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[Soul4ger]

(has anyone actually read the review yet? =)

I did. Didn't think it was that great of a review personally, but I'm not going to question your opinion. Just read like you were rushed, and had to gloss over a lot of things, and didn't really give any reasoning for why you felt this way about this thing, that way about that thing, etc. In fact, I thought the 8/10 was too high, based on the text, and it reminded me a lot of the IGN review. You thought it ushered in a new era of freedom in RPGs, but it "stumbled" through the blocks. The only thing that clarified the eight itself, was that you literally said you thought it was great. But you never really clarified to me why.

To be fair, I really glanced through it quickly and didn't absorb it as well as I might have, but the parts I do remember are the parts I felt you didn't talk about enough. I understand you were sent over there to play it, and had to write it on a deadline, to fit page constraints... Just my impressions.

 

[Phoenix]

IGN REVIEW = 8 PAGES

GMR SCORE = 8/10

COINCIDENCE!?!??!

You are teh nostradamus

 

[Particle Physicist]

!! that picture is great!

 

[belmakor]

Well, after reading the reviews, they seem to sound a lot like when people I know/people who post here talk about the new cd they just bought.

"Well, I went out and picked it up and listened to it on the car ride home. I can't say I really like it though. There's only two tracks that are halfway decent and the rest sounds just awful. I'll give it a few days and see if it grows on my as I keep listening to it, though."

"Turns out those two tracks are better than I thought and the disc is starting to grow on me. Some of the other songs are more interesting than I thought at first, and don't really sound all that bad after all."

"It might not be the best cd they've ever released, but it's still pretty good. It has two great tracks, and the rest of the cd is at least average, or maybe even above. Could even be in the top five albums they've released."

I mean, really. The music doesn't magically get better as you listen to it over and over. If it was bad the first time, well, it's still bad. Listening to it for a few days, definitely makes it more tolerable, but it's still bad.

I guess I'll find out for myself when I get to play it what kind of game it really is quality wise. So far though, the reviews mostly seem to be written and scored to validate the hype they already gave the game for so long.

 

[evilromero]

I knew this game would get a 9.3. For Xbox IGN it's like their safety-net score.

 

[open_mouth_]

So, basically, what you're sayin' is that this game is either really good (8/10 by GMR) or it's very close to greatness or AAA quality with a few shortcomings (9.3 by IGN, 9.1 by TXB).

There's yet to be a review that's had anything but positive things to say about Fable being a quality game/RPG. All indicators point to the fact that BBB set lofty aspirations and, after 5 years of toiling away, have come up with a very good game that most people *should* enjoy playing. That's the bottom line.

 

[shpankey]

TXB gives it a 9.1

GAMEPLAY 9.0
The real-time combat system is nearly flawless, and the approach to action RPGs is truly unique. Fable makes you feel part of its world like no other game. The decision/consequence system works well, but isn’t nearly as in-depth as promised. The story isn’t very exciting and many gamers won’t have much interest in playing on after completing the quests.

GRAPHICS 9.5
The best looking RPG on any console. Expansive environments, highly detailed characters, and great use of particle and lighting effects. The NPC and enemy variation is a bit thin, but the changes in your hero make up for it. The framerate does take a hit from time to time.

AUDIO 9.1
The main theme is one of Elfman’s best pieces and sets the tone for the entire game. The dynamic soundtrack does a good job of setting up situations you uncover. The voice acting is top notch, though many of the characters use the same voice.

LONGEVITY 8.4
The promises of 40-50 hours of gameplay are not to be. Even gamers who take their time and complete every single quest and uncover most secrets can realistically expect a 20-25 hour game. Being that no additional quests are given after completing the story quests, this hurts the replayability. Everyone should play through the game at least twice; the experience is that good.

NEXT-GEN 9.3
Fable will change how RPGs are designed and played forever. Some of the expectations may have been a bit too lofty and the game has been scaled back a bit. Still, Fable ties everything together (real-time combat, expression system, economy system, story) better than any other action RPG before it.

OVERALL 9.1

 

[shpankey]

P.S. GameSpot usually scores Xbox exclusives one full point lower than IGN Xbox. Therefore, they will score it an 8.3 is my guess. My feelings are that you average the IGN Xbox score (which is always a little high for Xbox) with the Gamespot score (which is always a little low for Xbox) to get the real score... 8.8

8.8 is good enough for me.

