Remember those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books that allowed readers to determine the plot's outcome? 38 Studios has taken a page from those books (pun intended!) for its new Reckoning Interactive Story series, which kicked off today on Facebook.

As Community Manager Jess "Muse" Folsom explains on the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning forums, the team will post a screenshot and a portion of the story every Thursday on the game's Facebook page. Readers will then be asked to vote in a poll that affects next week's entry. If you're not a Facebook user, you'll still be able to read the ongoing story on the official forums.

The first entry in the series introduces us to the story's protagonist, and it's up to readers to choose the character's gender and race. Cast your vote now and help move the series forward next week!

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.

A couple days ago, I wrote about my initial hands-on time with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, noting just how excited I was that a new competitor was coming to the action RPG genre. Overall, my experiences with Reckoning were well beyond any expectations, but what surprised me even more was just how enthusiastic this team was about their game. Throughout the course of the press event at Big Huge Games' studio in Baltimore, we had crowds of developers watching our every move, but instead of pushing us to explore the "best parts" of the game, they simply wanted to see what we would do, even if that meant running in a straight line across the continent for two hours, or blazing through all the dialogue options because we wanted to hit level 10 (sorry!).

While most of my time in Baltimore was spent getting as much out of Reckoning as I could, I did manage to squeeze in an interview with Tim Coman, the studio project art director at Big Huge Games, and the man responsible for Reckoning's day to day artistic vision. In addition to talking about the visual direction of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, we also spoke about the overarching Amalur universe and what it's like to work with Todd McFarlane, an artistic visionary who has no preconceptions about developing video games. Read on for the interview!

Prior to my visit to the Big Huge Games Studio in Baltimore, I'll admit that I didn't know all that much about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (or just Reckoning for short). Six months ago, Editor-in-Chief Darryl Gangloff and Reporter Kayla Smith went to the studio to watch a demo and attend a Q&A panel with the team behind the Amalur universe but, at the time, Reckoning wasn't going to be launched for almost another year - February 7, 2012 in North America and February 10, 2012 in Europe - so the event was less about Reckoning's core game mechanics and more about the overarching world that Big Huge Games was creating. Ultimately, while I was terribly excited about the creative team behind the game - Ken Rolston, lead designer of Elder Scrolls III and IV; R.A. Salvatore, one of the most recognized authors in modern fantasy; and Todd McFarlane, the artistic visionary behind the comic book series Spawn - I really didn't know what to expect at Reckoning's first hands-on press event. 

Some quick background here for those of you who are equally new to Amalur. Back in the day, Curt Schilling's 38 Studios was developing an unknown MMORPG under the codename "Project Copernicus." When 38 Studios acquired Big Huge Games from THQ in 2009, however, it decided that launching a single-player RPG first would be a better idea (Big Huge Games was already working on one at the time it was acquired), so Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was born to introduce players to the universe they'll explore in the MMO. Now, onto the hands-on preview!

It's been a busy few days for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning! 38 Studios recently released the first episode of its new "A Hero’s Guide to Amalur" video series. The inaugural episode introduces players to some of the factions and characters they'll encounter in the game, so it's definitely worth watching if you're interested in the game's expansive lore.

The team followed up the trailer by kicking off their new "Reckoning Live" series, which will be hosted regularly to connect the developers with the community. The first live stream focused on the narrative design and story of the game with Narrative Designers Andrew Auseon and Tom Murphy. The event was hosted by Social Media Manager Kevin "Haiven" Johnson, who you may recognize as the director and producer of The Raid documentary.

You can watch the "A Hero's Guide to Amalur" trailer below and the "Reckoning Live" video after the jump (the live stream starts 7 minutes into the video). Reckoning is scheduled to launch on Febuary 7, 2012, and you can get some bonus items by pre-ordering the game.

I always love pre-order bonuses with my games, although my enthusiasm does tend to diminish when there are 20 different sets of pre-order items to be had, thereby forcing me to make the toughest decision about the game before I even play. That being said, Electronic Arts and 38 Studios' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning pre-order bonus items are shaping up to look very nice indeed.

