Molyneux Happy With Fable II Reviews

[DangerousDaze]

Peter Molyneux has thanked reviewers for their diligence when reviewing his latest magnum opus, Fable II.

I found myself becoming incredibly emotional as I read peoples reviews and saw how differently the reviewers were reacting to Fable 2. Some reviewers played good, others evil some enjoyed the combat more than the story. Some ended up rich and others poor and it's the sheer variety in how reviewers have played the game which has struck us most.

This is partly an expression of supreme relief that Fable II has been so well received (it currently boasts a Metacritic score of 89% (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/fable2?q=fable%20ii)), partly happiness that his design to provide many diverse experiences has been recognised and partly a cunning ploy to maintain PR momentum!

Fable 2 has released alongside extreme competition (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=1435) during one of gaming's toughest weeks so it remains to be seen how much of a financial success it will be.

Source - CVG (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=199958)

[Telefrog]

Good for Pete! This game looks like a real improvement over the first.

[CptTripps]

Think I'm gonna pick this up tonight. Just sounds damn good.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Good for him. 89% is hardly the second coming he thinks his games are, but it's the biggest hit he's had since...what, Dungeon Keeper?

edit: Looks like Fable had an 85% on Metacritic, so things appear better, but not insanely better.

[violent]

I would like Peter much more if he only knew how to stay quiet.

[quidmonkey]

I haven't seen so many of my Friends playing the same game since, well, Halo 3. GTA4 was close, but more people seem to be playing this.

[quidmonkey]

Fable 2 has released alongside extreme competition (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=1435) during one of gaming's toughest weeks so it remains to be seen how much of a financial success it will be.

Really? I have only a passing interest in Fable 2, but this was its week. I expect the NPD data will favor it well.

[SPBTooL]

Good for him. 89% is hardly the second coming he thinks his games are, but it's the biggest hit he's had since...what, Dungeon Keeper?

edit: Looks like Fable had an 85% on Metacritic, so things appear better, but not insanely better.I will argue that an 89% now is a much better score than an 85% was back then. We have much higher expectations in all forms of game design now than we did then.

[agentgray]

incredibly emotional
That's getting wrapped up in your work.

[TheFlyingOrc]

I will argue that an 89% now is a much better score than an 85% was back then. We have much higher expectations in all forms of game design now than we did then.

I just don't think that's true, especially given that review scores are more a measure of hype than quality.

[quidmonkey]

I just don't think that's true, especially given that review scores are more a measure of hype than quality.

One only needs to look back to *ahem* April to notice the Game of the Century.

[menage]

Really? I have only a passing interest in Fable 2, but this was its week. I expect the NPD data will favor it well.

Farcry 2 is a pretty hefty contender, especially since this is probably shooter of the year for some (CoD5 is the only one who can top it I think).

In Europe it also has Dead Space to contend with as well, and PES/FIFA/SR2 will still sell buckets.

Pretty hefty competition. For one week. Let's not talk about the next 2 with LBP and Fallout 3.

I'm getting this as soon as it hits here though.

[Murtaug]

Farcry 2 is a pretty hefty contender, especially since this is probably shooter of the year for some (CoD5 is the only one who can top it I think).

You forget GoW 2, that's gonna be shooter of the year for most. Farcry 2 looks great though. Call of Duty will be too, hell most games that have come out recently and will be coming out have been pretty damn fantastic.

I am really happy to hear Fable II is getting good reviews, it definitely deserves it. The game world is beautiful, what I have done with the story so far has been solid. I see myself playing this game for quite awhile.

[quidmonkey]

I'd say Resistance 2, with GoW2 and CoD5. Farcry will attract more of the PC-centric ilk, as will the EA Sports titles. I suspect Fable 2 will have a harder time against something like Spongebob or Naruto for Wii.

[menage]

Damn, I totally forgot about GoW2, go figure.

Resistance 2 looks alright, but I doubt it's really in the same league as the other 3. Based on the 1st one and the fact that Insomniac hasn't impressed me since Ratchet 3

[DeathtollWRX]

Farcry is an FPS Gow is a Third Person.... completly different..


well then again they are both shooters...

[TheFlyingOrc]

One only needs to look back to *ahem* April to notice the Game of the Century.

Everyone should have to go back and re-review GTA4. It would probably average 8.3-8.5 or so.

