I have a confession to make: I don't really like Oblivion.

I've tried to get into the game and give it a fair shot, but I just can't do it. I don't understand the stats and leveling systems. I don't enjoy the first-person perspective or the click-until-dead combat. The open world leaves me with too much to do and little motivation to do it.

So when I saw Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning at the Electronic Arts booth this week, and I found out that the lead designer from Oblivion (Ken Rolston -- now with Reckoning developer Big Huge Games) was working on this title as well, I was skeptical. I shouldn't have been because Reckoning looks like the open-world, role-playing game I always wanted.

If you haven't heard of Reckoning, I don't blame you. The title sounds like generic fantasy of the most boring kind. But here's the recipe: Take one RPG design veteran, add two high-profile creative types (author R.A. Salvatore and comic artist Todd McFarlane), stir in one extremely nerdy athlete (former Boston Red Sox pitcher and 38 Studios founder Curt Schilling), and you get Reckoning, an open-world RPG with fast-paced, third-person combat and an intuitive leveling system.

For the main character of Reckoning, life begins at death. Or, rather, at rebirth, as your hero has just resurrected and is now free from the bands of fate that shape the world of Amalur. You begin your new life as a blank slate, and unlike many RPGs where you pick a class and hope for the best, you can view the three, main skill trees (Might, Finesse, and Sorcery) and choose abilities from any of them. As you do so, you'll unlock various "destinies" (Reckoning's name for character classes) based on your choices. This way, the game will reveal your appropriate class as you find the style of play that suits you.

And although the skill trees seem to fit into the traditional warrior/mage/rogue trinity, mixing and matching is encouraged. The character in the demo was a combination of all three trees: His main attacks involved quick slashes with a bladed weapon, he would often duck behind his enemies to stab them in the back, and he also summoned bursts of sharp rocks from the earth to perform juggles. Combat, based on timing and combos, looked quick and fun -- almost like an action title or a beat 'em up.

Then again, you don't usually get loot drops from beat 'em ups. The typical RPG gamer should find plenty of gear and crafting in Reckoning to suit his tastes, including stripping down armor and reforging it or distilling essences of wild flowers. Gear also comes in sets, with stat bonuses for completing your outfit.

Taking a page from Oblivion, Reckoning will feature six different factions for your character to side with (or against). Each needs your help, and each will help in your quest to discover why you died and by whose hand. Dialogue choices and non-combat abilities like Persuasion will come into play here, too.

Reckoning looks like it's aiming for a perfect balance between the hardcore, do-anything game world of Oblivion and the high-tempo action of something like Kingdom Hearts except with much more depth. Sounds like a tasty concoction to me. We'll find out when the game hits stores in early 2012.