E3 Previews - Fable 2 and Fallout 3 38
While most of the games at the show are coming out this Holiday season, some are tantalizing glimpses of 2008. Two titles that are (most likely) coming out next year also happen to be highly anticipated follow-ups to RPGs. Bethesda's Fallout 3 has been getting the bulk of the press between the two, as the post-apocalyptic title recaptures the interest of veteran gamers looking for some nostalgia. Part Oblivion, part retro, part humor, and all Fallout , expectations still seem to be high despite the lack of hands-on experiences. Fable 2 has been an equally anticipated roleplaying title, as Peter Molyneux's promise to make us love NPCs stands as a challenge to the Lionhead team. After much discussion of other gameplay elements, the focus of presentations at this year's E3 appears to be on 'one button combat': "Imagine satisfying combat with just one button. Every movement of your weapon, every parry, thrust, and counter is controlled with a single button ... Swiping away at enemies was simple enough by just mashing away at the button, hearkening back to the simple sword combat of a game like Prince of Persia. There was far more depth to take advantage of, however. Holding down the button took a defensive stance, and parried incoming blows from all directions. That classic Hollywood swordfighting move, the behind the back parry was a piece of cake to pull off. More complex counter moves, ripostes and finishers are more difficult to pull off, requiring specific timing, but once again, it's all accomplished with a single button."
Single button combat isn't so great. (Score:3, Interesting)
Ryan Fenton
Would like to see more of Fable 2 (Score:5, Interesting)
I like second chances though and with more powerful hardware, the Xbox 360 might help bring some of the missing features in the first game to the sequel. The only problems I'm seeing so far is that Molyneux seems to be making grand claims again and I'm wondering if they'll pan out or I'll just be left disappointed again. It's nice to hear that the game is looking good, but with the hardware capabilities of the Xbox 360 any game can look good if it wants to look good. He really needs to worry less about the looks and more about making sure there's plenty of feature rich gameplay. You can always spend the last few months touching up the graphics, but it's a real pain in the ass to make sure last minute feataure additions work smoothly.
I'm a little leery after the last go-around, but I'm still hopeful that Fable 2 shapes up into an excellent game. Maybe it will be the game that motivates me to go out and buy an Xbox 360.
Re:Would like to see more of Fable 2 (Score:5, Interesting)
In a broader sense though, I think that gaming really suffers from a lack of Strong AI. Developers have been trying to do what Molyneux hyped up for "Black & White" since at least the early '90's. There was an early preview of a medieval RPG in CGW, whose name I can't remember, but they were hoping to have really deep and complex NPCs, and a dynamic political Arthurian environment that behaved in a natural way, with Romance, and Fights, and the whole shebang (on 486's no less!) Needless to say, they ran into some heavy problems and the project died, never to see the light of day. Can you imagine the kinds of games possible with Strong (or even strong-ish) AI? Games with the real, equivalent of a GM behind them? Stuff that would make Neverwinter Nights with its limited human GM tools look like the first Wizardry from 1980? Truly dynamic scenarios and rewards?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
At any rate, with a market of mostly casual gamers, what's the point in spending money on AI when normal gamers get beat up on easy as is? (It's a real downer to realize that I'm dumb, though
Re: (Score:2)
Personally, I'm interested in the dog element of the game. Having grown up with a German Shepard as a kid, and knowing how attached you can get to pets, I'm digging a lot what Molyneux discussed at the last Fable 2 showing. It definitely adds to the immersiveness of the game, if you start growing attached to your dog. (Of course, if you've never grown up around pets
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
if only (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:1)
A few tips (Score:2)
Same thing with the nipples: some like really hard,
Re: (Score:2)
Happy (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
The main story line had exactly one path through it which is not a short coming that Fallout or several other great RPGs suffer.
And hundreds of q
Re:Happy (Score:4, Insightful)
It seems like the very vocal "Fallout" fanbase just wants the exact same game as last time. It was a great game, don't get me wrong, but its greatness is as much a result of its time & place & the players' age/expectations as a result of the particular display technology.
It's very much like all the people that went & saw Star Wars in whatever the most recent re-release was. It wasn't nearly as jaw dropping a spectacle because:
- effects have gotten better
- paradigms that were established in the original have now become cliche
- you're not the starry-eyed 12 year old you were back then, and never will be again.
Re: (Score:1, Interesting)
Nah, Fallout fans want a game designed for PCs rather than one designed for Xbox.
Re: (Score:1)
You'd think this might be a good thing, but it's little more than Bethesda throwing old-school Fallout fans a bone. And not a particularly meaty bone, as the iso viewpoint cannot be used for combat, and I don't see it working very well when you're indoors. In other words, it's useless.
As you said, the turn-based combat is gone, and that's probably th
Fable 2, Yes! (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I had fun for about two hours being evil to people, but after I realized it has no effect on the game at-large, I really didn't care anymore. If I'd wanted to just play a sandbox game, I'd have played The Sims.
Re:Fable 2, Yes! or the Virtues of Evil (Score:1)
I had fun for about two hours being evil to people, but after I realized it has no effect on the game at-large, I really didn't care anymore. If I'd wanted to just play a sandbox game, I'd have played The Sims.
Exactly. The red smoke and h
Can't Wait to play Fable II on my Wii (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
Just my opinion.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Perhaps I'm just being picky on nomenclature but I see previews as something in the beta tests or a version that's almost ready for consumption. Even almost ready to send off for reviewers. On the other hand, teasers are things like this where they show off some features in the game or provide insight into the game's story and concepts.
In short: Teasers create interest and build hype. Previews show off ready product (or almost) and let people know they are almost ready for you.
Re: (Score:1)
Part Oblivion... ...all Fallout (Score:1)