 

[Vennt]

Well, after reading the reviews, they seem to sound a lot like when people I know/people who post here talk about the new cd they just bought.

"Well, I went out and picked it up and listened to it on the car ride home. I can't say I really like it though. There's only two tracks that are halfway decent and the rest sounds just awful. I'll give it a few days and see if it grows on my as I keep listening to it, though."

"Turns out those two tracks are better than I thought and the disc is starting to grow on me. Some of the other songs are more interesting than I thought at first, and don't really sound all that bad after all."

"It might not be the best cd they've ever released, but it's still pretty good. It has two great tracks, and the rest of the cd is at least average, or maybe even above. Could even be in the top five albums they've released."

I mean, really. The music doesn't magically get better as you listen to it over and over. If it was bad the first time, well, it's still bad. Listening to it for a few days, definitely makes it more tolerable, but it's still bad.

I guess I'll find out for myself when I get to play it what kind of game it really is quality wise. So far though, the reviews mostly seem to be written and scored to validate the hype they already gave the game for so long.

Well, it seems Moe, Little Grey Alien & The Fonz seem to agree with you, and so do I

 

[Subitai]

Let's wait for some more reviews. The GMR score was still a disappointment.

 

[u_neek]

 

[chespace]

just wait until someone posts EGM's scores in a week or so.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

just wait until someone posts EGM's scores in a week or so.

6.8? Please say 6.8.

 

[yodathesoda]

This board is so NBOT

 

[PhatSaqs]

just wait until someone posts EGM's scores in a week or so.

And considering what EGM gave Deathrow, i'll pass

 

[Jonnyboy117]

"which is really what keeps it from the upper-echelon of role-playing games. "

"Overall Score: 9.3"

Huh?

 

[evilromero]

This board is so NBOT

Then go somewhere else. If it smells too N-licious here for you then you came to the wrong place.

 

[Che]

Stop opening champagnes, it's ridiculous taking seriously Xbox IGN. I hope Gamespot gives a good score but for god's sake I knew you knew and everybody knew the score XboxIGN was gonna give to fable before it was even released.

 

[Kobun Heat]

just wait until someone posts EGM's scores in a week or so.

This is not going to end for a long time, is it?

 

[Soul4ger]

This is not going to end for a long time, is it?

I suspect Ziff-Davis will continue to promote itself in these threads for a very long time, yes. Oh, you meant the Fable controversy?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

This is not going to end for a long time, is it?

The scores for Fable are going to be put on Molyneux's grave. So I don't see this dying down anytime soon. At least until GAF finds another game to take all this heat.

 

[Justin Bailey]

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice. . .well you can't fool me twice.

 

[Redbeard]

The scores for Fable are going to be put on Molyneux's grave. So I don't see this dying down anytime soon. At least until GAF finds another game to take all this heat.

It will just switch over to BC.

 

[IJoel]

just wait until someone posts EGM's scores in a week or so.

Oh boy...

 

[siamesedreamer]

 

[Kobun Heat]

LOL!!!

Just at the quality of the Photoshop work. That's nice stuff.

 

[siamesedreamer]

I can't take credit for it. I got it from the TXB forums.

 

[Prine]

I've already played one overhyped RPG that turned out to be average this year. I cant handle another

And its not Sudeki ;P

 

[CrimsonSkies]

"I suspect Ziff-Davis will continue to promote itself in these threads for a very long time, yes."

That man deserves a prize. He hit the nail on the head .

 

[Che]

I've already played one overhyped RPG that turned out to be average this year. I cant handle another

And its not Sudeki ;P

FFX-2?

 

[Che]

IGNXbox is so definately more credible than any other games pub in terms of reviewing games. They'd never overrate a title due to blind hype!

Did you actually say that?

 

[Blazing Sword]

This reminds me of that thread where Blazing Sword talked about how much he enjoys wearing women's underwear and thinks Hitler was totally misunderstood (don't deny it, I have it right here).

LOL. I admit, that was amusing.

I'm sorry if your panties are still in a twist because I didn't think that your magazine is the end all, be all of gaming mags though. jeez.

 

[Prine]

FFX-2?

lol, i forgot about that game. I thought FFX-2 was crap, not average. ;P

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

The most disappointing thing(for me) is the apparently lack of vast, open environments. I dont mind a short game, as long as I can come back and explore once Im done. Paths wont offer that, I think.

