Played a bit now. Must admit I thought the GFX are a bit weak and it feels slow, but it's still Fable at heart and great for it. I could really sit down and lose a week here!
Fable 2
- Thread starter Malibu
- Start date
There appears to be a bug in the crucible battles, which is crucial if you're trying to get the perfect fights. If you use slow time then whilst the actual time in the bottom-right reflects this - the final time shown when you complete the battle doesn't.
e.g. If you use slow time, the actual time you took could be 1m40s (and the time it displays in the bottom right during the battle), whereas the final time it gives when you finish is likely to be something like 2m10s. The difference I guess being 30s worth of you slowing down time.
Ah well, I'll have to get the perfect fight bonus on my second run through where I'll take a little more care!
e.g. If you use slow time, the actual time you took could be 1m40s (and the time it displays in the bottom right during the battle), whereas the final time it gives when you finish is likely to be something like 2m10s. The difference I guess being 30s worth of you slowing down time.
Ah well, I'll have to get the perfect fight bonus on my second run through where I'll take a little more care!
Been playing this the whole week, so a few thoughts. It really isn't perfect, but it's pretty good (the dog is great, though). Only about halfway down the story, though so far I'm sorta annoyed at how it plays out:
The combat is fun so far; it's not particularly deep, but it's flashy and the way guns send people flying is just really visceral. My bigger problem is money; you can get tons and tons of it if you become a real-estate mogul... but the problem is that the game seems to expect you'll do that. The best weapons are awfully expensive, 'Master' class weapons are more expensive than most buildings in the game. In fact, I think you can buy the entire gypsy village with change left over for what you'd pay for a Master Axe with two augment slots.
And finally, I can see why people say it's the anti-Oblivion. Both approach the NPC issue from diametrically opposite positions, though they come to similar conclusions. In Oblivion, you could have conversations with NPCs, but no other sort of meaningful interaction other than the stupid bribe/impress/etc. minigame. No one has any personality, really.
In Fable, though, you can have meaningful interactions with just about anyone, but they still don't have personalities, unless you consider the way different positive or negative numbers appear over their heads to be a personality. So it's not really that meaningful. It's more of a simulation, and you can have fun messing with the dials. It's especially annoying for the marriage aspect; I'd have preferred fewer, prebuilt eligible people. You already can't marry anyone you want, thanks to gender, so I don't even think this'd be that restrictive. It's also pretty annoying how attractiveness makes EVERYONE like you. I go into a town wearing +attractiveness tattoos, and a full suit of upper class clothes and all the attractiveness I can muster and everyone loves me immediately, it seems.
The way your body changes as you level up is interesting too, but I think that especially the will-user glowy runes thing is too loud. You can barely see your characters through them. I'd have liked to have a 'plastic surgeon' (Saints Row 2 spoiled me) that allowed me to tweak my body for even a hefty price.
1) Theresa: Do this.
2) *player does it, something bad happens*
3) Theresa: Didn't see that coming.
4) Goto 1.
It's that, over and over, including the incredibly poorly-planned Spire rescue. I've read some story spoilers, I realize that this may all be some foreshadowing, but why do you have to be Claude from GTA3 with Theresa playing the contacts?
2) *player does it, something bad happens*
3) Theresa: Didn't see that coming.
4) Goto 1.
It's that, over and over, including the incredibly poorly-planned Spire rescue. I've read some story spoilers, I realize that this may all be some foreshadowing, but why do you have to be Claude from GTA3 with Theresa playing the contacts?
The combat is fun so far; it's not particularly deep, but it's flashy and the way guns send people flying is just really visceral. My bigger problem is money; you can get tons and tons of it if you become a real-estate mogul... but the problem is that the game seems to expect you'll do that. The best weapons are awfully expensive, 'Master' class weapons are more expensive than most buildings in the game. In fact, I think you can buy the entire gypsy village with change left over for what you'd pay for a Master Axe with two augment slots.
And finally, I can see why people say it's the anti-Oblivion. Both approach the NPC issue from diametrically opposite positions, though they come to similar conclusions. In Oblivion, you could have conversations with NPCs, but no other sort of meaningful interaction other than the stupid bribe/impress/etc. minigame. No one has any personality, really.
In Fable, though, you can have meaningful interactions with just about anyone, but they still don't have personalities, unless you consider the way different positive or negative numbers appear over their heads to be a personality. So it's not really that meaningful. It's more of a simulation, and you can have fun messing with the dials. It's especially annoying for the marriage aspect; I'd have preferred fewer, prebuilt eligible people. You already can't marry anyone you want, thanks to gender, so I don't even think this'd be that restrictive. It's also pretty annoying how attractiveness makes EVERYONE like you. I go into a town wearing +attractiveness tattoos, and a full suit of upper class clothes and all the attractiveness I can muster and everyone loves me immediately, it seems.
The way your body changes as you level up is interesting too, but I think that especially the will-user glowy runes thing is too loud. You can barely see your characters through them. I'd have liked to have a 'plastic surgeon' (Saints Row 2 spoiled me) that allowed me to tweak my body for even a hefty price.
obonicus, I agree with the body runes. They're too pronounced.
