das müffin mann
04-25-2008, 02:52 PM
where i found the review located here: http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10003&Itemid=59
i copy and pasted the article over from next-gen to save you the time from clicking the link
this is really the first thing i've heard about fable in a long time and this has to be the one game that i am really excited about
If Peter Molyneux’s popularity has been hurt by his tendency to over-promise, then it was not evident at GDC, where an obligingly rapt audience had queued round the block in order to hear the latest on Lionhead’s sequel to the Xbox’s action RPG. Nor did Molyneux’s propensity for making large claims appear diminished, labeling his talk, ‘Fable 2 – The Big Three Features Revealed.’ It turns out that Fable 2 will have drama, combat and co-op. Who would have guessed?
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/jamesbob666/edg188_h_fable2_cap4.jpg
Of course, Molyneux’s grandstanding aside, it is not the presence of those features but the manner of their implementation that is remarkable. Molyneux has spoken before about putting an entire combat system on one button, and here he reiterated his desire for anyone, even someone who has never touched a joystick before, to be able to pick up and play Fable 2 immediately. It turns out that there are now three buttons – one for melee attack, one for ranged weaponry and one for magic. A game-naïve person might be able to trounce a pack of enemies using only one, but the number of experience points you get from each victory increases as you mix combat styles and use the environment to best effect. And given that combat is entirely context sensitive in Fable 2 the environment becomes an essential part of your arsenal; stand near a wall, hit the melee button and you might flip off it to slam a knee into an enemy’s face. Attack whilst near an object lying on the floor and your character will kick it into someone’s stomach.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/jamesbob666/fable_2.jpg
It’s the realization of a mantra heard echoing throughout GDC this year: simplicity and depth. You don’t need a complex system for combat to be rich and rewarding, so the claim goes – and if additional experience points aren’t enough of an incentive, then Fable 2 ensures that experimentation leads to flashy camera angles, jump cuts and slow-motion sequences. High scores are a goal that seem arbitrary to the uninitiated, and likewise the intimidating sequences of buttons that are required in many a beat ‘em up – but Fable 2 smartly erases the barrier to entry, tying player ability to tangible things, such as speedier character progression and, more importantly, visual drama.
When Molyneux talks of drama, however, he isn’t referring to Fable 2’s cinematic flair. Nor does he mean the adherence to a particular narrative. Although there is a plot – one which Molyneux claims will challenge your morality like never before – the real drama is in how reactive the world of Albion feels. The people you encounter appreciate you for what you do, commenting on your recent behavior and changing their disposition towards you appropriately. Townsfolk for whom you have performed a favor will shower you with gifts. Your children will try to emulate your behavior, becoming vicious little proto-thugs if you misbehave or saccharine angels if you pursue the course of righteousness. Absentee parents will return to be berated by their forlorn offspring and given the cold shoulder by their estranged spouse.
Such a situation arose as Molyneux played live with co-op partner Josh Atkins of Microsoft Game Studios. Molyneux’s female character hadn’t returned home for six months, and the husband was not best pleased, launching into a tirade that was brought to an abrupt end by Atkins’ gun. The ability to enter into another player’s world and actively destroy all that they have carefully cultivated is a line few titles have dared to cross – but here Molyneux’s husband will stay dead; his child will be packed off to the orphanage. Player behavior has a significant and permanent effect on the world, and, as this cautionary tale proves, the world of those with whom you play.
Clearly, the ability to form a family at all is a major means by which Molyneux hopes the game’s world will capture the player’s emotions. Playing as either gender, you can find a partner, marry them, conceive children and have a family. Swollen bellies and bosoms are present and correct – Molyneux jokingly remarks that the labor minigames he had planned was a step too far. Then there’s your dog. More than a companion, the dog is also a replacement for a HUD. He will act as your lookout, alerting you to any dangers along the path and, more significantly, encourage you to step off that path, to walk away from your immediate goal and explore the world.
The hope is that, with your emotions engaged, your choices become far weightier, compounded by the fact that your behavior will have repercussions far down the line for both your own character, your family and the world. As with Fable, you will change in appearance depending on your behavior, but this time the choices will be less binary, making it harder to be the shining knight. Molyneux points to a moment some six hours into the game where you are asked to sacrifice something dear to you for the greater good, challenging your moral sensibilities. Equally, however, Molyneux says that being truly evil will be even less palatable than before, pointing out the surprising statistic that only ten percent of Fable’s players took to the dark side with any fervor. This time, Molyneux says, no more than five percent will have the stomach for it. Virtuous or evil, however, it looks like your family will be in for a rough ride; the real test of Fable 2 will be just how much we really care.
anyone else excited for this game?
i copy and pasted the article over from next-gen to save you the time from clicking the link
this is really the first thing i've heard about fable in a long time and this has to be the one game that i am really excited about
If Peter Molyneux’s popularity has been hurt by his tendency to over-promise, then it was not evident at GDC, where an obligingly rapt audience had queued round the block in order to hear the latest on Lionhead’s sequel to the Xbox’s action RPG. Nor did Molyneux’s propensity for making large claims appear diminished, labeling his talk, ‘Fable 2 – The Big Three Features Revealed.’ It turns out that Fable 2 will have drama, combat and co-op. Who would have guessed?