[menage]

Everyone should have to go back and re-review GTA4. It would probably average 8.3-8.5 or so.

Probably, I thought it was the second coming until after a couple of weeks and started to see it's flaws. But those first weeks were what defined the game for me. I could review Mass Effect now and score it an 8.5, then I thought it was at least a 9.5.

Games get old after a while, and only then you see how much they are really worth. Sadly for reviews and luckily for me and others, those first weeks can feel like bliss:p

[opsin]

That's getting wrapped up in your work.

Work he's spent how many years working fairly exclusively on? It's understandable, surely?

I have it ordered (bloody UK release date), and hope it will be as good as people say. I'm not excited about it though... I really enjoyed the first one, but wouldn't say I really liked it. That said, I felt with what I played of Black and White 2, that he had achieved what he seemed to be after with the first, so that may be the case here.

(plus, seconding what menage just said)

[bean]

I'm a bit surprised the score isn't higher. Fable II is an amazing amount of fun and I expected metacritic to be at about 92%.

Whatever though, I know I'm loving it.

Everyone should have to go back and re-review GTA4. It would probably average 8.3-8.5 or so.
I disagree. GTA 4 is an incredibly well designed game that gamers seem to love to hate because it gets a lot of hype and they either want to be anti-mainstream or they think a handful of flaws or features they wanted and didn't get make the game not worthy of high scores.

[Telefrog]

Everyone should have to go back and re-review GTA4. It would probably average 8.3-8.5 or so.

It's funny you should say that because I've been playing through GTA IV for the last week and I'd still give it a solid 9. Would that score go down on a second playthrough a few months from now? It probably would, but that initial playthrough has been awesome.

[quidmonkey]

It's funny you should say that because I've been playing through GTA IV for the last week and I'd still give it a solid 9. Would that score go down on a second playthrough a few months from now? It probably would, but that initial playthrough has been awesome.

Game of the Century ftw :rolleyes:

[Telefrog]

Game of the Century ftw :rolleyes:

Oh, no! One hyperbolic quote must mean that everyone's review was skewed! :rolleyes:

[MagGnome]

I'm glad to see that this game is being so well received. I for one think it will sell quite well. I stopped by Target after work today, and all of the copies were sold out. I was bummed, but I still need to finish Dead Space anyway.

I'm hoping they release some more patches for the game though - specifically around co-op.

[Scaryfaced]

It's funny you should say that because I've been playing through GTA IV for the last week and I'd still give it a solid 9. Would that score go down on a second playthrough a few months from now? It probably would, but that initial playthrough has been awesome.

Try not playing the missions for awhile. This might sound silly, but if you've played any other gta game, you'll notice the difference pretty quickly. If you ever enjoyed shooting at some cops and then leading them on a nice long chase, gta 4 probably won't do it for you. If you ever enjoyed going on a kill spree to see how many stars you could get before dying, gta 4 probably wont scratch that itch either.

The improvements in gta 4 made the game incredibly cinematic and improved the mission structure entirely. Compairing gta 3 missions to ones in gta 4, they're like night and day. That's a great selling point for the game and I seriously enjoyed the entire story arch. But, once I beat it, the game felt...well...over. My friends and I played San Andreas up until the day gta 4 was released. We'd find the co-op spots and go on shooting sprees, goofing around and causing havok, trying to reinact scenes from HEAT, etc. I tried it a few times in gta 4 and it just wasn't much fun anymore. The local co-op is gone, the police are pratically impossible to get away from after 3 stars, you die entirely too easily and are thrown from most any vehicle you drive...the list goes on.

I seriously enjoyed gta 4 while playing the missions, but once they ended, I put the game away and haven't played it again since.
________
Milf In Boots (http://www.fucktube.com/video/351/blonde-milf-in-leather-boots)

[Rune_74]

Everyone should have to go back and re-review GTA4. It would probably average 8.3-8.5 or so.

So what? I still enjoyed it alot when it was released. Some people put too much wait on a bunch of other people reviewing games and half the time they just read the score and ignore the text. These people reviewing games are no better then anyone else at deciding what is good and what isn't. I think that choice is a very personal one, no two people think the same.

[Xerxes]

Game of the Century ftw :rolleyes:

I know right. GTA 4 wasn't that great.:)

[Widgetcraft]

The game really deserves more than 89%, especially with the kind of fan-fare that Oblivion (an inferior game on every level) got, only a couple years ago. I'm still pissed about all of the problems with co-op, but the game itself is extremely solid over all.

