I finished the game two days ago and by today, I’m asking myself “Is this it?”

To be honest, I felt a little let down when I completed the main quest but maybe I could have set my expectations a little too high after my initial review, which to be honest, the game failed to fully deliver what I thought it would.

I still think it’s a well-crafted RPG, with some unforgettable moments.  To avoid spoilers for the benefit of some, there were moments where I got slightly emotionally involved when *beep* killed *beep* right before your eyes.  The world of Albion has great depth, from the backstories to how the world still functions after you complete the main quest – just like a “real” game world should.  There are still quests to be completed, jobs to do and property to buy.  And I believe the game will keep generating new minor quests as long as you’re playing it.  So in that sense, the game never really ends.

However, I have noted three key areas that could really be improved.

Main Quest – It’s terribly short.  The more I think about it, the more I feel like there’s so much opportunity to lengthen it but didn’t.  In fact, it’s short to the point that the ending felt painfully anti-climatic.  Breaking the conventional of a traditional RPG, Fable 2 has no major boss battles.  Good or bad?  You decide.

Morals – Though it promises that you can craft your character to slant any way you want – good vs evil or pure vs corrupt, the game seems to impose a judgement on you if you choose to stand in moral middle ground.  Just one example, shopkeepers will give you a bigger discount if they like you, and less if they’re afraid.  Of course you can just kill them and take what they have for free, but if I don’t want to be that bad, then should the game penalize you for living in a shade of gray?  Given the perceived freedom of choice, should the game appear to reward you more if you’re good and pure?  You decide.

Character Builds – Though there are three branches of skill to develop, I feel there isn’t much liberty to create diverse characters.  This could be because of how the balance between the three skill types complement each other so well in all your battles.  The flip side is the game doesn’t really allow you to create specialized characters like other RPGs do.  So if I want to create a ranged fighter, I won’t be able to because I’ll need to invest significant amount of experience points to increase my health.  Likewise if I want to create a spellcaster.  Is this the best mechanic to implement or should health increase be given everytime you spend X amount of experience points regardless of which skill tree?  You decide.

At the end of the day, it’s a give and take.  The game is well crafted in many areas that broke the convention of a traditional RPG and I still maintain that the dog is a very well designed and implemented aspect of the game.  And perhaps if they had followed how a traditional RPG delivers a game experience, it wouldn’t have turned out to be such an enjoyable and unique experience.  But if the game is built around the ideology of choice (vs predestination?), then I feel it failed to fully deliver on that because underneath the illusion of choice, the reality is that most of how you experience the game is decided for you.  

My ratings still stand for all the categories except replay value, so here’s my humble grading of Fable 2.

Art/Graphics: 9/10
Music/Sound: 9/10
Controls/Playability: 8.5/10
Production Value/Design: 8.5/10
Replay Value: 3/10
Overall: 38/50 or 76%

p.s. after so many years, the best RPG in my books is still Diablo II.  I can’t wait for the sequel. 

Fable 2 Cover Art

Let me start by saying I’m not a big fan of RPGs. I find games in this genre tend to take up too much time (which is a commodity I seem to having less of), and the badly designed ones just feel too repetitive – you either have to kill someone, find something or bring an item to someone.

I think a well-written RPG needs to fulfill two important criteria: First, the RPG needs to move the narrative in a non-linear fashion so the player is free to pursue whatever he wants with no dire consequences to the story.  The player should be able to jump in and out of the main quest anytime he wants, however he wants. Second, the game needs be crafted such that consequences do matter. Contradictory?  Here lies the dichotomy of an RPG game.  Every action the player takes needs to bear consequences because the world the game lives in needs to be alive and real – or at least give an illusion of. And the easiest way to achieve this is simply making it more linear: action-consequence. Yet, when it’s crafted this way it defeats the point of an open gameplay and results in a flat, oversimplified experience.

Fable 2 has done well in these two aspects.  The gameplay is balanced well between the two – whilst there’s no dire consequences for not pursuing your main quest all the time, your every action will affect you and the world around you.  If you steal something when no one is looking, you increase your evil balance. And too much of that, your physical appearance will alter and NPCs will react to you differently.  You wear certain clothes and increase your attractiveness score, the ladies in town will flock to you. It doesn’t stop there, the world of Albion is deeper and more dynamic.  If you increase the rent on the house you’re renting out, it will affect your purity score. If you trespass in someone else’s property, the guards will come for you.  Everything you do affects the world.

In terms of gameplay, the controls are pretty straightforward. Despite some criticisms, I find the simple fighting mechanic working very well.  X for melee, Y for ranged and B for spells.  You can combo them any way or you can choose not to. Depending on whichever attack you choose to dispose of the enemy, the experience orbs that drop will be from that same category.  So if you’re a predominantly melee player, you will level up your melee skills faster based on the melee experience orbs dropped.  The player’s attributes is governed by the same three skill branches. You can choose to pursure melee, then your character will appear more muscular.  If you choose to pursue range (called “skill” in game), your character will be taller and lankier.  If you pursue spells, your character will develop a magical glow.

