So Whos's Playing Fable?

[Lazychu]

???

I swear I'm playing a different game to you lot. B)

Me too. It's a rather pretty game IMO, if a bit glitchy (odd shadows and clipping etc).

And the bandit camp - tried using your eyes lately Dave?

I agree about the enviroments though. While they actually look quite expansive, half of the it (woodlands, fields etc) is blocked off by low walls, logs and the like. There have been several occassions when Ive seen a nice little river ripe to paddle in but it's blocked at the shore by an invisible wall.

[greasyspoon]

So far this game has been everything that I expected and ranted about. Average rolepaying game with dodgy controls, superfluous 'good/evil' effects that extend only as far as incidental reactions of the environment (oh, and you look different, whoopeedoo), all wrapped up in a very un-funny unimaginative "twee Britain" sort of setting that went out of style twenty years ago. It's just so .... false.

5/10. At most.

Roll on Jade Empire.

[Lazychu]

Roll on Jade Empire.

You have a point there.

[Taurus]

Seeing as the bandits had a variety of loot stored in pots and chests to the left hand side of the area as you entered it *but off the main path*, including a flame augmentation* worth 1750 gold...

[ I'm assuming here we're talking about the same bandits, but we almost certainly are ].

I'm almost certain it must be the same encounter - although to be fair I did look off the beaten path (although I didn't exactly scour the area because the encounter had bored me so much). I still maintain it's pretty unbalanced though, in that the difficulty level of quests veers wildly from ridiculously easy to frustratingly hard (which actually just means long, really). And I think the most important bit about my bout with the bandits is that I just didn't enjoy it, because I don't think the combat's very well implemented.

But that does make me think that maybe I'm not enjoying this because I was expecting something different: so far I've spent every quest waiting for something interesting to happen and all I get is repetitive broken combat. It strikes me that if you didn't know what this game was about and weren't as fussy as me about the combat it would be more fun. Or something. Maybe. Whatever.

[roadkill]

Rather like with Sudeki, I'm getting the feeling if this wasn't an XBox exclusive many of the more forgiving of you would be much less so.

Had either Sony or Nintendo hyped something to this level and then released something with "invisible walls" etc. you'd all be shouting from the ramparts about how shocking it is, not desperately trying to praise it.

Bluntly, I liked the look of it in the earlier stuff, and that website they produced was class, but as it got nearer release it appeared to suffer from Microsoft Game Studio focus group intervention sessions ever more. The character proportions changed massively (like the fantastic legs they used to have) being a relatively small example.

[roadkill]

You're playing, Roadkill, right?

Or you're going by screenshots and second hand comment?

I'm not going to spend money playing something I can tell I won't like from the screenshots.

I'm sensible like that.

[Taurus]

It's more combat based than I perhaps expected (the only encounter to stick in my mind so far would be

Y'see here's where we fundamentally differ. Because I found that encounter to be the acme of boring tediousness. I simply hung back and shot him with arrows and magic while strafing, and it took aaaages and demanding no discernible skill or ability.

And,

So you're judging how the game stands primarily by the tutorial?!

to be fair, the tutorial does last for fucking aaaages too (and is really pretty boring).

I wish I could stop being so negative; I think it's a really good thing that a British developer is responsible for the second most preordered game on Xbox, and I'm pleased that people seem to be enjoying it. It's just that I'm not.

[Cyhwuhx]

Egghead wrote on page one...

[snip]

So you're judging how the game stands primarily by the tutorial?!

It's going to be a long day.

[ roll on jade empire too, but only because I'm a massive bioware fan ]

.::: Egghead is a friend of mine and if anything you could describe him as a massconsumer, he gets ticked of by things rather easily (the ONLY GC game he can stomach is Super Monkey Ball for instance).

Don't expect a discussion about Fable, because these are his findings and there's a good chance he already stopped playing it alltogether.

I even doubt he'll even read this as he drops into this forum rather occasionally.

Just to clarify.

[roadkill]

That sounds remarkably like my mate regarding my views on comics (putting me in Egghead's position).

Outsiders views can be just as, if not more, valid to a given item largely because they aren't caught up in the hype machine/who made it nonsense that comes in both comics and games lands.

[sir stiff_one]

Regardless of technical issues, some of this game is simply beautiful to look at, on a few occasions I've gone "woah!" because its lush as fuck.

Going against the grain of the thread, I'm finding this game fascinating and very enjoyable. Great voice acting so far in general. Generic story, yes, but hey.

I'm very hard pushed now to not buy this, I wasn't expecting it at all, but I will almost certainly be buying it, even if I end up trading it in a week later. It's out on the 8th now right?

I am loving the Star Wars and LOTR and Zelda influences. The Demon Doors are fucking awesome, some of the animation is really great and the Balverines look great. I like the way the characters react to what you are doing. I like the electricity strikes, Emperor style.

Yes there are faults, but so far massively outweighed by the enjoyment

[El Spatula]

Rather like with Sudeki, I'm getting the feeling if this wasn't an XBox exclusive many of the more forgiving of you would be much less so.