[KingGorilla]

Aside from the Rosewheel, I cannot think of any glaring problems Oblivion had.

[DeathtollWRX]

The game really deserves more than 89%, especially with the kind of fan-fare that Oblivion (an inferior game on every level) got, only a couple years ago. I'm still pissed about all of the problems with co-op, but the game itself is extremely solid over all.

Heretic, have you played Oblivion? I mean at least 10 hours or so? Oblivion is the type of game you really have to sink time into to enjoy it. Once you put the time in you will find it a great and REWARDING gaming experience. I'll admit it doesn't have to Instant Action that Fable 2 has but if you experience the quests and solve the main story it's really fulfilling.

I do agree that fable 2 is indeed a great game but the scope of Oblivion is vast.

It's like comparing Mech Assault to Mechwarrior.. .Yeah Mech Assault is faster but Mechwarrior is the long term longer lasting game.

Sometimes over a phone call a friend and I still discuss the routes we took in Oblivion and what we saw. Not alot of games have those moments.

[Widgetcraft]

Heretic, have you played Oblivion? I mean at least 10 hours or so? Oblivion is the type of game you really have to sink time into to enjoy it. Once you put the time in you will find it a great and REWARDING gaming experience. I'll admit it doesn't have to Instant Action that Fable 2 has but if you experience the quests and solve the main story it's really fulfilling.

Man... I spent a ton of time in Morrowind, and bought Oblivion the day it came out; it's garbage. Everything in the game is generic; you've literally seen everything there is to see within just a few hours. There are three dungeon tile sets (caves, human forts, and elven forts), and every dungeon is just a generic march from beginning to end, and then back out again. There are no significant puzzles in any of the dungeons, and usually no puzzles or interesting things to find at all in most of them. Don't get me started on the main quest; even by the standards of generic fantasy drivel, that one scores pretty low. The game really never got more interesting than the tutorial area... I'll say that again: The game's peak was it's tutorial area!

The loot was generic, always. You were never going to open a chest in one of the generic dungeons and find anything but vendor garbage. Even most quest rewards were extremely generic. The quests themselves are almost always boring, as are your interactions with the NPCs. People like to herald the Dark Brotherhood quests, because a few of those quests are pretty cool, but a couple hours of interesting gameplay doesn't make up for how bad the rest is.

Sure, it's world might be bigger than Fable II, but there is nothing there to see. The best part of the game, by far, was the lighting engine; that made dungeon crawling pretty immersive, and was the only reason I continued playing for as long as I did after making quick work of the main quest.

Fable II's quests are better, the world is vastly more interesting to explore (as there actually is a lot of stuff to find), the combat is more fun, the loot is better, the art style is better... I honestly can't find anything about it that isn't a huge improvement over Oblivion. The way they've handled the world is also much, much better; real estate, reputation, the effects of quests... these are things that Oblivion either half-assed, or ignored entirely, where-as Lionhead actually put some effort into making the world dynamic.

Oblivion basically boiled down to Diablo-style dungeon crawling, but without loot rewards.

Sometimes over a phone call a friend and I still discuss the routes we took in Oblivion and what we saw. Not alot of games have those moments.

I don't want to troll, and I'm not going to continue this discussion on Oblivion, as no one wants to read it... but I have to wonder what kind of conversations you were having with him.

"I saw some trees... and some rocks. A generic bandit popped out, and I killed him... then I took his crappy armor, and posed his body in an amusing fashion. Then I went back into town. How about you?"

"Same."

There is a reason that Morrowind is still installed on my PC, and Oblivion has been permanently shelved.

[KamaItachi]

I'm wondering if it's not so much the Metacritic arbitrary number scores he's proud of, rather the content of the reviews which seem to back up to a fair degree what he wanted to do with the game.

I've probably read more reviews for fable 2 than I have any other (bar Sonic the Hedgehog), and the failings seem to be more on the technical level rather than the "experience" which has been very well received.

[Xerxes]

I'm wondering if reviews wouldn have been more positive if he left off co-op.

[DeathtollWRX]

Well Heretic, I never did say Oblivion was any better or worse than Fable 2. (of course the mech assault reference might have contra indicated what I just stated).

I do enjoy Fable 2 a great deal and I am praying for a third installment. I also hope that the patch some of the glaring bugs in the game and hopefully give us some DLC in the future.