My first character is quite well balanced between melee and ranged, but less on spells.  There’s no additional points to spend on what RPGs traditionally label as strength, dexterity and intelligence.  To me the simplicity works – you don’t have to spend too much time mulling and planning what skill point to spend next. The time is better spent exploring the world.

Furthermore, the game isn’t punishing when you die and that’s important.  The more punishing it is, the faster the game frustrates the player. When you die in Fable 2, you merely collapse to the ground, then get up again with full health.  The only drawback is every death will give you a permanent scar. And in this game, the scars you have will have an effect on how an NPC reacts to you.

In terms of storyline, the game establishes very early what your final goal is.  In fact, the first part of the game when you’re playing as a kid, sets up the entire game for you.  Though that first part is terribly linear, it establishes many important facets of the game so it’s very clear what your objectives are once you transition to play as an adult.  However, like a good RPG, the game lets you decide when you want to pursue your main quest or when you just want to tinker around – get an odd job, check out stores that are on sale or even just go exploring the world.

One of the best feature I like about Fable 2 is the inclusion of the dog.  It’s such a risky and difficult mechanic to build into the game but I have to say that it works really well.  The dog is a reflection of you. If your character skews evil, your dog’s appearance will change just like yours.  And how you treat your dog will affect how the dog is.  If you punish it all the time, you’ll get a more aggressive dog that will aid you in fighting but always fearful of you.  If you praise your dog too much, it will be more playful and might not fight as hard.  You can buy trick books to teach your dog new tricks or you can buy a rubber ball to play fetch.  After a while, the dog is so much part of your character that you begin to develop a bond with it.

Once I was taking my time fighting a group of bandits early in the game, and the dog got kicked really hard by one baddie.  Doggy whimpered and collapsed and that really pissed me off so I proceeded to zap that mofo with lightning, shoot him with my rifle until he collapsed then finished him off with a sword through his chest.  Injured doggy needs to be given potions to heal, just like you. After that, I bought a book called “Dogs of War” and upgraded the little canine to fight better. After the upgrade, the dog is able to pounce on fallen enemies to finish them off.  So in my typical encounters now, I’ll start by shooting a few enemies from distance and pooch will finish them off while I clean up the rest.

The dog also acts as your mini-map.  If you’re exploring and there’s a treasure chest nearby, the dog will bark to get your attention and will lead you there.  If there’s something buried, the dog will start digging as an indication that you should take out your spade to join in.  Even the treasure hunting skills can be upgraded via books.

There are some bad points about the game.  There’s some framerate issues especially when the screen gets busy and on menu screens and sometimes the camera seems a little misplaced. But all these are not particularly glaring so I can live with it. All the stuff that’s good covers these little flaws.

Overall, my experience with this game far surpassed earlier RPGs like Oblivion.  The balance between simplicity and depth is very well thought out and executed.  The visuals look rich, and I particularly like the music, which I believe is scored by Danny Elfman. If you’re a fan of RPGs in general, you should enjoy this.  If you’re not, this game could be a pleasant breath of fresh air, unlike some others before that in comparison to Fable 2, plays heavy and feels terribly stuffy.  Though I’ve yet to complete the game and can’t give a complete review, I feel the game has definitely got legs to be terribly engaging. I would say this is highly recommended for new players and fans of the Fable franchise alike.

Art/Graphics: 9/10
Music/Sound: 9/10
Controls/Playability: 8.5/10
Production Value/Design: 8.5/10
Replay Value: 7/10
Overall: 42/50 or 84%

Almost 4 years since the release of the Nintendo DS, the Japanese company has announced at the Nintendo conference that a new product is on it’s way.

Known as the DSi, it looks like slimmer, more updated version of the immensely popular DS.  Here are some key features:

• SD card slot and 512mb internal memory.
• 3-megapixel camera on the outside, and a VGA camera on the inside.
• Web browser built-in.
• Larger, 3.25-inch screen (up from 3 inches).
• Slimmer, 0.74 inches (down from 0.84 inches).
• Better speakers.
• Able to store and load games, content and pictures on the SD card.
• Game Boy Advanced slot removed.

Also, there would also be a new online store to purchase content, called the DSi Shop which would be introduced in conjunction with this.  

The new handheld looks a little like:

Nintendo DSi Closed

Nintendo DSi Open

It will be available in matte black or matte white, and should be on sale in Japan on 1st November 2008, with the rest of the world following in 2009.  And it should cost 18,900 yen, which is about SGD$258.  

Not a bad price really.  Now this really gets me contemplating whether I should get one of these to play Mario.

Star Wars: Force Unleashed cover art

I just finished the game last night and I’m having such mixed feelings about this one.  On one hand, there’s so many things that make this game fantastic but there’s some parts that feel so painfully unpolished.

