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Joystiq review: Fable 2: See the Future (DLC)
Click for more Blue Man Group You can't really trust that Murgo guy. A trader by profession and a swindler by nature, Murgo returns to Bowerstone Market in Fable 2's "See the Future" add-on to sell you some odds, some ends and a few more plot devices. Seemingly unaware of the true nature of his own wares, the smooth-talking salesman offers several cursed items to you, each with a very low cost of entry. It's getting out that's tricky.%Gallery-49378%
Lionhead gives a sneak video peek at next Fable 2 DLC
Oh Lionhead, we're going to miss these little chats. For nearly two years, Lionhead developer diaries have been our link to the company, and, in our darker moments, the only thing keeping us going. Now, we're getting our last sneak peek at Fable 2 in the final developer diary, this time centered on the upcoming "See the Future" DLC.We haven't watched it yet, but we're going to preemptively say "Oh God, it looks so good, we want to play it so bad. Oh please, oh please, just come out already." We'll be sure to edit the post if we're wrong ... which we're not.
See Fable 2's future on May 12
Information continues to trickle in from the trusty crystal ball regarding Fable 2's upcoming "See the Future" DLC, which Lionhead now reveals will be available on May 12. The content will cost 560 ($7) Microsoft Points, a currency that thankfully still holds value in the distant future.In addition to adding in new items, quests and fluffy companions, Lionhead also promises that all Xbox Live Silver account holders will be able to adventure alongside their Gold cousins for free from May 8 through May 11. So grab your dog and your favorite sword -- the future's waiting.%Gallery-49378%
Kojima wants to make games until he dies
During an appearance at an Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo, Metal Gear maven Hideo Kojima was questioned by a concerned, rabid fan as to just how long he planned to remain in the industry. Kojima proudly displayed a mock resume, which contained the answer to the aforementioned question: "I'd like to continue being on the scene making games until I die." The MGS fans within us certainly hope his life will be as long as his cutscenes, relatively speaking. He went on to explain that the only thing that could lure him away from the world of game development is, of course, space travel. Oh, aeronautical exploration! Does your temptation know no bounds?
Lionhead sees the future, unveils Achievements for Fable 2 DLC
Bringing the game's grand total up to 1350 points, the full list of Achievements for Fable 2's upcoming DLC, "See the Future," has been unveiled by the Lionhead Community blog. Since it includes such classy Achievements as "The Paramour: Make love 25 times" and "The Nutcracker: Score 25 groin shots," we're quite certain those venturing back into Albion will find no shortage of buffoonery to engage in.We're still not quite certain what day in the next month the second add-on will arrive, but we do know it's fetching 560 ($7). Considering we're rounding the end of April any minute now, though, we imagine Fable 2 developer Lionhead Studios will see fit to announce a release date soon. Now that's seeing the future.[Thanks, Aaron!]
Shock! New Xbox Elite bundle with Halo 3, Fable II [Update]
Today, Microsoft revealed a new Xbox 360 Elite bundle headed to store shelves this May. The Xbox 360 Game of the Year bundle includes the little-known online shooter called Halo 3 and Joystiq's 2008 game of the year pick, Fable II. The M-rated bundle is priced at $399, making the two million-plus unit selling pack-in titles free of charge.Those of you keeping score at home will remember rumors of an elite bundle, which was set to include the two Microsoft Game Studios powerhouse titles, had been floating around the web earlier this month. Microsoft, continuing a long history of totally being able to keep a secret, confirmed the bundle today via Major Nelson's blog.Update: Major Nelson has clarified this bundle will be available in all regions where Xbox 360 is sold, except those in Europe.
Rumor: $400 Xbox 360 Elite bundle features Halo 3 and Fable 2
$400 will get you a lot these days. You can buy yourself any of the existing major consoles on the market, or you soon might be able to buy Microsoft's newer and more improved Elite console bundle. Word is that Microsoft will be jam-packing its existing Elite bundles with copies of Halo 3 and Fable 2, you know, just for fun. The best part is, the console won't be increasing in price. The bad news is that you're now furious if you already bought an Elite console.Ars Technica says that we'll have confirmation on this rumor by the end of next week, so that leaves us little time for the confirmation/debunking party. Who's on chips and dip duty?
Gamer Doc to host Halo 3 tourney
Given that there are only five locations in North America, there's a good chance you haven't heard of Gamer Doc, a new retail franchise that began last year. The fledgling franchise, whose locations have a unique, video game-inspired design, will host a Halo 3 tournament starting May 1 at its Bear, Delaware; Burlington, Ontario; Highland Park, California; and Springfield, Pennsylvania stores -- no love for the Miami store, apparently. Each store will host a double elimination tournament. The winning teams will face off on May 30 competing for a grand prize of $4,000, with $1,000 and $500 going to the second and third place winners, respectively.Registration for four-man teams will be accepted through April 24, with a $50 entry fee required per team. Visit your local Gamer Doc (if you have one) to register.The chance at $4,000 sounds pretty nice and all, but let us remind you: Joystiq can get you Recon armor and the Mythic Map Pack for free.