 

[Littleberu]

Yeah, courtesy of ... Midway!

And it's still the same awesome game it was.

 

[DSN2K]

This board is so NBOT

amazing how that changes every week on GAF, one week we are xbots the next Nbots......

 

[Che]

lol, i forgot about that game. I thought FFX-2 was crap, not average. ;P

Hehe. That's exactly what I was gonna say if you said it was FFX-2.

 

[MetatronM]

9.3 = 8 = 7.9 = 6.8

All the same score, really. You've all been deceived.

 

[skip]

"I suspect Ziff-Davis will continue to promote itself in these threads for a very long time, yes."

That man deserves a prize. He hit the nail on the head .

for real.

-----------------------
www.1up.com
gmr.1up.com
BUY EGM, GMR, CGW, OPM, AND XBN
WE ALSO HAVE SOME SORT OF PC MAGS TOO BUY THOSE AND READ THE ADS

 

[Insertia]

The review says there is loading between paths and there are no expansive areas like in the older screens. Everything is on path.

Free roaming-RPG this is not.

 

[SteveMeister]

The review says there is loading between paths and there are no expansive areas like in the older screens. Everything is on path.

Free roaming-RPG this is not.

Well that's in between cities/towns. You can freely explore those, but there's no wide-open spaces between them.

 

[MetatronM]

The review says there is loading between paths and there are no expansive areas like in the older screens. Everything is on path.

Free roaming-RPG this is not.

That's kind of a good thing and kind of a bad thing at the same time, if you ask me. It's kind of cool to be able to just run anywhere you please across the countryside, but if that design choice prevents Morrowinditis, then it's fine with me.

 

[Alex]

I usually prefer IGN's reviews to anyones, although, it's a rarity I read many of them to begin with. Their just not something I typically believe in.

Why do I dig IGN's reviews? Well, because they're usually obscenely, and almost needlessly large, and packed with detail. Thus making it easy to clip out the opinions and scores from fanboyish editors, and read them like a glorified preview/summary of the game.

For someone, like myself, who got weary of the multitude of Fable hype trains, previews, stupid interview files, etc AGES ago. Knowing this game would be overhyped, and have a 50% of probably being total crap, the IGN review is a pretty good read as to what they clipped/added and sculpted into the final game.

Personally, I think it sounds really good. Then again, all I really expect of it is to be a solid ARPG with some decent freedom and character building, and some fun shit to do on the side for awhile. I also really dig the visuals and music.

I totally avoided the hype train though, I thought some of the original elements sounded great, but I knew people were going to either be: A) Really pissed when they found out this wasn't a tightened up console Morrowind, or B) Fable would be the next Black & White and be busted all over.

Either way, I placed my pre-order, and I'll just be glad when the pre-release sillyness dies off. Also, I get to stick another game into my miniture Xbox library. About damn time.

 

[XboxGamers]

 

[Insertia]

I didn't expect to be led through the game on a path. The earlier screens had expansive feilds and open forest, but when I look at the map in IGN's screens I see everything is on a linear PSO-type path.

At the least I expected an overworld like OoT or Wind Waker.

 

[Alex]

I'm all for open, free-roaming enviroments. But Ocarina and Wind Waker are not good refrences, in my opinion.

 

[Wellington]

The review says there is loading between paths and there are no expansive areas like in the older screens. Everything is on path.

Free roaming-RPG this is not.

What the fuck?

Man this game was seriously reduced in scope. I wanted free roaming.

 

[IJoel]

I didn't expect to be led through the game on a path. The earlier screens had expansive feilds and open forest, but when I look at the map in IGN's screens I see everything is on a linear PSO-type path.

At the least I expected an overworld like OoT or Wind Waker.

This is what I'm thinking and if it's as limited as that, well, that SUX!

 

[CrimsonSkies]

"Did you actually say that?"

Nope. One of the mods here was kissing some GMR ass to the Fable joke pic I posted. Fairly typical. No biggie.

 

[MC Safety]

Unbelievable.

I can't fathom why people are complaining about not being able to wander through expansive forests and meadows.

There are forests and meadows and places to explore. Yes, they're linked by paths. What's the big deal? Albion was not meant to be this vast uncharted land. It's pretty much medieval England, which was fairly well inhabited.

Wandering and exploration are both fine. But Fable has a focus -- and yes, it means you don't get to run through six hours of similar-looking fields fighting random monsters.