Fable-2
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Fable scraps: first (crappy) screen shots!
The latest issue of the Lionhead Times is out, and this month it brings us the first in engine screen shots of Fable 2. As you may have guessed, the shot you see above is not representative of the final game (like at all). Still, Lionhead proclaims to be making lots of progress in development. In fact, the shots released today aren't indicative of the current build, which is apparently looking "beautiful." Still, we would be remiss not to share even the slightest bit of Fable related information. Another new tidbit, water has made it into the game. Not only that, but Lionhead claims that we will be able to do things with this water. Given the piratical nature of the character art released so far, we'd say it's a safe bet you can sail on it. But what other possibilities could there be? Swimming? Deep see diving? Mermaid adventures? We're keeping our fingers crossed for that last one (and we just might hear more about it when Peter Molyneux lectures at GDC). Follow the "read" link for the latest info and a screen shot of the soon to be infamous "crotch cam."
Molyneux, others join GDC lineup, Fable 'talk' imminent
Having the inside scoop, Gamasutra reports that Peter Molyneux, Killer 7's Goichi Suda, and a team of Final Fantasy XII developers led by Taku Murata are joining the GDC 2007 lineup. Molyneux, well known for his mastery of hype-building (and subsequent apologies), will by lecturing on Fable 2, musing aloud about the brilliant innovations that might or might not make the final cut -- Molyneux promises to reveal "a totally unexpected feature" (we've heard that before).Teasing aside, Molyneux is one of the most forward-thinking developers in the industry today. He might not always deliver, but he's earned his street cred for being a risk-taker. Molyneux's colorful presence is a key addition to GDC.Also making appearances during the conference will be Goichi Suda, who will illustrate the experience of working on a small development team (in this case, Grasshopper), along with Taku Murata and other core members of the FFXII team, who will reflect on the lessons learned during the game's development.
New Fable 2 feature to be revealed at GDC
GDC 07 (Game Developers Conference) is set to begin in March, and speakers are already being announced. Among these scheduled speakers is Peter Molyneux, the man behind Fable and its upcoming sequel, Fable 2. Molyneux will be at the conference to perform a lecture entitled, "Innovations in Fable 2." The lecture will discuss how elements from Fable have been changed and made better for Fable 2. Furthermore, Molyneux promises to reveal a new and "totally unexpected" feature in the game. What could it be? We have no idea, and after the amazing amount of hype built around the first Fable, perhaps its best if we don't get carried away.Our readers (that's you), on the other hand, can get as carried away as they like. Do you have any ideas for a great new feature in Fable 2?
Havok to power Fable 2 physics & animation
Havok announced today that Molyneux and company have licensed Havok Complete for Fable 2. 'Complete' rolls Havok Physics and Havok Animation into one integrated package.As Molyneux iterated, relying on Havok allows Lionhead developers to focus on the team's lofty aspirations, most-simply defined as dynamic regions, unconditional love, wealth accumulation, constrained combat, and an as of yet undisclosed uber-feature. As with the original Fable, at this stage it's hard to distinguish fantasy from reality (what gameplay elements will and won't make it into Fable 2's final release). But there is now at least one certainty: ragdolls.[Via 1UP]
Fable 2: Havok in the land of Albion
IGN reports that Lionhead Studios has adopted the Havok physics engine for use in the upcoming Fable 2. Peter Molyneux, the man behind the Fable series, hopes that Havok will simplify and streamline the development process, allowing designers to bypass physics calculation and instead focus on creating the game world itself. Frankly, we don't really care what sort of physics the game employs as long as it makes it out before 2008. Hey, Lionhead, how about throwing us some in game footage? We need something to obsess about, and concept art just isn't cutting it anymore.
New Fable scraps for Thanksgiving
The latest Fable 2 community update went live on Friday -- factoring in the international time change, that's technically next Tuesday -- and we're left with ... not much. Unfortunately, we still have virtually no gameplay details to give you. What we do have is this lovely drawing of a street corner. There are a few tiny details to give. The first of which is that the game looks "stunning." According to the update, the game is leaps and bounds ahead of the teaser trailer that was released at E3. Also, Fable 2 will feature new vertical elements that were absent from Fable. For example, water levels could rise, giving you access to higher areas, or you can jump down a hole to enter a subterranean dungeon. It's a simple idea, but it could add a lot to Fable 2's overall geography -- Fable was pretty flat when you think about it. The only other tidbit revealed is that development is proceeding on schedule, which doesn't help us if we don't have an actual release date with which to gauge Lionhead's progress. Still, this is the last community update this year, so we'll have to take what we can get.The question is, with only the odd piece of artwork now and again to keep you going, are you still excited for Fable 2?[Via Xboxygen]
New Fable artwork (arrrrrrrr!)
Microsoft sent out some new Fable 2 concept art today. You can't tell from this environment sketch, but the characters lead us to believe that Fable 2 will have a very heavy piratical element (and possibly gypsies). The characters practically swing out of the picture (on a chandelier, natch) yelling obscenities and obscure nautical terms. Sure, we haven't seen any actual screenshots yet, but we love the darker, grittier feel than the original. We also relish the idea of sailing the seas and visiting new continents. Hopefully, we'll hear more on the game's development soon. Check out the scurvy ridden character art after the break.
Fable 2 is playable! ... sorta
Word from Lionhead is that Fable 2 has reached the "FP" milestone -- that's dev-speak for "first playable." Don't get too excited, this just means that Microsoft has been sent a few functional areas of the game, so the publisher can be confident its money isn't only being blown on "office refurbishment" and pizza parties.The FP build also included a never-to-be-released quest, which, according to Lionhead's most recent community update, featured, "a magical potion, some pretty messed-up, dandy-dressed, wizard-types and most importantly such a dramatic outcome of a twisted nature, that it would make Joe Average Jr. freak out." We don't even wanna know ...
