E3 Disclaimer: Kombo’s E3 previews are designed to inform you of what each game at E3 plays like, and what we think of what’s shown. These previews are not reviews, and we reserve final judgment of each game until it is finished and released. These previews offer an honest opinion of what a publisher chose to demo at E3. So, without further ado, read on.
What the Game’s About
Fable 2 is the sequel to the greatest RPG of all time, at least according to Peter Molyneux circa 2004. It’s also going to be the greatest RPG of all time and change the way we think about the genre as a whole if Peter Molyneux of 2008 is to be believed. If you don’t feel like taking his word for it, then all you need to know is that it’s an action RPG with a heavy focus on player choice and it includes several ambitious new features designed to make the experience as accessible and emotionally powerful as possible. We ran through one of the later areas of the game in co-op mode with a member of Lionhead.
What’s Hot
The combat in the original Fable was boring. The combat in Fable 2 is surprisingly engrossing considering it uses all of three buttons. We were using a buffed character that was proficient in all three offensive categories: melee, ranged and magic. Combining all three talents in different ways along with context-sensitive environmental attacks and tag-team maneuvers proved quite satisfying. Any nimrod can slog their way through the game by mashing buttons, but doing so is completely self-defeating: it’s neither fun nor effective. Using more advanced techniques nets more experience and are flat-out more satisfying to use.
Co-op makes everything more fun, from mindless dungeon grinds to boring beat-em ups. Fable 2 isn’t a boring game in single player by any means, but like any game, it’s more fun with a buddy. Jumping into and out of a friend’s game is easy and fast, and Fable 2 rewards players for playing with friends, as both players can combine talents to tag-team enemies for extra experience. Pinning enemies against walls, covering each other’s backs while surrounded, throwing enemies into the air for our partner to shoot at, all of it made powering through hordes of enemies more fun. The fact that your buddy’s actions toward NPCs can have a lasting impact on the game world well after they leave your game is sure to lead to raucous laughing, swearing and vengeance.
What’s Not
Paths. We hate them. Anyone that remembers the building hype for the original Fable remembers the first batch of media that came out under the name “Project Ego.” Most of those screens featured a main character standing in immense, open fields. The final game didn’t have a single such wide-open area. From forests to cities, you were always confined to tight paths. The Lionhead member we were playing with swore there huge, open, areas to explore, but we have yet to see or play in any such areas, and we’ve seen and played Fable 2 at four different events over the last two years, at least. We’ll have a chance to get more extensive hands-on time with the game later tonight, and hopefully we’ll be able to explore large areas at our leisure.
Outlook
The combat and co-op play in Fable 2 is coming together very well. We still aren’t sure about the more interesting ideas though, like the pet dog, the ability to start and maintain a family, and the way players can completely change the nature of the world through relatively small actions. Those features are the most likely to really draw players into the game and create an emotional connection, but it’s obviously going to make more than a half-hour of gameplay time to feel their effects on the experience.
