Though his vision usually outstrips his games' technical prowess, super developer Peter Molyneux is still responsible for some the most unique gaming experiences ever put to code. He's let us soar through the air on an enchanted rug, mow down civilians in a near-future dystopia, and has even let us play god once or twice.

Unfortunately, after having the distinct 'pleasure' of being absorbed by larger studios on two separate occasions, many of his most memorable creations have since been left to the pages of history. Even so, while Molyneux is currently courting players with his canine-friendly Fable 2, he recently told Shacknews that he's open to revisiting his earlier games, particularly Syndicate.

"I really would love to redo a version of Syndicate," he commented, adding that while he has not been given the go ahead to knock the dust off his past achievements, "one day, I'm sure that opportunity is going to come up and I'd love to do it." Of course, he's said this all before, but we continue to hold out hope. In a world filled with one mundane first-person shooter after the next, we could really use another Magic Carpet.

Fable 2's combat and canines aren't going to be the only next-gen things about the game. Developer Lionhead also wants to replace the tired old "Arseface" insult that villagers yell at the hero when they hate him. They've turned to their community of loyal fans (yes, you!) for a replacement on their official blog.

The comments section is already filling up with soon-to-be-classics, but we're especially fond of "Groin Crab," "Loner McLonelyton" and the puzzling "Big Girls Blouse." Your own personal chance at immortality is just one click away.

[Via CVG]

Before he was integrating man's best friend into Fable 2, Peter Molyneux designed a little game called Populous, which was subsequently the inspiration for an entire genre of simulation games known as "god games." Though it was officially (and quietly) announced two months ago, the Populous DS buzz is finally beginning to build, with screens and details of the portable remake appearing in a recent issue of Famitsu Magazine.

According to our buddies over at DS Fanboy, the remake will feature wireless multiplayer for up to four people, and options for both stylus-driven and classic control. The game's levels will be collected from the original's numerous sequels, expansions, and editions. Famitsu reports a February 2008 release for the game in Japan.

So, we might have sort of wanted to work at Lionhead Studios before we saw this latest video diary from the company, but now, after seeing the way they rung in their 10th anniversary, we're putting it on our lifelong to-do list, along with "skydiving," "Rocky Mountain climbing" and "going 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu."

After all, this diary focuses on the nerdiest guys at the company, the guys coding the development tools for Fable 2, and even they manage to seem cool. ... Well, as cool as someone who takes two days off to make a Pyramid Head costume can seem. It's all relative, we guess. If you're behind, catch up with part 1 and part 2.

In a recent interview, Peter Molyneux stated that he believed Xbox Live will be "far more impactful" to video gaming than the Wii remote in the long term. As Xbox 360 Fanboys, we can certainly understand his sentiments, though current sales numbers might suggest otherwise. Still, it raises an interesting question. Both the Wii remote and Xbox Live have changed console gaming as we know it. Sure, there have been motion controls before, and there have been online games on consoles, but the Wii remote and Xbox Live represent the most successful iterations of both concepts. The question then is which will have the most impact on the industry, input or networking? Motion controls may bring more gamers into the fold with intuitive input, but networking brings those gamers together with online play and downloadable goodies.

Our instinct tells us the end result will be combining the two (Xbox ThWii-Sixty?) but, for the sake of discussion, why not share your thoughts on the importance of motion controls versus social networking in gaming.

[Via Joystiq]

During an otherwise pedestrian interview, Peter Molyneux opened that big mouth again, this time putting the burden of another potential overstatement squarely on Microsoft's shoulders. The Fable man has predicted that Xbox Live "will ultimately be far more impactful on video games in the long term than something like the Wii controller."

Molyneux isn't alone, but his view goes against the current (but possibly transitory) trend, which sees Wii demand reaching nothing short of phenomenon. Though, in practice, Wii is still an inconsistent technology; whereas Xbox Live is a stable and consistently growing platform that has changed the way publishers and developers create and deliver game content, and is inspiring competitors, namely Sony, to launch their own grand social networks for the console market. Is Molyneux dead on?

[Via NeoGAF]

In another of our rapid fire, 4 minute interviews with Microsoft VIPs, we had a chance to chat with Peter Molyneux, mastermind behind Fable and the upcoming Fable 2. During our chat, we go in depth with Molyneux about the new scarring system employed in Fable 2. We also discuss the property system (which Molyneux is particularly fond of) and seafaring. And, just for grins, we ask about ninjas. If you'd prefer to listen to this interview (as well as interviews with Frank O'Connor, Brian "Ske7ch" Jarrard, and Peter Moore himself), you can check it out in our latest Fancast. Otherwise, read on.

Peter Molyneux describes Fable 2's combat as "kind of a little bit mad." It's just one blue button; a system that doesn't punish casual gamers (button-mashers), but still satisfies hardcore players. The number of experience points earned in any given skirmish is determined by how skillfully one uses the X-button. Timed button presses, including counters, are worth more than mashing, while incorporating blocking and charge attacks (both accomplished by holding X) will net you even more points to build your hero. The attack button is also context sensitive, as you'll automatically pick up and toss items strewn about the ground if your foes are at a distance, or you'll grab an enemy and shove him into a wall if you're battling in close quarters.

Magic and ranged attacks (mapped to the Y- and B-buttons) will apparently operate in much the same way, but only the X-attack was on display at E3 in Lionhead's "Combat Testbed," a visually-lacking demo not meant to impress, but to arouse curiosity. "I know, it's bloody awful," Molyneux said of the current level of polish, while urging us to focus on more abstract concepts, like the amount of dedication that the development team has put into Fable 2's design. Molyneux is still haunted by his bold claims about the original Fable, lamenting his infamous 'greatest RPG evar' comment, made while Fable was still a rough draft. But the celebrated game designer insists that this -- to be the greatest -- is the goal for Fable 2, he's just not as (publicly) convinced he'll get there.

