Fable 2 - Spring Showcase '08 Preview
Jon Wilcox
14/05/2008
One of Microsoft's heavyweights for 2008 continues to impress at the San Francisco showcase...
First unveiled with a teaser trailer alongside others for Halo 3 back at the last 'true' incarnation of E3 in 2006, Lionhead's Fable 2 is now just months away from shipping. Set 500 years after the events of the 2004 original, which delighted and mildly disappointed in equal measure, Peter Molyneux's return to the fantastical world of Albion has been at the forefront of several Expos and Conferences ever since.
So with its Autumn '08 release period rapidly approaching, it was no surprise to discover Fable 2's attendance at Microsoft's Xbox 360 Spring Showcase 2008 event in San Francisco (especially since the itinerary arrived several days in advance at TVG Towers). Set aside from the showcase floor in a room above the likes of Too Human, Banjo, and Ninja Gaiden II, Lionhead's upcoming follow-up shared its time with another Microsoft Game Studios behemoth, Epic Games' Gears of War 2 - but Cliffy B's sightseeing trip in the mountainsides of Sera will have to wait for now.
Voyages Of Discovery.
There was an air of conviction and confidence about Peter Molyneux as he stood in front of the two large screens at the start of the presentation, speaking about his intentions for his latest baby. Revealing that Showcase provided the opportunity to share the opening moments of Fable 2 for the very first time, the Lionhead boss was far from the over-excitable Molyneux with over-elaborate ideas that he's sometimes seen as being...
Describing the early story arc of Fable 2 as a "voyage of discovery" in a similar fashion to super-hero origin stories, the first scenes of the game begin with a stunningly realised cut-scene as we follow a small bird flying through the snow-covered landscape of Bowerlake, on its way to perch on a stone wall in Bowerstone slums...where we watch it do what birds on ledges frequently do, and promptly follow the bird poo drop down and land on the head of the hero. A tongue-in-cheek entrance to the game, it's one of few cut-scenes being added to Fable 2, thanks to Molyneux's philosophy of minimising the amount of time that control is removed from the player. In fact, just four and a half minutes of cut-scenes are being prepared for Fable 2 - it's certainly a far cry from certain established Japan RPGs...
Throwing control of the game into the hands of the player right in the immediate aftermath of the bird crap splatting onto the young would-be hero's head, players are also introduced to one of the main features of Fable 2: companions. The most famous companion revealed in the game to date is a dog, but right at the start of the game, it's a girl (the hero's sister) called Rose. But the early addition of a companion wasn't the key point made by Molyneux - it was the very obvious lack of any sort of HUD. That means no mini-map, no health bar, no magic bar, no icons for the selected weapon...nothing. It's something of a bold move by the Lionhead team, and an attempt to follow other recent videogames to create much more cinematic, and therefore more immersive, experience for gamers. It also removes the clutter from the screen, allowing us to see the incredible visual style of the game itself.
The "voyage of discovery" won't rest with the story of the hero however; the soundbite also describes another key element of Fable 2, in that it's 100% free-roaming. The notion of being able to jump over any wall, go inside any house, go down any cellar, or just explore the world, obliterates one of the definite disappointments of the first title, even if the feature throws up quite an obstacle for Molyneux and his team: in a 100% free-roaming world, how do you navigate without the obligatory on-screen mini-map???
As if the world of Albion didn't already resemble the most incredible realisation of fairy tales, Fable 2 includes a Hanzel & Gretel-style 'bread-crumb trail' to guide gamers (if they wish) directly to where their objective is. Described by Molyneux as the game's equivalent of sat-nav, the trail also means that safe passage can always be found if players find themselves off the beaten track, or stuck at the bottom of cliffs with no visible means of escape. Naturally, we hope it's an option that can be switched on and off at will by players until it's needed, but the trail at least allows Lionhead to remove the mini-map lynchpin that's stereotypical of the RPG genre. The implementation of a "lookout trigger", which zooms in on interesting elements in an area, such as conversations between characters, or even beautiful sunsets, is another feature that Lionhead hopes will help engage players in the world around them - it's also the rather handy enemy lock-on during combat.
Conversations in particular form a very important part (naturally) in Fable 2, especially with the minimal number of cut-scenes to move the story on. With the rather Obi-Wan Kenobi-like reassurance offered by Molyneux that "I will always want you to be the hero you want to be" buzzing through our ears, the fact that making gestures (such as farting) during conversations with characters changes their course and how they feel about the hero, it's difficult not to see exactly how dynamic Lionhead is trying to make Fable 2. But conversations are just the tip of the iceberg...
