Just for the funnies, I'm gonna review these Kotaku-style:
****
Fable III
So, did P.M. do his over-hyping thing again?
Yes, he really did. Not so much that it feels like half the game is gone (i.e. Fable the First), but he promised quite a few things that, while actually in the game, are so ineffective and glitchy that they just don't work even remotely like they're supposed to.
Does this include the "touch expressions"?
It does. The premise, as it was explained by P.M., is that you will be able to hold hands with the ones you love and literally drag people to a less-than-satisfying fate...like slavery. His whole thing was to enable a connection with the world, and just a new way of interacting with it.
Unfortunately, this is impeded by the fact that ALL of the touch expressions are glitchy as hell. Holding hands with someone results in them following behind you, but your hands are never usually touching unless you're standing still. Plus, they forgot to mention that you will be holding hands with someone if you have to lead them anywhere. This means that escort missions involve taking a frightened and grown man by the hand and leading him through the forest. It's as odd as it sounds.
And I played the game for a little over 20 hours, and I was only asked to drag a few prisoners back to the guards. Even then, I didn't start dragging them until I was a few yards away. Until then, I was just walking hand-in-hand with a convicted criminal.
I can deal with that, I guess, but what about the other expressions? Are they still fun to use?
Not really. You don't have a menu from which to pick which expression you want to use and when. And you can no longer perform expressions for a group. You walk up to someone, click the "A" button, and you will transition into a "minigame" of sorts, where you have three expression options. Three, and they're usually always the same three, no matter how you're interacting with people.
That kinda sucks.
It does when you go to haggle over a price and have to do a very complicated dance to make him see things your way.
Okay, but what about all of this "It's A Revolution" business? Does that suck, too?
Actually, no, it doesn't. The expressions are a big flaw with the game, but they're only a small part of it. The story, the characters, the locations: all of them are improved over the last game. The revolution bit is fun and rewarding, and allows you to make more than a few tough decisions once you take back the throne. I will say from experience that every decision you make will have dire consequences. Dire.
I see. So, is this worth buying then?
I think any fan of the FABLE series will enjoy this game. It improves on most of its predecessor's shortcomings, but takes a few steps back in terms of things that didn't need improvement. The game is still absolutely funny, and the world is startlingly beautiful. It's FABLE II with a fresh coat of paint and a few surprises up its sleeve. I recommend it, with the caveat that there are still some bugs that need to be worked out, if bugs absolutely bother you.
Fable III
So, did P.M. do his over-hyping thing again?
Yes, he really did. Not so much that it feels like half the game is gone (i.e. Fable the First), but he promised quite a few things that, while actually in the game, are so ineffective and glitchy that they just don't work even remotely like they're supposed to.
Does this include the "touch expressions"?
It does. The premise, as it was explained by P.M., is that you will be able to hold hands with the ones you love and literally drag people to a less-than-satisfying fate...like slavery. His whole thing was to enable a connection with the world, and just a new way of interacting with it.
Unfortunately, this is impeded by the fact that ALL of the touch expressions are glitchy as hell. Holding hands with someone results in them following behind you, but your hands are never usually touching unless you're standing still. Plus, they forgot to mention that you will be holding hands with someone if you have to lead them anywhere. This means that escort missions involve taking a frightened and grown man by the hand and leading him through the forest. It's as odd as it sounds.
And I played the game for a little over 20 hours, and I was only asked to drag a few prisoners back to the guards. Even then, I didn't start dragging them until I was a few yards away. Until then, I was just walking hand-in-hand with a convicted criminal.
I can deal with that, I guess, but what about the other expressions? Are they still fun to use?
Not really. You don't have a menu from which to pick which expression you want to use and when. And you can no longer perform expressions for a group. You walk up to someone, click the "A" button, and you will transition into a "minigame" of sorts, where you have three expression options. Three, and they're usually always the same three, no matter how you're interacting with people.
That kinda sucks.
It does when you go to haggle over a price and have to do a very complicated dance to make him see things your way.
