E3: Fable: The Journey Demo Was a "Horrendous Mistake," Says Molyneux

[Andy Chalk]

E3: Fable: The Journey Demo Was a "Horrendous Mistake," Says Molyneux

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Peter Molyneux says the E3 demo for Fable: The Journey was a "horrendous mistake" and not at all representative of the actual game.

The E3 demo of the Kinect-based Fable: The Journey was apparently pretty underwhelming. Our own Susan Arendt said it would be "Fable [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110739-E3-Fable-The-Journey] name attached to it. That reaction may or may not be particularly relevant to the final product, however, since the demo doesn't sound like it has much to do with the game anyway. For one thing, it was on rails and the real game, Molyneux insisted, is not.

"I made a horrendous mistake... taking out the navigation allowing players to move," he admitted in a follow-up video. "I'll just state on record now that Fable: The Journey is definitely not on rails."

To reinforce the point, Molyneux collected a number of journalists over the course of the show and had them sign a wall, attesting to his statement.

Which is all very well and good, but what would possess Molyneux, or anyone, to do something like that in the first place? What's the point of making a demo for your game that isn't actually a demo for your game? If you don't want people playing what you're cooking, whip up a sexy cinematic and turn that loose instead. Seriously, Peter, Magic Carpet [http://www.amazon.com/Populous-Beginning-Pc/dp/B00004S3AI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1307734680&sr=8-2] were great, but all this bait-and-switch nonsense over the past 15 years or so is starting to wear a little thin.

via: OXM [http://www.oxm.co.uk/30071/news/molyneux-fable-kinect-demo-a-horrendous-mistake/]


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[Fappy]

Microsoft probably just wanted more to show for Kinect (that actually functioned properly) and asked Peter to whip up something for them. Stupid mistake on his part, though, I've never been a fan of the series anyway.

 

[KeyMaster45]

I'm kinda starting to feel sorry for him because frankly he's coming off as a bit desperate. Saying that they made a shitty demo for E3, okay I can find that understandable; they messed up and put out a demo before they were really ready to. The wall signing thing, on the other hand, that's a bit sad.

We know you don't wanna hear this Peter, but we think a long vacation is in order.

 

[Alpha Maeko]

To quote Dexter: "You're stuuuupid, you're stuuupid, and don't forget, you're stuuupid!"

 

[Woodsey]

He seems to be a nice guy, but I am struggling to believe this is all just him being incredibly ambitious anymore.

If you make something that disappoints people, the best thing you can do is say you messed up and say how you'll improve upon it. Molyneux does that, only every single time.

People are still buying in to it though so its obviously working.

I would like Black and White 3, where they lock Peter in a room with a huge development team, put a gag in his mouth, and have him direct them solely by writing on a big whiteboard. That way he can think things through before he says them, stop irritating us, and really make something a lot of people want to see.

Fable 2 felt like it was made for morons, and Fable 3 is supposedly even more "accessible" (read: for stupid people). Make something complex and interesting, and bloody get on with it!

 

[Cousin_IT]

urgh. I preferred the old "OMG ITS A DOG & ITS FINDING TREASURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Molyneux to this new self deprecating one.

 

[somonels]

Was anyone surprised? Anyone at all?

 

[EternalFacepalm]

I don't really know.
Molyneux was never good at representing his ideas, considering how overambitious he sometimes gets. Most of the games he designs are actually pretty decent, yet the overhyping disappoints most.
The first Fable, for example, was amazing in my opinion.

 

[Kahunaburger]

The entire Fable series was nothing but a long line of horrendous mistakes.

 

[Blind0bserver]

No, no, that wasn't the horrendous mistake, or at least not all of it. In my eyes Molyneux's mistake was during an interview on Game Trailer's live feed with Geoff Knightly where he said "Well that begs the question what, exactly, is Fable?"

Fable is a frick'n role-playing game, you pretentious jackass! How hard a concept is that to grasp?! Every installment you keep dumbing it down and doing things like replacing simple menus with convoluted drek and now you show off a demo at E3 that, at least at face value, looked like a rail shooter? The hell is wrong with you, Peter?!

 

[TheTygerfire]

Peter Molyneux should never be allowed to appear on stage ever again.

 

[FinalDream]

Molyneux: It's not on the rails honest, this is an outrage and completely misleading. I promise the game is not, I repeat, not on the rails. This was 100% misleading, Fable Journey is NOT on the rails.

*The game ships*

Molyneux: Yeah it's totally on the rails. Did I promise something I can't deliver, why I've never done that before!

 

[Smooth Operator]

Look Molyneux this is ridiculous, you're making increasingly shitty games and this last one just might be the nail in your coffin, for once grow the balls to admit what you did.

 

[Omnific One]

Peter Molyneux is a really nice person, and represents one of the few people in the gaming industry who always comes off as enthusiastic and like a good person all the time.

However, he has some issues with delivering.

 

[Shadow Druid]

I think Molyneux gets a really hard time, is it so bad to have a developer that is so enthusiastic about what he does that he over hypes the games he makes? No, it isn't and never should be we need people like him in the industry.

And if you keep getting annoyed with the hyping then ignore it, I did with Fable 2 and 3 and the games definitely get a solid 8/10 for me. But as the Lionhead stated in the development stage of Fable 2 they are moving away from RPG towards Action Adventure.

OT: Yea the demo was a bad move but I feel that it was done to show off the combat and storytelling not the free world gameplay that we should expect from a Fable game anyway.

 

[Hungry Donner]

A PR blunder by Molyneux? These are frequent enough they're almost not newsworthy.

If he wanted to put together a tech demo for the kinect, even if it was showing off a (single) mechanic from this game, fine - but make that clear. You can't say that you're demoing a title and then come back (when it proven to be unpopular) and explain yourself - the explanation should come first.

I know some people praise Molyneux for his enthusiasm and that's great and all, but he needs to do these events with someone more down to earth by his side. That way the humdrum details can be included along with the Molyneuxism, and when he starts promising the moon he can be reigned in a little.

 

[Archemetis]

How is it going to work if it's not on rails?
It's a first person magic shooting game... On the Kinect.

Let's look at this, shall we?

Played sitting down? Check[/sub]

First person view? Check!

Spells fly out when you push your hands at the screen? Check!

Spells charge up when you twirl yours hands around eachother? Check!

Hands are free to use a controller to move? ... Uhm... No, not really...

Legs are available to make a walking motion for in-game walking? No... You sit down, also that would be silly...

Put on rails, since there's no other way to move around? Check!

Honestly, Mr. Molynuex... I don't know how much more of your enthusiasm I can take...

 

[Jumplion]

I really cannot hate Molyneux no matter what he does. He's always promising the best damn game we've ever played, and when it falls short he apologizes and apologizes and says that this and that wasn't ready and next time it'll truly be the game he's invisioned. He just tries his damn hardest to please everyone and in the end nobody is truly satisfied. It's really becoming sad at this point...

 

[Mrsoupcup]

You know what would be fun? Putting Molyneux in a locked room with Casey Hudson and Tod Howard and watching as they beat him to death.

OT: Seriously though every time Molyneux talks he reminds more and more of Chris-Chan.