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Fable 3 'Kingmaker' companion game coming Oct. 1 to 'smartphones'
Back in August, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux teased that, while there wouldn't be a Pub Games-like companion game for Fable 3 on XBLA, something similar was in the works -- seemingly for mobile phones -- that we'd see in October. Well, that something would definitely appear to be Fable 3 Kingmaker, a "smartphone" game due on October 1. The title was revealed by the UK's Xbox World magazine and detailed by CVG. "The battleground is your town, and your only weapon is your smartphone," according to Xbox World, which, when combined with statements like "plant virtual flags for the Royals or the Rebels" and "claim power-ups in locations throughout the United Kingdom," suggests that Kingmaker will be a foursquare-style app based on checking in at different locations in the real world. "For every flag you plant, and every power up you claim, you shall earn gold coins, which you shall then be able to transfer into the Fable 3 game on your Xbox 360," the description reads. Of course, this information is UK-centric, so we're checking with Microsoft's US PR to clarify release plans for North America. There's also the matter of what exactly a "smartphone" constitutes in this case -- will the game be released in the Apple App Store and Android Market? An official site for Kingmaker has been launched, which, for now, simply contains some artwork and the October 1 date.
Fable 3 video models home interiors
Fable 2's interior design aesthetic was pretty much always "country drab," with the occasional mansion to customize with "nouveau riche gauche." Fable 3 is adding loads of new choices for the aspiring virtual decorator. See Lionhead's crib creation tour right after the break.
Fable 3 Achievements feature the familiar and the strange
If you choose to throw your cautious attitude towards avoiding Fable 3 spoilers to the wind by checking out the list of Achievements posted after the jump, you'll find a mix of accomplishments both old and new. Some reward gameplay mechanics that have been present in all iterations of the franchise, such as digging and ... um, cross-dressing. Others require you to perform fresh, innovative tasks, like freaking down with one of your Xbox Live friends. The Achievement hunters among you are going to be in for some awkward, awkward conversations when Fable 3 launches October 26.
Fable 3 preview: A second date with co-op
We know Fable 2 didn't quite get co-op right. To hear Peter Molyneux talk about it, it was a "poorly implemented feature." And that's where Fable 3 comes in. The threequel promises to fix three specific shortcomings of Fable 2's co-op experience: bringing your hero into another player's game; returning to your game with the gold and items you earned; and (yes!) detaching the camera. First, the henchman problem. Since the concept of co-op was introduced into Fable 2 later in development, the game's quests were never designed to accommodate two heroes with all of their possible abilities and characteristics. Instead, when joining another player's game, your carefully curated hero would be replaced with a generic henchman. Hardly the kind of experience that drew players to Fable in the first place. In Fable 3, you take your hero – weapons and all – with you into a friend's game. %Gallery-102560%
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.
Watch the Fable 3 Collector's Edition unboxing
Honestly, we don't know why we do this to ourselves. Here we are, just sort of casually wanting the Fable 3 "Limited Collector's" Edition and we have to go and watch the unboxing video after the break. So now it's all we want. But look at the thing! It looks like a book! What are we, made of stone?
Fable 3 preview: a reason to believe
Albion has entered its industrial age. Not that I need the helpful, disembodied voice to tell me that in Fable 3's opening, of course. The change is evident in how the once colorful landscape seems to be covered in soot. It's clear from a single glance at the sorrowful, broken eyes of a townsperson worked to the bone. "The Fable team hasn't changed very much, it's generally the same people and because that's the case, for us, there's a love there for the world, and there's a love there for the characters," design director Josh Atkins tells me. "We can't afford, emotionally, to be complacent." It's a little ironic that it was the team's commitment to do right by Fable 3, to not play it safe, that forced them to make Albion such an unfortunate place in which to live. %Gallery-101206%
Molyneux: No 'Pub Games' for Fable 3, but something else this October
In 2008, Fable 2 had a unique pre-launch promotion in the form of Fable 2 Pub Games, an Xbox Live Arcade collection of three gambling minigames. The money earned from the XBLA game (and for cheaters, it was an awful lot of money) could then be transferred into the action RPG and fund further in-game gambling. Pub Games won't return for the release of Fable 3, but there is some kind of new tie-in that Lionhead plans to reveal in "early October" -- a few weeks ahead of the game's October 26 launch. In an interview with Joystiq today at Gamescom, Microsoft's Peter Molyneux wouldn't get into details about the project, but did seem to fiddle with his mobile phone as he said, "It's more to do with this sort of thing." Molyneux previously teased another Fable 3 tie-in back in February, but that turned out to be the player-created NPCs. This appears to be something different. The designer had some colorful commentary on Pub Games, describing the infamous exploit as a "disaster." After finding out that unscrupulous individuals could start the game with millions in gold, Lionhead had tried to pull Fable 2 out of certification in order to make the word "cheat" float over their head of anyone that left Pub Games a little too rich. He concluded jovially, "That's not going to f*cking happen in Fable 3!"