BIH content, 9/28: big sweaty men edition
The Bringing It Home content train just keeps a' rollin'. Today we are blessed with another demo, Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007. The full list goes a little something like this:Tony Hawk's Project 8 trailerWheelman trailerFrontlines Fuel of War trailerX06 Game Montage videoCrossfire trailerWWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007Fable 2 theme (150 points)X06 theme (free)Also new today, Europe can finally download all Oblivion content packs (insert obligatory horse armor joke here). Oh, and we missed it last night, but there is now a Halo Wars theme (150 points) and picture pack (80 points) available.
Microsoft brings TGS and X06 home
Remember back at E3 when the Halo 3 trailer was available on Marketplace before Microsoft officially unveiled it at the show? That was only part of the barrage of E3 content that was piped directly into our 360s. It made it a cool perk to have the latest and greatest hardware, allowing thousands of 360 owners to get a piece of E3. It looks like Microsoft plans to continue that tradition at this year's Tokyo Game Show and its own X06 (I had to decline a trip to cover the latter, stupid wedding!). TGS coverage will start on September 20th and run through the 24th. X06 will run September the 25th through the 29th. There is a chance that US and European gamers won't see all the TGS coverage, but Japan got most of the E3 coverage so, it's stands to reason this will be the same.Now we can all look forward to previews of the latest and greatest. Expect more of Blue Dragon, Gears of War, Viva Piñata, Blue Dragon, Fable 2, and Blue Dragon. And, since it's TGS, you'll probably see some Blue Dragon. In all seriousness, we really dug Microsoft's coverage of the last E3 ever, and hopefully this will recapture the same excitement.[Via Xboxic]
The latest Fable scraps
The latest Fable 2 update gives us a few tidbits to enjoy -- namely the solitary piece of concept art above. Of particular interest -- especially to those who were disappointed by Fable's restrictive pathways -- is level designer, Charlton Edward's comments on the game:"The world definitely is much bigger and it also feels better. There are more things to do within each area and we absolutely have to make them interesting and absorbing. Too many times have I spent playing RPG's set in vast barren wastelands. Fable 2 retains the Fable 1 organic, intimate feel, while giving players tons to explore and discover. We are really trying to pack the world with exploration, interaction and secrets."While this doesn't necessarily mean the end of Fable's linear paths, it at least promises we'll have more to do on said paths. Anybody have this in their top five most wanted yet?[Via Xboxygen (watch out, it's in French)]
Peter Molyneux's orgasmic delight
Conrad over at Joystiq has posted an interview with Lionhead's Peter Molyneux. There's a lot of good stuff in there and I won't attempt to recount it all. I will, however, relate this little tidbit to whet your appetite:"You know in those days that's what it was like, I smoked more cigarettes, drunk more and did disastrous things to my body. I was a total introvert, the world outside of what I did on my computer became dim, almost psychotically so. But, there was, and I apologize for using this words, there was this orgasmic delight in physically creating something."Good stuff. Conrad and Peter talk Fable, Fable 2, Pete's "secret project", and more. Head over to Joystiq and check it out.
A few Fable scraps
The Lionhead Times has be updated with a few bits of info regarding Fable 2. Most of the info is just general development stuff, but there are a few interesting things to point out. For instance, the story of Fable 2 takes place 500 years after the events of Fable and The Lost Chapters, giving the game a richer history from which to build the story. The story is also planned to be longer than the original, which is definitely good news. Somewhat more cryptic, it's also revealed that the story could take a turn that will "shock" players. Another little tidbit, the Fable 2 team now has to make "milestone" builds of the game in order to showcase the game's progress to the suits at Microsoft. The upshot of this is that we should get some insight on the game's progress as well. Fable 2 is one of the 360's heavy hitters so, rest assured that we'll keep you posted.
X06 in sunny Spain
Planet Xbox 360 reports that Microsoft has announced the official date and location for X06, the European Xbox convention. The event will be held September 27th and 28th in Barcelona, Spain, allowing industry members to soak up some sun and an unhealthy dose of Xbox branding. New invitees to the event include South Africa, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland -- Microsoft having announced 360 launches in these countries by the end of 2006. Regional vice president, Xbox, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Chris Lewis, said this of the event: "We are really looking forward to X06 in Barcelona and believe this will prove to be an amazing experience for gaming enthusiasts across Europe. We have some exciting announcements to make and even more to show people. X06 will firmly place Xbox 360 as the console of the next generation." This would be the perfect place for Microsoft to shed some light on its European projects, namely Viva Piñata and Fable 2. Here's hoping. [Thanks, Matt]
Molyneux's Fable 2 dance recital at E3
Lionhead Studios founder Peter Molyneux addressed the media at E3 this week, where he discussed his company's acquisition by Microsoft and the highly anticipated Fable 2. Unfortunately, the sequel to one of the Xbox's bestselling games is not quite demo-ready, and Molyneux wasn't exactly forthcoming on development details. Instead, he chose to focus on the importance of emotional engagement in Fable 2, one of the stronger elements in the original game.Molyneux did hint at the possible inclusion of an Xbox 360's friends list feature for his next action RPG, and is intrigued by Microsoft's new Live Anywhere technology, but again, he confirmed nothing. Throw us a friggin' bone here, Pete! At least we have a pretty trailer to look at.Lionhead's other games include The Movies and Black & White 2.See also: Molyneux predicted a Revolution...in '04