The companies revealed today that the items come in three packs: one with a reagent Dowsing Rod that detects all potion-making vegetation on the map; another with a Twist of Fate Card, a Compass of Fate and three armor sets (one per character type); or, finally, a full Fae-touched Weapons Pack for all your monster-mashing needs. You can view images of all of the packs after the jump!

Senior Staff Writer Christopher "Pwyff" Tom is currently in Baltimore getting some hands-on time with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, so you can expect to hear some more details on this highly anticipated RPG in the very near future! The game is scheduled to launch on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America on February 7, 2012 and in Europe on February 10, 2012.

EA and 38 Studios announced at Gamescom today that Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will launch in North America on February 7, 2012 and in Europe on February 10, 2012. You can pre-order the fantasy RPG on Origin now for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is our first glimpse into 38 Studios' original fantasy universe that will act as the setting for an upcoming MMO, as well comic books, novels, toys and additional games. The RPG is being made by a dream team: Curt Schilling, a three-time World Series champion and the founder and owner of 38 Studios; Todd McFarlane, a legendary comic book artist and owner of a successful toy company; R.A. Salvatore, a best-selling author who is best known for his Forgotten Realms novels; and Ken Rolston, a renowned designer who played a big part in The Elder Scrolls series of games.

Watch the new Gamescom trailer below for a taste of Reckoning's plot and gameplay.

38 Studios just published its first community Q&A in the official Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning forums. Starting today, the team will be posting a Q&A every Wednesday to answer questions from fans. In the inaugural interview, Lead Designer Ian Frazier answers five questions that cover topics such as pure class builds and the game's open world structure. You can read all of his answers after the jump!

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is our first glimpse into 38 Studios' original fantasy universe that will act as the setting for an upcoming MMO, as well comic books, novels, toys and additional games. The action RPG is being made by a dream team: Curt Schilling, a three-time World Series champion and the founder and owner of 38 Studios; Todd McFarlane, a legendary comic book artist and owner of a successful toy company; R.A. Salvatore, a best-selling author who is best known for his Forgotten Realms novels; and Ken Rolston, a renowned designer who played a big part in The Elder Scrolls series of games.

At EA's E3 press conference today, 38 Studios founder and three-time World Series champion Curt Schilling showed off a new Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning trailer that features some new gameplay footage. Watch it below to see the game's rich world!

UPDATE: To celebrate the release of the E3 trailer, 38 Studios has launched a new Reckoning site.

Reckoning, an upcoming single player action RPG, is our first glimpse into 38 Studios' original fantasy universe that will act as the setting for an upcoming MMO, as well comic books, novels, toys and additional games. The team behind it is comprised of Schilling, comic book artist Todd McFarlane, best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, and renowned game designer Ken Rolston.

EA and 38 Studios have released a new batch of screenshots from Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Check them out in our screenshots gallery by clicking the above image.

Reckoning, an upcoming single player action RPG, is our first glimpse into 38 Studios' original fantasy universe that will act as the setting for an upcoming MMO, as well comic books, novels, toys and additional games. You can see the game in action by watching the entire live demo from PAX East.

38 Studios showed off the first live demo of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning at PAX East, and they just posted the entire event on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. You can watch all 60 minutes of the presentation in the videos after the jump, including introductions by the developers and live gameplay footage.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is our first glimpse into 38 Studios' original fantasy universe that will act as the setting for an upcoming MMO, as well comic books, novels, toys and additional games. It's also being made by a dream team: Curt Schilling, a three-time World Series champion and the founder and owner of 38 Studios; Todd McFarlane, a legendary comic book artist and creator of Spawn and owner of a successful toy company; R.A. Salvatore, a best-selling author who is best known for his Forgotten Realms novels; and Ken Rolston, a renowned designer who played a big part in The Elder Scrolls series of games.

Now that we've gotten that explanation out of the way, watch the PAX East live demo below!