains elements of action and strategy that you'd be more likely to find in God of War. Unlike some recent RPGs like Dragon Age, it's not about hitting the one attack button and using the odd skill, it's about blocking, dodging and timing which makes a nice addition. Along with the odd button bashing in cinematic sequences, it can be expected that Kingdoms will make an addictive combat system, not to mention some creative boss battles from the look of the screen shots. Like most great RPGs, it shouldn't just be a game, but a world with believable inhabitants you actually want to help out with side-missions instead of slashing your way from start to finish, and this it does. The game includes six factions, all of which you can offer your help to (or not), which effects the people of Amalur. The Kingdom and its inhabitants also span across 5 regions offering hours of gameplay and a variety of locations and NPCs to meet. For your own preview, a demo is available to Xbox and Playstation 3 users and is available to download from Steam for PC users, the demo offers just over an hours worth of gameplay, as well as a few unlockables available if you purchase the game and one unlockable for this years Mass Effect 3. http://youtu.be/_xEr5HBoKhA Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning is released Feb 10th in the UK and Feb 7th in the US.