Okay, but what about all of this "It's A Revolution" business? Does that suck, too?
Actually, no, it doesn't. The expressions are a big flaw with the game, but they're only a small part of it. The story, the characters, the locations: all of them are improved over the last game. The revolution bit is fun and rewarding, and allows you to make more than a few tough decisions once you take back the throne. I will say from experience that every decision you make will have dire consequences. Dire.
I see. So, is this worth buying then?
I think any fan of the FABLE series will enjoy this game. It improves on most of its predecessor's shortcomings, but takes a few steps back in terms of things that didn't need improvement. The game is still absolutely funny, and the world is startlingly beautiful. It's FABLE II with a fresh coat of paint and a few surprises up its sleeve. I recommend it, with the caveat that there are still some bugs that need to be worked out, if bugs absolutely bother you.
****
Fallout: New Vegas
I hate your face.
Go fuck yourself.
So, is this pretty much FALLOUT 3 (2.0)?
If you want to look at it in terms of visuals and gameplay, NEW VEGAS is pretty much the same game that FALLOUT 3 was. But now that we have the actual creators of the FALLOUT series (Obsidian Entertainment) behind this one, the game feels much more entrenched into the lore of the series.
Stop being so cryptic.
Okay, it just really feels like Obsidian knew this property inside and out. There's so much more history in this game, so much more complexity to the way the world has been set up, and everything just makes much more sense. That, and the game actually involves the New California Republic, which made the game hit closer to home in my case. NCR Represent!
But what about the rest of the game? How has that improved?
The improvements are few, but they really make the game something special. There are a bunch of factions that you have the option of appeasing or destroying. You can now aim down the sights of your gun. The writing is better. The voice acting is better. With this game, its the little things that really add up.
I don't want to buy a game for the little things.
Then stop buying HALO.
But seriously, if you're looking for a game that's miles better than its predecessor, you won't necessarily find it here. You're getting more of the same, but this is a very good thing if you liked FALLOUT 3 as much as I did. You'll be getting a more refined world, one with a sense of humor laced throughout, and a few new gameplay quirks that really smooth out the experience. Add to that some very in-depth lore, and you've got a game that is to FALLOUT what OBLIVION was to ELDER SCROLLS.
So, final question: Is this worth the money?
If you were a fan of FALLOUT 3, then I cannot recommend this game enough. This is no expansion; this is a whole new world.
Sin City, baby.
Fallout: New Vegas
I hate your face.
Go fuck yourself.
So, is this pretty much FALLOUT 3 (2.0)?
If you want to look at it in terms of visuals and gameplay, NEW VEGAS is pretty much the same game that FALLOUT 3 was. But now that we have the actual creators of the FALLOUT series (Obsidian Entertainment) behind this one, the game feels much more entrenched into the lore of the series.
Stop being so cryptic.
Okay, it just really feels like Obsidian knew this property inside and out. There's so much more history in this game, so much more complexity to the way the world has been set up, and everything just makes much more sense. That, and the game actually involves the New California Republic, which made the game hit closer to home in my case. NCR Represent!
But what about the rest of the game? How has that improved?
The improvements are few, but they really make the game something special. There are a bunch of factions that you have the option of appeasing or destroying. You can now aim down the sights of your gun. The writing is better. The voice acting is better. With this game, its the little things that really add up.
I don't want to buy a game for the little things.
Then stop buying HALO.
But seriously, if you're looking for a game that's miles better than its predecessor, you won't necessarily find it here. You're getting more of the same, but this is a very good thing if you liked FALLOUT 3 as much as I did. You'll be getting a more refined world, one with a sense of humor laced throughout, and a few new gameplay quirks that really smooth out the experience. Add to that some very in-depth lore, and you've got a game that is to FALLOUT what OBLIVION was to ELDER SCROLLS.
So, final question: Is this worth the money?
If you were a fan of FALLOUT 3, then I cannot recommend this game enough. This is no expansion; this is a whole new world.
Sin City, baby.
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