For those of you who have resisted the urge to cheat your freakin' Albionian (Albino?) butt off in the Fable 2 Pub Games, the Fable 2 development blog states that a patch is incoming to remove the infamous exploit. That's fantastic, because for those of us with certain moral or ethical issues about cheating, it was becoming hard to resist the Siren's call of all that yummy money.
The Fable 2 development blog also has some handy tips and tricks on how to play the games and improve your odds. Remember, if you're looking for in-game items and less risk, check out the tournaments. They're a great way to brush up on your gambling strategies without losing gobs of cash.
Let this be a lesson to developers: If you're planning to make a tie-in XBLA game that lets you earn gold in your main title, make sure to vet the game as much as possible for potential exploits. A trick has been found in Fable 2 Pub Games that lets you bet 60 on Tower of Fortune and potentially earn 600 each time. We've embedded the video after the break, should you wish to start Fable 2 with a gazillion trillion gold.
When you make a promise to something, you expect its end of the bargain to be equally fulfilled. Such is not the case, apparently, for numerous pre-orderers of Fable II, whose early commitments came bundled with download codes for Pub Games released on Xbox Live Arcade today. According to a thread on the Xbox Forums and comments dropped on Major Nelson's site, many pre-order codes are returning an "Invalid Code" error when entered on Xbox Live. Microsoft seems to be aware of the problem, and at least one report suggests that a new batch of codes will be issued within 24-48 hours. What gives, Microsoft? Lionhead's tab no good any more? Update:The codes should be working "later today," says Major Nelson. All codes should be working now.
If you've been curious precisely how you were going to import all that virtual gold you win in the Fable 2 Pub Games over the next ten weeks into Fable 2 proper, Lionhead is here to sate your curiosity and even assuage your skepticism. Eurogamer has the breakdown, but it goes something like this:
Play the three games contained therein to earn gold
Merge your Pub Games gambler with your Fable 2 hero in a permanent, one-way process
Then "gain access to all the Live Arcade gambling funds you previously accrued"
The process works the other way around also: you can take your Fable 2 money back into Pub Games
There are some additional details for those of you really interested in the nitty-gritty (ie: merging several gamblers together) but if you're like us, you'll be content knowing that your predilection for virtual gambling has a safe spot somewhere between "no money" and "real money."
A supposed list of achievements for Fable 2 has popped up on Xbox360Achievements.org and though we can't vouch for the validity of the list (it looks a little off, doesn't it?) we really hope it's on the level. Some of the achievements on the list, say getting married to more than one woman or taking part in an orgy "responsibly," are, as our Gammy might say, a real hoot.
But, troublingly, neither of the displayed Gamertags show up when searched, so we're a little bit nervous about the whole ordeal. However, we're still holding out hope that we'll one day be rewarded for kicking a chicken "a respectable distance."
[Update: Is it possible to hint at a confirmation? If so, Lionhead just did it. Looks like this is pretty much legit. Thanks to HeartbreakRidge for the heads-up.]
If you noticed in the details to Fable 2's Collector's Edition, there was an "Otherworldly Bonus" for in-game content. Packaged with the announcement were screenshots, including one conspicuously labeled "Fable2_MasterChief.jpg." Yep, that's not just a coincidence, you're looking at a faux-medieval variant of the Halo superstar. (Halo 3 ending spoiler alert) I guess we know what universe he crash-landed in.
And here we thought Minstrel Chief was the only Halo reference we'd find. Fable 2 is coming October 21 for US and October 24 for Europe.
Although we already knew Fable 2 was arriving in October, Lionhead Studios has revealed the awaited title will hit US store shelves, then proceed to raise a family while it waits to be purchased, on October 21. European gamers can expect the game days later on October 24. For those who want to start padding their virtual wallets early, the Xbox Live Arcade Pub Games will land August 13.
Lionhead also unveiled an image of all that you can expect to get if you pick up the Limited Edition copy of the game. Details of the LE after the break.
Lionhead's head lion Peter Molyneux recently said in an interview with GameTrailers that it took three years to make Fable 2. We note this because in the same interview, he also talks about doing three more Fable games. "We've got plans for Fable 3, 4 and 5 actually," he said. "It's a big story arc and if you play Fable II you'll recognize things from Fable 1." Extrapolating on Fable 2's development time, expect to see the series continue in 2011, 2014 and 2017, respectively.
Additionally, Molyneux said that Lionhead is working on another, secret project that was the "kind of the result of an experiment that went incredibly well." He then went on to say that he likes projects that are challenging and made references to the sports genre, which may or may not indicate we'll see a fantasy RPG based on Brockian Ultra Cricket.
I should come right out and say that I'm probably not going to be giving you the most objective view on Fable 2. I know, exactly what you wanted to hear, right? I'm sorry in advance, but I'm a big fan of Fable, and that's the viewpoint I'm coming from.
To that end, I should open by saying this: If you too are a fan of Fable, you need read no further, though I know you will. Judging from the build I played, it's more of the stuff you love with richer combat and ... well, you're just going to adore it. Promise. But not everybody played Fable. In fact, there are a sad few that played it and didn't even like it. It's for them that I'm soldiering on.
We had a lot of fun playing Fable 2 last night (more on that in a bit), so we were disappointed when we heard from several Lionhead staffers that the game's main story would take most around 12 hours to complete. It's not that we thought we were getting ripped off, after last night we just hoping the answer would be a little closer to a hojillion.
Also, keep in mind: That's just for the main story. That's not figuring in the time you'll spend gambling, romancing, trying to get fat and all the other side quests that make Fable so Fabley.
Heads-up displays? Pre-rendered cut scenes? Those are so2004. Realistic visual indicators of your character's status and interactive cut scenes are all the rage in the salons, and most trendy developers have included one of these features into their recent blockbuster titles. Lionhead Studios, however, have elected to include both in their upcoming canine-friendly adventure, Fable 2. They're like the Isaac Mizrahi of video game development.
This report comes from OXM, who recently got a chance to play a content-complete version of the much-anticipated title. According to them, Lionhead has eschewed the inclusion of the standard action-RPG health and mana/magic/energy bars in favor of a screen uncluttered. They also claim that "non-interactive cinematics take up less than five minutes" of Fable 2, making us wonder if Peter Molyneux is actually the Bizarro Worldversion of Hideo Kojima.
Microsoft has announced that Fable 2 Pub Games, a collection of three casino-style Xbox Live Arcade games that help you boost your money for Fable 2, is coming in August for 800 MS points (US $10). However, according to the press release, Pub Games is free for those who pre-order at participating retailers. The three games are:
Keystone, a combination of Craps and Roulette
Spinnerbox, an "updated take" on slot machines
Fortune's Tower, a "press your luck style of game"
Also included is Shell, a tutorial for all three. Taking a route similar to SporeCreature Creator, Microsoft is also including the Pub Games in both the Standard and Limited Editions of Fable 2, meaning if you can hold out until the game is released, you won't have to shell out the $10. Fable 2 is due out "later this year," with recent hints of an October launch.
Don your Victorian regalia, our fanciful readers, and you may earn your place in the annals of gaming history by appearing in Lionhead's much anticipated RPG, Fable 2. Just throw on that ratty old frock coat and strike your most Quixotic pose in front of a camera being operated by a tight-lipped, non-judgmental friend. Save the resulting blackmail image as a Ye Olde JPEG, send it in to Lionhead's art department, and you could serve as a model for one of the many paintings strewn across the interiors of Albion's exotic homes.
It's a neat way to get your mug in what will no doubt be one of this year's blockbuster titles -- though you've only got until next Wednesday to submit your best Pimpernel-esque portrait. We trust you can carve out some time between the big quail hunt and the late night ether frolic to read the rules and regulations before you commit your extravagant visage to film.
Still need insipiration? Look no further than the above image of Joystiq's own Justin McElroy. If there's a man who better embodies the unflappable spirit of a colonial gentleman, we have yet to meet him.
There's nothing that really makes these new Fable 2 screenshots and concept art from Microsoft's Gamers' Day stand out from others than we've seen, but that doesn't mean they're not a delectable eye treat. We've got 16 new ones and a box shot just below.
Sadly, we didn't get what we were really hoping for from the event: A release date more concrete than the nebulous "Holiday 2008" it's currently saddled with. Ah well, there's always E3.
Fable 2 is "content complete" with a measly 5,000 bugs to squash before it's completely complete, reports NeoGAF poster "Vinterbird" (aka Mikkel Vinther of Xboxlife.dk). The Danish site published a preview of Lionhead's second try today, based on a visit to the studio's headquarters in Guilford, UK last week. Vinther kindly translated the good parts, highlighting these new details in his post on NeoGAF:
Mini-map has been replaced with a "bread crumb trail;" a dynamic golden line on the ground that directs you to a destination (read: medieval GPS)
Magic system is divided into focused, single-foe attacks and ranged attacks; attacks can be built up into five levels using various spell combinations
Speaking of spells, there'll be just eight (but remember, they can be combined)
Every house in the game is up for sale; each house will unlock a sidequest, item or skill
Rough estimation: 20-30 times larger than the first Fable [Microsoft says: "a world 10 times the size of the iconic Xbox game"]
The gameworld features seasons and dynamic weather
Cutscenes are interactive; the d-pad can be used to issue certain gestures that will steer conversations
Sex minigame was canned; instead, screen goes dark and moaning ensues (sex can still be unprotected though! Babies, yes; STDs, unconfirmed)
Posts with tag lionhead
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