Fable 2

[StefanS]

I have mixed feelings about this. The game is promising, I prefer this to japanese RPGs, the dog and the coop play all have a lot of potential. The technical part of the graphics looks impressive, and all my friends tell me Fable 1 was a very good game already.

I wouldn't call it a very good game, it was merely decent. Lots of the stuff promised by Molyneux somehow was absent in the final game. Moreover, it wasn't exactly a RPG, it was more of an action-adventure, TBH and it had its fair share of flaws and imbalances (e.g. mana shield + big ass sword was ridiculously powerful, I didn't even get scratched at all, against the bosses). The quests were nearly always linear and offered no choice to the player (no moral dilemmas, etc.) [in fact, thinking back the only choice offered was what happened after the last boss* of the original game].
The were some novelties: Your character aging & receiving scars, picking up random women [though receiving scars didn't really affect your chances of picking up women if you were somewhat famous], but all of them had zero impact on the gameplay. They were more of gimmick than a part of the gameplay.
Ok that sound awfully negative, so let me reiterate: it wasn't a bad game, just not an RPG. I had fun playing it (otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to finish it or the expansion), but I wouldn't call it "very good".


* not counting the expansion "The Lost Chapters"

 

[Tap In]

I look forward to the open nature of the gameplay rather than the more linear version that was Fable1.

Looks great, i hope it delivers in engaging me in the story while allowing me to free roam as the story develops .

 

[AlNom]

I noticed in one of the gamersyde videos that there was a countdown timer: "Time before Theresa returns". hum... any relation to the first game?

 

[Malibu]

Gamespot: Fable II Impressions - Meet The Bard

The most memorable of these features was undoubtedly our first encounter with the bard character who, after you meet him in the game, will come and find you anytime you enter a major city. He'll follow you around, he'll talk at you incessantly, and he'll sing songs about your recent exploits--regardless of whether or not they're things that you're proud of. In short, he's annoying enough after a short time to test the patience of a saint. That's probably why Molyneux, who's known to favor playing as evil characters in his games, seized the first available opportunity to lure this guy under a bridge and kill him. Problem solved. If you choose to do something similar you'll never encounter the bard again.

On this occasion, though, Molyneux hadn't been quite as sneaky with his assassination as he thought, and a few minutes later the city of Bowerstone's alarm bell's started ringing and he was apprehended. At this point he was presented with three options: Pay a fine of 500 gold, resist the arrest and get into a fight, or agree to community service. The latter won't involve repainting a school or repairing a broken-down playground, but it'll open up otherwise unavailable side quests that involve, for example, clearing a campsite of troublesome goblins.

When asked about the nature of Fable II's achievements, Molyneux also alluded to another possible source of income; buying a property and renting it out. One of the achievements in the game will purportedly reward you for being an "evil landlord" and dramatically increasing the rent on property that you own while tenants are residing there. Another, completely unrelated achievement will increase your gamerscore if you have a penchant for kicking chickens.

Even if you choose to specialize in just one fighting style you'll have plenty of freedom to customize your moves. For example, for a melee-oriented character you can spend points on upgrading several different areas, including flourishes, environmental kills, and combos.

 

[Malibu]

Interesting piece of news I heard on the 1UP Yours podcast. The person that invites someone into their world has the safety control, and as long as you leave safety on, the other person can't kill any of your important characters. :smile:

 

[Malibu]

Gamespot stage show demo.

http://www.gamespot.com/video/927246/6194517/videoplayerpop?rgroup=e32008_videos

 

[RobertR1]

The depth it in this game seem amazing. It's one of those games where there is no "right" way to play. Similar to Mass Effect, I'll make the choice *I* would as the character and not let it influenced by achievements. Then we'll see what I end up looking like

 

[rekator]

I wouldn't call it a very good game, it was merely decent. Lots of the stuff promised by Molyneux somehow was absent in the final game. Moreover, it wasn't exactly a RPG, it was more of an action-adventure, TBH and it had its fair share of flaws and imbalances (e.g. mana shield + big ass sword was ridiculously powerful, I didn't even get scratched at all, against the bosses). The quests were nearly always linear and offered no choice to the player (no moral dilemmas, etc.) [in fact, thinking back the only choice offered was what happened after the last boss* of the original game].
The were some novelties: Your character aging & receiving scars, picking up random women [though receiving scars didn't really affect your chances of picking up women if you were somewhat famous], but all of them had zero impact on the gameplay. They were more of gimmick than a part of the gameplay.
Ok that sound awfully negative, so let me reiterate: it wasn't a bad game, just not an RPG. I had fun playing it (otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to finish it or the expansion), but I wouldn't call it "very good".


