fable-3
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Fable 3's opening cinematic is chock full of chicken
There is no possible way we could ever prepare you for the Fable 3 opening cinematic awaiting you just past the break. Imagine the worst series of circumstances that could befall a chicken and you're on the right track. It's both incredibly inspiring and sad, with just a hint of The Little Mermaid tossed in for good measure.
Peter Molyneux on the App Store, RPG design and more
Peter Molyneux foretells the end of the App Store's gold rush in an interview with Develop. "I think there's this opportunity now for game developers," he said, discussing the case of creative director Dene Carter, who left to Lionhead form an iPhone studio. "I think of the iPhone and Facebook and all these types of channels offer a window of opportunity for small developers to experience what it was like in [the bedroom coding era of] the late eighties." Unfortunately, that ends, he says, when big companies start pouring money into iPhone games. "It's inevitable that a Star Wars or Disney game, a five million dollar iPhone project, will be released. And when it does, consumers are going to like it. They're going to say "I can pay 59p for this [indie iPhone game] or I can pay 59p for this [triple-A iPhone game]." He's cultivating creativity in his staff now (giving them less incentive to, say, go make iPhone games) by instituting a one week period in which Lionhead staff can work on whatever they'd like. "And at the end of the week we're all going to come together look at people's ideas, and that's going to form the foundations of what happens next at Lionhead." Speaking about his own game, Fable 3, Molyneux dismissed the most notable features of many RPGs. Most developers took the wrong inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons, Molyneux believes, emphasizing stats and random numbers. "But actually," he said, "the purity and the core element of role playing games is to feel more powerful. That's the true core of them. It's about growing as a character, finding and collecting things, and freedom. What we want to do is amplify those feelings with Fable 3."
The Engadget Show returns tomorrow, August 4th with game designer Peter Molyneux and much more!
Well ladies and gentlemen, the time has come -- the Engadget Show is back tomorrow, August 4th at 8pm! This time around, we'll have the inimitable Peter Molyneux, one of the world's most forward-thinking game designers and creator of "Black & White" and the "Fable" franchise. What's more, we'll have a rousing roundtable with Josh, Paul, and Nilay, some fine, fine music from Zen Albatross, mind-bending visuals from invaderbacca, and a few other big surprises. As usual, we'll be doing tons of giveaways at the live show only, so make the trek and join us at The Times Center in person. If you're geographically incapable of joining us in New York City, just tune into the stream right here on Engadget starting at 8:05pm. The Engadget Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's all the info you need: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 5:30PM on Wednesday, doors will open for seating at 7:30PM, and the show begins at 8PM You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. 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.
Fable 3 for Windows not arriving day-and-date with 360 version
PC gamers will have to delay their journey into the land of Albion for a bit. Microsoft has confirmed today that the Windows version of Lionhead's action RPG Fable 3 will not, as originally planned, arrive on October 26 alongside the Xbox 360 release. "The console and PC versions are now on different schedules as we're focusing on building experiences optimized for each platform," the publisher said in a statement received by Joystiq. "We aren't announcing a ship date for the PC sku at this time, but expect news soon." Although Microsoft couldn't provide us with a revised release date, it did seek to assure those PC players awaiting Fable 3 that it's not game over for that version. "We will be offering PC players the ability to pre-order 'Fable III' for Windows, and in fact, retailers such as Amazon.com and Game (UK) are taking preorders today for the PC version of Fable III," the company said. Still, we don't expect Windows users to deliver a victorious arm pump emote until a new date is set in Bowerstone.
Make your own Fable 3 NPC; pre-order to take it in-game (and fart on it)
In keeping with tradition, Fable 3 is offering fans a web-based experience to tide them over until the game's fall launch. While Fable 2's web-based promotion promised in-game prizes – like a three-piece chicken suit, for example – for completing the "Hero's Tale" puppet theater, Fable 3 is offering a different kind of in-game prize. "If you preorder Fable 3, you're going to get a special code," Microsoft's Larry Hryb revealed on last night's Major Nelson podcast. "You go to Xbox.com [...] you drop in this code, and then in your browser you're going to create a character that's going to be in your game." The so-called "Make a Villager" feature should be available "in the next day or two," Hryb said. Eager to try your hand at making a non-playable villager but not interested in pre-ordering Fable 3? Even without a pre-order, you'll be able to play with the character creator; you just won't be able to actually import your creation into the retail game. But here's what you can do: You can select male or female, you "decide where you want to encounter them, in what town or in what region of the game," you can decide if your character is good or bad, and you can select from five different heads, 23 different hair styles, 23 different body outfits, "for over 2000 different combinations." When you're all done, you can share just about everything (short of that "Frank Lee Disgusting" name you chose) with your e-buddies on Twitter and Facebook. At the moment, xbox.com/fable3 says to "Look for this and more next month!" We've asked Microsoft to clarify when we can get to work on our pitch-perfect Peter Molyneux doppelganger. "Oh, I'm afraid I've already said too much." Update 12:35pm: Well, that didn't take long, did it? The Fable 3 "Villager Maker" is now live at xbox.com. The FAQ has some more details, including the following: You'll need to purchase the game from a participating retailer to get the code and you'll need an Xbox Live Gold account to pull your NPC into Fable 3. Update 12:45pm: We've got a video tour of the Villager Maker just after the break, featuring the soothing sounds of Josh Atkins, lead game designer for Fable 3. We've also added the press release to the list of sources. [Thanks, Joe & Liam]
Fable 3 gameplay footage from Comic-Con is very, very upsetting
We're not sure who was responsible for controlling the Fable 3 Comic-Con show floor demo shown in the video below, but whoever it was should be ashamed. Not because of all the peasant murder, mind you -- we've all done that -- but for executing the most aggressive flatulence attack we've ever seen.
