”I think I've been more guilty perhaps than anyone in the industry of making games with mechanics in them which don't mean anything,” said a remorseful Molyneux in a recent interview with Eurogamer. “They're very nice, they sound good, but when you come to play them, there's a kind of feeling of what should have been. It's far better to cut it down and have a smaller number of things, polished.”
Still, Molyneux has managed to say an awful lot about the some of the ‘polished’ elements in Fable II, giving us a rather good idea of what to expect from the game. Set 500 years after the first game, Fable II puts players in control of a young boy or girl in the world of Albion, guiding and shaping them as they blossom into adulthood. Most of the time spent in the game will be as an adult, with the period spent as a child being rather short lived. Like the first game, Fable II forces players to choose between good and evil, with the world around them adjusting and reacting to their choices and actions accordingly.
Deus Ex Fable.
As you would expect, Fable II is trying to greatly expand on this element of the first game, placing more emphasis on how the towns and people inside them will react to the player. It won’t just be a few useless villagers applauding the presence of a hero, or running in terror at the sight of a villain. The towns – more populated than they were before – will all have their own unique reactions to the player, be it admiration, fear, hatred, or indifference. It’s even possible to come so viciously hated that a town will permanently outlaw you from its district for the rest of the game.
Combat in the game has somewhat changed, but is still recognisable, with melee combat on the X button and the ranged combat accessed through Y. The most noticeable change is in the magic system, where now each magical ability will have five different levels of strength. Holding down the B button will determine how powerful the magic outburst will be. Best of all, not aiming at an enemy will result in an attack that will encircle the player, fending off enemies on all sides. Handy.
This time around, the on-screen character won’t be the only thing that is unique after playing through the game. As well as the player’s character becoming scarred and taking a shape all of their own, the world around them will also change as it is shaped by their actions. For instance, a player can plant a tree, which would be seen to grow throughout the course of the game. So, in theory, no two games of Fable II should produce the same world.
Molyneux really has a thing for tiny little critters.
Co-operative play was something Molyneux wanted to implement in the first Fable, but ultimately did not happen. This has been rectified for Fable II, where players can grab a second controller and join in the action. The second player will act as a henchmen of sorts for the main player, providing them assistance when required - most obviously in a combat situation.
Moving things online, players can invite others into their own unique version of Albion through any one of numerous purple orbs scattered around the place, where upon they can embark on all sorts of hijinks. Helping others out as a henchman is a handy way to make some gold, which will be harder to obtain this time around. To get it players will be required to fulfill quests and, less glamorously, actually work – as a bartender, blacksmith, and so on. Property can be bought and rented out to locals, if the player is wealthy enough. If you want to get a head start your in-game finances, the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade Fable II mini-games allow players to earn gold to use inside Fable II – an interesting idea.
One of most notorious ‘polished’ Molyneux ideas is the canine companion which will be snapping at player's heels throughout the game. Early on in the game, players will come across a dog who is being harshly harassed by a local bully. Players can save the dog, in the process gaining an invaluable friend for the course of the game. The dog acts as an interface of sorts, with its most obvious being to guide players to the next objective in the quest and/or story. It will also growl in the direction of any enemies that are encountered throughout the game, alert the player to relevant NPCs, as well as signal for any quest items that might be found nearby. It’s certainly an interesting and fresh approach to what has traditionally been an immersion-killing mini-map on screen, but how effective it will be remains to be seen. What should prove interesting is how it will change in form depending on the actions of its master.
"Allow me to get to the 'point'."
Family plays a much bigger role than it did in the first game, with the development team striving to make players actually care about their on-screen counterpart. Sex is back in the game, this time allowing players the choice of having protected or unprotected sex, with the result of unprotected sex being, surprisingly, spawn. The female involved will even have growing pregnancy bumps. Once the child enters the world, it will look up to the player’s character, adopting some of their characteristics and even mirror the player’s chosen alignment. Once in the world, the child will become completely dependant on the player, who can opt to provide for them, or make them starve to death should they wish.
Like most games these days, Fable II will be launched with a higher-priced collector’s edition. The most notable feature of this edition will be a – wait for it – bonus DVD, packed with a making-of video, concept art, developer diaries, and, of course, music from the game’s soundtrack. In addition, there will be five Fable II cards in the package, an Xbox Live trial card, a token to allow players to download the upcoming Archon Demon Door DLC, and even a little Hobbe figure. No skimping on this collector’s edition, then.
With less hype than the first Fable - though there certainly hasn't been any shortage of it - and many new features, such as co-operative play, a more organic world and the increased family involvement, added to the game, Fable II stands a much better chance of being a success than the first game. Providing Molyneux can actually deliver on his promises this time - and, at this point, it seems like he has managed to do just that - Fable II should prove to be an absolute cracker come this October.
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