Monday 27 June 2011

Molyneux 'Ashamed' of Fable III Scores


The man behind the Fable franchise has decided that he isn't pleased with the results of the two year labour that was Fable III. He didn't blame the reviewers and critics for being wrong, or harsh - but for simply being right in what they had said about Lionhead Studios shortest project.

Here are a few snippets from what Peter has said on the topic below:-

"I look at Fable III and it's hard to be completely honest without offending people; but I know, when I read in the middle of a review that said the quality just wasn't good enough, I actually agree with those reviews."

"It didn't end up being the game that I dreamed it would be, because I thought the mechanic of the ruling section were really good ideas. I thought they were good ideas, but we just didn't have time to exploit those ideas fully."

"I hate the fact that people know what to expect from something like Lionhead," he said. "'We know what Fable's going to be; we know what's coming next from Lionhead.' I hate that idea.

"We should, again, double down on freshness and originality without sacrificing without sacrificing quality.

"We should take a deep look at what people really enjoy about the experiences that [we] might have made and try and focus on those rather than focus on the gimmicks, which we kind of love to develop.

"That is being a little bit self-critical," Molyneux added, "but I think that there's times that you have to be self-critical. I think the worst thing that could have happened to Fable III is if it sold 4.99 million, because I think that would have made us slightly complacent, and complacency is always the worst place to be, in my opinion.


Read the full statement below from Peter to Eurogamer, but it seems like what we will be seeing from Fable in the future is going to be something that smooths over the cracks from previous games - and the stigma of over promising and those bugs in the system.

Eurogamer.net Link

Friday 10 June 2011

Peter admits ''horrendous mistake''


So Peter has gone on video saying just how much of a mistake he felt he made doing the show demo ''on rails'' and how misleading it has been. The murmurs from the internet had been pretty annoyed until he said in many interviews how they have not got any on-rails sections and that was purely for the aid of the demo on stage. See below for the video of Molyneux.



He also gets a horde of journalists to sign his wall petition attesting to the fact that it sure as hell IS NOT ON RAILS!. We shall see what happens as the months go on.

OXM.co.uk Link

G4TV: Peter Molyneux ''The Journey'' Interview

Another quick video from Peter and G4TV about the newly announced Fable: The Journey from the guys at Lionhead.



You are voting on the site now, but what do you think. Is this a Peter Molyneux "over think" going on?

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Fable: The Journey ''Not so On-Rails...ish"


After trawling the net for more previews we have this from GamePro about how Fable: The Journey wont be as 'On Rails' as we first thought.

My appointment to see a live demo of the newly announced, Kinect-based Fable: The Journey began with Lionhead’s head honcho Peter Molyneux brandishing a permanent marker, and writing "IT IS NOT ON RAILS" on the wall behind him.

But based on Molyneux’s repeated insistence on the game’s not-on-rails nature ("Aren’t all E3 demos on rails?" he asked back), I’m going to have to hold off on passing judgment on its on/off-rails gameplay until a bit further into its production cycle.

Molyneux cited two driving factors in The Journey’s production: 1) freedom, and 2) control. Freedom in the (not-on-rails) sense that there’s a rich world to explore in your own unique way; and control in the sense that Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller is used in a way that won’t exhaust you. As seen in the announcement trailer, most of The Journey’s Albion will be viewed from the driver’s seat of a horse-drawn carriage. You’ll be able to cast magic and interact with the environment from the carriage, and managing the horse’s reins (speed/direction) looks pretty slick with the Kinect. You can also use the device’s voice recognition technology to teach your horse phrases as you play, essentially hot-keying various custom commands ("Slow down," "Giddy up," "Stop," etc.) with your voice -- something that Molyneux hopes will act towards you creating an emotional repoire with you and your equestrian companion. While an on-foot movement system hasn’t been finalized (Molyneux hinted at a hand gesture-based system), the game looked very manageable both sitting and standing.

GamePro Link

Tuesday 7 June 2011

First Impressions - Fable: The Journey.


So I thought it would be good to have a round up of some of the impressions surrounding Fable: The Journey after its reveal yesterday at E3. Some love it, some hate it - and as always I would love to know what you guys think of it.

IGN Preview

I like the spell crafting idea. It's smart. There are hints about character upgrades and a morality system (how much life will you suck out of enemies) which could add some needed depth. But then there are things that are off-putting. Riding the horse looks boring, the combat seems only fun for the gesturing, and it doesn't really feel like Fable.

Gamespot Preview

The Journey is much more linear than a typical Fable game, though it contains the same pick-up-and-play gameplay and whimsical charm for which the series is known.

CVG Preview

"With the power of Kinect for Xbox 360, craft and control magic in a way that can't be done with a controller. Fable: The Journey draws players deep into the action and adventure of the Fable franchise like never before."

Monday 6 June 2011

Fable: The Journey - Molyneux Interview

An interview with the man himself, Peter Molyneux.


So, again - what do you think?

Fable: The Journey (Screenshots & Trailer)


And here it is, enjoy.


And now for some screenshots my friends.




















The first epic Fable spin-off goes Kinect crazy. So what do you think?

Sunday 5 June 2011

Rumour: Fable: The Journey?


So here is an interesting rumour for a dreary Sunday afternoon. Check out what has been found on the internet and what could be an interesting morsel of Fable related content - as well as for those of you who have Kinect.

The announcement of sequels and spin-offs has become too routine to incur huge gasps of disbelief at E3's trio of biggest press conferences. A real surprise, then, would be in those titles staying under wraps until the very last moment. "Spoiler," says the internet, "but that's not happening while I'm around. Check out these domain registrations."

As highlighted by Superannuation, the following Microsoft titles have been linked to internet domain registrars: Fable The Journey, which may be a new jaunt across the land of Albion, Kinect Fun Labs (first mentioned amongst other leaked Microsoft titles), and a pair of body-driven sequels, Dance Central 2 and Kinect Sports Season 2.

Without the presence of a convenient "Kinect" in the title, it's difficult to say whether or not Fable: The Journey (colon assumed) is part of Microsoft's camera-sensitive lineup. The franchise has endured experiments with Kinect before, and it's not exactly difficult to imagine Peter Molyneux pitching it as the best, most amazing, mind-blowing way to experience a hero's life ever. You might already be envisioning it as a spirited on-the-spot march through the streets of Bowerstone, over the surrounding hills and across Milo's unmarked grave.


Rumour Source

Wednesday 1 June 2011

Fable III 360 Demo Out.


So not yet looked at Fable III for the Xbox 360? No? Ah well here is a perfect opportunity to do so without having to pay for it. The game is out on the Live Marketplace to download for Gold members and enjoy a slice of the action for free. It's not been seen before, a Fable demo, but with Fable II offering the game in portions last year this is something in the same vein as that.

Xbox.com Link