gamescom 2009: Microsoft/Lionhead Thoughts

We’re here at Gamescom, where are you?  Waiting for news?  We’ve got you covered as we’re there!

Just to let you all know, the three of us here for OLC at Gamescom in Cologne have a German bus load of appointments lined up from yesterday until tomorrow and to be honest – we’re a little beat!  All our hands-on previews, behind closed door sessions of upcoming blockbusters such as APB, Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect 2, Brutal Legend, Alien Vs Predator, Final Fantasy XIV, Borderlands, Mafia 2, God of War 3 and so on will be following over the course of the next couple of weeks.  There are also a few galleries to go up yet so please keep an eye on our Twitter account for up to the minute information when each one goes live.

To recap Microsoft’s press conference:

I’m right up front basically, in the second row with Kapil Bhatt and the press conference just started off with Peter Molyneux talking about Lionhead staff, how the team has changed and grown over the years.  Of course he then decided to talk about unveiling new stuff.  Here he goes talking about Fable, and how he loves the series and the land of Albion and how proud he is of the success.  Time for figures now with three million plus sold of each of the first two installments. Soon Fable 2 will be broken down into chapters in order to entice fans who may not be RPG enthusiasts.  The first installment will be given away for free on release and will come in five chapters.  Each of these have a natural break in terms of a cliffhanger and when you get to the end of a chapter you have the option to buy the next chapter and continue your adventure.  It launches on 29th September and is fully compatible with the expansion packs released post Fable 2.  He then unveiled the following title…

Fable 3
We would be crazy not to develop Fable 3 said Peter dramatically on the stage although he did say that he felt the second outing on the same format can be a problem, as well as that the third game is generally considered the problem child.  Challenging players is a must and the key to the success of any title is that they are always surprised, and ‘expect the unexpected.’

Choice and consequence is still a big thing in Fable with two big areas of innovation.  There was a strong desire to be bold with game mechanics, and well as question the foundation stones upon which the series has been based so far.

New game mechanics, how can they surprise me?
In Fable you were one of many characters, and with Fable 2 you were the only hero and your life’s quest brought other heroes together.  It’s all about power for Fable 3 says Peter, and on with the teaser!

“The kingdom of Albion is changing, the land needs a ruler. King or Queen, cherished leader or ruthless tyrant, pure or corrupted, that future has not yet been written.  The race for the crown has begun.”

In Fable 3 you will be the ruler of the land of Albion where the consequences not only affect the hero but the whole land.  What type of kingdom will Albion be if you were King or Queen he asked the crowd to consider?  Poverty and greed, tyrant and compassion, progress and tradition are all key aspects of the gameplay that Molyneux states shall form the core of the gameplay.  Another thing he mentioned was that your family plays a role, as in previous games, in this new story.

Roughly 50% of the game will consist of the journey towards ruling the kingdom.  You’ll start as the son or daughter of your character in Fable 2 and for the first half of the game you must lead a revolution against the current tyrant king.   Gathering support, uniting factions and gaining followers are the key to success and it apparently also depends on the promises you make with your followers.  Like  Molyneux said – English politicians…they will promise anything but you MUST follow through.

On the ‘journey’ you will see the social, economical injustices and policies of the current ruler and decide what to change when you reach the throne.  As a ruler you can still take command of your armies similar to a captain in Star Trek like Picard or Kirk, or historically like Caesar or Genghis Khan.  It also means you can go for royal visits to your subjects and build camaraderie with them which we will get to soon.

Something mentioned in the press conference is that getting drama is a “tricky and elusive thing”.  Some voice actors from Fable 2 are back in the next installment and were instrumental in helping shape the story.  In order to get the feel of the story, the epic scope and mood right for this title, Lionhead decided to hire a sound stage at Shepperton Studios complete with director, cast and scriptwriter.  The feeling was that seeing the story before they saw it “in game” was important to improving narrative and thus the enjoyment of the player.

Moving on to Judgments – Lionhead want you to feel the power of ruling in the game and a key aspect of any ruler is that they can, at anytime, pass judgment on their subjects.  In order to decide on the fate of the unfortunate ones you can choose to admit them to your presence in order to let them plead their cases – or forthright refuse them entry and have them executed.  It’s completely up to you!  However we have been warned that these judgements will have far reaching consequences throughout the game with how people regard you as the ruler.  For example, if you are benevolent then your people will adore you.  If you choose to be a tyrant in your own style then you will likely quickly be disposed via the hero of the people whoever they may be.

Lastly we got to hear about the touch aspect, which I believe will feature Project Natal – conspicuous by its absence here at Gamescom.  Anyhow, when you spend more time with a person – either getting affectionate or hostile you unlock more expressions to use at anytime.  There is also dynamic touch  (Natal?) and this allows you to, at any time, reach out and simply touch someone.  You can hold someone’s hand, pull them along or just refer to it as “spontaneous crap, seemingly more directed towards dating and relationships” if Kapil Bhatt is to be believed.

Seems to be interesting and I’m almost sure we won’t see any gameplay until at least E3 2010, but certainly after finally catching my first real press conference live – Microsoft, Lionhead and finally Molyneux didn’t disappoint.

Fable III hits late 2010 for Xbox 360.