As for the attractiveness, I guess they assume that wearing those clothes and having those tattoos means you want everyone to fall in love with you. I don't think this social things are meant to be difficult, because they're always easy. They're just there to tailor the image and persona of your character. At first I was a little surprised at how easy it was to get people to love, hate, marry, etc you, but then I realized it wasn't supposed to be a challenge. Really, not much of the game is mean to be a challenge, exactly. The mindset seems to be that you create the character you want to play through your actions, and the actions themselves are both the fun and the reward. There's no real losing. Combat isn't even challenging, really. The fun in combat is pulling off cool attacks, and using the attacks that you think are entertaining. On all levels the game is somewhat of a sim where you have to entertain yourself. The game does not push you so much. It's weird. I think some people won't enjoy it. Really depends on what you're looking for in a game.
As for the attractiveness, I guess they assume that wearing those clothes and having those tattoos means you want everyone to fall in love with you. I don't think this social things are meant to be difficult, because they're always easy. They're just there to tailor the image and persona of your character. At first I was a little surprised at how easy it was to get people to love, hate, marry, etc you, but then I realized it wasn't supposed to be a challenge. Really, not much of the game is mean to be a challenge, exactly. The mindset seems to be that you create the character you want to play through your actions, and the actions themselves are both the fun and the reward. There's no real losing. Combat isn't even challenging, really. The fun in combat is pulling off cool attacks, and using the attacks that you think are entertaining. On all levels the game is somewhat of a sim where you have to entertain yourself. The game does not push you so much. It's weird. I think some people won't enjoy it. Really depends on what you're looking for in a game.
Gradthrawn
Veteran
I like the way they approached the leveling system. Action based, similar to Oblivion, but eliminates some of the unnecessary tedium that system can create by condensing it to 3 total stats. Plus the general experience points helps to round it out, making it easy to bolster one area if you're lacking in it, without having to shoehorn it into your combat style. Frankly, the numerical leveling system some games use doesn't make sense to me in certain contexts. My character's been a solider for years, is suppose to be some badass, yet I start out as a wimpy level 1? 
I'm not referring to any game in particular there, just giving an example.
I do have a question for those who have also completed the game.
I'm not referring to any game in particular there, just giving an example. I do have a question for those who have also completed the game.
Is Lady Grey the only unique character you can marry? From my experimentation, upon marriage, everyone else, like stall vendors and shop owners, will simply be replaced by a character who looks exactly like them (albeit with different preferences). From what I've seen, Lady Grey is the only one with a unique character model and some unique dialogue (that you can marry). Although her voice seems to be shared.
Gah, I really, really hated the way the ending to the game was handled.
Here! Have a bunch of choices! But hope you don't mind that the really important parts, you're just guided along.
Why can't I attack Lucien when he shows up in the Circle of Heroes? What sort of cheap final battle is 'Hold A'? If they make me hate Reaver so much, why the hell can't I shoot him in the head when everything's done? I mean, there's a choice, but it's just this tacked-on, last-minute-of-game thing.
I sorta suspected the game would go this way by the Spire thing, when Theresa told me to go enter it to rescue Garth with no clear plan on how to get to him, how to get out or even what was going on inside. I suppose they wanted to build Theresa up as a bit of a sinister character, and yeah, they accomplished that, but they also established that your character will do anything she tells them to.
Why can't I attack Lucien when he shows up in the Circle of Heroes? What sort of cheap final battle is 'Hold A'? If they make me hate Reaver so much, why the hell can't I shoot him in the head when everything's done? I mean, there's a choice, but it's just this tacked-on, last-minute-of-game thing.
I sorta suspected the game would go this way by the Spire thing, when Theresa told me to go enter it to rescue Garth with no clear plan on how to get to him, how to get out or even what was going on inside. I suppose they wanted to build Theresa up as a bit of a sinister character, and yeah, they accomplished that, but they also established that your character will do anything she tells them to.
Not pop in but my console started going ape shit with drive thrashing and the dvd drive constantly spinning up . That happens at about 6 hours into play.
Any bets on what the "big news" will be?
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2008/11/12/big-fable-ii-announcement-incoming
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2008/11/12/big-fable-ii-announcement-incoming
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Expansion DLC?
Dog armour DLC
Well deserved:
"Since its U.S. launch on Oct. 21, “Fable II” has sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide for Xbox 360 in the first two weeks of retail, making it the fastest selling RPG on Xbox 360 and the most popular game, across all platforms, in the US in October. (October NPD data and Microsoft Internal Data)"
Should do well through the Holidays and in the long run. Bring forth my expansion
"Since its U.S. launch on Oct. 21, “Fable II” has sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide for Xbox 360 in the first two weeks of retail, making it the fastest selling RPG on Xbox 360 and the most popular game, across all platforms, in the US in October. (October NPD data and Microsoft Internal Data)"
Should do well through the Holidays and in the long run. Bring forth my expansion
Gradthrawn
Veteran
Hopefully a huge bug patch. I've already got some quest breaking ones (thankfully, I never ran into any that stopped the main quest).
Really? I haven't seen any bugs yet, or at least I didn't notice them.
I'm hoping that the "big news" might include improvements to co-op allowing independent cameras online, or even true avatars rather than the henchman. The camera is a really big one for me. If they restrict you to the same area, I'm fine with that.
If they want to add crazy new features then I'm all for it.
For the most part, what I want is MORE CONTENT.