If you’re follow the Star Wars timeline via the films, this game takes place just between Episode III and IV.  Towards the end of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin carried out Order 66, which saw the start of the Great Jedi Purge, which took place just before the end of the Clone Wars.  Then when Episode IV kicked off, Vadar stopped purging Jedis but went on to focus on the rebellion led by Princess Leia.

The key events that led to the rebellion are answered in this game so at least for me, it connected all the dots without reading the novels.  The game is great in this aspect as it’s official Star Wars canon.  

For the most part of the game, you play as Vadar’s secret apprentice, though the first level you get to control someone else, as part of setting up the plot for the rest of the game. 

For most parts of the game, you’ll be using a lot of force as well as saber attacks.  As you level up your character, you earn points to purchase and unlock more powers which allows fancier and more powerful moves.  By the end of the game, you should be able to slash the helpless Storm Trooper, fling him in the air, jump and slash him some more, then slam him back on the ground.  This is really where the game shines – by a certain point, I actually felt… powerful.  In which other game can you pick up a Trooper with force grip, zap him with force lightning, fling your saber to impale him, then throw his body out the window?

Unfortunately, this is about all in the game that really shines.  The other parts range from mediocre to downright broken.  Some gripes:

• “Save” doesn’t really do anything because if you die after you save in mid-game, you’ll still respawn at the last checkpoint before you saved.
• Controls are terribly unresponsive, and at crucial battles it really pisses me off if I die because the game can’t detect your button presses.  (Then you respawn before your last save point).  
• The in-game cinematics are well shot and the recreation of Star Wars universe is gorgeous, except the dialogue and lips don’t sync most of the time.
• Block doesn’t work very well.  If you hold block (Left Trigger) while you’re down, you’re not going to block when you get back to your feet.  You have to pull the trigger again when your feet is on the ground to work.  Irritating if you’re under heavy blaster fire.  Then you die, and respawn before your last save.
• Camera is wonky.  Some parts when you’ll have to jump certain obstacles, the camera is so fixed on you that you can’t adjust it to see where to land.  Then you miss, and respawn before your last save.

But my biggest gripe is really the horribly unimaginative button-pressing sequence at the end of every boss fight.  In geekspeak, it’s called Quick Time Event, where you follow an on-screen sequence of buttons and when you get it right, the boss is killed.  How imaginative, using a mechanic that’s 25 years old and worse, something that totally breaks the flow of the game.  I don’t understand they needed this because the hack-and-slash mechanic in the rest of the game works so well.  And worse, the button sequences aren’t even remotely challenging.  To take down and AT-ST, for example, you just have to press no more than 4 buttons with about a second in between.

I think Lucasarts, as a content company has shown it’s definitely weak in creating compelling gameplay and in this outing, it really shows.  The demo posted on XBL a few weeks ago had great promise, maybe because it was such a short level no one really noticed the gaping flaws.  I really wished Lucas would have held this back for a couple of months to iron out the kinks, or better still, work with a proper game developer to make it right.

For a game that was almost right, it turned out mostly wrong.  In summary, I score the game:

Art/Graphics: 4/5
Music/Sound: 4.5/5
Controls/Playability: 2/5
Production Value/Design: 3/5
Replay Value: 2/5
Overall: 15.5/25 or 62%

Overall, if you’re Star Wars fan, you should play this to know what went on.  If you’re not, then you won’t be missing much if you didn’t buy this.  You can always borrow from a Star Wars fan who has this.

We’re looking at a November release for Gears of War 2. If you played the first one, you should be really anticipating this as it’s looking bigger, better and bloodier.

The next issue of UK Magazine X360 will carry more details about the improved multiplayer. But well, obviously someone has already got their hands on it and posted details online. Here’s some of the new features that I’m really excited about.

- New finishing moves – When the enemy is downed, “X” will perform the usual curb stomp, “B” will perform a weapon specific melee, “Y” will flip him over and you can punch him until he’s deader than dog shit, but the most fun would probably be pressing “A” where you’ll pick him up as a “meatshield” to soak up some enemy fire.

- New “Meatflag” multiplayer mode. Kinda like CTF, but the flag is a AI-controlled player who’ll wander the map. The objective would be to down him then escort him as meatshield back to your base. If your opponents shoot him enough, then he’ll break free and go berserk and lay some smack down on your ass.

- New Multiplayers maps. Of course a new game will carry these, but what we also know is the popular map Gridlock will be remade.

- New weapons. A flamethrower, a modified Hammerburst and a new locust pistol will be added to the mix.

- New grenade. Poison grenade is added, likely similar to the smoke except it’s gonna kill you. And you can also plant grenades on the environment, effectively making it a proximity mine.

- New chainsaw duels. You can now go head to head with another player, dueling with your chainsaw and the victor is determined by who taps “B” faster. In multiplayer, you team mates can help you out by shooting your enemy.

More details here. And while you’re at it, check out the gameplay movie.

I don’t know about you, but I think GOW2 is going to be the most anticipated game for 2008. Except maybe for Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise.