First off, let me say that my expectations of this game were moderate. I, like many others, was disappointed when Fable came out on the original Xbox and many of Peter Molyneux’s promises failed to materialize. So I approached this game with a bit more caution, not wanting to fall prey to the hype machine and Peter’s ambitious sales pitches. “Fool me once” and all that….
The biggest thing I found with this game, is that to me it felt like the Fable I had expected four years ago. The choice/consequence system, the social interaction and the size of the game as far as explorable landmasses were all things we thought we’d get with the first game. This time around it actually delivers. There is a lot more humor, more things to do and more interaction with the various NPCs throughout the game. The downside of that is with so many more options, you dilute the overall experience. Like Oblivion, it felt like there were 5 NPC models, Woman A, Child B, Man C that sort of thing. Coupled with the voice acting of the cookie cutter NPCs, it’s great for the first few hours, but then after a while you tune it out when it gets repetitive. On the flipside of that, is the voice acting of the unique characters. Those characters essential to the storyline had a good selection of Hollywood/theatre actors including Ron Glass of Firefly fame who provided a fantastic performance and Stephen Fry who voiced a hilarious narcissistic character.
While the AI for the most part was solid, the NPCs didn’t really do anything spontaneous other than mill around wandering aimlessly or running in fear. The canine companion you got, was on one hand very realistic in it’s behavior and mannerisms, on the other, a hindrance because sometimes he just didn’t follow you or just sat there like a lump and did nothing. I also found even when maxed out, I constantly had to heal him after a lengthy battle which was just a tedious chore post-combat. If you didn’t, the whining would drive you nuts until you did.
Don’t get me started on the amount of bugs and glitches in this game. Some are game breaking like having your characters stats wiped, others would interrupt the story progression like the infamous Monk quest. Then other times while exploring you’d get stuck by so many invisible environmental barriers you felt like you were navigating a river with a Galleon at midnight. Most of the points lost in my final score are attributed to these unacceptable issues that beta testing should have cured.
Graphics and sound for the most part were really well done. There was special attention to provide lots of humor in the townsfolk and their comments would adjust to your characters morality, infamy and appearance. The soundtrack was well chosen and the music always suited the event or area you were in. There was some frame stutter at times and the camera would go all snafu when you least expected it, but the scenery is quite nice and the vegetation lush and colourful. That alone sets it apart in this age of drab colours this generation. Details like firelight on rain or shadows on the buildings really add a nice touch and a sense of realism as does the really nice water effects. A great looking game and a great sounding one as well.
Gameplay is a mixed bag also. Combat is pretty straightforward and simple and inventory management is solid, but there’s no ability to assign quick slots. Meaning when you need to heal, it’s pause, inventory, scroll, select, confirm to do so which breaks up the pace of the battle. See, in a game where you have food, drink and potions, it’s always the lesser items that show up on your D-pad quick keys. Meaning if you have a piece of celery which would give you a paltry 80 points of healing, it takes priority over your life saving potions that will give you 700 and fully heal you. You basically have to either do the pause menu thing or eat everything from lowest to highest by pressing the button several times until your healed which means running off somewhere so you left thumb can get to the pad instead of the stick for movement. I also found the character always automatically putting his weapon away rather annoying.
Now for the flipside of gameplay, there was lots of variety. Puzzle solving, gambling, real estate & decorating, raising a family, exploring, entertaining etc etc. There is lots to see and do and many ways to enjoy yourself without even touching the main quest. The achievements for the most part are fun. One minute your hunting Gargoyle heads and exploring, the next your stripping your clothes off and risking a fine to perform a stunt of public indecency. Then you’ll find yourself on a treasure hunting mission and an hour later stopping by to see your wife/husband and kids while upgrading your furniture and bearing gifts.
The game as a whole package is solid and worth checking out. It’s an action RPG/social experience with a Charles Dickens/Harry Potter feel to it. As a gift I felt I got my money’s worth as it were. If your on the fence about it, wait til it drops to $30 or so. If you want a true RPG experience and intend to skip the social fluff and diversions this game offers, it’ll be a short one. 10 hours or 40, your mileage may vary.
Now first off, let me say that I'm not really a fan of the Star Wars movies per se. As I drop that nasty bit of flamebait in your lap, let me say it's because it's so empty as opposed to other science fiction franchises I enjoy. The scope of background to draw from and the mythos in it's size and complexity is a far cry from that established for Babylon 5, Stargate, Doctor Who or Star Trek.
Having said that, I've always enjoyed the Star Wars games. I suppose in a way, I see the games as deep as the 90 minute movies they are based on. If you've ever played Rogue Squadron, Knights of the Old Republic, Jedi Knight series, Bounty Hunter and Shadows of the Empire, you know what I mean as they fill in so much more info and back story than the movies ever did.
Flight sim fans rejoice! Namco Bandai is bringing the Hori Ace Combat HOTAS to the Xbox 360 in a limited edition version of Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. This limited edition will include the Flight stick and throttle, a copy of the game plus a faceplate for the 360. Also according to the Gamespot article it'll retail for $149.99 and only be sold at selected retailers.
Of course the first thing I had thought of was if it would also work on the PC as the 360 controllers are capable of and if I could use it on the PS2 since I had missed out on the chance to buy the Ace Combat 5 bundle which was similar. I also imagine that it will find it's way onto the PS3 as a similar bundle once the "timed exclusive" no longer applies. The Ace Combat 5 bundle was compatible with the other PS2 Ace Combat games so hopefully the future PS3 version that I'm speculating will come will as well.
You really haven't played a flight sim until you use a flight yoke or HOTAS (hands on throttle-and-stick). Much like how a steering wheel enhances a racing game or a lightgun it immerses you more into the experience and provides something more fun than pressing buttons and wiggling analog sticks. A bit pricey perhaps but it may also make OverG and Blazing Angels and any other flight games or Ace Combat sequels a lot more fun.
In the meantime check out the article at Gamespot for pictures of the flight stick and more media coverage on the game.
First off, let me say that my expectations of this game were moderate. I, like many others, was disappointed when 
Now first off, let me say that I'm not really a fan of the Star Wars movies per se. As I drop that nasty bit of flamebait in your lap, let me say it's because it's so empty as opposed to other science fiction franchises I enjoy. The scope of background to draw from and the mythos in it's size and complexity is a far cry from that established for Babylon 5, Stargate, Doctor Who or Star Trek.
