I heard the issues with the narrative are pacing issues and lack of consistency.
Basically the main story line is actually fairly good, and some of the side quests are really interesting and well fleshed out, but the main story suffers from poor pacing, and the side quests are mostly terrible fetch quests, with some amazing ones thrown in, but there is no way to tell what kind of quest you’re getting yourself into. And with a TON of grinding side quests, most reviewers just gave up on them.
Er, I started the thread. Yes, I’ve played it.
Is the story great? No, it’s not. But it’s there, and though the combat is good, the story isn’t so horribly bad that the game is only about combat. I tire very quickly of combat-only games, and I’ve spent a lot of hours on Amalur. As I said in the OP, I don’t think it’s ground-breaking or great, but I’m happy I bought it and it’s fun enough for me to start a thread about it.
No, I meant, played it all the way through.
But fair enough. It’s still about 40 bucks on Amazon and there are some deals on ebay for close to 30… but I still think I’ll wait until it’s at 20ish bucks.
But if all it takes is a story that is “not great, but there” then Bayonetta has just as much a compelling story is this game, and I promise, it’s better at combat.
Doing what, exactly? I think that’s the question people are really seeking an answer to.
No, but I can list the games I play all the way through on one hand- I haven’t finished Skyrim (or Morrowind, or Oblivion) yet, for example, though I think they’re excellent game. I played Amalur for many, many hours, though.
Er, playing the game? Doing quests, gathering stuff for crafts, looking at the purdy landscape?
I’m not really looking to debate the game’s qualities or whether it’s better than game XXX. If you’ve got some spare cash and liked the demo, go for it, with the assumption that it’s a light, fun game, not groundbreaking, and if you’re looking for something that nobody’s ever done, this isn’t the game for that.
Eh, I’m bored. I may pick it up for 35 shipped and report back once I chew through it. Worst comes to worst I waste the price of a pizza…
Yah, decided to order it for 35 bucks with two day shipping of Amazon. Maybe it’s a stupid purchase, but the demo was okay and I’d like to see if the game as a whole is worth the solid B ratings that it’s gotten online. I’ll report back fully once I chew through the fucker as I’ve got a 4 day weekend coming up very soon.
The game is much better than the demo lets on, IMO. The demo build was done by a third party contracted by EA, and the revision used was a couple months older than the RTM code that you see in the final game.
Don’t expect to chew through it in one four day weekend if you’re like me and can’t resist side quests. 
Hope you guys enjoy!
“playing the game” is exactly the sort of vague statement that I’m trying to understand better, since most people here have been asserting that the game is mostly combat, one is forced to wonder how you “played the game” for “many, many hours” while not fighting. I didn’t really think the idea of “what do you do when you play game” needed explanation, but it seems I was being unclear.
Now you have provided something of an answer. Thank you. I’ll give this game a pass.
Having purchased the game a couple weeks ago and played the living daylights out of it… yeah, I’d have to say that folks should give it a pass until it comes down to 20 bucks on eBay, or ideally 10-15.
Now, it’s not bad. Honestly, it’s not a bad game at all. It’s just not good. There is very, very little that’s at all novel, entertaining or well done about it. Quests are generally pretty samey, with fetch and extermination quests generally being the rule, and they really blend into each other. There’s also an unacceptable MMORPG influence in a number of “kill twelve wombats and bring me back their wombat glands” type quests.
The main questline is, well, forgettable. I don’t think that it’s due to the number of side quests either. Sandbox games like Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim all had a lot of room to romp around, but the main quest was still memorable. To be honest, I’m not even sure what the point/plot is in Amalur. Okay, so I’m some kind of immortal who fucks up fate and does stuff and… well… I’m not sure. Maybe I’m not every far along in the main story, but honestly I’m bored enough with the game that I’m not even certain I’m going to try to finish it off. The threads of the main story that I’ve seen so far are underwhelming, forgettable, and unimpressive.
Combat is kinda nice, but the good Dynasty Warriors games do it better, IMO. The graphics are pretty good (although some of the races have WoW-level goofiness built in, and that takes me out of the game). The ability to avoid true ‘class restrictions’ is nice as you can build a spell slinging warrior or a stealthy mage, or whatever, but it’s still not all that revolutionary and Bethesda has been doing it better for about a decade or so now. Crafting exists, I suppose, but honestly opportunities for blacksmithing and potion making may as well be invisible. I just haven’t stumbled across any and haven’t missed the opportunities either.
The game isn’t a bad game, really it isn’t. It can be diverting, mildly entertaining, even fun at points. It’s a meat and potatoes game, but it’s a microwave-tv-dinner Salisbury steak and dry mashed potatoes. Wait for the bargain bin.
Hmm, I see that an Origin key is available for $25… Agh, but the Witcher just got it’s enhanced edition…
Hmmmm…
Went to check it out and for us Finns its still 50e - damn region-locked sales. Steam has it 33% off as Midweek Madness, though. Somewhat tempted, now that I finished Legend of Grimrock.
It’s not worth it.