Fable 2 sold 3.5 million copies, Lionhead 'needs' 5 million for Fable 3

Not me.

It would be more reasonable if they ported it and ported it well.

A lot of people have been making a fuss over that, and don't think it's so much players not knowing how to use them, but not understanding why. Things like marriage was pretty clear, it just served no real purpose and didn't really do anything to make you feel attached to your family.

I think that's the type of stuff he's talking about fixing. Ditto with the inventory, which was an utter mess in Fable 2.

It didn't help that you'd get married and then five minutes later you'd find out that your wife had divorced you. I know that five minutes could account for years in the fable world, but still, it felt very micro-managey, almost like having to take people out for beers or to a strip club in GTA IV. No one wanted to bother because it was so ridiculous. Nevermind the fact that marriage involved little more than running up to a girl and handing them a ring. There was nothing to drive any emotional attachment.

Hopefully they can fix these types of issues for Fable III (I did like Fable II as a whole though. I hope they don't completely wreck it)

That's why i always married whores in Fable II. At least then I understand why i don't have an emotional attachment to them.

I hear ya Comet. I thought I was the only one who did that. What killed me was when they still went off to their corner every night. Roxanne, you don't have to turn on the red light!

God, I miss Tribes...

Everyone says that Halo Reach looks like Tribes. Which one is it people?!

Thanks for this. Got a good laugh.

Is that even possible?

This has been the story of Fable to me... Fable was a disappointment. Fable 2 promised many things, delivered on some, drop the ball on most.

I don't really see where they are gonna get 1.5 million extra core players from?
It's possible but I just don't see it happening.
I love RPG games and Fable doesn't really appeal to me.

Oh, they'll all be buying a copy and they'll all finish it.
How else can they continue to complain about it?

Fable II was 360 only.

And it's a first-party title. Or do you expect Microsoft to start publishing titles on Sony platforms?

Your going to argue piracy as a defense for them to port it to the PS3? Weak dude, weak.

Considering that Microsoft owns Lionhead Studios, I dont see a PS3 port happening anytime soon.

You my friend deserve a medal.

I've noticed this on FFXIII... 20 hours of corridor...
On FFXIIIvs, isn't it more akin to Kingdom Hearts than FF.. in play style..?

Dammit, this is just a trend! Don't shatter my illusions!

I especially don't understand the budget restrictions when PC games have been "HD" for ages and STILL manage to sell for 10 bucks cheaper while not sacrificing content.

Methinks console devs need to learn better resource management.

I disagree, I think we're seeing the end of games like Front Mission 3, a game who's story was muddled by endless menus and stat micro management.

I think we're seeing games that can tell stories and put you in the role of a character, without heavy stats.

I argued against this for a long time, I loved my stats, but then i play games like Mass Effect 2, who give me that role playing feel and story without me needing to worry too much about the details. Was the game a little heavy on the action? yeah, but it didn't have to be, it wasn't a perfect game by any means, but the issues with it weren't related to a lack of stats.

FFXIII is just a long hallway, but a long hallway with stats, I can easily say that ME2 feels like more of an RPG than FFXIII because I'm playing a role, and not just watching a vaguely interactive movie.

The big issue here, is that gamers need to let go of some of their preconceptions on what makes a game an RPG, because It shouldn't be micro managing and attributes.

Mass Effect 2 was hardly an RPG at all.
It was missing a good chunk of the RPG elements =/

Dragon Age would like a word with you. I haven't micromanaged my inventory so much since... well, Baldur's Gate, really.

You might be right about RPGs taking elements from other genres. However, I believe this actually strengthens certain titles without taking a complete focus away from the roleplaying. The definition of an RPG is a lot more broad than turn-based combat, stats, and behind-the-programming dice rolls. It is about controlling an avatar in a setting and playing according to the formal system, i.e. the rules of the game. It doesn't become any less of an RPG because you change those rules.

Look at Mass Effect. Because of your stats, sometimes using certain weapons was out of the question until you put points into that stat. Sniper Rifles were one of my favorite weapons in the game, but made no sense. Your character is army - why can't he hold the scope still for even two damn seconds at level 1? He's trained to be proficient, yet he waves it around like a trainee in boot camp. How did he survive Akuze (or a similar origin story) with such shitty aim? In the sequel, they did a better job on the shooting aspect - your character is trained in certain weaponry given his specialization, and cannot use other weapons. Why? Because it would be a waste of bloody time, that's why. He uses weapons he's been trained with from the time he entered the army, so it only goes to show he'd be GOOD with his weapon. An Engineer would waver with a sniper rifle scope like a level 1 character in Mass Effect 1. These elements help strengthen the game. What is your role? You are a soldier. You shoot like a well-trained one. Makes perfect sense.

And RPG elements are all but flourishing in other genres of game. Even Call of Duty and the recently released Blur beta use statistics and experience to track your progress. This is directly borrowed from RPGs. You can only use certain equipment and unlock skills at certain ranks. As you become better in CoD, you get weapons and effects. When you progress in Blur, you get new cars with expert handling and a mod shop to customize your Wrecked Loadout, a revenge palette for when you get stomped by another racer.

The RPG is evolving, not dumbing down, and I welcome it because it uses game mechanics to help you feel you are your role, whether it be a barbarian, a space marine, or an international espionage agent (God I'm looking forward to Alpha Protocol).

[Drat! I originally put this in the wrong place. Here it is!]

undrssthemachine and Evadrion, I agree with much of what you're saying. Many of the traditional elements of classic RPGs are more of an annoyance than a "fun" part of the game. As you both say, it's the story and the chance to embody the main character in that story that really constitutes the role-playing experience. That being said, there is a difference between embodying a character in a good RPG (say Fallout 3 - which in itself was a bit of a hybrid) and playing a character in an action-adventure game (say God of War). Both have strong stories, both have you play a role, but ... I don't know ... maybe something like God of War is like watching a movie and playing an RPG is more like reading a really long novel. I like both, but I'll miss the really long novel when it's no longer economically feasible to make one.

... maybe I'm just depressed about Final Fantasy XIII. (I'm in the denial stage.) :-)

Where did Lionhead claim Fable 3 was only 7 hours?