Topic: Fable 2 (X360) -> Removed from Xbox.com & Games on Demand [12/3/2012]

[Pugnate]

Damn this day 1 patch thing sucks. I just find it unacceptable for a console title.

[MysterD]

GameSpy has a roundtable discussion about their experiences so far w/ Fable 2.

[Xessive]

Damn this day 1 patch thing sucks. I just find it unacceptable for a console title.

Remember we talked about this a year back or so (maybe more)? When consoles went online and we saw one of the first patches our first reaction was "Oh God, this is gonna be another excuse for publishers to pump out half-baked console games.. Crap."

[K-man]

If the Co-op patch is the only misstep, i'll be very happy.

By all accounts it seems that Molyneux has delivered BIG time with this game, and I cannot wait to play it.

[Pugnate]

Yea the 360 is getting some fine titles lately, and I'm glad I bought one a few months ago.

[Xessive]

Yea the 360 is getting some fine titles lately, and I'm glad I bought one a few months ago.

So far the only upside I'm seeing to the 360 over the PS3 is the gamelist.. It's a big factor but I ultimately chose the PS3. I deliberately intended on getting only 1 console. I think the PS3 will pick up soon enough.

My heart still belongs to PC though.

[K-man]

So far the only upside I'm seeing to the 360 over the PS3 is the gamelist.. It's a big factor but I ultimately chose the PS3. I deliberately intended on getting only 1 console. I think the PS3 will pick up soon enough.

My heart still belongs to PC though.

The problem is that Sony should be trouncing Microsoft's ass right now.  They have superior (and more futureproof) hardware and the design.  Their major problem is an innate inability to tie it all together like Microsoft has done with XBL and the community.  Everything feels seamless and integrated on 360, and disjointed and convoluted on PS3.  Home is looking like more and more of a joke every day. 

Until this is resolved, I don't think the PS3 will pick up significantly.  Games like LBP and Resistance 2 will really help push the console and online play, but it'll never approach a level of success that Microsoft has had with their implementation of XBL and the OS.

I guess it all boils down to Sony really knowing hardware and being complete dumbasses when it comes to software and vice versa for Microsoft.

[Xessive]

The problem is that Sony should be trouncing Microsoft's ass right now.  They have superior (and more futureproof) hardware and the design.  Their major problem is an innate inability to tie it all together like Microsoft has done with XBL and the community.  Everything feels seamless and integrated on 360, and disjointed and convoluted on PS3.  Home is looking like more and more of a joke every day. 

Until this is resolved, I don't think the PS3 will pick up significantly.  Games like LBP and Resistance 2 will really help push the console and online play, but it'll never approach a level of success that Microsoft has had with their implementation of XBL and the OS.

Yeah, I can appreciate how well-embedded XBL is on the X360. It's not too bad on the PS3 but it is basically like opening a separate app.

I guess it all boils down to Sony really knowing hardware and being complete dumbasses when it comes to software and vice versa for Microsoft.

If they can work together then maybe... No, the future would be bleak. Nintendo would be our only droplet of hope.

[Pugnate]

Plus the recent price cut has really pushed the 360 ahead. It is outselling the PS3 in Japan of all places... and has been for months. This is an incredible development in a part of the world where you were more likely to see a black Japanese person than an Xbox.

[Xessive]

Plus the recent price cut has really pushed the 360 ahead. It is outselling the PS3 in Japan of all places... and has been for months. This is an incredible development in a part of the world where you were more likely to see a black Japanese person than an Xbox.

Hey, Levrett is a Black/Japanese dude! Not sure if you rememeber him from uni.. He actually looks like he's right out of an anime.

But yeah, the 360's stride in Japan is impressive.

[K-man]

Yeah, I can appreciate how well-embedded XBL is on the X360. It's not too bad on the PS3 but it is basically like opening a separate app.
If they can work together then maybe... No, the future would be bleak. Nintendo would be our only droplet of hope.

IMO Nintendo has dropped the ball on the hardware AND software side of things, but that's another discussion entirely.

I know part of their design choice is to protect children, but come on guys, you're bottlenecking your system.  Friend codes were a bad idea from the beginning.  Why can't we have user accounts?  Why haven't I been able to utilize voice chat in-game when playing online?  I'm a grownup.  I can handle someone saying "fuck" online. 

