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[sonycowboy]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/09/02/news_6106400.html

nice little inteview. Just 2 excerpts below.

...

GS: I can imagine. When you first announced Fable you said you wanted to make "the greatest role-playing game of all time."

PM: That was the ambition, yes.

GS: Did you feel like you've succeeded?

PM: That sort of press line is the most dangerous line that you can possibly make. I didn't really think that people would take me seriously when I said that. Being a little British company, we had had never done a role-playing game before, never done a console game before. Who the hell are we to say such an ambitious thing? That was the ambition, and I'm all about when you actually start making a game pthere is no point in turning and saying "I'm going to make a quite a good role-playing game." I mean what's the point? You might as well just well just have a license. You've got to go out there and you've got to say "this will be the greatest game that we can possibly make, this will be the greatest role-playing game."

Is it the greatest role-playing game ever? Could I have made more changes, could there be more polish, could there be a few things in there which shouldn't be in there? There are things I could certainly think about, but I think I'm incredibly proud of the achievement. Firstly, I think what we've done is we've made a game which people absolutely enjoy playing, and they're playing over and over again. Secondly, what we ended up making was an action role-playing game. Now, action role-playing games are different from role-playing games and I think we should have said that, and we sort of merged an action game and a role-playing game in a pretty unique way. There is so much love and passion in that game, and so much hard work, I can't help but be anything but enormously proud of what we've done.

....


GS: That's a good point. Do you have a preference now for PC or console development?

PM: The level of polish on console games is just way beyond the PC games, way, way, way beyond PC. You know, and that's everything from the title screen to cinemas and to in game innovations to game play, the whole lot. In most part, the world's greatest talent exists on console and that's what you've got to bring your level up to. And I thought there was some areas in Fable which were on the border of being acceptable, but you know if we approached it again we probably would have to definitely raise it way up and that's going to affect, affect our PC development. Certainly affected some stuff on Black & White II. When you next see Black & White II, want it to be almost a religious experience for people who see it the first time. And it’s already looking amazing, I mean I really want it to be miraculous, and I think it can be.

...

 

[u_neek]

"Greatest RPG evaar!!!"

"Quite a good RPG"

"It sucks, okay?! But there's still chicken punting"

 

[chespace]

been just wandering the world leveling and gaining fame and money... at hour 9 now and i'm not even close to the end (because david chen has already spoiled much of the later portions of the game for me). fable is F'n hot.

 

[teiresias]

Fail-ble.

When you next see Black & White II, want it to be almost a religious experience for people who see it the first time. And it’s already looking amazing, I mean I really want it to be miraculous, and I think it can be.

And given his earlier answer I suppose we're not supposed to take him seriously on this one either. This man is so retarded.

 

[Prine]

I must say, im already looking foward to Fable 2 on Xenon.

 

[Ghost]

"there is no point in turning and saying "I'm going to make a quite a good role-playing game." I mean what's the point?"

Exaclty

"Greatest RPG evaar!!!"

"Quite a good RPG"

"It sucks, okay?! But there's still chicken punting"

He never even suggested in this interview that it isnt the greatest RPG ever, let alone question the games quality.

As you can see

I can't help but be anything but enormously proud of what we've done.

GS: One of the early concerns some people are having with Fable is that you can actually finish it really quickly. Now, was that a conscious decision?

PM: The absolute design decision was this is; if you want to go through the game quickly, you should be able to. I mean you can get through the whole of the first Half-Life, if you really know what you're doing, in 50 minutes. Personally when I played Half-Life, I don't know how many hours it took me because I investigated every nook and cranny. If you want to investigate every nook and cranny in Fable, it's going to take you an unbelievable amount of time

And given his earlier answer I suppose we're not supposed to take him seriously on this one either

Its his aim for B&W2, and his opinion of fable is pretty favourable according to this interview, so i guess you should play fable before deciding if he meets his ambitions with his games or not.

You know, I used to sit down with journalists and say, "Well we’re trying this idea out at the moment and trees grow, and everybody in the world can do whatever they like." What I should say at the end of each one of those sentences is, "But if it doesn’t work we’re not going to keep the feature in." What ends up happening is that people believe that those are the features that are going to definitely be in the game. So, I’ve really got to start thinking about being more precise about ideas and maybe not talking about things that I’m just playing creatively around with, but only talk about things that are actually going to be certain.

Best thing about PM in my opinion is that he is open to admit when he has made mistakes, and he actually learns from them

 

[sonycowboy]

Its his opinion, and his opinion of fable is pretty favourable according to this interview, so i guess you should play fable before deciding if he meets his ambitions with his games or not.

To paraphrase his interview, "what the hell else am I going to say? I'm really disappointed folks. What's the point?"

It's a pretty circular and vacuous logic to say that you're forced to be positive because of your circumstances and then turn around and be positive.

 

[Ghost]

you are right, it is vacuous logic, but its caused by poor interviewing, asking someone doing an interview to sell a product whether or not the product is what they've advertised it to be? Its a stupid question from Tor Thorsen.

I would say the "best rpg ever" fiasco was caused by Peter Molynuexs big mouth, but it never would have been an issue if people hadnt taken the quote out of context time and time again.

 

[Justin Bailey]

you are right, it is vacuous logic, but its caused by poor interviewing, asking someone doing an interview to sell a product whether or not the product is what they've advertised it to be? Its a stupid question from Tor Thorsen.

I thought it was a good question, hopefully it makes Petey realize that his words come back to haunt him.

 

[Ghost]

For me the fact he didnt say it is the greatest rpg ever shows he has learned his lesson already (as do the various other points in the interview where he points out what he has learned)