Mass Effect 3 teams up with Reckoning

Mass Effect 3 is teaming up with new action game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, as the sci-fi adventure's demo will unlock bits and bobs in the full game of Reckoning and vice-versa.

Mass Effect 3 is teaming up with new action game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, as the sci-fi adventure's demo will unlock bits and bobs in the full game of Reckoning and vice-versa.

While Mass Effect 3 marks the end of a well-known trilogy, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the first sortie into a fantasy universe created by author R.A. Salvatore.

The Mass Effect 3 demo, which is expected late January, unlocks a Mass Effect-style suit of armor and accompanying blades in Reckoning.

Reckoning's demo, due January 17 on 360 and thereabouts on PC and PS3, returns the favor for those who end up purchasing Mass Effect 3 and adds three other items to Reckoning itself.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning comes from 38 Studios and its subsidiary Big Huge Games; 38 was founded by ex-Red Sox baseball pitcher Curt Schilling, a fan of the online role playing game genre.

While Reckoning is a single-player affair, launching the week of February 7 for those looking for a Skyrim alternative, future additions to the series would almost inevitably leak into MMO territory.