Review:
I love RPGs, I cut my teeth on Ultima III and eagerly await new offerings. I am have been following this title due to my love of RPGs and the fact that the RI economic development corp threw a ton of money at 38 Studios to get them to move their HQ to RI.

Open World - It is not on the scale of Skyrim, but it doesn't lock you in Levels or Areas the way Fable, Dark Souls or Dragon Age does. You have the freedom to explore areas, follow the quests you want to and build your character's strengths the way you want to.

Story - I do not have gaming ADHD, I enjoy listening to and reading the dialog of NPC interactions. What strikes me about KoA:R is that the NPCs have personality and each little task has a flushed out vignette even the typical fed-ex quests are entertaining.

Gameplay - I am enjoying the combat and the ease of going from ranged, melee and magical abilities. My biggest complaint about Skyrim was how even the favorite menu was abit clumsy in the middle of a tough battle, so the mechanics here appear smooth and straight forward. The crafting has some neat processes, I am not too deep into that yet. Though the sagecraft reminds me of the socketing from Diablo II.

Graphics - When WoW first came out I hated the graphics, it was too cartoony for me. But over the course of time it grew on me and I found that I really liked it. KoA:R struck me the same way, in fact my first comment to my wife was "This reminds me of WoW!" It is not like Skyrim, Dragon Age or Dark Souls and it doesn't mean that the environments are not lush with detail, that detail is just stylized and I am finding that I really like it.

Bugs - The demo was not good, it was buggy and at times unplayable. The game itself is not like that. I have not come across any bugs what-so-ever. Frame rates are smooth, controls responsive and even graphical tearing has not shown up for me.

Originality - There is not a lot of new things under the sun and I do not expect games to reinvent the wheel. It is clear that KoA:R has borrowed from other sources (WoW, Dragon Age, Diablo, Oblivion), but it is not entirely like the source. The world building is fresh and interesting; while being familiar enough to not have the player feel out of their element.

KoA:R is a fun game, not ground breaking, not a second-coming but a fun game none-the-less. I look forward to spending more time with it. For 38 Studio's first release and Big Huge Game's first RPG, I would say it is a sign of good things to come.

Conclusion: KoA:R is a fun game, not ground breaking, not a second-coming but a fun game none-the-less. I look forward to spending more time with it. For 38 Studio's first release and Big Huge Game's first RPG, I would say it is a sign of good things to come.