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To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. E3 2007: Fable 2 Hands-On
Albion tremble in fear, we've got a sword and we know how to use it.
by Hilary Goldstein
July 11, 2007 - At GDC 2007, Peter Molyneux introduced us to the concept of love in Fable 2. For E3, Molyneux's talk turns darker as he tackles "death and murder and mayhem." The second major feature in Fable 2 is the combat. As Molyneux teased, he is working his way backwards from least amazing to most amazing -- meaning #3 should be something special.
Every RPG needs combat, but Molyneux is hoping to create a unique experience for Fable 2. While the first Fable's combat was enjoyable, it didn't have much depth. Molyneux's challenge to the folks at Lionhead and Big Blue Box was to create a combat system anyone could play and enjoy, but that had such depth that even an expert won't have experienced everything by the end of their heroic quest. That's a tall order. But from what I played, it seems the Molyneux may be able to deliver with an enjoyable and exciting combat system.
The combat system is so simple it exists on a single button. Press X and you attack. That's it. There are no multi-buttoned combos, no modifier commands, nothing but the movement of the Left Thumbstick and the X button. If you love to button mash, you can make your way through Fable 2 by just smacking the X button with no care for the carefully crafted combos that lie beneath the surface. But for anyone who wants more pizzazz and challenge to their combat, Fable 2 offers quite a bit more.
While your melee weapon is linked to the X button, there are dozens of variations you can attempt. Combat is largely rhythm based but, unlike many games with similar systems, the range of the timing seems fairly broad. Pressing X, X, (hold) X and then releasing creates a different result than X, (pause) X, (hold) X and release. To help players feel the rhythm, drums begin to pound when you string combos, signaling times to press the X button. It's an almost tribal experience. And though the drums are initially jarring, their beat melds into the ambient noise quickly. It wasn't long before it felt as if the music were in rhythm with my button taps and not the other way around. Blocking is also done with the X, simply by holding. This also powers you up for an attack, but each time you parry that charge is instantly dissipated. So you can't block and then suddenly released a powerful strike.
Counterattacks, which require some timing and (as Molyneux pointed out regarding my play) a little luck, offer some visual panache. Landing a counterattack (hitting an opponent just as they begin to swing at you) leads to brutal execution-style moves. The camera snaps to a dramatic angle, time slows for a few seconds, and our hero performs one of a variety of moves. In just ten minutes of combat, I witnessed more than a dozen different flourish moves. One had our hero slam a bandit against a brick wall with his forearm, breaking his neck, and then shoved his sword deep into his gut. Another was a simple backhand that actually looked utterly humiliating for the opponent.
The combat is contextual. It factors in your button presses, your skill level, yours and your opponent's positions, and the environment. Stand near a bottle and you can hold X to pick up the bottle and toss it at an enemy. Fight in a bar and (with proper positioning and timing) you can swing off a chandelier to deliver an attack. Again, all of this is handled on a single button. Sounds crazy, but it works.
Perhaps most impressive is that the combat -- the animations, combos, and flourishes -- adapt with your character. When you are younger you will have different moves then when you become a seasoned hero. As you move from good to evil, your animations and flourishes also change. That Fable 2 could pack so many variations into its combat is a testament to Lionhead's desire to deliver on its promises for an incredible RPG experience on Xbox 360.
Molyneux was only willing to show off melee combat. However, he revealed that the Y button is used for range combat and the B button for magic. These work just like melee combat. Tap Y for rapid but run-of-the-mill bow shots. Hold down for precision aiming and more satisfying kills. Magic also works on this same system, though Molyneux didn't go into any depth on the subject.
With combat comes death. It's inevitable for the hero that, at some point during the game, he's going to get poked in the side one too many times, keel over and die. Not so in Fable 2. What happens when you usually die in a game? You have to reload from a save point and play the same part again. And again. And again. Molyneux recognizes that there needs to be a cost for failing, but Fable 2 finds a different method to make you pay.
If you lose all your health, your character will be knocked out. The nearby enemies will begin kicking and beating you on the ground. You have a choice to lose experience, gold, or reknown in order to get up. If you wait long enough, you'll get up on your own, but the longer you stay on the ground, the more permanent scars you attain. These scars will affect how people react to you in the game -- and shows your friends that you get your ass kicked a lot.
When you do get up, it will be kind of like a Hollywood movie. Your character will be powered up slightly and determined to redeem himself. In action movies, they don't kill they hero; they just hurt him a lot. It's when the hero is at his lowest, when he is truly about to die or fail, that he finds an extra reserve that powers him through to victory. Molyneux wants gamers to feel the same swell of emotion when their character rises from the ground as they would when watching a movie.
Aside from combat and death, Molyneux revealed the new cinematic control in Fable 2. There are no cut-scenes in Fable 2, with the exception of the intro movie that lasts "approximately 1 minute, 37 seconds." After that, everything is in game and in your control. Anytime you want some cinema with your gameplay, just pull the Left Trigger. This acts like Gears of War's "look" command. Only instead of just turning your character's head towards an item of interest, the camera cuts to that character. They may notice you watching them, but you will get a clear view of whatever they are doing at the moment.
In getting my hands dirty with a throng of bandits, I experienced the pleasures of the combat variations. While only playing a couple of minutes out of the 50 or more hours Peter Molyneux claimed it would take to do everything doesn't exactly give a full realizing of the depth promise, I can assure that the single-button combat works. And as a long-time RPG fan, I can see the potential for Fable 2 to have one of the best combat systems to date. Whether Molyneux and co. can deliver remains to be seen. But I have faith.
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