Albion Knight
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Team Xbox Review of Pub Games
Hey this one doesn't compare the pub games to urine... that's good right
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Hey this one doesn't compare the pub games to urine... that's good right
When Peter Molyneux announced that there would be an Xbox Live Arcade component to Fable II – or at least an Arcade game that featured interoperability between XBLA and the world of retail release big boys – we cheered. This was exactly the kind of thing we always thought XBLA would be great for. As long as it worked well and there was a good reason for it. Oh, and it didn’t require you to own or play both.
When we found out what it was – a suite of gambling games that let you earn money that could be used in the world of Fable II – we cheered even louder. What a great idea, giving you the ability to generate a real in game resource completely out of the game, instead of forcing you to take time out of your adventures to sit in a virtual casino and play some kind of magical Blackjack.
But we probably cheered the most when it was announced that you could have the XBLA title, Fable II Pub Games, for free if you pre-ordered Fable II. The word “free” always brings a smile to our face, and since we were going to buy Fable II anyway, we thought this was a much better bonus gift for preordering than some t-shirt or key chain, though we’re willing to take any of those too if you have them Peter. Releasing this week on Xbok Live Arcade, Fable II Pub Games is here in time to give you a decent head start on earning some gold as well as in-game items to start your adventures with when the game releases later in October. We’ve played it, and here’s a quick look at the three games of chance (and a bit of skill) that you’ll be losing your virtual gold at between now and the full game’s release:
Fortune’s Tower
A card game that’s all about pressing your luck, Fortune’s Tower begins with a unique deck of cards. It has no suits or real face cards, instead containing eight sets of cards numbered one through seven and four “Hero” cards. Later on, as the difficulty ramps up, decks will have nine or even ten sets. Each game begins with a bet, always in a multiple of fifteen. You use the left stick to set your bet. It’s better off if you start out with the minimum bet of fifteen.The dealer begins by dealing three cards: one face down called the “gate card” and two more face up on a second row right below. This is the top of “the tower.” The two face up cards are added up to give you a payout. So say it’s a five and a six, if you cashed in now you’d get eleven back. Or in other words, you’d lose four gold.
Here’s where you have your first choice. Cash out and lose money (though not all of your money) or deal another row, this time three cards. Those three cards can give you a new total unless one of them matches one of the ones it’s touching above. That vertical pair burns up and can end the game. But not this early, your “gate card can save it, but you can only use your gate card once. The burned cards can also be saved by a “Hero card” but those are rare. Or none of them can match, and you can get a new total. Again, your choice whether to cash out or keep going. Sometimes getting away just slightly above what you originally bet, since there are plenty of cards I nthe deck that can match up. There are eight possible rows total, and if you can survive till the last row, you can rack up some pretty decent totals.
Keystone
Simply put, a series of wagers o nthe roll of three dice, but more accurately, Keystone is a bit like craps mixed with roulette with a tiny bit of architectural engineering thrown in for good measure. Huh?
I’ll explain. The keystone table is a half-circle. In fact it’s an arch, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Around it are the numbers three through eighteen – all the possible combinations that three dice could add up to – in alternating black and red and diamond and oval shapes with the exception of the three and the eighteen and the ten and eleven in the middle. That’s where the “keystones” lie, as they would in an arch made of stone blocks. The stone blocks are then put around the numbers in an arch shape. At the beginning of the game you place a bet (or bets) on the stones. These bets will ride throughout the game until that particular stone is removed when its number is rolled. If one of the base stones (three or eighteen) or both of the keystones (ten and eleven) get knocked out, it’s game over. You “crapped out”.
Inside the arch are the individual numbers you can bet on, as well as a series of other bets like four through nine or twelve through seventeen, black or red, pair, run, trips, etc., all with different odds. You can bet these once per roll. Getting lucky with these bets is how you win the big money, just like in roulette, and you can bet on multiple spots. If you like craps or roulette or both, this is the game for you.
Spinnerbox
This is basically the slot machine of the Fable universe. The spinners – or, “flit switches” – have images on them that you need to match up to get payouts. Different images pay differently and some combinations do things like give you an extra free spin. The first Spinnerbox you encounter only has three flit switches, but later on they have many more that can generate more payout combinations. Just remember, what’s true for real-life casinos is also true for Fable II Pub Games – slot machines are a sucker bet involving zero skill. But hey, maybe you’re more comfortable losing your money that way.
Fable II Pub Games offers solo play or tournaments you can engage in online. And it’s not all about earning gold. Earning experience points will unlock items in the game for you as well like different hairstyles and useful equipment. It’s a great way to get you in the right mind set for the release of the full game in October, and also get you a little more prepared for your grand adventure by putting a little spending cash in your pantaloons.
Achievements:
- Not Just Another Mark – 10G – Earn a 3-star rating
- High Roller’s Club – 20G – Earn a 5-star rating
- I Want It All – 40G – Earn all 15 unique items
- No Stone Unturned – 10G – Get a jackpot in Keystone
- Warrior’s Luck – 10G – Get a jackpot in Fortune’s Tower
- Serious Stakeholder – 20G – Have a bankroll over 2,500 gold
- Penultimate Player – 10G – Place in a tournament
- Big Spinner – 10G – Win Big (at least 100 times your bet) at any Spinnerbox game
- Fortunate Finder – 10G – Unlock a new game of any type
- Lucky Locksmith – 30G – Unlock all games
- Champion of Chance – 30G – Win a tournament
- Fabled Financier – 0G – Play a pub game with your Fable II Hero
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They liked them. I'm happy.
