Fable 2 Previews
Over the past few weeks the Lionhead PR machine has been driving at full speed to bring Fable II news to everyone across the world. Especially last week was very busy for everyone involved with a huge press preview event in the US. Soon everyone will be able to get their hands dirty in Albion but for now you'll have to read the many reports from the professionals and other journalists:
Previews:
http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/fable-2/preview...
"The cities have a beautiful tumbledown design, like the buildings have been taken out of the oven too soon and started to collapse"
"Within minutes we found ourselves ploughing through four or five enemies at a time, using a quick force blast to break up the crowd when things got too tight, before mopping up a straggler with a crossbow bolt and pushing the last one or two off a cliff edge. It all links and flows beautifully, and you cannot fail to feel like Dante and Nero's estranged medieval cousin while partaking"
"when a mission boss injured him at one point, we surprised ourselves by feeling something similar to how we did when Sephiroth killed Aeris. All that, and we're cat people too"
http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/fable_2/preview...
"Peter Molyneux told us that Fable 2 will be his best game to date and so far we're inclined to agree."
http://www.totalvideogames.com/articles...
"Fable 2 is a magical world. The graphics, moral decisions, story-arcs, and characters in the game will ensure this. It may well turn out to be what gamers had hoped the first game would be, which is a lofty task indeed."
http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/2109/Fable-2...
They even shipped in Peter Molyneux to chat us up a bit beforehand
...
Bigamy and open marriages (of any kind) may be hot button in the real world, but here stand as a testament to the true freedom of action this game wants to represent. Take it as a political statement or not, a game dedicated to making choices shouldn’t have to hold back when it comes to one particular topic. ...
my whistle is definitely wetted.
http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3169923 (MINOR SPOILERS!)
1UP had two people playing through the first few parts of the game, one as good the other as evil. Interesting read but beware of a few spoilers.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main...
... Fable II is a gorgeous game to look at.
Molyneux is confident that Fable II is "a huge game, but a huge game in which all the features make sense". As I reluctantly put down the controller, I can't help but think that, this time, Lionhead has achieved what it set out to do. "There's a few moments where you just might experience something you've never experienced in a game before," says Molyneux. "If we get even halfway to what I feel when playing the game that would be a real achievement."
... you get the feeling that Lionhead knew all along that the greatest story ever told was always going to be your own.
Fable II's lineage and national identity is clear, but was this something the Guildford based Lionhead were keen to stamp on the game? "It's what we enjoy creating," says Copley, "what we like spending time with. We had a really good look and feel from the original game that we've developed for Fable II. Drawing on those European fairytales and having that kind of atmosphere creates a world you want to spend time in. The team is really passionate about that. I don't think we're trying to be British- we enjoy being British."
More previews:
http://gaygamer.net/2008/09/hands_on_with_fable_ii...
http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/09/hands-on...
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/15/three-hours...
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/ar...
http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/fable2...
Interviews:
Video : http://www.giantbomb.com/molyneux-uncut-and-unedited...
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/86239-Fable-2-Fans-Influenced...
"My crunch only gets worse," said Van Tilburgh to MTV's Patrick Klepek. "When the game comes out, people start playing it and then everyone's got an opinion! [Lionhead] said to me when I started, if you survive your first game as a community manager, you're in it for life. Ninety-five percent of community managers don't even survive the first game."
"To hear people say 'This is s***! I don’t like this and I don't like this!' It's hard not to take it personal. It affects you."
http://www.totalvideogames.com/articles/Fable_2_The_Molyneux_Interview...
Peter: So, did your hands on disappoint you in any way?
TVG: No, not at all. Actually, we have it as a Pre-Order Now!! up on TVG, which is the highest anticipation rating you can give a game. One of the other TVG guys saw it at Microsoft's Spring Showcase earlier in the year, but I'm not at all disappointed by what I saw and there are obviously high expectancies going in with that sort of reputation.
Peter: I know.
Some we haven't though. 
