Molyneux talks Fable 3

This British game designer really likes to talk about his new games. His newest brainchild Fable 3 will, according to his statements at Microsofts X10 arrangement, come with a few ground breaking and revolutionary concepts.

I wonder when Peter Molyneux’ newest game did not come with revolutionary ideas.

To name the three main new features brought into attention by Molyneux himself, the new incarnation of his fantasy action RPG will feature context sensitive triggers, cool weapons and the ability to rule Albion as its beloved (or hated) king.

The trigger sensitive button feature means that the same trigger button will trigger different responses from the game depending on the situation. It may kill somebody, it may help a little child to find her way home.

In other words, the exact same feature that Molyneux eagerly presented to the press and fellow game developer about a year before the release of Fable 2, and was missing in the final release. Only back then, he talked about a bar fight scene and how the trigger button would pick up a bottle and smash it over somebody’s head.

The cool weapons feature means weapons that morph depending on what you do with them; what you kill and how often you kill it.

In other words, the creature from Black and White; only it’s a sword.

The ability to rule Albion sounds like the most interesting feature of Fable 3 thus far. However, we already knew all about that one.

What I’m interested in, is how Natal fits into all of this. I want to know if I can punch that child in the face and watch it cry.

Oh no, now we’re going to feel stuff again

In a recent press conference about Mass Effect 2, it is obvious that emotions play a crucial part in Bioware’s upcoming deep space RPG shooter. This is according to statements from CEO Ray Muzyka.

There will be memorable and emotional moments, emotional connection to the Mass Efffect storyline, emotional characters and simply a down-right emotional gmmeplay.

There are a lot of emotions going about, not doubt about it. Someting that makes a bitter taste in my mouth. Not because I’m an emotionless bastard (I do actually cry sometimes, like when my little brother accidentally pulled out the power plug as I had just finished off King Bowser in Super Mario Bros. 3 for the first time and was finally going to watch the ending).

I just don’t… care… about video game characters. And it’s just that I can still recall the last time I heard a developer brag about emotions in his awsome new game.

That’s right, Peter Molyneux. I did not enjoy having to keep my spouse happy when I’d rather kill hobbes, and I did not fall in love with your dog. In fact, I killed your dog.

How’s that for emotional, eh?

The same game, just so much better

ASSASSIN’S CREED II: I have been playing Assassin’s Creed 2 for the past week, probably just like the rest of the sane gaming world. To say the least, I am impressed. This is truly a magnificent game. I’m not happy with everything, but I am happy with most of it.

To start out, this is to a large extent the same game as Assassin’s Creed. Truly, there isn’t really a lot of invasion to go with this package. It looks the same, it feels the same, and for the most part it also plays the same. The great difference is that it’s just better, in every way.

The developer clearly understood what works with Assassin’s Creed, and then made it better. It’s the same game; it’s just a better game. I am glad to see that the stupid American accent of the main character has been replaced with one that goes with the rest of the characters in the game. This makes it feel a lot more like your main character actually belongs in this game world, in Renaissance Italy, and isn’t some oddity foreign video game angelic creature that somehow popped up on the rooftops.

The cinematic cut scenes are terrific, and really improves on the ones that were in the previous game. Assassin’s Creed did have some great cut scenes, no doubt, but most of the dialogue was done through a static camera, which was simply just boring to watch. Happily, most dialogue and cut scenes in Assassin’s Creed 2 is cinematic scenes that draw you into a much more interesting storyline.

There is a lot more variation in the gameplay this time around, something that was sorely needed. It all feels more implemented in the overall storyline, and not just small chunks of gameplay that are available everywhere, and feel mostly meaningless to the overall experience. There are a few “race me to the other side of town for no particular reason” types of missions still around, but they are a lot fewer this time.

However, I did not so much enjoy the notoriety system. When doing a mission you build up notoriety that has to be removed. If you don’t, guards will attack you on sight, even if you did hide in the hay. To remove notoriety you’ll have to tear down wanted posters or bribe town criers, which becomes a somewhat annoying activity since you have to do it all the time, since you do missions all the time. Even though it might be more realistic that the guards recognize you, it does some serious damage to the game experience. Bottomline, this was a bad idea.

The possibility to buy new gear and upgrade a town to make money is a brilliant addition, and is probably inspired by the economy system in Fable 2. It goes nicely with the overall gameplay and feels rewarding. Getting new types of weapons from Leonardo da Vinci (your personal Q) also works perfectly. He is also an enjoyable character that you’ll want to visit. He does feel like your friend in a time of need.

I have no doubts in recommending Assassin’s Creed to any player. It looks fantastic, even better than the previous one, and the atmosphere is simply incredible. Renaissance Italy is very much there, and you really want to explore it. But once you’re there, you don’t get out! You have been warned.