Fable 2 is Free [Updated]

In what seems to be a glitch by Microsoft you can go right now to xbox.com, and download Fable 2 for free. I know we only gave it a C, but as Jeff said to me, “free is free.”

I would suggest grabbing it quick before Microsoft fixes the bug. (I’m currently downloading it)

UPDATE: Per @XboxSupport, this is a legit download, but is only Episode 1 of the game.

Peter Molyneux Bemoans Fable 2’s Development

Fable 3Fable 2 was OK, for the most part, but it wasn’t perfect. Like all games helmed  by Peter Molyneux, it over-promised and under-delivered. That’s not a shot against the long-time developer, but it’s a sad fact that most ambitious projects get crushed down by the harsh realities of development. The difference with Fable 2, though, was the astounding number of bugs that had to be squashed before the game game out. According to a recent interview, some 67,000 bugs were present in Fable 2’s code at one time, necessitating a rating of “super-black” by the Microsoft quality assurance team. Judging from the interview, games are rated on a sort of “threat assessment” scale, with “super-black” being a very scary area.

Eventually, Lionhead Studios got the bugs under control and the game shipped to above average reviews and sales. Molyneux still wasn’t happy with the finished product, conceding that there were “huge design flaws” in Fable 2 (what those were, he did not specify. How about farting until someone married you?).  Fable 3 is apparently facing a tough time as well, breaking its predecessor’s record for most bugs present in a Microsoft first-party title. While the exact number wasn’t mentioned, it is a known fact that Fable 3 has more coding errors than Fable 2, and the team at Lionhead are working very long hours to get it under control for a fall release.  Molyneux maintains that this is endemic to the industry as a whole, and reading post-development breakdowns of games like Uncharted 2 would reveal similar problems.

What do you guys think of Molyneux’s statement? As gamers, I think we’ve all come to accept the reality of bugs and glitches, but 67,000 is quite the staggering number. Does this change your perception of Fable 3?

Source: 1up via VG247.com and GamesIndustry.biz

On Video Game Endings and Falling Action

fable2If there’s one thing that not too many video games have, it’s a solid, well-thought out ending. In fact, many games just throw you up against the final boss, show the heroes riding off into the sunset (or helicoptering, if you’re Chris and Sheva) and ready to face another adventure in the oh-so-exciting and inevitable sequel. But is this the way it needs to be?

The dudes on the 1UP podcast had an interesting discussion about the idea of video game endings, recently. Namely, that most good stories are structured so that they have a denouement, or falling action that occurs after the climax. A sense of wrapping things up towards the conclusion. Video games, however, don’t do this at all. They build and build until a climactic boss battle, and then end within 5 minutes of the action. Very rarely do they offer any real resolution for the player, much less in a playable form.

This is interesting stuff. Check out what the 1UP guys say after the jump:
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A Gaming Emergency!

So I’m exactly in the position that i didn’t want to be in: I’ve got a bunch of games to play, and I’m dabbling a little in each one, without ever really jumping into one to finish it.

Right now, I’ve got: Fable 2, Saint’s Row 2, Fallout 3 and Little Big Planet sitting in my apartment, and I’m just knocking out a bit here and a bit there. To top it all off, Gears of War 2 releases later this week, and after playing the Mirror’s Edge Demo (more on that later) and seeing the new Prince of Persia trailer, I’m in a bad spot.

Continue reading A Gaming Emergency!

Next Gen Underachievers

Remember when your teacher would give you progress reports and it always said something like, “Not living up to potential”?
Yeah, me either. But I am sure it happens to people out there, just as we know that some games are not living up to their next-gen potential. This post will examine these chronic underachievers.

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Fabulous Fable 2 Achievements

Ok, this one is for Eddy and all those other Achievement Whores out there who are anxious for Fable 2 to come out and hopefully live up to the hype it has generated. I think it looks like a fun game, but time will tell. Time and fanboys. Full list of Achievements after the jump. Continue reading Fabulous Fable 2 Achievements

The Hallowed Halls of PAX: A Gamer’s Dream

I knew I was in a different world when I saw Captain Falcon in the restroom. He posed. Or at least, he seemed to. It was hard to tell with all of those foam muscles. But rest assured, there was flexing of some kind.

Continue reading The Hallowed Halls of PAX: A Gamer’s Dream

Fable II Creator Helps Reviewers

Peter Molyneux is a nice guy. He created The Movies, Black & White and Fable after all. And those were nice games. Molyneux is so nice, in point of fact, that he has saved game reviewers the time and effort required to review his upcoming game Fable II by reviewing it himself.

How utterly generous. And what was the score of the self review? 9/10. Ridiculous block quote to follow.

Continue reading Fable II Creator Helps Reviewers

PAX: The Leftovers

The wild thing about PAX is there’s really so much to see and do, it’s hard to take it all in. I got to play a ton of great new games, many of which you’ve already read about. There were also a few other not-so-great ones, which you no doubt read about as well.

In the end, though, there were too many to do write-ups on all of them, so I just focused on the ones that stuck out to me most for some reason or another. However, I’ve put together a list of the other games that I saw, played and gathered some brief impressions of:

Continue reading PAX: The Leftovers