Fable 3 Gamescom screens are fit for a king
We've got to hand it to Lionhead -- those guys sure know how to put together a compelling cross-section of their game using just a handful of still images. Take, for instance, the Fable 3 screenshots posted in the gallery below. Therein, you'll witness: A dude with a giant hammer A bunch of skeletons who are about to be shot with a pretty, pretty gun A Napoleonic lookalike who's wielding offensive magic What appears to be an exploding train engine So, so many fancy articles of clothing Check out the ten new screens below as you try to decide exactly what type of frock coat your royal protagonist will sport. We're thinking of going with a high-waisted, double-breasted robin's egg blue frock coat with white trim and gold buttons. Something subtle yet elegant, you know? %Gallery-99612%
Fable III's special edition Xbox 360 controller, morally ambiguous and gold
Because standard hues and anachronistic science fiction designs simply won't mesh, Microsoft will be releasing this kingly limited edition Fable III Xbox 360 controller designed after the in-game Crown of Albion. Street date is October 5th, three weeks before the game itself decides to rear its royal head, and comes with a token for downloading an exclusive in-game tattoo. Look for it priced at $59.99, or about 15 boxes of Lucky Charms depending on your grocery store preferences. Video showcase after the break.
Fable novel announced, includes in-game weapon for Fable 3
Your friendly neighborhood bookstore's shelves will soon be stocked with yet another game-to-prose adaptation -- this time around, it's a completely original story set in the Fable universe, titled The Balverine Order. The book will be penned by Peter David, who has written roughly a billion novels and comic books, one of the most recent of which being the five-part Halo: Helljumper series. According to Amazon, The Balverine Order is set to ship on October 5. As an added bonus, the book will include a redeemable code which unlocks a heretofore unrevealed in-game weapon in Fable 3. We really hope it's powerful, so when we're playing with our friends, and we're killing stuff with greater efficiency than them, we can say "we guess the pen really is mightier than the sword," and then we'll both share a brief, polite laugh.
Fable 3 crowns a limited edition controller
Limited edition controllers are all the rage these days. Halo: Reach has its own controller (and console!), so it only makes sense that Microsoft's other 2010 darling would get the same treatment. While it might appear that the Fable 3 controller is simply a normal wireless Xbox 360 controller dipped in delicious caramel, Kotaku reports that the design was actually crafted to resemble the Crown of Albion (you know the one). Priced at $59.99, the controller heads to stores October 5, well ahead of Fable 3's October 26 launch, and includes a token to download an exclusive tattoo for the game. Update: Major Nelson has a video of the controller, after the break.
Fable 3 designer explains overhauled magic system
Lionhead Studios' senior design director, Josh Atkins, recently informed CVG of yet another batch of changes the developer is incorporating into Fable 3 -- the most notable being the game's completely overhauled Will (see: Magic) system. Whenever a player learns a new spell, they'll automatically be able to charge it up to its maximum level without investing additional points into it. As a player levels up in a particular spell, they'll be able to charge it much more quickly, even to the point of "insta-cast" -- a boon for those who found Fable 2's slow-charging magic to be prohibitively unwieldy. In addition, young mages will be able to mix and match their spells in up to 20 different combinations -- for instance, Vortex plus Fireball equals Fire Vortex, a spell that's just as delightful and destructive as it sounds. For more details on the game's overhauled arcane arts, check out Atkins' discussion with CVG.