Had either Sony or Nintendo hyped something to this level and then released something with "invisible walls" etc. you'd all be shouting from the ramparts about how shocking it is, not desperately trying to praise it

o/\o. I agree totally.

[footle]

I've just knocked off another 3 or 4 hours.

Drink and be Merry.

[Ludachrist]

I don't agree. Invisible walls don't equal a bad game.

[ianinthefuture]

Rather like with Sudeki, I'm getting the feeling if this wasn't an XBox exclusive many of the more forgiving of you would be much less so.

Had either Sony or Nintendo hyped something to this level and then released something with "invisible walls" etc. you'd all be shouting from the ramparts about how shocking it is, not desperately trying to praise it.

I don't see the 'desperation' in my praise, I see the fact that I'm having fun with it and hence am enjoying it.

It's a weird thing, this 'liking games' stuff.

[sir stiff_one]

Be careful in case you like the wrong games!

[Lazychu]

Be careful in case you like the wrong games!

Next thing you'll be telling us you don't like Outrun 2.

[Plums]

Next thing you'll be telling us you don't like Outrun 2.

[Lazychu]

Exactly.

[sir stiff_one]

Outrun 2 is ace

[Goose]

Not being able to world save during the guild is annoying but I don't find not being able to save mid-quest is that bad because you can't do it on GTA3, VC or I'm guessing San Andreas, either. Which I think is good in a way because it avoid the old quick-save method of beating a mission.

But I did feel annoyed by the invisible walls. Especially when I've seen a few places that LOOK like you get to them (broken down walls etc) but you just keep on hitting that wall.

[Prine]

You guys are being overly harsh. Is it because of Molenuex?

[Prine]

Going against the grain of the thread, I'm finding this game fascinating and very enjoyable. Great voice acting so far in general. Generic story, yes, but hey.

Thats pretty much what i've been hearing from a number of friends and impressions on forums.

Quite shocked with the hate i've been reading here

[roadkill]

Yes - but at least Egghead's actually played the darn thing, which means he's got a viewpoint based on something other than:

"If Molyeneux hadn't been involved and it wasn't on Console Y then..."

Except I'm basing it on having been slightly interested in the game they initially announced, but the yet-another-generic-medieval-rpg they seem to have made by all accounts bores me before I'm passed the utterly generic soulless, colourless appearance of the thing, and the probably airbrushed mountains.

This is definitely one for the XBox love-in brigade. Had this been exactly the same title on PS2 you'd all be saying "what utter rubbish, those graphical glitches are unforgivable in a game of this profile" "what did they spend all that development time doing???" etc. etc. Because it's an Xbox exclusive you're prepared to forgive it.

I can't help thinking the reason Psychonauts was dropped by MGS is they refused to go along with the focus group testing which appears so crucial to their publishing regime of turning out deeply boring personality-less titles.

[Prine]

But Fable is actually good. Not one bad review yet

[Disgraced Toblerone]

This is definitely one for the XBox love-in brigade.

I won't bother then.

You convinced me.

[CrispinG]

Surely people are more critical of a game's graphics if it's an Xbox exclusive because it has more muscle behind it?

Even the most positive first impressions posted here suggest a very bland little hack 'n slash time waster with an irrelevant morality system. Damn you, Molyneux, you bald fuck.

[ianinthefuture]

This is definitely one for the XBox love-in brigade. Had this been exactly the same title on PS2 you'd all be saying "what utter rubbish, those graphical glitches are unforgivable in a game of this profile" "what did they spend all that development time doing???" etc. etc. Because it's an Xbox exclusive you're prepared to forgive it.

With regards to myself at least, you are talking utter pish-balls. I really couldn't give two flakes of dried up spunk what console something comes out on, as long as it's good.

Christ - I like liking likeable games and I have no strong allegiances towards one format or another?! There must be something seriously wrong if this is the kind of gamer that's around these days!

[footle]

Roadkill:

If you're not interested in the slightest, why are you in this thread again?

Crispin:

Going against the grain of the thread, I'm finding this game fascinating and very enjoyable. Great voice acting so far in general. Generic story, yes, but hey.

We've actually stopped the game and gathered everyone round to look at a specific scene a few times, just because its gorgeous. Somewhere in the woods bit with the water, and the backgrounds and the lighting, eeek. Lovely.

I am loving the Star Wars and LOTR and Zelda influences. The Demon Doors are fucking awesome, some of the animation is really great and the Balverines look great. I like the way the characters react to what you are doing. I like the electricity strikes, Emperor style.

And I'm not even quoting myself...

Most of the negativity on the last two pages is from someone who "isn't interested in" and "hasn't played" the game but whose opinion is worthwhile because "it's like comics".

Apparently.

[CrispinG]

Read those quotes again, footle. Not one of them suggests anything more than a generic dungeon crawl.

[Lazychu]

Outrun 2 is ace

I know, but you'd probably get strung up here for saying otherwise.

Anyway Fable...soo Roadkill hasn't actually played it yet?