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/jamesbob666/edg188_h_fable2_cap4.jpg
Of course, Molyneux’s grandstanding aside, it is not the presence of those features but the manner of their implementation that is remarkable. Molyneux has spoken before about putting an entire combat system on one button, and here he reiterated his desire for anyone, even someone who has never touched a joystick before, to be able to pick up and play Fable 2 immediately. It turns out that there are now three buttons – one for melee attack, one for ranged weaponry and one for magic. A game-naïve person might be able to trounce a pack of enemies using only one, but the number of experience points you get from each victory increases as you mix combat styles and use the environment to best effect. And given that combat is entirely context sensitive in Fable 2 the environment becomes an essential part of your arsenal; stand near a wall, hit the melee button and you might flip off it to slam a knee into an enemy’s face. Attack whilst near an object lying on the floor and your character will kick it into someone’s stomach.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/jamesbob666/fable_2.jpg
It’s the realization of a mantra heard echoing throughout GDC this year: simplicity and depth. You don’t need a complex system for combat to be rich and rewarding, so the claim goes – and if additional experience points aren’t enough of an incentive, then Fable 2 ensures that experimentation leads to flashy camera angles, jump cuts and slow-motion sequences. High scores are a goal that seem arbitrary to the uninitiated, and likewise the intimidating sequences of buttons that are required in many a beat ‘em up – but Fable 2 smartly erases the barrier to entry, tying player ability to tangible things, such as speedier character progression and, more importantly, visual drama.
When Molyneux talks of drama, however, he isn’t referring to Fable 2’s cinematic flair. Nor does he mean the adherence to a particular narrative. Although there is a plot – one which Molyneux claims will challenge your morality like never before – the real drama is in how reactive the world of Albion feels. The people you encounter appreciate you for what you do, commenting on your recent behavior and changing their disposition towards you appropriately. Townsfolk for whom you have performed a favor will shower you with gifts. Your children will try to emulate your behavior, becoming vicious little proto-thugs if you misbehave or saccharine angels if you pursue the course of righteousness. Absentee parents will return to be berated by their forlorn offspring and given the cold shoulder by their estranged spouse.
Such a situation arose as Molyneux played live with co-op partner Josh Atkins of Microsoft Game Studios. Molyneux’s female character hadn’t returned home for six months, and the husband was not best pleased, launching into a tirade that was brought to an abrupt end by Atkins’ gun. The ability to enter into another player’s world and actively destroy all that they have carefully cultivated is a line few titles have dared to cross – but here Molyneux’s husband will stay dead; his child will be packed off to the orphanage. Player behavior has a significant and permanent effect on the world, and, as this cautionary tale proves, the world of those with whom you play.
Clearly, the ability to form a family at all is a major means by which Molyneux hopes the game’s world will capture the player’s emotions. Playing as either gender, you can find a partner, marry them, conceive children and have a family. Swollen bellies and bosoms are present and correct – Molyneux jokingly remarks that the labor minigames he had planned was a step too far. Then there’s your dog. More than a companion, the dog is also a replacement for a HUD. He will act as your lookout, alerting you to any dangers along the path and, more significantly, encourage you to step off that path, to walk away from your immediate goal and explore the world.
The hope is that, with your emotions engaged, your choices become far weightier, compounded by the fact that your behavior will have repercussions far down the line for both your own character, your family and the world. As with Fable, you will change in appearance depending on your behavior, but this time the choices will be less binary, making it harder to be the shining knight. Molyneux points to a moment some six hours into the game where you are asked to sacrifice something dear to you for the greater good, challenging your moral sensibilities. Equally, however, Molyneux says that being truly evil will be even less palatable than before, pointing out the surprising statistic that only ten percent of Fable’s players took to the dark side with any fervor. This time, Molyneux says, no more than five percent will have the stomach for it. Virtuous or evil, however, it looks like your family will be in for a rough ride; the real test of Fable 2 will be just how much we really care.
anyone else excited for this game?