The Wii is the worst of the three as far as I'm concerned.  A short list of VERY good games.  The rest is mostly shovelware.

[Xessive]

I guess the Wii is more a of a party-favour by comparison. I think it's great for non-gamers, people who don't usually play videogames. I can totally see my mom or sister playing with one.

[Cobra951]

The problem is that Sony should be trouncing Microsoft's ass right now.  They have superior (and more futureproof) hardware and the design.  Their major problem is an innate inability to tie it all together like Microsoft has done with XBL and the community.  Everything feels seamless and integrated on 360, and disjointed and convoluted on PS3.  Home is looking like more and more of a joke every day. 

Until this is resolved, I don't think the PS3 will pick up significantly.  Games like LBP and Resistance 2 will really help push the console and online play, but it'll never approach a level of success that Microsoft has had with their implementation of XBL and the OS.

I guess it all boils down to Sony really knowing hardware and being complete dumbasses when it comes to software and vice versa for Microsoft.

But don't downplay the significance of the development difficulty.  Devs who cut their teeth on PCs can move on to the 360 with little extra effort.  The PS3 requires a completely different approach to reap its benefits.  I am convinced this has been playing a significant role in holding back the needed explosion of quality titles.  (For example, Jonathan Blow flat out said that he wasn't interested in porting Braid to the PS3 because it was too much work.  He would have to consider hiring someone to do it, and how much that would cost.)  The lag in online goodness should be easier to solve, particularly with a free service.  Other things being equal, that would quickly come to rule, I think.

I guess the Wii is more a of a party-favour by comparison. I think it's great for non-gamers, people who don't usually play videogames. I can totally see my mom or sister playing with one.

It's a superior progressive-display Gamecube too.  That's been the role of mine now for months.

[MysterD]

Fable 2 Reviews on the X360

All scores are out of 10
Perfect 10 from Eurogamer
9.5 from Planet X-Box 360
9.2 from CVG
9.0 from Videogamer
9.0 from Kikizo
8.8 from IGN
8.5 from GameSpot -- thanks KMan!
8.5 from Worthplaying
7.8 from Dailygame.net


All scores are out of 5
4½ stars from GameSpy



Free Fate Card PSD's Released For ALL!
Those Fate Cards that were originally going to be in the Fable 2: LCE have been released in PSD format for EVERYONE

[K-man]

8.5 from the spot, if that even means anything any more.

[Pugnate]

lol kman

[Pugnate]

So I read the CVG review, then I read the Eurogamer reivew, and then I finally read the IGN review.

Hilary Goldstein has to be one of the worst videogame writers on the planet. I mean he is just terrible.

The other reviews were pretty good though.

[Xessive]

So I read the CVG review, then I read the Eurogamer reivew, and then I finally read the IGN review.

Hilary Goldstein has to be one of the worst videogame writers on the planet. I mean he is just terrible.

The other reviews were pretty good though.

He? Hilary is a dude's name?

[Pugnate]

Yes. According to IGN, he also gets the most fan mail.

[K-man]

Yeah, the IGN review was terrible.

[K-man]

This game is good

[K-man]

I assume I'm the only one on the boards playing this.

I've found a few issues with the game, mostly related to UI stuff.  But man, it's like Peter Molyneux read my mind as I was playing through Fable and gave me everything I wished for.

[Quemaqua]

I really would like to play it, it just isn't a priority at all at this point.  But I'm glad to hear that it's awesome.  I did like the first despite the flaws.

[PyroMenace]

Megan bought it and she was over last night and I got to play it. From what got to experience, its a much more broadened game from what the first one was, I liked it.

[MysterD]

350,000 copies of Fable 2 for X360 sold on Launch Day.

It's now expected to probably do a cool one million by the end of the week.

If it sells what's expected, this could make F2 the fastest selling console RPG of all time.

[Cobra951]

And they already found an inexcusable nasty bug.  Inexcusable because it's not hard at all to trigger.  All you have to do is walk out on a conversation before it's done.  After that, the game is broken.  Haha.  Way to go.  Patch on the way, of course.

[Quemaqua]

Way to go Microsoft.  Can't these people do fucking anything right?