Fable 2's 'See the Future' DLC coming in May
It's a morning just like any other, save for one joyous difference. You stumble out of bed, groggy and mildly alarmed by the monstrous shape your hair assumed during the night. A sip of coffee does little to bring your brain out of its fatigue nebula, with a glance at the calendar reminding you that ... wait a minute. It's May! The new Fable II downloadable add-on, "See the Future," is supposed to be out this month!You quickly don your Bananas in Pajamas dressing gown and rush into the living room, shouting, "Wake up! Wake up you piece of slumbering silicon!" at the Xbox 360. Oh, you simply can't wait to download the new content, which marks the return of Murgo the Trader and the beginning of a new quest to lift a trio of curses placed on mysterious items. What wondrous new wares await you? What new breed will you choose for your post-potion pet? What good (or evil?) will you get up to with new costumes (including a Hobbe outfit!), hairstyles and "psycho Jester make-up?"Oh, but you're getting carried away. There's still the 560 ($7) charge to pay before you can chase after the "Ghosts of the Snowglobe," save "The Cursed Knight" from his fate or bludgeon everything to a pulp in "The Colosseum." Of course, there are some free items offered to Fable II players (like "Welley's soldier helmet"), but only the premium pack offers ... oh. It's not online today.You suddenly remember that Joystiq failed to mention what day in May the DLC would arrive. Those incompetent, unreliable bastards.%Gallery-49378%
April Fools: Next MGS to star Colonel Campbell
It would appear that Raiden is not the man to star in "the next MGS," as the slide above from Kojima's GDC keynote led us to believe. In fact, it's none other than old crazy man himself, Colonel Campbell, who will shoulder the responsibility of foiling whatever impending calamity is offered by the next MGS. Armed with nothing more than a sweet face visor and deadly cane, the Colonel shows you just how deadly he is in the video after the break.[Thanks, Rodrigo!]
Fable II tried 'gimmicky' voice controls
Fable II's canine companion was introduced as a means to connect gamers to the world of Albion, and although players could interact with the four-legged friend at the touch of a button, Lionhead initially tested microphone interaction as well. In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Peter Molyneux said the team behind Joystiq's GOTY tested voice commands in the game but ultimately found them to be too gimmicky. Had the feature been included in the game, players would be able to whistle into their headsets to call on their loyal pet -- a concept Molyneux didn't criticize, but felt wouldn't add to Fable II's overall gameplay experience. Besides, wasn't including the dog revolutionary enough for you?
PSA: Gears 2 Snowblind Map Pack out now
click to enlarge Locusts and gentlemen, COGs and girls, the Gears of War 2 Snowblind Map Pack is now available. The pack contains four new maps: Grindyard, Under Hill, Courtyard and a remake of Fuel Depot from the first Gears. If you'd like to make some red snow in online multiplayer -- or mow down Locust scum in Horde mode -- the maps will set you back 800. For those who'd prefer not to make a blind purchase (get it?), you can check out lots of screens in the gallery below. Even better, watch Joystiq Xbox's hands-on preview video after the break.%Gallery-48582%
GDC09: Just how many words were in Fable 2?
The answer? A lot....Oh, you were hoping for something a bit more concrete? Well, as we just learned in a GDC session, the talky action-RPG included some 370,000 words, totaling 38 hours of speech. No, really, you can read it for yourself just above. And that, friends, is why Fable 2 was our 2008 Game of the Year: All those words.
