*Updated* Fable 2 Hands-On, Eternal Sonata + Stranglehold On XBL

Kikizo just sat down with Molneux and they were not only given a pretty good interview but were allowed to get some hands on time with the game, which I think is shaping up decently enough...LINKANd the other news is in the title, Eternal Sonata is now out on the Xbox Live marketplace, and weighs in just over 500MB...I'm definitely gonna check it out...LINKThe Stranglehold Demo is out on Xbox Live, in everywhere but Germany, and weighs in at a meaty 1.28 GB...so you better get started downloading*Updated* Fable 2 Hands-On, Eternal Sonata + Stranglehold On XBL
Im gonna get that ES demo soon, see if all the nerdy dudes who own a Japanese 360 are right about it.*Updated* Fable 2 Hands-On, Eternal Sonata + Stranglehold On XBL
Well, the demos been out for a while, for those with japense accounts ;)My thoughts on it, is that its great and along with Mass Effect, my RPG need is catered for this year. The one weird thing with ES is the lack of camera control, you cant move it at all, it stays at its angle. Art style is cool, the story is interesting and even a little original. Theres a bit in the demo with a field of yellow flowers and a windmill, it looked ace.
Peter Molyneux is SO full of it. I mean just LISTEN to the guy for crying out loud. He sounds like Fable 2 is the single most important purpose of his life. I really like the music thing, but I disagree that ANY RPG should have combat that rivals a fighting or action game. That's not what RPGs are about, they're about the number crunching behind the combat...which is why action RPGs tend to suck so much, because they get rid of all that number crunching, and remove all the depth from the genre. He also said that the vast majority of players in Fable chose to be good. But the reason for that wasn't because they were ''guilty'', the reason was because being evil was BORING in that game. There was just nothing fun about it.I'm still looking forward to Fable 2, though, but it looks like it's going to lack any real depth just as much as the first game did.
[QUOTE=''AquaMantor'']Peter Molyneux is SO full of it. I mean just LISTEN to the guy for crying out loud. He sounds like Fable 2 is the single most important purpose of his life. I really like the music thing, but I disagree that ANY RPG should have combat that rivals a fighting or action game. That's not what RPGs are about, they're about the number crunching behind the combat...which is why action RPGs tend to suck so much, because they get rid of all that number crunching, and remove all the depth from the genre. He also said that the vast majority of players in Fable chose to be good. But the reason for that wasn't because they were ''guilty'', the reason was because being evil was BORING in that game. There was just nothing fun about it.I'm still looking forward to Fable 2, though, but it looks like it's going to lack any real depth just as much as the first game did.[/QUOTE]I disagree. Peter is just incredibly enthusiastic... I don't blame him. I would be as well, were I in his position. And I believe that no game has to follow a given blueprint in terms of how to do combat. Action rpg's tend to suck because they settle for a middle ground, in between number crunching and hardcore action like say the DMC or NG games. However, that does not mean that they always ''suck.'' Take Dark Messiah for example. I thought, regardless of what anybody says, that it had a GREAT combat system. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but what is? Now, you might argue that it wasn't a true RPG, and I have to agree in some respects. But my question to you is, wouldn't it be great if a developer had the sense to deliver a game with Oblivion's scope and scale, and Dark Messiah combat mechanics? It's not impossible... We just need developers who want to, ya know, innovate. If you think RPG's are only about number crunching, then you are vastly underestimating the genre. RPG's are about telling a great story, getting you to interact with interesting and realisitc characters, and above all, about immersing you in the world. And a great, accessible combat system will do wonders toward achieving that end.
I'm really looking forward to Fable 2. It's looking and sounding to be pretty cool.I've tried the demo for Eternal Sonata when it first came out on Marketplace this morning and really enjoyed it. I love the artstyle of the game and the combat was pretty interesting with how your special attacks get powered up and they will be different depending on if you are in the light or in the shadows when fighting. I kept getting the urge to try and move the camera around with the right analog stick but unfortunately you can't manipulate the view. Minor quibble though.I'll definately be grabbing this game though and this along with Blue Dragon, Mass Effect, and Lost Odyssey will certainly keep me satisfied on the RPG front for quite awhile.
[QUOTE=''eo12601''][QUOTE=''AquaMantor''] Peter Molyneux is SO full of it. I mean just LISTEN to the guy for crying out loud. He sounds like Fable 2 is the single most important purpose of his life. I really like the music thing, but I disagree that ANY RPG should have combat that rivals a fighting or action game. That's not what RPGs are about, they're about the number crunching behind the combat...which is why action RPGs tend to suck so much, because they get rid of all that number crunching, and remove all the depth from the genre. He also said that the vast majority of players in Fable chose to be good. But the reason for that wasn't because they were ''guilty'', the reason was because being evil was BORING in that game. There was just nothing fun about it.I'm still looking forward to Fable 2, though, but it looks like it's going to lack any real depth just as much as the first game did.[/QUOTE]I disagree. Peter is just incredibly enthusiastic... I don't blame him. I would be as well, were I in his position. And I believe that no game has to follow a given blueprint in terms of how to do combat. Action rpg's tend to suck because they settle for a middle ground, in between number crunching and hardcore action like say the DMC or NG games. However, that does not mean that they always ''suck.'' Take Dark Messiah for example. I thought, regardless of what anybody says, that it had a GREAT combat system. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but what is? Now, you might argue that it wasn't a true RPG, and I have to agree in some respects. But my question to you is, wouldn't it be great if a developer had the sense to deliver a game with Oblivion's scope and scale, and Dark Messiah combat mechanics? It's not impossible... We just need developers who want to, ya know, innovate. If you think RPG's are only about number crunching, then you are vastly underestimating the genre. RPG's are about telling a great story, getting you to interact with interesting and realisitc characters, and above all, about immersing you in the world. And a great, accessible combat system will do wonders toward achieving that end. [/QUOTE]Very well said. Agreed 100%.If only the FF franchise had learned this earlier. It's the only major franchise I have not had the patience to complete. Mostly due to the (in my opinion) unforgivable turn-based battle system with random, constant battles that could put a fish to sleep. It's very unfortunate because I really love every other aspect of an RPG. Leveling up, open world, deep story, character customization, etc.All the piecesI would like in my perfect game, but damn that combat to hell!
[QUOTE=''AquaMantor'']Peter Molyneux is SO full of it. I mean just LISTEN to the guy for crying out loud. He sounds like Fable 2 is the single most important purpose of his life. I really like the music thing, but I disagree that ANY RPG should have combat that rivals a fighting or action game. That's not what RPGs are about, they're about the number crunching behind the combat...which is why action RPGs tend to suck so much, because they get rid of all that number crunching, and remove all the depth from the genre. He also said that the vast majority of players in Fable chose to be good. But the reason for that wasn't because they were ''guilty'', the reason was because being evil was BORING in that game. There was just nothing fun about it.I'm still looking forward to Fable 2, though, but it looks like it's going to lack any real depth just as much as the first game did.[/QUOTE]I think fighting style combat could work well in an rpg if it is done right, both Shenmue and Kingdom Paradise proved that it can work well if done right even though those two games are merely good games and not great ones. Also I believe Mass Effect will deliver one of the best rpg/action experiences of all time when it is released later this year, and trust me the game will still deliver the number crunching aspects that you so desire.
Did anyone try out Stranglehold yet? Id definetly like to hear some impressions on that.
[QUOTE=''Multi-Alias'']Im gonna get that ES demo soon, see if all the nerdy dudes who own a Japanese 360 are right about it.[/QUOTE]they're notit was fun but its one of those games where you can tell the gameplay wont hold up after you really biild up some hours.