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Joystiq's Games of the Year 2006-2008
Those who don't learn from their past are doomed to replay it again and again. In the case of these games from Joystiq's "Best Of" lists from 2006 through 2008, that's not really a bad thing. As we celebrate our decade of existence, it seemed like the right time to look back at the games we thought were the greatest in their respective launch years. (The 2004 and 2005 lists remain classified.) In some cases, our selections are part of franchises that have stood the test of generations, while others are like trying to recall what happened after that fourth Red Bull with a Mountain Dew chaser. Here are our selections and links to explanations to the best ghosts of Joystiq's past.
NBA 2K14, Fable 2 featured in this week's Xbox Live sale
NBA 2K14 and Fable 2 star in this week's lineup of Xbox Live store deals, as both games and their related DLC see discounts of up to 50 percent through next Monday. Xbox Live Gold members can pick up the Xbox 360 Games on Demand version of NBA 2K14 for $40.19 this week, while stat-boosting jewelry DLC and the game's Spanish commentary pack are half-off. Fable 2's sale prices are open to all Xbox Live members, offering up the full Games on Demand download for $9.99 and expansion DLC at a 50 percent discount. [Image: 2K]
Fable Trilogy coming to Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is getting a Fable Trilogy package that includes Fable Anniversary, Fable 2 and Fable 3, Microsoft confirmed. "The Fable Trilogy bundle in the Xbox Marketplace is real and in development," a Microsoft spokesperson told Gamespot. "The bundle will include full Xbox 360 titles for Fable Anniversary, Fable II, and Fable III. We're excited to share official details regarding the release soon on Lionhead.com." The bundle has a release date of February 4 on Xbox Marketplace, though Microsoft hasn't confirmed launch plans. Fable Anniversary, the HD remake of Fable, is due out on February 4 (yep, that's the same day listed for the bundle) for Xbox 360. The Fable Trilogy description warns that those who already own any of the included games won't get a second copy if they buy the bundle, nor will they get a discount.
Fable 2 returns to Games on Demand
Microsoft has overcome whatever dark sorcery removed Fable 2 from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Lionhead's saucy 2008 action-RPG is now available for download again."There was an isolated issue affecting the availability of Fable II on Games on Demand recently," a Microsoft representative told us. "We have resolved the issue and the game is once again available. We apologize for any inconvenience this caused." Take that, ambiguous "issue!"
Fable 2 removed from Xbox.com, Games on Demand
We'll bet even Theresa didn't see this one coming. The downloadable version of Fable 2 has been removed from Xbox Live Marketplace, both via Xbox.com or the console itself. The news comes courtesy of a GameSpot tipster, and we have confirmed that Fable 2 has been pulled from Xbox Live in both its episodic and Games on Demand forms. Associated Fable 2 content, including DLC, trailers and avatar items, is still available for download. Furthermore, both the original Fable and Fable 3 remain available to download.We've put word into Microsoft to see what's up. It's too early to be certain, but we suspect Hobbes were involved.
Lionhead survey seeks feedback on Fable franchise
What's your favorite Fable game? Lionhead is seeking the (obvious) answer in a community survey that's also intended to rank the franchise's thirteen core features, as listed by the developer, in order of importance. Fable players are asked to evaluate design elements like accessibility, British humour, co-op and the Dog, assigning each its rightful, subjective rank. (And what about the bugs, you're wondering? Those are actually dealt with in a separate survey.) "Sure we could try and digest 1,000,000 forum posts and come up with the data that way," Lionhead community manager Sam Van Tilburgh wrote in a community call to take the survey, "but it would take way too long and so it isn't very efficient." "Lionhead has a long relationship with a large and passionate community," Van Tilburgh added in a comment on the post, "so it's just a continuation of what we've been doing for many years now" -- and, presumably, for many years to come. Head of the pride Peter Molyneux has previously said his studio has plans for at least a Fable 4 and 5, which could include Kinect integration (not mentioned in the survey). Fable 3 debuted last October and went on to become the #7 bestselling release of 2010 on Xbox 360, according to NPD data published by Gamasutra. The PC version is still unreleased.
