G4’s Best RPGs of 2012

With only a week left in 2011, G4 is already looking ahead at next year’s RPG lineup, which includes the likes of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Diablo III, Mass Effect 3, Risen 2: Dark Waters, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Xenoblade Chronicles. With a release date of February 7th, we’ll likely be seeing the release of Reckoning before any of the others:

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is probably the most ambitious game on our list of future RPGs — more ambitious than even Mass Effect 3. Based on brand new ideas from some of the heaviest names in gaming — Ken Rolston, the lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, is the game’s executive designer, fantasy author R.A. Salvatore created the game universe and lore, and Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, created the artwork — Amalur is the only game on the list that isn’t a sequel or based on existing property, making it a bigger gamble than any other title here. Reckoning has star power both from its creators and the head of its development house 38 Studios. 38 was founded by former Red Sox star pitcher Curt Shilling.

Kingdoms of Amalur may be a new property, but the plan is to start big, not small. It will feature five distinct regions, four playable races, and three class trees with 22 abilities per tree, and a more action-oriented combat system than many RPGs. The game will utilize a “destiny” system: Player invest in a skill-tree system to unlock various destinies, which act as the class system for the game. Combat is action-RPG style, and works based on the timing of button presses and the occasional quick-time event. Overall, the vision of the game is a marriage between God of War and Oblivion. Which sounds like the perfect combination for a game, no?