So, Fable 2

[vimes]

It's due in less than a week, and weirdly enough I don't seem to know that much about the actual game :I remember the hype about the dog and a but less about the one button system but that's pretty much it ... no review in sight either. Weird for such a high profile game, heh ?

[Chris]

Review embargo is up tomorrow.

[toblix]

Review embargo is up tomorrow.

Chris you're so busy doing the podcast that you can't even take the time to type "the"?

[Roderick]

He made up for it with a sound capital letter on 'Review'!

[Scrobbs]

EG gave it 10 out of 10. I'm tempted, although not purely because of the score, but it does indeed sound a very good game.

[Chris]

For those who are interested, here are my impressions:

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/10/in_depth_on_fable_ii_real_estate.php

[vimes]

If I understood your description, then I'm a bit disappointed that love and relationships in general are exclusively driven by minigames.

I find it also strange that they provided a form of feedback as clear as icons to tell you if someone is ready to get married or shagged : I thought the dog was an eternally faithful companion to return to if you failed your relationships with people; so, I expected that human relationships would be demanding and inherently ambiguous.

[Roderick]

Gonna buy this on day one, I don't need any reviews or recommendations.

Molyneux had me at 'you'. Followed by that I'll love his dog. My dog. A dog.

[Chris]

If I understood your description, then I'm a bit disappointed that love and relationships in general are exclusively driven by minigames.

I find it also strange that they provided a form of feedback as clear as icons to tell you if someone is ready to get married or shagged : I thought the dog was an eternally faithful companion to return to if you failed your relationships with people; so, I expected that human relationships would be demanding and inherently ambiguous.

Yeah it was pretty much the least absorbing part of the game for me. I mean you can make a dozen people fall in love with you simultaneously just by dancing around for a while when they're all within a few yards, which kind of dulls the impact.

[Scrobbs]

Bet legions of pissed blokes in clubs wished that happened in real life. They'd be as happy as Gary Glitter on a bouncy castle.

[vimes]

By the way, is it very different from the first game ?

[Chris]

By the way, is it very different from the first game ?

Not as much as I was expecting. It's a lot more ambitious in the way it handles things like the interrelationships between your character's traits and the world, but the thing is, those changes aren't really all that visible and tangible in the end user play experience. It still FEELS quite similar. I mean they definitely improved it, no question, it just doesn't feel revolutionary or anything.

[Zaarin]

So I went to the game's Wikipedia article and it's all "relationships, blablabla". I tried searching for the word "plot" and I got no results. Does the game have one or is it all a medieval soap opera?

[Chris]

So I went to the game's Wikipedia article and it's all "relationships, blablabla". I tried searching for the word "plot" and I got no results. Does the game have one or is it all a medieval soap opera?

It's extraordinarily generic. You're a hero, prophesied or destined or whatever with power beyond that of most humans, and there's a really evil dude who wants to enslave the world, and you kill him, and there's a vague and plot-convenient all-seeing guide character who can talk to you telepathically and help you out in all sorts of ways whenever a deus ex machina is required.

[toblix]

It's extraordinarily generic. You're a hero, prophesied or destined or whatever with power beyond that of most humans, and there's a really evil dude who wants to enslave the world, and you kill him, and there's a vague and plot-convenient all-seeing guide character who can talk to you telepathically and help you out in all sorts of ways whenever a deus ex machina is required.

SPOILER

[Chris]

I mean, like, figuratively. With jokes.

Does his life end? I'm not telling.

[toblix]

I hope he turns out to be my father. Then I kill him!

[miffy495]

*THE FOLLOWING POST TO BE READ IN A STEREOTYPICAL STONER VOICE*

Man, what if we made a game where the hero makes his way to the boss over an epic 30 hour adventure, but then right before they fight, the boss has a stroke or something and the hero has to take care of him and watch him slowly die of natural causes while coming to terms with his own mortality. The real boss would be, like, the cold realization and depression that comes along with coming face to face with death.

...And then you kick a giant dragon right in the balls!

PS: No stealing my ideas for Fable 3, Molyneux. You know you want to...

[Roderick]

I've got the game, woot! First impressions are pretty good; there's great atmosphere and you just gotta love the overall Britishness of the characters with their insane top hats.

Negative points are the sluggish controls (you know you're in trouble when you'd rather navigate by turning the camera rather than actually steering your avatar) the graphical glitches (text not showing up, characters disappearing, overal choppiness) and the annoyingly depressing menu music. The music in the rest of the game is super great, especially Bowerstone has this cool rickety, industrious tune to it... so why go with the pensive, brooding stuff in the menu? It totally makes me not want to go there.

The good stuff is all the things you can do aside the game. I've already worked a lot at the blacksmith and raised enough money to buy a few stalls on the bridge. This because I'll be going on a holiday soon, and the shops will actually earn me money every few minutes while I'm away. I fully expect to be filthy rich when I get back in a week.

[lobotomy42]

If I understood your description, then I'm a bit disappointed that love and relationships in general are exclusively driven by minigames.

Hey, I absolutely loved the dancing mini-game in Sid Meier's Pirates! I think you may have just sold me on this game!

[Nachimir]

This because I'll be going on a holiday soon, and the shops will actually earn me money every few minutes while I'm away. I fully expect to be filthy rich when I get back in a week.

Don't forget, things apparently earn 12x more money if you leave your xbox running...

[Roderick]

Even without calculating, I already assumed precisely that =)

Still gonna make over 6000 gold pieces by doing nothing, which is awesome.

[vimes]

Err, what's the best way to buy a US game to ship to Europe (I've got a US 360 and I fear it's not going to be compatible) ?

[toblix]

I'd use DVDBoxOffice, but that's just me.

[MrChaz]

Well I'm enjoying it and I've found a nice little exploit that will give me essentially free money. Which is great because I can skip the OCD jobs and get on with playing the game.