Fable 2's co-op shortcomings as explained by Molyneux
"I think we're taking a poorly implemented feature in Fable 2 and really making it shine in Fable 3." Peter Molyneux's enthusiasm, equally infamous and infectious, doesn't necessarily extend into the past. The creative director of Microsoft Game Studios Europe guided us through Fable 3's improved co-op design during a Friday morning TGS session, eagerly contrasting new features with some earnest recollection of the previous game's shortcomings. "Well, to be honest, the problem we had -- it was a bizarre problem -- is that every time you do something different, and this will sound horribly mechanical but it comes down to this at all times ... When you create a different version, then that needs a complete test pass," Molyneux explained. "So we had in Fable 2, because co-op came in quite late, couch co-op and we had [Xbox] Live co-op. We hadn't really planned for the fact that we were going to have to do a test pass. An entire test pass for the single player; an entire test pass for the couch co-op; an entire test pass for the Live co-op." Intent on adding online co-op to Fable 2 within a limited time frame, Lionhead Studios essentially went for a prudent two-for-one deal: take the working couch co-op online. "We could save a whole test pass if we made Live and couch co-op almost identical in Fable 2, and we were kind of running low on time so we had to do that," said Molyneux. Since the game essentially believed it was running on one screen, both players had to relinquish control of the camera -- and one had to settle for playing as a generic impostor in place of a true hero. In Fable 3, you're allowed to take your hero into someone else's game, along with your upgradeable weapons, abilities and fluffy, canine companions. You can marry your co-op partner, divorce them, go into a business partnership and even play pat-a-cake with them. And -- finally -- both players have a fully controllable camera. This is how the best internet romances start.
Interview: Peter Molyneux talks Kinect, Milo, and Fable 3
Just after Engadget Show host Josh Topolsky finished grilling Peter Molyneux on stage this past Wednesday, we wrangled Molyneux for another interview. First and foremost, we had to clear up what happened to the promise of Kinect in Fable 3 -- and we already told you his answer to that -- but we also wanted to venture into more general discussion. Molyneux spoke openly to us about the potential of Kinect, his personal struggle with promising game mechanics that may or may not end up in the final release, and how the success of Fable 2's episodic release will influence his studio's future.
Fable 2 follows the breadcrumbs to Games on Demand
You've been able to download Fable 2 through Xbox Live episodically until now, but who has time for all that thumb stick manipulation, button pressing and dashboard navigation? Zeroes, that's who. Starting today, you can buy the game like a sane person: In one big chunk for $20 from Games on Demand. Additionally, Kung Fu Panda is now available for purchase through Games on Demand for $30. Major Nelson also announced that Fallout 3 is now available on demand in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, leaving India and Japan as the sole holdout territories that can't experience the joy of nuclear devastation with a single button press. Soon, guys. Soon. Xbox.com: Add Fable II to your Xbox 360 download queue ($19.99) Xbox.com: Add Kung Fu Panda to your Xbox 360 download queue ($29.99)
Fable 2 episodic experiment deemed 'massively successful' by Molyneux
At the tail end of our GDC interview with Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, we remembered one more question we simply had to know: How well did Fable 2's episodic experiment go? We'll refresh your memory: Last August, Molyneux announced plans to release Fable 2 as a series of five downloadable "episodes," with the first one given away and the subsequent four priced at $10 each. Molyneux's response: "That was hugely successful. There were something like over half a million. I think it was 600,000 downloads of the first episode, which was very, very cool." Of course, the first episode was free so how was the conversion rate? "It was a much higher than a normal conversion rate," Molyneux smiled. "Massively, massively successful, and I really love this relationship, which is much more sliced into episodes with consumers." Of course, knowing where we were going with this particular line of questioning, Molyneux preemptively offered an answer."But we're not announcing whether that's coming out in this release," he said, tossing a smile towards the attentive PR people behind me.
