Fable II Previews, Molyneux Opinions 74
Fable II is due out next month, so it's been making the rounds for previews. So has its creator, Peter Molyneux. He talks with Joystiq about the game's Co-op feature, which allows players to drop into the games of others, getting a look at how it would have played out had they made different choices. Molyneux also offered a frank interview to CVG about flaws in the game, such as poor lip-syncing and the occasional "low-spot." (This comes two weeks after he unabashedly rated it as a 9/10 game.) Joystiq also got several hours to preview the game, and Gamespy gave it a test drive recently as well.
Vid (Score:4, Interesting)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i94LVacr8RE [youtube.com]
Re:It's a Peter Molyneaux game (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:It's a Peter Molyneaux game (Score:5, Interesting)
As far as RPGs go it was horrid. It was really more of an action adventure game with hints of interactivity. It was definitely entertaining, but far too easy and way too linear. More than anything, it showed a lot of missed opportunity. It was well worth playing regardless, especially with the added content and superior controls on the PC. I can't wait to do LAN co-op when the PC version of the sequel eventually hits.
Re:Only a 9/10 rating from Molyneux himself? (Score:3, Interesting)
I played a demo they brought to PAX'08. The control mechanics were miles beyond Fable. Unfortunately there was only one level to run through on rails to the end fight. You could, however, pick from melee, ranged, or magic templates and hop right in.
Can't tell you anythin' about the story, but I will say I am actually considering finally buying a X360 for this.
The games haven't kept up with the times (Score:5, Interesting)
If you look at the games, then the first ones are "simple" straightforward games that do one thing and do them well.
The second batch tries to do a lot, but then fail to actually deliver on any front instead becoming a confusing mix of micro-management and rigid gameplay.
Black&White failed because it tried to marry a creature sim with a empire building game with some RTS elements. None of them felt connected and it all just became a matter of baby sitting your civilisation and constantly having to attend to their needs with no AI to take care of the most mundane task. The creature part wasn't as rich as promised and the micro-manangement needs of your tribe soon wore your down and stopped you from exploring wandering until you just told you tribe to go screw it self.
Fable again, what was it? A hack&slash, an RPG, a empire-builder? You had lots of elements, but what were they together. There was a story, a path of good and evil but what did it all do. The story itself, was far to linear, good was just looking out for yourself and evil just being mean.
All that supposed complexity came at a price of the most simplistic combat this side of a gameboy, all weapons hit the same, wielded the same so it was just a matter of picking the one with the higest stats. The AI was moronic, none of the battles challenging.
The movies tried to marry a movie creation program with a management game. The movie creation element was okay and people still create movies with them but the management element was buggy as hell (after a certain point, right in the middle of the depression, NOBODY would be looking for a job) and again, way to mired in micro-management forcing you to handhold your employees through every stage rather then being allowed to just get on with it. People who play the game have modded it to remove almost all management elements from the 'game' and just use it is a movie-maker.
That is really this guys problem, he needs to focus on ONE aspect of his game and then do that well. Not try to make the mother of all games, combining every feature. If Molynoux ran a F1 team, F1 cars would have winches because winches are useful. It would however be a winch with a 1 meter cable. The prize would be that the car could only drive in 1st gear. But hey, it is a F1 car with a winch, nobody has ever done that before.
No indeed, nobody has ever done games the way Molyneux has done them. Perhaps that is a clue.