Last week it was the annual Games Developer’s Conference and what better way to show off next generation gaming than with Fable 2? Among the headliners on Xbox 360, gaming guru Peter Molyneux was on-hand to show off his latest adventure and reveal one or two new things in the world of Fable. For those who never played it, Fable was a fantastic RPG adventure where you chose your destiny – would you be good and end up with a shimmering holy aura or bad and end the game with a demonic plague scarring your exterior? You had the freedom to experience the game as you chose to, either through saving damsels in distress or kicking puppies – your character evolved to reflect your actions. In Fable 2, the kicking of puppies will be frowned upon to say the least. Now you’ll be responsible for a canine friend who accompanies you on your adventure. Your dog can attack groups of enemies with you and learn from you based on your actions. Just like the Black & White games from the same studio, your pet will learn to interact with the world under your tuition.
This time around, you’ll also be able to have children with your husband or wife. If you choose a female character, you will be able to get pregnant while playing the game leading to a small interlude in which you have your child. Keeping the family happy will provide its own rewards and your child will even grow to mimic your direction in the game – good or evil. It’s not all about the canines and babies of course, Molyneux hinted that there are more big announcements to come with Fable 2 soon. Fable 2 wasn’t the only big Xbox 360 adventure on the show floor at this year’s GDC though, fans of Japanese RPGs also had something to jump for joy over. Blue Dragon by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi wowed crowds with its first translated demo. With art direction by Dragonball Z mastermind Akira Toriyama, Blue Dragon promises an epic quest from some of the most talented RPG makers in the east, I can’t wait for it. Mass Effect was on show for those who crave a more sci-fi flavour in their gaming. Showing the character creation system for the first time, developers Bioware explained that as well as choosing your appearance and voice, you will also have some choice over your character’s background. In the game’s setting, a character born on a planet will have different advantages and disadvantages to a player born on a space station in a variety of circumstances. With a real-time combat system and squad-based tactics coming into play, this is one to watch for any sci-fi fan and you can be sure to get more on all of the above games on Xbox.com soon... By Mark Eveleigh, Xbox.com Editor. Gamertag: Making Sparks |