Into the Pixel goes into the auction on eBay
Hey, you remember the Into the Pixel exhibit at last year's E3, right? Oh, no, that's right, they don't allow the plebes in. Had you been lucky enough to grace it with your stares, you'd have found a "jury-curated exhibition of video game art created by published video and computer game artists." And now that very same art can be found gracing the pages of eBay, as the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has opened up bidding on a smattering of pieces (starting yesterday and running through February 20). Featuring art from games like Flower and Fable 2, the proceeds will help to fund the AIAS' scholarship programs. The bidding has most certainly begun, though most pieces remain at their initial $100 opening bid as of publishing. If you're looking to snap up one of these snappy pieces, we'd suggest you get bidding sooner rather than later!
Fable 3 co-op to bring full characters, dogs, weapons into friends' games
If there's one thing we could've used in Fable 2, it was a more fleshed-out co-op system. Sure, we could see our friends' orbs floating about Albion and we could even invite them to play as a one-off character in our world, but it was one unable to collect experience or have any lasting impact on our game. As you might image, Lionhead's head lion Peter Molyneux is ready to deliver just that in Fable 3. Molyneux told the 4Guys 1UP podcast: "I heard you all about co-op. You want to have your own hero come into the world. Okay, fine, you can have that definitely." Detailing the system further, he admitted that the player's dog and weapons will also be available in co-op. "When you come into my world, you come in as your hero, with your dog, with all your unique weapons, self-crafted weapons. I heard you -- you don't wanna be tied to my camera, you wanna go off and do your own thing in my world. Fine, fair enough." That said, he warned about "consequences" from bringing in said friends to your own version of Albion. "It means careful who you invite in, 'cause they can screw the whole thing up, man!" And then, when the possibility of using the new "touch" functionality came up, things took a turn for the weird. "Yes you can use touch with your co-op partner. Yes you can walk down the street hand-in-hand. Yes you can drag your co-op partner to your dungeon and see what happens. Absolutely." Keep in mind, folks -- what happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon. Rawr! %Gallery-85302%
Amazon: 360 Platinum Hits are buy 2, get 1 free for a limited time
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Amazon is now offering a special buy two, get one free deal on Xbox 360 Platinum Hits titles. The deal is fairly straightforward: just pop three Platinum Hits games into your cart and the cheapest of the three will be knocked down to the wallet-friendly price of zero dollars. It's really the perfect excuse to pick up some great games you might have missed, especially considering many of them have sequels out this year -- notably Fable II, Halo 3, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, BioShock and Dead Rising. You'd better do it quick though, as the offer is only valid through February 13 and only while supplies last. [Thanks, Goldenchild]
Halo Wars, Fable 2 join Europe's Xbox 360 Classics
Eurogamer reports that two new games have been added to the Xbox 360 Classics budget line in EU territories. The two games are Fable II and Halo Wars. If you need a refresher, Fable II is Lionhead's brilliant, charming adventure that we kind of liked back in 2008. Halo Wars on the other hand, serves as both the first Halo RTS spin-off and the swan song of Ensemble Studios. The games can now be had for the tempting price of £19.99 ($31) apiece. Both are worth picking up -- just be sure to watch out for those Warthog rushes.
Xbox 360 Platinum Hits lineup adds Halo Wars, Orange Box and others
Xbox.com has listed several new games as Platinum Hits, including Fable II (aka Game of the Year Edition), Halo Wars, Left 4 Dead, The Orange Box, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Ninja Gaiden II, Kung-Fu Panda, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Sonic Unleashed. A Microsoft PR agent couldn't confirm the full list of new Platinum Hits (are we missing any above?), but said that if a game is listed as such on Xbox.com, it's a Platinum Hits title. The changes seem to have taken effect on major retailer sites, as GameStop and Amazon now reflect the discounted Platinum prices (if not always the the Platinum Hits branding), which range from $20–30. With Orange Box requiring only one Jackson ($20), it's now literally a crime to not own it. Conversely, if you're dead-set on committing a crime, buy someone Sonic The Hedgehog or Sonic Unleashed at $20 each. [Thanks, Stephen]
Vodafone Portugal releases IPTV service for Xbox 360
Portuguese digital television service, Vodafone Casa TV, is now available to Gold members of Xbox Live. In fact, the company is even promoting a special IPTV Xbox 360 bundle there, which includes an Elite console, 12 months of subscription for Xbox Live Gold and four games -- Lego Batman, Pure, Fable 2 and Halo 3 -- all for €259 (about $375). The Vodafone Casa TV service not only lets you watch on-demand TV through your Xbox 360, but also grants Portuguese patrons the ability to access content from their set-top boxes and set times for their set-top box to record live television. While users won't be able to directly record content to their Xbox 360, they can still access certain functions of the console while streaming content, including private chat and accepting game invites. Existing Vodafone Casa TV subscribers with an Xbox 360 can snag the software for a mere €9.90. [Thanks, Assassin Monk]
Capcom employee recreates Fable II's Fortune's Tower pub game
This has to be the most endearing display of cross-developer love we've seen during our games writing careers. Capcom's Shawn Baxter (a.k.a. "Snow,") recently posted on the company's community blog about his latest D.I.Y. project -- a real-life version of Fortune's Tower, one of the pub games featured in Fable II. Oh, and in Fable II Pub Games, though you probably didn't need us to tell you that. Words can't really describe this two-month, $400 project as well as pictures, so hop on over to Capcom's blog and check out the delectable fruits of Baxter's labor. If you're of a crafty ilk, the post also contains a few blueprints you can follow to make your own Fortune's Tower set. We probably won't post about yours, though. This is a one-time thing.
