This one requires a little bit of backstory, most of which Todd himself explains in the video, but I'll recap - Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the action-RPG sandbox game released recently, was originally aimed to be a stand-alone game not tied with the Amalur universe. However, when Big Huge Games changed hands from THQ to 38 Studios, Curt Schilling and his merry gang of troops (including Spawn artist Todd McFarlane and fantasy writer R.A. Salvatore) decided that releasing a single-played RPG set in the Amalur universe would be beneficial to introducing players to 38 Studios' Amalur-set MMORPG, codenamed "Copernicus." Thus, we saw the release of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The MMO followup is still in development, and in an interview, McFarlane lets slip the game is slated for "later this year."

Wait, what?

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has been met with good to mixed reviews thus far, and it would be beneficial for a follow-up to take place, but in 2012? Even if it comes out late year, we've heard very little about the game, and this is the biggest news to land in some time. This also puts it - depending on Blizzard's timing - in direct competition with World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. This is a perplexing development, but is it just an off-the-cuff inaccurate comment made by McFarlane? We'll have to see.

The Day of Reckoning has finally come as Kingdoms of Amalur is now available! Harness your awakening magic, strap on your plate armor, and grab your daggers, because we're getting ready to change the fate of the entire world. Right now the reviews are rolling in, scoring a 9.0 with IGN and a 8.2 with Gametrailers.

To celebrate the occasion, Day[9], TotalBiscuit, iNcontrol, GamebreakerTV, and many more are all going to begin streaming the game at 5pm EST for 8 hours straight. For more details on the event and the prizes that can be won, check out the Day of Reckoning homepage. And for all the live streaming fun be sure to tune in live right here.

It's no surprise that Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is holding a midnight launch party at Gamestop next week, but what might come as a surpise for three lucky stores is the opportunity to meet the faces behind the games' development:

• Curt Schilling, owner of 38 studios, and R.A. Salvatore, writer for Kingdom's of Amalur, will be at the Bellingham, MA location.
• Todd McFarlane, Reckoning's Executive Art Director, will be at Temple, AZ.
• Ken Rolston, Lead Designer, and select few members from Big Huge Games will be at Cockeysville, MD.

But all the Kingdoms of Amalur you could ever want doesn't end there! Upon release, Tuesday at 2pm PDT, join your favorite personalities such as Day[9], Felicia Day, Total Biscuit, Gamebreaker.tv, and more for a special 8 hour livestream launch event and the chance to win some Kingdoms of Amalur related prizes! 

ZAM's Mike B. aka Fony is back with episode #97 of the BFF Report, and this week it's all about the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo! In this episode, Fony jumps into the beta and gives his thoughts on story, combat, controls, and how to get away with town slaughter.

Kurt Schilling, 38 Studios, and Big Huge Games are hard at work making this RPG prequel (or sequel!) for their upcoming MMO - codenamed Project Capernicus - so be sure to catch what Mike B. has to say on 38 Studios and Big Huge Games' first steps into the world of fantasy RPGs.

It's demo day for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning! Currently there is a Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo available for download on Xbox 360, although the team notes that they will update their players via Twitter once a new platform demo (PC, Playstation 3) becomes available.

ZAM's had the opportunity for multiple hands-on sessions with Kngdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and, safe to say, we've come away with a positively glowing experience each time. As if that wasn't enough, remember that by simply completing the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo, you'll be automatically unlocking access to Mass Effect 3's Todd McFarlane-designed "Reckoner Knight Armor," as well as a sweet new Chakram Launcher! Check out the trailer below!

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has a new combat trailer out! In it, Lead Combat Designer Joe Quadara, Animator Chris Cox, and Lead Animator Young Vo highlight some of the major concepts that went into creating Reckoning's smooth combat. Having had some extensive hands-on time with Reckoning in its low-level and high-level combat, I can tell you that what you're seeing in the trailer is very doable in-game, and it certainly adds a lot of depth to your standard hack 'n slash warfare. Trailer ahoy!

Game preview events are always a dangerous thing. Sometimes I'll get plunked down in front of a pre-constructed instance with a pre-constructed character, surrounded by developers who get a little nervous when I say things like "experimental play styles" or I preface sentences with "what happens if…" It's not to say that these events are bad things; it can just get difficult to form a decent opinion when the events are designed to deliver an optimal experience. In this way, when 38 Studios and Big Huge Games invited me to San Francisco for a high-level preview of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning to supplement my initial low-level experiences, well, that got my attention.

Big Huge Games and 38 Studios have just released another video for their "Hero's Guide to Amalur".

In this latest video we get a in-depth explination of how the games unique take on class builds and talent freedom redefines what we expect from RPG combat. 

With a massive open world to explore and immersive action combat, Reckoning is looking more and more enticing as a must have purchase for next year!

Fans of Amalur and 38 Studios might remember my interview Kingdoms of Amalur's Art Director, Tim Coman, when he remarked that the team had 10,000 years of history to jump around when choosing time periods for their games. Of course, 10,000 years is a little difficult to understand, so 38 Studios has just released a new website to encase their overarching Amalur brand, at www.Amalur.com.

On Amalur.com, players will be able to see some of the various ages and the historical events that inform those ages. Of particular interest is the fact that it seems like they've only revealed 5,000 years of their 10,000 years of preset history. I'm assuming that's what that little padlock under the timeline denotes. Either way, the site provides a fantastic look into the world of Amalur itself and all of the events that helped shape it.

On that note, I wonder if we'll get a sci-fi-ish Amalur at some point on the far end of the timeline. Maybe steampowered guns. Now I need to sit down, that sounds really cool.

When Todd McFarlane is one of the creative visionaries behind a video game, you can be sure it's going to get some awesome toys. See that monstrosity above? That's a Prismere Troll figurine from Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. McFarlane Toys will be giving players a sneak peek at the figure at New York Comic Con this weekend. Details regarding price and availablity will be released in the future.

Personally, I think the troll would look great on a shelf next to McFarlane's Curt Schilling figure. It'd look like Schilling was pitching to the troll! C'mon, that's just plain awesome.

If you're attending New York Comic Con, join Reckoning's R. A. Salvatore, Lead Designer Ian Frazier, Narrative Designer Andrew Auseon and Creative Director Steve Danuser for the “Creating a World Worth Saving” panel tomorrow, Oct. 14 at 1:30 p.m. EDT in room 1A24.

Senior Staff Writer Christopher "Pwyff" Tom recently attended a Reckoning press event at Big Huge Games' studio in Baltimore. Check out his hands-on impressions and his interview with Art Director Tim Coman.