[Pugnate]

I think I am just going to wait for the PC version.

[Cobra951]

I was going to say this never would happen in Nintendo games, but then I remembered that it very much did.  In Twilight Princess, if you save in the room with the big cannon, the game breaks in this same fashion.  Found a link.

But overall, I have a confidence in the quality of Nintendo console games that doesn't extend to others, particularly the Xbox.  I think I mentioned before that a Criterion dev said in their forums that the 360 dev kits don't fully represent the real hardware.  Imagine a bigger QA nightmare than that, if you can.

[MysterD]

And they already found an inexcusable nasty bug.  Inexcusable because it's not hard at all to trigger.  All you have to do is walk out on a conversation before it's done.  After that, the game is broken.  Haha.  Way to go.  Patch on the way, of course.

Are you kidding me, Cobra?
Any conversation in the game??

[Cobra951]

No.  Just this.

[iPPi]

I played about 10 minutes of the first Fable and never played it again.  I can't decide if I want to give Fable 2 a shot at all or not.

[Quemaqua]

That's a surefire way to hate the first game.  You really have to get beyond the first area to realize why it didn't suck as much as some people said.  In fact, I wouldn't mind firing it up again if I had the time.  It was quite enjoyable for what it was, even if it wasn't what it set out to be.  But it definitely took more than an hour or so for me to warm up to it.  The beginning wasn't very compelling.

[MysterD]

Ahhhh, Fable was quite memorable.
No, it did not come out to be what Peter originally intended -- which is what I expected from him.

But dammit, I still thought it was very good and worth spending time and money on.

Even if Peter does say (at least) half of what we says he will do, you're still in for something special from him. Trust me on that one.

[K-man]

People have complained that the main story line is too short.  I'm actually having to make myself do the main story line.  There's so much else to do in the world that the main story just sort of falls to the wayside.  In a way it's like Oblivion to that effect.

Anyone who ended up enjoying Fable despite its flaws will absolutely fall in love with this game.

[MysterD]

I'm glad to hear there's a hell of lot to do outside of the main quest -- which something the original sort of lacked. There was just not a great amount of side-questing in the original Fable (from the guild straight-up). Did they add lots of side-quests in Fable 2? Or did they just really expand the hell out of the mini-game stuff for Fable 2? Or both?

Though, there was a nice amount of mini-game sort of stuff in Fable: TLC -- card games, emoting so you can try to woo the ladies, buying a house to upgrade, etc etc. I just wish it had more of the usual sort of side-quests.

At around spending 20 hours on Fable: TLC PC, it was pretty much over with for me. It felt short for an RPG, but none-the-less it was still was very good and extremely memorable.

If and when there's a Fable 2 planned for the PC, count me in.

[K-man]

side-quests just sort of progress naturally in this game.  They'll just sort of open up naturally.  There are definitely more side-quests in this game.  There are many jobs you can take to earn money, most of which open periodically throughout the game.  Anything from woodcutting to bartending.  They're interesting enough to keep your attention while you earn some cash.  The big thing for me is earning money to buy real estate.  When they said everything in the game is for sale they mean it.  Everything from homes to stores to sale booths.  I have bought up enough real estate to where every five minutes I earn 450 gold.  It's going to take a while to recoup the investment, but since it accumulates even when you're not playing it will soon be worth it.  I haven't done many of the gambling-type games, but I know there's more than just the three that were available in Pub Games.

Your dog (through training books) gets better at finding dig spots eventually.  So you'll find yourself going through areas multiple times and finding different things depending on how skilled your dog is.

[MysterD]

Oh, man -- that sounds a lot better this time around.
Especially the Real Estate thing and that you can buy just about anything.

[PyroMenace]

Megan is going through it and shes being as evil as possible. Her character got married and had a kid, it was her little demon seed. She was so happy about it, but then her husband was getting displeased and ended up leaving her and child care took her kid. It hit her pretty hard, I saw the message pop up to what happened, and she just sat there with her jaw open, not believing what just happened. Now she's less inclined to play more. 

[MysterD]

Check out the Fable 2 boards here. Namely this thread here is about how pretty much many people don't like the Co-Op Mode.

Namely, it's b/c you can't bring your (exact) own hero into the game and they don't care for the camera angles involved in this mode.