Whilst chatting with Peter Molyneux during a lightning fast, round robin interview session (8 tables, 8 Xbox luminaries, 4 minutes each: more at X3F), we learned two surprising things about Fable 2. First of all, we have bad news for all the would-be Fable 2 pirates: seafaring has been cut from the game. Molyneux told us that Lionhead had intended to allow players to become ship captains and sail the ocean blue, but eventually made the decision to cut the concept from the game. According to Molyneux, it's part of his job to cut things out of Fable 2 so that what is left -- the combat, for instance -- is really polished. Molyneux did inform us that the game will still contain pirates though, so that should serve as some consolation. As for the (possibly) good news: since we were on the subject of pirates, we cheekily asked Molyneux if Fable 2 will have ninjas. Molyneux responded, "Ninjas? Well, we aren't saying anything about that. It's funny you should ask that question." Why, Peter? Why is it funny that we should ask that question!? Tell us more!

So then, for those keeping score on Fable 2:

Death -- No
Seafaring -- No
Pirates -- Yes
Ninjas -- Mmmm ... could be.

You may or may not know this, but Peter Molyneux has something of a silver tongue. Having witnessed its power at GDC when he revealed "the dog," we weren't sure what to expect at the E3 Fable 2 presentation. Of course, Peter employed that same silver tongue to describe the original Fable, which, while being a good game in its own right, wasn't exactly what he promised. So, when he told us that Fable 2's combat is controlled with one button, we were a bit skeptical.

After sampling the delights of Fable 2 (more on that soon) we had a little chat with Peter Molyneux about death. Specifically, we talked about how death would be treated in Fable 2. Typically, death in video games means loading the previous checkpoint or restarting a given level. According to Molyneux, such will not be the case in Fable 2. Instead, when overpowered and bested by an enemy, players will be left with a permanent reminder of their defeat: a scar. Granted, the scars are cosmetic, but they do affect how NPCs perceive the main character. The idea apparently came to Molyneux after watching Casino Royale, in which James Bond undergoes particularly brutal torture during one scene and finds himself in the arms of a woman during the next. According to Molyneux, "In Hollywood, heroes always win the day." That's all well and good, but what if you don't like the idea of being disfigured? Players will have two choices it seems: don't lose, or you can pay a hefty fee to keep your attackers from scarring you. Molyneux revealed that testers are willing to lay down hefty sums of gold -- 1000, which is enough to buy a hut -- in order to avoid scarring. So there you have it, you won't die in Fable 2 -- even bosses can't kill you, but they leave deeper scars -- but you'll pay a price (one way or another) for failing in combat.

After sampling the delights of Fable 2 (more on that soon) we had a little chat with Peter Molyneux about death. Specifically, we talked about how death would be treated in Fable 2. Typically, death in video games means loading the previous checkpoint or restarting a given level. According to Molyneux, such will not be the case in Fable 2. Instead, when overpowered and bested by an enemy, players will be left with a permanent reminder of their defeat: a scar.

Granted, the scars are cosmetic, but they do affect how NPCs perceive the main character. The idea apparently came to Molyneux after watching Casino Royale, in which James Bond undergoes particularly brutal torture during one scene and finds himself in the arms of a woman during the next. According to Molyneux, "in Hollywood, heroes always win the day." That's all well and good, but what if you don't like the idea of being disfigured?

Players will have two choices it seems: don't lose, or pay a hefty fee to keep your attackers from scarring you. Molyneux revealed that testers are willing to lay down hefty sums of gold -- 1000, which is enough to buy a hut -- in order to avoid scarring. So there you have it, you won't die in Fable 2 -- even bosses can't kill you, they just leave deeper scars -- but you'll pay a price (one way or another) for failing in combat.

Super Lionhead Studios fansite Loinhead scored an exclusive interview with the creative mastermind behind Fable 2 Peter Molyneux. And in the interview Molyneux talks a little bit about his past failures (Black and White 2), in-game combat, and hints at one of Fable 2's next big announcements ... death. Molyneux doesn't give any specifics to how death will be incorporated into Fable 2, but goes on to say that in other games when you die "you go back in time twenty minutes to do the same thing over again. That's fine if I'm playing a platformer, not so fine if you're doing an RPG game". So, traditional ways of dealing with death will not be good enough for Fable 2. But we've already known that Lionhead doesn't plan on taking the traditional path with the sequel (dog anyone?).

Check out more of Molyneux's candid discussion in Loinhead's complete video interview posted after the break.

We previously covered Peter Molyneux's Fable 2 talk at GDC, and now the most-watched video at GameTrailers shows off Fable 2's dog, letting us take a closer look for tonight's video. Molyneux stresses not to scrutinize the graphics and that only the dog is worth looking at in the demo's current state. Overlooking the work left to be done, the dog seems to be well animated and deliver a lot of emotion; hopefully this companion will add more depth to the game.

See the dog demo after the break.

Sure, we've heard plenty about Fable 2's new dog -- we talk about it at length in the latest Fancast -- but only those of us lucky enough to have been at GDC have actually seen it (outside of a few blurry shots that is). Luckily for us, our friends from GayGamer.net were sitting right next to us at the presentation and bagged a handful of decent shots of the dog in action. They also managed to snap a shot of Bowerstone, the game's central city. As you gaze at all the buildings and shops in the photo, remember that you can buy every single piece of property you see.

Sort of makes the wait for Fable 2 seem even longer doesn't it?