Currently I prefer running around as Master Chief with my Covenant sword but staying at a distance and using Shock and my arrows to keep enemies at bay. I can't get enough the electrical special effects! I can sit there for three minutes constantly zapping already fried enemies.

On the other topic :GTA IV
The game is great but I can't help but feel it was a LITTLE overrated. Yes it was fun but sometimes the missions got tedious and the multiplayer wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. I did enjoy the story but afte I while I never felt like picking the game up to play to the finish.

One more thing, Fable 2 for me is more like what The Legend of Zelda sequels would have been like if they started to go for an audience who wanted a little more bite into the more mature aspect of gaming.

[DeathtollWRX]

I'm wondering if reviews wouldnt have been more positive if he left off co-op.

The reviews really ripped into he game for the bugs and not really the co-op. Then again most of them we not able to try the co op.

It's like buying a Mustang GT to race then complaining about how small the trunk is.

Fable 1 was a great single player RPG and I don't see why Fable 2 cannot be judged as a multiplayer game.

I think that Microsoft should have not said a word about the co-op but then release it after as a freebie instead of a "feature".

[Xerxes]

What bugs? And the co-op is out there so what do you mean they aren't able to try it?

[DeathtollWRX]

What bugs? And the co-op is out there so what do you mean they aren't able to try it?

bugs
1. Voices coming in with slight delay (1 to 5 seconds)
2. Menus load very slowly, Screen pauses and gets blurry before menus load
3. Sometimes my dog is sitting vertically against a wall
4. Sometimes my dog or myself are floating above everything for a while

Some reviewers played and put up their thoughts before launch so they were not able to experience multiplayer (Bapenguin?)

That or I think you might just be screwing with me! =)

[bean]

bugs
1. Voices coming in with slight delay (1 to 5 seconds)
2. Menus load very slowly, Screen pauses and gets blurry before menus load
3. Sometimes my dog is sitting vertically against a wall
4. Sometimes my dog or myself are floating above everything for a while

These are all excusable to me. There is a TON going on and they obviously had to manage the memory somehow. I've never seen those dog bugs, but the bog has gotten a bit screwy when finding treasure on occasion (because his path is not clear).

One of the things that next-gen consoles will need to do is have a crap ton of RAM. Games are getting more and more complex, and gamers evidently have no patience with waiting at all (I'd like the dialogue to go faster and the menus to never hang too, but it's not that big of a deal to me).

[Disgustipated]

These are all excusable to me. There is a TON going on and they obviously had to manage the memory somehow. I've never seen those dog bugs, but the bog has gotten a bit screwy when finding treasure on occasion (because his path is not clear).

One of the things that next-gen consoles will need to do is have a crap ton of RAM. Games are getting more and more complex, and gamers evidently have no patience with waiting at all (I'd like the dialogue to go faster and the menus to never hang too, but it's not that big of a deal to me).

Expect at least 2 GB of RAM in the Xbox 3, if not 4 GB.

[Xerxes]

Expect at least 2 GB of RAM in the Xbox 3, if not 4 GB.

One could only hope.

[Disgustipated]

One could only hope.

Count on it.

[Purple Santa]

Games get old after a while, and only then you see how much they are really worth. Sadly for reviews and luckily for me and others, those first weeks can feel like bliss:p
You just described many a relationship for many on here with other humans...not only games :D

I'm glad to see that this game is being so well received. I for one think it will sell quite well. I stopped by Target after work today, and all of the copies were sold out. I was bummed, but I still need to finish Dead Space anyway.

I'm hoping they release some more patches for the game though - specifically around co-op.
I think the game is going to do very well sales wise. I know it came out with other very good games along side it. But Fable 2 is far more "mainstream" or recognizable title than say a Far Cry 2 to a "non-hard core" gamer but not a "casual" gamer either. It's going to be bought by those gamers who buy a few titles a year...like GTA IV, GOW...the big known "must have" cause I have heard about it and it's sequel forever.

And a message from Ms. Claus...finish up Dead Space already so you can buy Fable 2.

[Xerxes]

Count on it.

2GB unified. But I meant 4GB. That's something I could go for. Price will tell.

[Disgustipated]

2GB unified. But I meant 4GB. That's something I could go for. Price will tell.