The Engadget Show - 011: Peter Molyneux, Fable III, Milo, BlackBerry Torch, Windows Phone 7
Brace yourselves, humans, because we have an all new, amazing Engadget Show fresh out of the box! For your viewing pleasure, we sit down with insightful game designer Peter Molyneux to get the inside scoop on some of his ongoing projects, from Milo to Fable III. Then, Josh, Paul, and Nilay bust out RIM's latest, the BlackBerry Torch and put it through its paces live on stage. They dive into Windows Phone 7 and do battle with K-mart's Augen Android tablet, and a bunch of audience members walk away with giveaways. Oh yeah, we also have brain-busting music from Zen Albatross and mind-numbing visuals from invaderbacca that you will absolutely want to check out. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! %Gallery-98931% Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel Special guests: Peter Molyneux Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Peirre Verna Music by: Zen Albatross Visuals by: Invaderbacca Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Taped live at The Times Center Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 011 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 011 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
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.
Molyneux: Fable 3 Kinect features needed more development time
During last night's Engadget Show, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux revealed that, despite earlier claims, Kinect functionality wouldn't ship with Fable 3 this October. We got a chance to speak with Molyneux after the show and asked him to explain what happened. "We probably could've done some little side quest with Kinect, but I love Kinect so much and I love Fable so much that I think we needed to have some time to develop it," he said. Molyneux also noted that Lionhead has a team working on Kinect right now and, if he "were a betting man," Kinect would play some role in Fable "at some time, it's just not gonna be at launch." Molyneux wasn't allowed to get too specific with regards to Kinect prototypes Lionhead was working on for inclusion in Fable 3, but he did explain why they got scrapped. "I just said to myself 'Is this what people would expect Kinect to be in something like Fable?' And the answer, quite frankly, was 'no.' We're still working on that stuff, we're still adding stuff to it, and, as I said, I think the future for Kinect and Fable is probably bright." Stay tuned for our full interview with Molyneux later.
Molyneux: Fable 3 will not include Kinect functionality at launch
Lionhead boss and Microsoft Game Studios Europe director Peter Molyneux has revealed on the Engadget Show that Fable 3 will not ship with any Kinect functionality, despite past confirmations to the contrary. Joystiq spoke with Molyneux following his appearance on the show and learned that some form of Kinect content may be available post-launch, and that whatever was initially planned to be built into the game just wasn't up to snuff. We've spoken with Microsoft PR, which was unaware of Molyneux's exact comments. It reaffirmed that the legendary designer is a strong proponent of Kinect, and has spoken of its use in Fable 3 before, but also told us that it can't discuss what role the hardware will play in the game "at this time." Look for our full interview with Peter Molyneux tomorrow morning, August 5. [Thanks, Blacked Out]
The Engadget Show Live! with Peter Molyneux, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry Torch, and more!
Keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 8:00 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Peter Molyneux! Josh, Nilay, and Paul are back of course, plus we'll have music from Zen Albatross and visuals from invaderbacca and much, much, more! You seriously don't want to miss it! Check out the live stream after the break!
Be the first to show up at the Engadget Show with Lucky Charms and Peter Molyneux will put you in Fable III! (We've got winners!)
Hey, Peter Molyneux is here at the Engadget Show, and his Fable III demo assistant Dimitri mentioned that he's looking for a box of Lucky Charms, since he can't get it in England. That prompted Peter to make an insane crowd-sourcing offer: the first person to bring a box of Lucky Charms to the Engadget Show will become a character in Fable III. Insane, right? What's more, everyone else who brings a box will get a free signed copy of the game, which is some seriously serious cereal. The show starts in 30 minutes -- we'll see you soon! Updated: See that lucky guy and girl right up there?! Yep, they're going to be characters in Fable III. Congrats, Monica and Jay -- we'll see you in the game.
Come see Peter Molyneux at tonight's Engadget Show, live in NYC (and on 'the internet')
If you happen to live in or around the New York City area (or have an internet connection at home) and happen to like things that are awesome, have we got a treat for you! Tonight, Wednesday, August 4th 2010, the stars have aligned to bring you a Very Special Engadget Show: Peter Molyneux, head lion at Lionhead Studios, creative director (and chief feature promiser!) for Microsoft Game Studios Europe, Kinect pitchman, and also designer on a little game called Fable 3. If you want to see Peter talk (and talk and talk) we highly suggest you get yourself to the Times Center in NYC tonight. Ticketing begins at 5:30, doors open at 7:30, and the show begins at 8. No worries if you're not in NYC and can't make it. The show will be streaming live at Engadget starting at 8:05pm ET and, as always, will be available for download later this week. If you want to hear what one of gaming's most consistently thoughtful and enthusiastic creators has to say about everything from Kinect to Milo to who knows, you'll want to be there. For more details, and directions, click that Source link below.