* not counting the expansion "The Lost Chapters"

Well, base on your description, we can say that many so called "RPG" games are not RPG, but adventure games, and I agree with you, specially all the JRPG stuff.
And for the promise of Fable, I remember that all these promises were done when Fable was not a console game…

 

[AW0L]

i always held jrpgs as a mix of story adventure stratigy games and games like san andreas GTA and elder scrolls as more truer RPG's. BAck in the day with video games being limited ,jrpg as a rpg would fly.

 

[Malibu]

Fable II's Condoms Made From "Only The Very Best Animal Intestines"

Nothing matches the sexual intimacy of sheep guts. Lionhead Studios knows this, so for Fable II's casual sex seekers, they're offering a handy prophylactic made from only the finest internal animal organs. In-game condoms are essential, should you want to take a wife and remain free of rugrats. We're stocking up for the game's longer, colder, lonelier nights.

 

[Malibu]

1UP Hands-On

But the best part of playing Fable 2 was just seeing how polished it felt. The voice acting, the story, the visuals -- they're all extremely well done. In an event with so many games all vying for attention, Fable 2 stood out in my mind as something really special. Exactly how special remains to be seen -- the proof will be in the long-term play once it's released -- but what I played these past few days has me quite excited.

Chatting with Peter Molyneux during the show, he tells of how, working late one night at Lionhead, he came across game composer Russell Shaw with tears in his eyes. Worried, he went over and asked Shaw what was wrong. Shaw, who has worked with Peter for the past 15 years, had just finished playing through Fable 2 and told Peter that it was the most incredible game he'd ever played.

Peter's a great storyteller. He's often criticized for all of the hype he speaks and his inability to deliver on it. This is one of those cases, though, where it really may be justified.

 

[eastmen]

FYI , Gamestop got in the pre-order bonus pub games. Every Gamestop is different , however all the stores should have them by Friday.

 

[PARANOiA]

Gamespot has named this their best title of E3. Anticipation rising

 

[Malibu]

Fable II Environment Showcase

GameSpy is pleased to unveil a trio of environments from Lionhead Studios' highly anticipated Fable II. When building a fantasy world, it's important to provide memorable locales that offer tantalizing opportunities for adventure. We'll begin this feature with an exclusive video, followed by descriptions from the design team and images of these previously unexplored regions.

GameSpy: One of the themes of Fable II is providing the player with the freedom to change the world around them. How does this impact level design?

Iain Wright: It has a huge effect on the way we structure and build the regions, in some cases a single region can drastically change in as many as five major ways with variants and combinations within that. We have to build and keep track of all of those potential changes and when they get switched on and off. We also have the more standard changes like time of day, weather and seasons.

One of the great things about being able to play Fable II online with friends is that you can see firsthand how different their world is in comparison to yours, and it's extremely unlikely that everyone will make the same choices across the entire game. Expect to see a lot of different versions of Albion.

Video

 

[iceberg187]

Fable II Environment Showcase







Video

looks awesome

 

[RobertR1]

As great as it looks, the music was what grabbed me the most. Preorder placed and got my pub games code today.

 

[Tap In]

Listening to the 1up E3 podcast I remember them saying that the combat had this intense cadence in time to the music where if you got in rhythm with it that your combat improved and you would have great battles. they said it was intoxicating once you learned how to do it.

This is a must buy for me although not my usual cup of tea... I hope it lives up to my expectations

 

[Arwin]

Hmmm, now I'm down on the game again. Weird effect this game has on me. Up-down-up-down.

 

[Malibu]

So there's an exploit in the Fable 2 Pub Games (Fortunes Tower), where you bet the minimum and while the cards begin to deal, you hold down LB (which bets the maximum), but it will only take the minimum from your bank. As you play more and unlock new decks that allow you to bet more, you really start to roll in the money. I've got a little over 250,000G. I think that's enough and I probably won't play anymore.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Doesn't that ruin the progression of the game somewhat? Like starting an RPG with a top-level character. Part of the fun of the early points in RPGs IMO is struggling by with shoddy equipment, always keen to find something new. Later on there's always far more money than things to spend it on and collecting loot is no longer fun.

Of course you don't have to associate the gambler with the player character, so that money could be left in the bank and used for a different character to contrast the game played from nothing and played from being a millionaire.