Doubting 2 GB unified. Unless it's really fucking fast RAM. 4 GB unified would be more feasible, but don't be surprised to see 4 GB of system RAM and 1 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory for the GPU (and bet on ATI again).

[MagGnome]

And a message from Ms. Claus...finish up Dead Space already so you can buy Fable 2.


Haha, tell her I'm working on it, but might just break down and get Fable 2 anyway. I've been busy this week and haven't had the time to invest in Dead Space.

[SilentScreams]

I'm really happy about how well Fable 2 is doing.
Every time Molyneux is getting some flak on here I'm usually one of the ones to defend him, and I continually state that I'll always buy his games for the simple reason that he cares about them. To him, they're more than a way to make money. He's also a dreamer, and without those, the industry will never move forward.
I'm so glad he's finally getting some of the credit that he truly deserves for Fable 2.

[JayVe]

I'm very much enjoying Fable II. Dead Space was nice, but very limited. Sure, what's there is excellent, but there isn't much to do other than blow the limbs off of enemies. Fable II has me hooked, poking into every corner, and trying to mess with the economic system.

[Purple Santa]

I'm very much enjoying Fable II. Dead Space was nice, but very limited. Sure, what's there is excellent, but there isn't much to do other than blow the limbs off of enemies. Fable II has me hooked, poking into every corner, and trying to mess with the economic system.

The poking around is what has Ms. Claus hooked right now. I don't think she's gone out and done many missions...but she said there is so much to do...which I know was one of the points of the game...to attempt to have the player immerse themselves in the game. I love that she has found that part of the game great. I know she will branch out and play other games that attempt to "immerse" you in the game...usually she's not one to poke around but Fable has made it interesting enough to be curious. Now if other games can do this in some way...

[Xerxes]

Doubting 2 GB unified. Unless it's really fucking fast RAM. 4 GB unified would be more feasible, but don't be surprised to see 4 GB of system RAM and 1 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory for the GPU (and bet on ATI again).

Well it has to be better than the current x2 card. And it's still years to go until they nail down specs.

[bean]

I just beat Fable 2 this morning. I'm starting a new character now, and I'll play it much differently because of what I've learned. Here are some SPOILER FREE things you guys might want to know:


If you hear something/someone ridiculing you, use the LB to look around for a gargoyle. You need to destroy 50 of them to get some great loot.
Don't worry about time spent on a job or messing about exploring, etc. This game only ages you when you do the major story quests.
If you have the money, pay attention to sales so that you can buy cheap and sell high to places with shortages. Trading smartly is the fastest money in the game. Getting very good at jobs is the best way to start having capital.
Gambling is just that - gambling. You've probably already played the games in a demo online and you know that very little skill is involved. Only do this for achievements or if you enjoy gambling. You can't even influence the odds as much as you can in blackjack or poker. Worst feature in the game.
Another great way to make money is when the furniture seller is having a sale. Buy a really cheap house with bad furniture and redecorate it. Sell it off and get a lot of money from it because you "sell" the furniture at it's base price, not the sale price you used to buy it.
If you want to effect a town's economy, you can steal from shop-owners to lower it and make shops cheaper. If you want to raise the economy, buy lots of stuff there (including houses).
So far, I don't know any fast way to get great weapons. The Demon Doors are pretty unrewarding this time around, though still fun to open. Generally, each time you complete a story mission, a higher level of gear will be available in shops.
There are really fun things to do even after you complete "the main game", so let those credits roll.

[MagGnome]

Thanks for the writeup bean! The Target that I go by on my way home from work is still out of copies, so I'm hoping they stock it soon. Otherwise I'll hop on the bus and track down a copy elsewhere.

[Widgetcraft]

So far, I don't know any fast way to get great weapons. The Demon Doors are pretty unrewarding this time around, though still fun to open. Generally, each time you complete a story mission, a higher level of gear will be available in shops.


That varies wildly, FYI :p

[Disgustipated]

Well it has to be better than the current x2 card. And it's still years to go until they nail down specs.

Of course it'll be better. It'll probably be a Radeon HD 5-6xxx series card, if not a custom design. And it's actually not that far off. Expect the specs to be finalized in 2009-early 2010.

[Xerxes]

Of course it'll be better. It'll probably be a Radeon HD 5-6xxx series card, if not a custom design. And it's actually not that far off. Expect the specs to be finalized in 2009-early 2010.

You thinking only a 5 year life span again?