www.lionhead.com/fable2/
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/...g=tabs;summary
Update:
http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3168898
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/...g=tabs;summary
Quote:
| Fable 2" is the highly anticipated sequel to the wildly successful original that sold more than 3 million copies, offering even more choices and building on the core gameplay theme of "Fable," where a player's every decision continually defines whom they become. "Fable 2" is an action role-playing game (RPG) that truly allows players to live the life they choose in the newly expanded open world of Albion. Set 500 years after the original, "Fable 2" will provide gamers with an epic story and innovative real-time gameplay, including a massive amount of freedom and choice to explore a vast collection of dungeons, catacombs and taverns in the world of Albion. Features
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Update:
http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3168898
Quote:
Previews: Fable 2 The long wait for a hero is almost over. You're reading an E3 2008 preview, which we've broken into three sections to make it easy to sift through during this week of convention madness. Check out E3.1UP.COM for all (meaning words, screens, and videos) of our E3 2008 coverage.What's the game about? By now you've no doubt heard about Peter Molyneux's ambitious role-playing game sequel (he's been talking, and talking, and talking, and talking, and talking, and talking about it for the past few years, so how could you have not?). There's been so much said and shown about the game's many features and innovations over the years that it's easy to forget that Fable 2 is, in fact, a real game that you will actually be playing this year. What's new for E3? "Fable 2 is finished," Molyneux announced at Microsoft's E3 press conference. Considering the legendary designer's habit of obsessing over gameplay innovations, often at the expense of release dates, this was the news that some thought they'd never hear. But it also meant that the game was fully playable in Microsoft's game lounge, giving us an opportunity to get our hands on the "final" product -- not just see yet another demonstration of its myriad features. What's our take? Of course, playing Fable 2 at E3, it was hard to get a real sense of whether all of the ideas and innovations that Molyneux and the rest of Lionhead included in the game have resulted in the epic experience they've promised, but I'm now so much closer to believing. The combat system appears to be a big success -- it's very much like promised, with simple-to-execute attacks, lots of combos (including combos between melee and magic attacks), and easy parries. The best part is how varied and rewarding the combat feels; the sword fighting or shooting feels more like your average action game than and RPG. It's also neat to see how the experience you gain varies based on your performance in battle, not just the number of enemies you fight. Also cool is how, when you die, you don't have to replay anything -- you simply reawaken in the battle sans any of the experience you would have earned. I also got a chance to experience some of the relationships in the game while interacting with some of the townsfolk. I flirted with a girl, and had I done so for a while longer she likely would have been willing to get married (getting hitched is one of the main aspects of Fable 2 -- and yes, if you were wondering, the game supports same-sex marriage -- though you need to make sure it's for the right reasons, as divorce results in you losing half of your loot). At one point a bard came to join my quest -- he sings songs based on how you play the game (for example, whether you win or lose battles or whether you succeed or fail in relationships). I also got to play around with the relationship between my dog and me. Of course, there were the simple things like playing fetch with him or seeing him scout, but what was most interesting was seeing him get hurt in battle. I had the ability to heal him -- but if I didn't, he would limp behind me, ultimately losing pace and falling far behind (what's interesting is that, like any good dog, he'll always make his way to you -- even if it's hours, or days, later). 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. |