Reminder: Fable II DLC, Peggle, Death Tank on the cheap this week
Here's a little reminder that there are three, count 'em three, Xbox Live Deals of the Week this week, just in time for Thanksgiving. Up for grabs are the Fable II "See the Future" DLC, Peggle and Death Tank. Peggle is now half price at 400, "See the Future" drops from 560 ($7) to 400 ($5), while Death Tank takes a precipitous tumble from 1200 ($15) to 800 ($10). We'll also take this time to remind everyone that this week is the perfect time to snag both Peggle and the recently released Peggle Nights expansion all for 800 ($10). Trust us, Peggle is the perfect thing to calm the inevitable family arguments over the holidays. Just don't let grandma anywhere near it, because she will not give it back. Add See the Future to your 360 download queue Add Death Tank to your 360 download queue Add Peggle to your 360 download queue
MS announces incoming Games on Demand, Deals of the Week
Heading into the Thanksgiving weekend and the beginning of the holiday season, Microsoft has revealed the upcoming additions to Games on Demand and Deals of the Week. On November 23, Games on Demand will see three new entries, Saints Row 2, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Battlefield: Bad Company. The same week, there will actually be three Deals of the Week. The Fable II DLC "See the Future," normally 560 ($7) will be knocked down to 400 ($5). Meanwhile, Death Tank, usually 1200 ($15), will be reduced to 800 ($10). As The best deal, however, will be the excellent puzzler Peggle, which will shoot from 800 ($10) to 400 ($5). Pair that with the recently released Peggle Nights expansion (400), and you've got a lot of sweet, sweet Peggle for only $10. As revealed earlier, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will the Deal of the Week starting November 30. It will be reduced from 400 ($5) to 240 ($3).
Peter Molyneux on WoW's reward system
You probably know Peter Molyneux's name if you've been playing video games for any significant amount of time -- he's the mind behind such classics as Populous and Dungeon Keeper, all the way up to Black and White and the current Fable series. He recently gave a talk to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and early on his talk (part 1 is here, part 2 and part 3 are also online), he speaks out about our favorite game, World of Warcraft. Specifically, he mentions it as an influence on his game design, and says the most brilliant thing about the game are "the steeds," or the mounts you could pick up at level 40 (nowadays, of course, they're available at level 20). He says that in his own games, he tries to give everything out to the player as soon as possible, but the fact that Blizzard made you wait to ride a mount around, made you work up a few levels for it, really stuck with him. Now, of course, he's taking away his own lessons here -- Blizzard's philosophy with the game as a whole seems to reward the player as much as possible, and especially lately, with emblems and the different modes and all of the other daily and weekly quests they've come up with, they're making you do less waiting for prizes than they ever have before (in fact, compared to MMOs when they first started, much, much less waiting). And Molyneux's own games are very "rewarding" -- I don't think more than two minutes went by in Fable without me getting a level or a new spell or a new item to play around with. But his point is still good, even after all that: anticipation of a reward can be just as strong a motivator as the reward itself.