GDC09: 'See the Future' of Fable II DLC, next Lionhead game could be at E3
Peter Molyneux finally discussed details on the next Fable 2 expansion in an interview with IGN. Called "See the Future," this new expansion will arrive in Spring, bringing in some new gameplay mechanics and challenges. It'll also be important to the overall narrative as Molyneux informs that See the Future will "tie up a few loose threads" between Fable II and Fable I. There's more about Theresa, too, as well as "a clue about the future of the Fable story." Fable isn't all that Molyneux's team is working on, though. Speaking to Kotaku, he talks about the future of Lionhead and its non-Fable developments. "In fact we've been working on, working incredibly hard, on something else [than Fable]," Molyneux divulged. He wouldn't say what it was nor would he say when exactly the studio would be ready to show it off, but he reckons E3 would be a good time for all that. Source 1: IGNSource 2: Kotaku
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: UNO RUSH
This week on XBLA in Brief, we look at UNO RUSH, a speedy new take on the classic card game. Players have to adjust their hands quickly and play as many cards as possible on every turn. It sounds easy, but each turn is only a few seconds long, meaning you have to plan ahead. Check out the video above and see if UNO RUSH will be pulling 800 from your account. Download the trial version of UNO RUSH [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon). [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Lionhead Studios graphic designer sues Microsoft for harassment
Jamie Durrant has been working for Lionhead Studios, stomping ground of Peter Molyneux and developer of the Fable franchise, for 11 years. In his time, he's worked on the Black & White series as well as both of the Fable games. As of last August though, Mr. Durrant has been out of work "sick" on half-pay, claiming sexual discrimination on the part of Microsoft. "I have been signed off sick since August with anxiety and depression," Durrant told us this morning. The Surrey, UK resident is suing his employer, Microsoft (owner of Lionhead Studios), for £45,000/$66,000, money which will make up for "lost earnings and injury to feelings," according to the report on Telegraph.co.uk. A variety of names, laden with derogatory terms, were purportedly circulated in Durrant's tenure with the company as of late, referencing his sexual orientation: "'I'm Jim and I'm Gay," "Me and My Favourite Men," and "Ladies Are Bad," among others. According to Durrant, when these abuses were reported to the Microsoft human resources department, the company did little to help him, apparently telling him they would circulate an email reminding employees of the company policy -- but they never followed through. When he inquired as to why it hadn't been sent a few weeks later, he was supposedly told that Microsoft would have to draft policy on the matter first. He told the Telegraph, "I was very surprised that Microsoft did not have any policies relating to this sexual orientation harassment." Less than a month ago we found out that the Microsoft Xbox Live team also have little-to-no policy written regarding sexual orientation discrimination.When asked for more information, both Microsoft and Mr. Durrant have said they cannot comment on the still pending litigation. We'll have to wait until the London South Employment Tribunal hears his case "later this year" for more info.
Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack releases April 9, 800 points
Major Nelson has revealed that the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack will be available to everyone come April 9 for the price of 800 ($10). The pack contains three new maps: Sandbox, Assembly and Orbital. So, if you haven't broken down and bought the limited edition of Halo Wars, which contains a token to download the maps, you now know exactly how long you have to wait. Mark your calendars kids, just a few more weeks until you too can have fun with Killballs.If you haven't already, be sure to check out our hands-on impressions of the Mythic maps as well as our video preview.
Molyneux: 'The industry is growing up,' wants to stay out later on weekends
Peter Molyneux has grown up. In fact, he told Develop this past week that he believes the whole industry has matured. "We're growing up ... when I first started in this industry we were like six year-olds," Molyneaux says, speaking to the enormous development team sizes for games like Lionhead Studios' most recent foray, Fable II, and lamenting the industry's past arrogance towards structure of, well, any kind. "My feeling is that if you're making mistakes when you've got 100 people, that's a really big mistake," Molyneux says, adding, "You'd better make sure that you're making the mistakes when you're a ten or 20 person team; If you're doing that with 100 people, you are throwing millions of pounds down the toilet."That being said, his position on what Lionhead Studios is doing other than Fable-related properties remains ... loose ... to say the least. "There are lots of things I would like to show you now; Within ten feet of you right now is possibly the most exciting thing I've ever seen," Molyneux teased Develop. What could it be?! We may never know, nor may you, as Molyneux remains surprisingly coy in his description. Lionhead has confirmed work on more Fable II DLC, so for the time being, we'll just have to be content with that.
Molyneux: Fable destroyed developer lives, Fable II not so much
The original Fable was a home wrecker, according to Lionhead guru Peter Molyneux. The developer with the buttery British voice tells Develop that the first Fable "just burnt people's lives" and "destroyed the team." He says the excessively long work hours ruined marriages, and that the studio just can't do that anymore.Molyneux is happy to report that Fable II wasn't such a demon -- well, not until the "very, very end," when it consumed weekends (which is pretty standard). He states that, for the most part, the studio was empty on Sundays. We'd ask how he knows that, but we feel the answer involves him sadly sitting alone in the office over the weekends. Poor, poor Peter.
MTV's Totilo concerned about MS' Xbox exclusives in '09
During his latest Lunchtime Video (embedded after the break), MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo shows off his fancy LocoRoco drippy doodad ... but that isn't the big news. What is newsworthy is his expressed concern regarding Microsoft's catalog of Xbox 360 exclusives for 2009 being, well ... nonexistent.Totilo's evidence: the lack of major rumors going into spring, MS not scheduling many press demos during GDC, the loss of once Xbox exclusive franchises like Mass Effect and PGR, and still no information about the long-delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction and Alan Wake. To be fair, Totilo admits that 2009's confirmed exclusives like Halo 3: ODST and the second batch of GTAIV DLC will be big hits, but fears those will be the only huge titles Microsoft will have for the year.Should Xbox 360 fans be worried about the possibility of '09 being exclusive-less or is Microsoft keeping its cards a secret and planning on going all in at GDC and E3? Please, tell us what you think.