Develop: Molyneux talks Fable 2 problems, Fable 3 fixes
Despite "generally favorable reviews," there were quite a few people out there who had some serious problems with Fable 2. And to hear Lionhead's Peter Molyneux talk at the Develop Conference in Brighton today, he's one of them. Molyneux's hour long on-stage presentation of Fable 3 included a veritable smorgasbord of self-deprecating remarks about the problems in the first two Fable games that would be fixed or mitigated in the threequel. For instance, Molyneux lambasted his studio for throwing way too many unnecessary features into Fable 2, even citing a study showing that most people didn't use more than 60% of the available features. Even when a feature was used, Molyneux said, it was often only used once and didn't factor into the larger game enough. For example, "most people did get married, but it didn't mean anything, it was just an excuse to have sex," he said. At one point Molyneux likened Fable 2 to "designing a car with 300 buttons on dashboard when you only need a steering wheel." %Gallery-95691%
Lionhead talks about Fable 3 voice stats, emotional storytelling
If you thought the amount and variety of spoken dialogue in Fable 2 was ridiculous, then the voice statistics Lionhead is targeting for Fable 3 will... um... also seem ridiculous to you. Speaking at the Develop Conference in Brighton, Lionhead Audio Producer Georg Becker mentioned that the upcoming title would feature about 80 actors speaking over 460,000 recorded words, representing a full 47 hours of speech in the final game. For context, Becker estimated Fable 2 had a mere 50 voice actors speaking a paltry 370,000 words over a laughably short 36 or 37 hours of speech. %Gallery-95691%
Fable 3 combat video is not safe for wolves
Lionhead's latest Fable 3 video depicts an epic fight against a pack of wolves who are endangering a young girl's life, in which the hero transitions effortlessly between the sword, gun, and magic combat styles. Although, given the sheer power at the hero's command, it comes off a lot more like a massacre of some helpless animals.
Fable 3 targeting 5M sold, episodic release will follow retail launch
Peter Molyneux, the king around Lionhead Studios and Microsoft Games Studios' European creative director, told GI.biz that the company is "driving" for Fable 3 to sell more than 5 million copies and make profit "in excess" of $150 million. Molyneux expressed the reasoning behind the parameter: "We have to do that because if a franchise doesn't reach that level it will inevitably wither." Hmmm, "wither" sounds like a long process. Can we still get Fable 4 even if it doesn't hit that mark? In response to the "massively successful" nature of Fable 2's episodic release, Fable 3 will also release in an episodic format "soon after the retail launch." The first chapter, which is approximately an hour of the game, will be entirely free. You can then purchase the next episode -- for "an extra 2-5 or whatever dollars" -- or the whole game. Molyneux claims the first episode of Fable 2, which released about a year after the game's launch, reached 1.6 million downloads and "$15 million in contribution margins." %Gallery-70430%
Preview: Fable 3
One of the most impressive things about Fable 3 isn't the redesigned menu system (it's a room!), the path from revolutionary to royalty (it's like two games in one!), or even the "touch" mechanic (drag a hobo to his death!); instead, it's the release window: this year. For those of you keeping track, that's just two years and five days after the release of Joystiq's 2008 game of the year, which Peter Molyneux told us is a new experience for him. "A very unique thing about Fable 3," Molyneux said, "is it's been developed in two years. At both Lionhead and Bullfrog, I've never done a game in two years before." And what that means is that Fable 3 looks a lot like Fable 2. But before you run off, screaming something about "sequelitis" and the "creative bankruptcy of the video game industry" we want to be clear: While I, and most of the Joystiq staff, loved Fable 2, we can all agree it would have benefitted from some refinement. %Gallery-95691%
Brothers torn asunder in Fable 3 E3 trailer
How many things can you spy in the Fable 3 E3 trailer? Spell combinations, new melee maneuvers and ... is that naval combat? Watch for the Fable-y goodness. Stay for the John Cleese.
Fable 3 launches on October 26
Ready to drag some slaves back into your dungeon, Fable-style? Well, you'd better be, 'cause Fable 3 is heading to Xbox 360 and PC on October 26. Peter Molyneux hit the stage at this morning's Microsoft press conference and let the release date slip. We'd love to tell you more, but frankly, there's not much else to say. We'll have a new trailer for you (featuring dog grabbing, no joke) just as soon as Microsoft hands it over.
