IGN Handles Fable 2

[Dr.Finger]

IGN had some face time with Peter Molyneux's Fable 2 (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/803/803839p1.html). We've hear quite a bit about the relationships the game hopes to foster, but now wer're actually getting some solid info on the gameplay itself.The combat system is so simple it exists on a single button. Press X and you attack. That's it. There are no multi-buttoned combos, no modifier commands, nothing but the movement of the Left Thumbstick and the X button. If you love to button mash, you can make your way through Fable 2 by just smacking the X button with no care for the carefully crafted combos that lie beneath the surface. But for anyone who wants more pizzazz and challenge to their combat, Fable 2 offers quite a bit more.

While your melee weapon is linked to the X button, there are dozens of variations you can attempt. Combat is largely rhythm based but, unlike many games with similar systems, the range of the timing seems fairly broad. Pressing X, X, (hold) X and then releasing creates a different result than X, (pause) X, (hold) X and release. To help players feel the rhythm, drums begin to pound when you string combos, signaling times to press the X button. It's an almost tribal experience. And though the drums are initially jarring, their beat melds into the ambient noise quickly. It wasn't long before it felt as if the music were in rhythm with my button taps and not the other way around. Blocking is also done with the X, simply by holding. This also powers you up for an attack, but each time you parry that charge is instantly dissipated. So you can't block and then suddenly released a powerful strike.

Counterattacks, which require some timing and (as Molyneux pointed out regarding my play) a little luck, offer some visual panache. Landing a counterattack (hitting an opponent just as they begin to swing at you) leads to brutal execution-style moves. The camera snaps to a dramatic angle, time slows for a few seconds, and our hero performs one of a variety of moves. In just ten minutes of combat, I witnessed more than a dozen different flourish moves. One had our hero slam a bandit against a brick wall with his forearm, breaking his neck, and then shoved his sword deep into his gut. Another was a simple backhand that actually looked utterly humiliating for the opponent. It's nice to see the veil of secrecy surrounding this game finally begin to part a little. There are a lot of very high concepts and ideas here, lets hope they can coalesce into a proper game when it's all said and done.

[Deadend]

the fact it's a playable demo sounds like we may be playing it in 2008.

[mkelehan]

Rhythm based combat. I could go for that.

[spamonstick]

so you saw 10 mintiets of gameplay was the game already half over?

[Ignus]

From that dog video it seems that Molyneux is very into this game and really wants to make it work.
Considering how it's been delayed into next year, and that combat and the dog are already looking good, I have faith that they can polish it and make it a great game.
But I still try to be cautiously optimistic.

[Exodus]

so you saw 10 mintiets of gameplay was the game already half over?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh wait that wasn't funny the 1,000,001th time I heard it :\
almost as funny as another duke nukem fornever joke

I liked fable but I'm not a fan but that joke is soooo tired

[Gerbs]

Totally looking forward to playing this Christmas of 08.

[Rune_74]

At least microsoft didn't pass it off as comming soon;)

[T-Rex Commando]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh wait that wasn't funny the 1,000,001th time I heard it :\
almost as funny as another duke nukem fornever joke

I liked fable but I'm not a fan but that joke is soooo tired
Not to mention that it's a fairly unwarranted joke anyways. Fable: The Lost Chapters was a reasonably lengthy game and had it been any longer I wouldn't have replayed it in order to create a different kind of character. I think the biggest problem with the original Fable (besides the fact that it failed to come even close to reaching the lofty goals Molyneux set for it) is that it should've been released from the beginning with all the content from The Lost Chapters. It's not even that much stuff, but it adds just enough to give the game a more complete feel.

[Mdot23]

Always liked Fable, despite it not being everything Molyneux claimed it would be. Hopefully this gets closer to the original plan. Looking forward to it.

[Dakar]

Combat was not a problem with the last game. I'm almost sure this will end up being a dissappointment because they don't seem to be focusing on the right stuff.

[saneman]

If you lose all your health, your character will be knocked out. The nearby enemies will begin kicking and beating you on the ground. You have a choice to lose experience, gold, or reknown in order to get up. If you wait long enough, you'll get up on your own, but the longer you stay on the ground, the more permanent scars you attain. These scars will affect how people react to you in the game -- and shows your friends that you get your ass kicked a lot.