Who Needs Aesop???
The early 'bedding in' stages of the game follows our young hero around the slums of Bowerstone, with its overhanging warped roofs and cobbled roads. It also turns out that the simple start to the story, which sews the seeds for the rest of the game, begins here: a seller tries to get the hero to buy a 'magic box' for five gold pieces. Being a street urchin means that players don't have the money to pay for the box, so the introduction of the first quest is revealed, getting the hero to find some criminal warrants that have been blown away from the city guards. Given five gold pieces as a reward, players have the choice of giving the warrants back, or just legging it back to the seller like the little 'Artful Dodger' that you are. But this is Fable 2, and the decision of the player at that point radically changes the fortunes of the slums later in the game: if the guards have the warrants, then the criminals are captured and the slums are transformed into successful marketplaces ten years later; if not, then the slums become even more of a criminal hive. The choice is yours...
Either way, the magic box is soon in your possession, and its tick is revealed: a single wish can be granted. Making a wish to see the ruler of Albion, Lucien, the events rapidly become increasingly tragic as the player begins down the road to become a hero (we won't reveal the spoiler). Ten years on, and the hero is in a gypsy village, where he's now a young adult. Cue Mr Molyneux, and his explanation of Experience Points and combat in Fable 2.
Despite the lack of HUD, cut-scenes, the notion that every character in the game is an individual simulation, the 'bread-crumb' trail, and companions, it was at this point that the "biggest change" in Fable 2 was revealed: that players will no longer receive gold for completing quests, only experience points. It's a fundamental change in the game, ensuring that not only will the hero have to work a living to earn money, but that spending the hard-earned cash in Fable 2's gambling Xbox Live Arcade games will seem all the more a precious act - it's going to almost be like spending your own cash. Experience points will however be much more important in the long run, especially with the total configuration and customisation of combat Lionhead is building into the game.
The one-button combat of Fable 2 has been one key concern for core gamers since it was announced months ago. The idea that Lionhead would undermine its latest masterpiece with a dull hack 'n' slash combat mechanic seemed like a ludicrous idea - and sent shivers down our spines here at TVG. At Showcase however, it became apparent that there shouldn't be too much cause for alarm, with the revelation that combat will evolve and stack, as players spend XP on upgrading the three main areas of combat: swords, guns, and magic. Each of the three are linked to one of the controller's face buttons, and at first, a hack 'n' slash swing of the sword is indeed the only move that the hero can pull off. The implementation of time in Fable 2 is an important one, and it's something that's also linked to combat. As time goes on, and more and more XP is spent on the three trees of combat, the hero essentially becomes ever more masterful, opening up a range of fighting techniques that are stacked on the individual buttons.
For instance, specialising in sword combat over time, allows players to hold the button for a flurry of sword swings, whilst later (more powerful) moves will be unlocked with a series of button taps set to a rhythm. The same goes for the gun and magic buttons too, with the latter providing eight unique spells that are eventually unlocked to be cast at range or surround the hero. Combat also becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophecy, with players getting rewarded for being more imaginative in battle. As Molyneux himself put it, "The cooler you are with combat, the greater the XP!"
Yes there were plenty of bugs that emerged through the course of the presentation; the Lionhead Creative Director revealed that they were solving over 750 bugs a day at the moment (though discovering another 500 a day), but the pop ups, the invisible bridges, and the sometimes stuttering frame rate that will no doubt get rectified ahead of this Autumn failed miserably to dampen our enthusiasm for what was being shown - this could be one Lionhead game that actually delivers on its promises...
Darth Travin
Date Added:Mon 1st Sep 2008 21:46
Anonymous
Date Added:Mon 25th Aug 2008 03:01
Anonymous
Date Added:Sun 24th Aug 2008 00:25
then i can have for my b day =)
Anonymous
Date Added:Sun 10th Aug 2008 06:54
Anonymous
Date Added:Tue 15th Jul 2008 01:06
Nich01a5
Date Added:Wed 9th Jul 2008 20:02
Anonymous
Date Added:Wed 2nd Jul 2008 19:05
Anonymous
Date Added:Thu 5th Jun 2008 01:09
Extreme Gamer
Date Added:Wed 21st May 2008 14:24
Anonymous
Date Added:Wed 21st May 2008 08:39