Fable 3 also conquering lands on PC; Collector's Edition detailed
This morning, Microsoft officially announced that Fable 3 will be heading to the PC as well as the Xbox 360, confirming news derived from last week's accidental box art reveal. Standard and "Limited Collector's" editions were also detailed -- for $59.99 and $79.99, respectively -- with the latter coming with several in-game and physical items (seen in full after the break). Since the Windows iteration will only be available in the standard version at retail (for just $50, might we add) and downloadable "exclusively" through Games for Windows Live Marketplace, all PC players will be able to access the extra quest, region, and dog breed that come with the Xbox 360's collector's edition. Between now and the game's fall release, why not take a look through these exciting retail mockups below in our gallery? Oooh!%Gallery-93474%
Fable 3 box art crowned with 'Windows' label
"Dudes, this box art rules!" We would have been satisfied to leave it at that after sharing Fable 3's regal cover art with you, had it not been for the curious stamp at the top: "Only on Xbox 360 & Windows." The label, which denotes "exclusivity" on Microsoft's console and PC, was most recently adhered to THQ's atmospheric first-person shooter, Metro 2033. Since this official Microsoft-provided art has now been retracted (from Games Press), you're either looking at an elaborate labeling error or an accidental announcement of Fable 3 heading to PC. We'll do our best to be royal pains and keep bugging Microsoft for a proper answer. At the time of writing, neither Microsoft US nor Microsoft UK had responded to our calls. Update: A Microsoft representative told us, "We have not made any official announcements beyond 'Fable III' for Xbox 360 at this time," and offered to forward additional information "as it becomes available."
Fable 3 dev diary reveals Jasper the butler, played by John Cleese
We can't imagine anybody being a better butler than John Cleese. It's not that we've always pictured a life of indentured servitude for the man -- we're just excited by the prospect of hanging out with him in Fable 3. After you've seen this latest Lionhead dev diary, you'll wish you had your own, luxurious Jasper immediately. Oh, there's also talk of the game's new 3D graphical interface -- but is that played by John Cleese? We thought not.
Fable 3 art team working on a menagerie of animals
You may not have been too disappointed by Fable 2's lack of animals (filthy, stinking animals), but Lionhead's Lead Artist John McCormack was, and he tells Beauty of Games that he's making up for it with the next game. "The lack of animals in the Fable franchise is always something that has bothered me," he says, and so in Fable 3, "we've built bats, crows, rabbits, ducks, robins, vultures, lizards, rats, butterflies, moths, insect swarms, dogs, fireflies, geese and we even started on a cow." Rest assured that animals won't be the only new part of the experience, though -- McCormack also says his team is hard at work on incorporating the new Industrial aesthetic into the game's buildings, morphed weapons and NPCs as well. He's not sure whether all of those animals will eventually make it into the finished product, but we hope so -- vultures need to be Touched, too.
Ben Kingsley joins Fable 3 voice cast
If you thought that the Fable 3 voice cast couldn't get any classier, you'd be wrong. But how, you ask? The game already packs the wonderful John Cleese and the inimitable Stephen Fry, you say. Well, guess what? Ben Kingsley, that's what. Oscar-winning, Gandhi-playing, Ben Kingsley. The actor informed CVG that he'll be portraying the "king of Mist Peak," whom Kingsley described as "a wonderful wizard character." He added that acting in video games is "very demanding." And with that, maybe it's time to forgive Mr. Kingsley for Bloodrayne. Then again, maybe we should wait to see how that Prince of Persia movie turns out. [Image: David Shankbone]
Make babies with a co-op partner in Fable 3
Still not sold on Fable 3 as an iterative improvement over the last game in the series? Well, you might just change your mind when you hear about the game's latest feature, which was recently revealed in the latest Official Xbox Magazine: When you're not busy building a monarchy and roaming the wild landscape of Albion, you'll "be able to enjoy, ahem, intimate moments with your co-op friend and eventually produce offspring together," according to the mag. We hope this isn't another one of those "no, really, the trees will grow" scenarios, because this is quite possibly the sexiest thing we've ever heard. Sure, it might lead to some horrifically awkward Xbox Live voice messages, but its raw sexiness is undeniable. %Gallery-85302%
Molyneux: Fable 3 has a pretty darn good voice cast
It's a beautiful day to be a Joystiq reader and a fan of Peter Molyneux. After years of extensive testing and the (as it turns out, unnecessary) deaths of millions of lab animals, we've finally perfected the Peter Molyneux Quote Realisticator 2007 (sorry about the name, we had to delay it a few times). So now, when Peter Molyneux tells IGN that Fable 3 will feature "the greatest cast that any computer game has ever had," you know it's the equivalent of a regular person saying, "Fable 3 has a pretty darn good cast." Actually, we're a little surprised his praise is so mild. John Cleese as your butler? Stephen Fry as Reaver? What does it take to impress you, man? %Gallery-85302%