Ha!

Combat was not a problem with the last game. I'm almost sure this will end up being a dissappointment because they don't seem to be focusing on the right stuff.

The developers aren't focusing on the "right things", or this article isn't focusing on the "right things"?

[KamaItachi]

Just give me something at least as fun as the original. That's all I ask... and I'll be very happy with Fable 2. Promises be damned.

That said, it does seem like the second in the series will come a lot closer to what Molyneux had wanted.

[digitalErich]

Give me something that lasts longer than 7 hours and has maps/map sections that are larger than a basketball court is all I ask.

[jpublic]

I played Fable: TLC on the PC, and found it to be a decent romp. Wasn't long, wasn't involved, but was worth the $30 I paid for it, and was worthy of a permanent place on my PC shelf.

Besides, the ability to have a wife in every town? Priceless. My dude should have been called Wilt Chamberlain.

[Rook34]

Sounds good, bit it has one problem with the combat, which Odin Sphere shares..: That 1 button to attack, and hold to block. That blows. Because you always attack at first by pressing it when you actually mean to block. I HATE that shit!

If Molyneoux were a chick, I'd slap him like a bitch, but then apologize, "I'm sorry baby, I can't be mad at you."

[Kem0sabe]

Sorry, but i don't believe much of what Molyneux says anymore. He failed to deliver almost every high concept idea he had for both the black and white series and Fable 1.

He should just stop doing interviews, because in the end, he will end up sounding like an idiot when his games don't deliver anything like what he promised.

[Rook34]

Sorry, but i don't believe much of what Molyneux says anymore. He failed to deliver almost every high concept idea he had for both the black and white series and Fable 1.

He should just stop doing interviews, because in the end, he will end up sounding like an idiot when his games don't deliver anything like what he promised.

But they're still fun... Well, except B&W..

[MrSatan]

Give me something that lasts longer than 7 hours and has maps/map sections that are larger than a basketball court is all I ask.

I second that, I remember beating it so fast that I wanted to get it to Gamestop for a trade-in while the game was still hot.

[Roc Ingersol]

Considering how it's been delayed into next year...
Fable was delayed what? 2 years? More time hasn't helped them much in the past. I take more interest from the fact that Molyneux is trying to restrain himself to talking up what's actually playable in the game.

Not over-promising this time around is what makes me think they may not under-deliver this time.

Rythm combat sounds interesting. But what really hurt Fable was the lack of exploration and stunted sandboxing. I'd like to see whether they're addressing that.

[Dr.Finger]

It sounds like Molyneux has a ton of little ideas he wants to implement, like that part about getting permanent scars, but I worry that like Black & White and Fable 1, that it won't come be a proper game, just a bunch of little ideas thrown together.

[wezlypipz]

Hell yeah! New combat system that sounds fun and entertaining.

[Itchyeyes]

Considering how it's been delayed into next year
It hasn't been delayed. It was never supposed to make it out in 2007.

I like the sound of the combat. The first Fable's combat was decent if you mixed up different attacks and spells, but if you stuck to one weapon it was pretty stale. The more animations they can put in, the better. The article says the author saw a dozen flourish moves in ten minutes, but how many more are likely in the game? What looks impressive in ten minutes worth of footage doesn't always translate as well to 20 hours of gameplay.

Also, my Molyneux alert started ringing when he started talking about how they'll handle death. I like that Molyneux openly talks about his game concepts when they're still on the drawing board, but you have to take it with a grain of salt when there's no gameplay accompanying those concepts. It sounds like a great concept for a way to handle death in a game, and something totally unique. However, implementation could be difficult depending on how they plan to have characters react to your scars and disfigurations.

I liked the first Fable a lot, and the sequel is one of my most anticipated games for next year. However, it's important to keep in mind with Molyneux that the game he describes to you when it's in production isn't always the same thing that's going to hit shelves, and it's best not to expect anything to be set in stone until you've actually seen it implemented in the game.

[BigJonno]

Anyone else got a video of the demonstration? IGN seems a little slow at the moment.