KoA: Reckoning - A "Nerd's RPG" @ IGN
 

IGN has a piece titled Reckoning is an RPG Nerd's RPG, which I guess is good news, but I don't think too many are going to trust IGN on that call. Here's a snip from the preview, which was on the PC for once:
More information.

"I don't think too many are going to trust IGN on that call". <—-EXACTLY !

"Choices may direct you into different conversation branches and give the game a fresh feeling, but making the wrong choice won't cut out a piece of content for you like Fallout 3 and New Vegas so infamously did."

Ah, so…what they're getting at is that there aren't any choices then. I have to say the whole "never lock a player out of content and make sure they can see everything on a single playthrough" is extremely problematic in modern game design. If I can see everything in one plathrough as a result of my choices not carrying any weight, then I have a hard time immersing myself into a game world and buying into the setting, and I also struggle to identify with the "role" I'm supposed to be "playing" in the "game."

As a side-note, it is a sad day when Mass Effect is held up as a pinnacle of choice and consequence in a game, rather than a game with true C&C. Hell, if they have to choose something modern, The Witcher franchise completely blows ME out of the water in the category of choice.

I agree. It seems that in this game they allow you to see all and be all in one playthrough…….then what is the point of roleplaying?

I guess it's about having fun…

Sounds like a game for nerds alright.

Choices which are not as harsh as those in Fallout 3 which is nearly legendary at these will certainly go well with the game´s respec function.

Infamously needs to be fixed to famously.

If you can see all the content, join every faction, do everything, no matter what choice you make then why even bother with a choice? What FNV did was awesome … they got it right not wrong.

I remember many quests where I lacked any number of skill points or stats to select certain dialogue and I was like … damn I wonder what would happen? What will they say or do? If I could just do it all no matter what there would be no thrill or excitement. Non of the wonderufl agonizing over what stats to pick and what skills.

Still excited about KoA but this was the first news I read that was very dissapointing. I want choices to close off some content but open up other content.

I'm still looking forward for KoA, but I think it's taking too much from Oblivion and too less from The Witcher and Dark Souls (about 'choices' in contemporary RPGs, of course ;)).
Anyway, when the game will be out, I'll check some info about factions, and I'll pick the one I like the most and I'll try to stick with it, leaving out the others for the next playthrough.
My main concern remains the main plot, I hope it'll be interesting enough…

Agreed. Too many games wimp out in this area because they want the player to experience everything, but what is even the point of choice then? You are basically just along for the ride.

fah, if they're so scared about the player missing content because of choices, they might as well give the player all skills and items. Heaven forbid a player doesn't see how a particular skill works.

For me, this means KoA ISN'T an RPG for Nerds, and IGN spinning it that way means they're hoping to get that crowd on board nevertheless

I have a bad gut feeling about this game. It sounds like they are saying it's a game for hard core RPG'ers but most of the stuff I have seen screams going for the mainstream audience….

Not gonna buy this on day one I dont think, will probably wait to hear some feedback from sources I trust first.

Its IGN I stopped listening to everything they review and write about. There pc section is among the worst as they don't care about the pc platform.

Have you guys read the comments? It really does surprise that even the people commenting on the game are getting excited about it. This is IGN we are talking about and most of the people there are of the casual gamer persuasion.

The game still sounds great and can't wait to get my hands on it. Maybe if the casual gamers are on board too then this one might be a surprise hit.

I found it weird that he went out of his way to say that the dropped off a whole pc to play it on and then he plays it with a controller.

I don't like not having real choices or the graphics. especially the trails behind the weapons.

I prefer choices and different paths. Sometimes I like to play as a Fighter type character. Other times as a Stealth/Sniper, or a Ranger/Archer. One of the lesser types is a Magic user. I also tend toward the Good side. The point is, I want to be able to replay the game with a different flavor and a different outcome to see what would happen if I decide on Path 'B' instead of Path 'A'. If everything is out there in one play-through no matter what I choose, I tend to feel a bit cheated. Like, "That's it? That's all I get?"

Heh, just out of morbid curiosity I checked the article's comments section to see if anyone mentioned the concept of choice as discussed in this thread, and there actually was a comment that was similar to something you would see here. Needless to say, no one agreed with him and talked about how great it was in a game like Oblivion that the player was never "restricted" from joining any faction or completing every quest without consequence. Unbelievable…Well, it's believable since RPGs have gone mainstream, but it's so diametrically opposed to what I believe RPGs should be about.

Well, talking about Oblivion, there was this rediculous moment. In my playthrough, I played a mage and did the mage guild quests and at the end I became head of the guild. At some point I decided to join the warrior guild as well and one particular quest consisted in aiding a mage that hired a warrior to do some dirty work. The thing is that in principle I was her boss yet she treated me like some retarded mercenary. My reaction was: WTF, I should have you fired, b*tch!

I appreciated a Thieves Guild quest in which I had to steal a staff from Archmage´s quarters and place a note from Gray Fox in Archmage´s nightstand, while being the Archmage myself.

Sums up my feelings too.. graphics feel a bit cartoon-y for my taste and the lack of real choice is disheartening. Of course if Salvatore's story is really good, I'd still pick it up and probably enjoy it, but this has dampened my enthusiasm a bit.

Is there really no room for different types of RPGs? Do we really need everything to be one-size-fits-all?

Look, I really enjoyed Fallout:New Vegas and The Witcher 2. I haven't played Alpha Protocol, but there are lots of folks here who thought it was pretty good. There are likely other examples of heavy C&C games I'm forgetting.

But I also enjoyed Divinity 2. And I enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins. And both Drakensang games. And Oblivion (sorta). And Baldur's Gate. And NWN2. And many other games that you pretty much see all the content in one play-through and then you're done.

I'll probably be in the minority here, but I prefer the latter style over the former. Mainly because I'm pushing 40 and have a life and just don't have time to replay games. I never have gone all the way through a game a 2nd time (with the notable exception of Diablo 2, but that was a long time ago). I never did finish F:NV, and despite my sincere desire to replay Witcher 2 to experience a completely different Act 2, I just haven't gotten around to it.

If there were no games being made with heavy C&C, then I can see why folks would be up in arms. But the market is providing both styles, and I think that's great.

I'll also add that just because your choices don't cut off content in Reckoning, that doesn't mean they don't have an impact on the game world, the story, and the characters. In fact, this week's Dev Q&A touches on this in a response to a general question about quest completion: