Fable 2: Any good?

[CmdrGoob]

OK, so everyone seems to be walking around with huge GOTY stiffies for Fable 2. So I went to checked out a few preview videos on youtube, to see what everyone was getting exctited about.

And I'm kinda unconvinced.

The good stuff I saw:

Awesome coop system, bigger world, exceptionally pretty, spiffy guns and murdering annoying people.

The bad stuff:

The combat looks kinda poor. Check out this gameplay demonstration [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHffWKoAUag&feature=related], and count the number of times someone makes stabbing moves in directions unrelated to where the actual enemies are. Guns owned everyone with ease.

The developer comes out and plainly says that the combat is meant to be suited for button mashing casual players, which might be lovely for them, but gives me a sense of dread that fighting will be lobotomised.

The camera looks a bit dodgy, it doesn't seem to be under anyone's control and at several points enemies creep in from the other direction to the camera and get a hit in.

If your co-op player is a bastard, they can kill your husband/wife and children. Which might actually be okay, because in that demonstration the developers NPC husband looked like a ungrateful twat.

Just in case you didn't think the first game had enough hand-holding (and, no, you didn't), this time a little sparkly trail will pop up to show you where to go. I really, really hope you can turn that off, because otherwise you are going to be constantly reminded that the developer thinks you're a drooling imbecile and maps and roads are too hard for you. By Fable 3, I fully expect that if you dither for more than a minute, a helpful character, perhaps a paperclip, will appear, pat you on the head, murmer "there, there", and gently take you by the hand to lead you to your destination.

The trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i94LVacr8RE] is a riveting glimpse at the intriguing story. Just kidding, it's utterly bland.

In short, it looks very pretty but a bit dumbed down. What's all the fuss about this game that makes it a GOTY contender? Why are people excited by it?

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

I, for one, am excited because I loved the first game, and am looking forward to what I believe is a sandbox version of it.
Then again, I never heard any of the promises made for the original Fable, and I've been listening out for Fable II. Molyneux claims he hasn't made any promises he can't keep this time, but I can't be sure. I just hope I'm not disappointed.

 

[Knight Templar]

Because most people feel diffrent, or because most people are part of the hype. Me, I don't mind giving in to hype, I'm most often happy with what I get.

 

[hypothetical fact]

I enjoyed fable 1 so I hope to enjoy its sequal; I managed to ignore the compass in oblivion and it will take a giant racing game style WRONG WAY GO BACK sign for me to get caught up on shiny trails.

 

[jamesc]

I don't know f you've played or liked it, but the combat is supposed to be like kingdom hearts. That was onebutton and extremely fun. The only real problem would be the camera. and yes, you can turn the breadcrumb trail off, But it is just supposed to be a replacement for the minimap. You can still make your own paths even with it on. I'm sory if this comes off as a defense of the game, I didn't mean it that way. I just wanted to make sure you knew the whole story.

 

[Jumplion]

It's easy to make those deductions from a game you've never played before, but it's understandable since everyone gets skeptical from everything.

I for one am starting to wish I had a 360 for this game but I'm going to wait for the reviews to come out before I jump the wagon.

 

[D_987]

Im excited ebcause Fable 1 was my favoutire ever game (and still is) because I didn't pay any attension to the hype. This time I am older and HAVE been paying attension to the hype, and after seeing the videos I am hooked.

The combat system is great - guns are not that powerful, they are slow and reload so don't even go there. And better player will gain more experiance than button-mashers (who will stuggle) because combat is rythem based.

co-op looks great and you can enable safety.

The camera dosn't concern me because it looks great.

The golden sparks disappear if its obvious your not going to follow them...

Even as an avid GOW player (I played for £ =D) I am looking foreward to this game even more than GOW 2. It looks great, (the graphics) and the gameplay looks like Im going to have great fun playing it the 2 weeks before GOW 2 is released.

This thread was kinda poor, you obviously didn't look up much infomation...

 

[Spartan Bannana]

FREEDOM! That's why we're excited by it, we can ignore camera and combat problems for the freedom to do anything

 

[CmdrGoob]

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Peter Molyneux proposes a game full of interesting and inventive game ideas which gets massive hype because people love those ideas, and then delivers a game that has awkard gameplay and/or doesn't deliver on those ideas as much as was promised. Black and White? Fable? Black and White 2?

Yes, I'm being skeptical. I've seen Molyneux do this 3 times already.

I'm not saying Fable 2 will suck (and it probably won't be bad), and I'm not ruling out the possibility that it will be awesome. All I'm saying is, considering Molyneux's track record, have a little skepticism. The best and most impartial information currently available about what Fable 2 is like to play is watching the game get played in previews, so look at a few preview videos critically before you go getting all hyped up. I hear a lot of awesome talk in them, but I don't see a lot of awesomeness being delivered.

Hell, you'll probably enjoy it better if you don't get caught up in the hype.

 

[yourkie1921]

90% of what Molyneux promised for the first game that he didn't deliver on would have actually been detrimental to the game or is so insignifigant that mentioning it is just nitpicking. If you disagree, tell me everything he hyped up to death.

The developer comes out and plainly says that the combat is meant to be suited for button mashing casual players, which might be lovely for them, but gives me a sense of dread that fighting will be lobotomised.

No, he said they'll be able to play. And, while even I doubt he'll make a game that casual players will be able to play successfully and hardcore ones will be able to sink their teeth into for a long time and not get all the juices out, I assure you that it'll atleast be better than the crappy fight system elder scrolls 4 gives you. Even the original fable is better than elder scrolls IV in terms of fighting.

The trailer is a riveting glimpse at the intriguing story. Just kidding, it's utterly bland.

the story or the trailer. I agree the trailer sucks but you really can't critisize a story when you still have no idea what it is and just how it starts.

 

[haruvister]

Black and White? Fable? Black and White 2?

While the games you mention may not have delivered on everything that was initially proposed, none of them were bad games. In fact, they were very good games. I've followed Dr Molyneux's progress since playing the original Populous 20-odd years ago, and he's barely put a foot wrong. His track record under Bullfrog and Lionhead is second to none. Yes, he's outspoken amidst his peers - but he's earned the right to speak, and with great authority.

So why not let's wait for at least ONE review of Fable II, or better still actually play the game, before making any judgements.

 

[Omnidum]

Black and White? Fable? Black and White 2?

Hey, you do know the Creature in B&W (and 2) developed it's own way of thinking during the test stage? I suppose some of his "hype feeding" was based on that.

 

[CmdrGoob]

90% of what Molyneux promised for the first game that he didn't deliver on would have actually been detrimental to the game or is so insignifigant that mentioning it is just nitpicking. If you disagree, tell me everything he hyped up to death.

The developer comes out and plainly says that the combat is meant to be suited for button mashing casual players, which might be lovely for them, but gives me a sense of dread that fighting will be lobotomised.

No, he said they'll be able to play. And, while even I doubt he'll make a game that casual players will be able to play successfully and hardcore ones will be able to sink their teeth into for a long time and not get all the juices out, I assure you that it'll atleast be better than the crappy fight system elder scrolls 4 gives you. Even the original fable is better than elder scrolls IV in terms of fighting.

The trailer is a riveting glimpse at the intriguing story. Just kidding, it's utterly bland.

the story or the trailer. I agree the trailer sucks but you really can't critisize a story when you still have no idea what it is and just how it starts.

I could write plenty on what Fable didn't deliver, and why not having any hint of story in the trailer is probably a bad sign for the story, but right now I'll confine myself to the most major thing.

On a good day, the fighting in Oblivion might charitably be described as 'average'. However, at no stage in Oblivion did I ever have any difficulty pointing myself in the right direction to hit my enemy. Watch the gameplay video I linked. The developer, who is meant to be showing off the sword and gun combat to the gaming media and the world, twice ends up doing a series of slashes in the wrong direction, before he gives up and switches over to using guns. It's his own game and he's meant to be impressing us, and that's what he could deliver. Maybe he just really sucks. Maybe.

 

[bluerahjah]

FREEDOM! That's why we're excited by it, we can ignore camera and combat problems for the freedom to do anything

That, and Fable was just an amazing experience, it's hard not to look forward to this game.

 

[Xvito]

I thought Fable 2 wasn't going to ship with Co-op...

 

[yourkie1921]

I could write plenty on what Fable didn't deliver

do so

and why not having any hint of story in the trailer is probably a bad sign for the story, but right now I'll confine myself to the most major thing.

I don't think trailers are a good place for the story.

On a good day, the fighting in Oblivion might charitably be described as 'average'.

in that case
fable1,all the mario games,all the tekken ones,all the mortal kombat ones, all the soul calibur ones, and castlevania ones are awesome.

However, at no stage in Oblivion did I ever have any difficulty pointing myself in the right direction to hit my enemy.

I'll give you that.

Watch the gameplay video I linked. The developer, who is meant to be showing off the sword and gun combat to the gaming media and the world, twice ends up doing a series of slashes in the wrong direction

How old is that? because I saw vids of him demonstrating combat months ago. and he's obviously not very good at the game, and that was a while ago so they might have fixed it up by now.

 

[DannyDeparted]

Fable was probably my favourite last gen game (well it and FFX). So any game that looks to expand, build upon and grow the franchise is the sort of thing i can sink my teeth into. I've pre-ordered my collecters edition, played through all the 'Pub-Game' tournaments and am now eagerly awaiting my return to Albion to beat up that jerk who pushes me out a window!!!!!

 

[brenflood]

I don't have a 360, but Fable II is one of the games I'd really like to play. I have the first one on my computer and I still play it. I watched the videos and I didn't see anything that would break the game. I don't expect the game to be the second coming of Mario.
I expect the game to be a sequel to the first Fable with new features and new graphics. Some people may think Fable 2 may have all the stuff that the first game promised. I don't expect this at all.
From what I can tell, people in this thread, and people who are looking forward to Fable II loved the first game, and the video footage does seem to improve on it.

 

[runtheplacered]

I don't have a 360, but Fable II is one of the games I'd really like to play.

Well, it's been hinted at fairly well that there will eventually be a PC version. I too lack a 360 but eagerly anticipate a PC release.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Because people have the memories of Koi fish. I'm probably gonna get it and play it (assuming I EVER get a damn 360), but i'm not going to forget the FIRST game promised all this and failed.