It's interesting to learn about the development for this one, and specifically how Molyneux fought the team so often both for good ideas and infuriatingly bad ones. Imo the best examples for either side are: Good- Pushing so hard for the dog was a great idea, as it was a great companion and had a tangible positive effect on gameplay. It speaks volumes that the obvious good ending choice is hard to pick even as a good character because it meant not getting your pup back (until Knothole, at least). Bad: "We don't want it to be too scary for the children". Peter, this is an M-rated game where you can have unprotected sex with male prostitutes three at a time. The target audience is not and should not be children, and his attempts to tone down the themes just meant that the darker parts of the game had less bite. I feel this is a related issue to his attempts to tone down the combat complexity for a more "casual" audience, it seems to me Molyneux just did not understand what his target audience was.
I feel he perfectly understood it. A lot of children played fable, including me. It was THE RPG that a child COULD play. Finishing Oblivion as a 7 year old was a very daunting task. Finishing Fable was fun. Also, kids mostly did not notice the sex parts. You have to either go out of your way to do it, or you don't understand why the screen goes black and the adults are "tickling eachother". It is the perfect way to include this in a game if you don't want angry parents. I think it was a perfect decision. Fable is not Dragon Age or The Witcher, and doesn't try to be. It is a game that anyone can enjoy, regardless of age or edgy politics, while still being inclusive. I feel like an adult doesn't need things to be explicit to enjoy a story as mature. You still understand what is going on. The way the story is told ensures that.
@@rble4433 "kids mostly don't notice the sex parts" 10 year old me definitely did. The look on my step fathers face when he saw how many stds I had contracted while scrolling through my character stats was priceless 😂.
Fable 2 is one of my favorite rpgs, seeing the vision for the dog and learning about that implementation, remembering the story and hearing the music reminds me why. Idgaf if it’s for casuals! Solid vid!
This explains so much about why Fable 2 was so watered down compared to the first game. Molyneux’s disregard for the core fanbase in exchange for trying to pander to the widest audience possible led to the game feeling so much less magical, unique and flavorful than the first game did. I always wondered why the sequels felt so much less “Fable”. Hopefully the team working on Fable 4 brings back the charm and wonder of the first game rather than trying to revive all the weird decisions made in the sequels.
I Love all the Fables but I do agree it's really weird how hard they try to make the game more like Life?, I guess with things evolving around Guns?!! It's really strange. 😂
Fable 2 is my favourite Fable game and one of my favourite games of all time. I love the world and the living world systems. THere are times I boot up the game and just stay in Bowerstone, never going to Oakfield. Just interacting with NPC's, exploiting the economy, starting a family. A true roleplaying game.
@@taylormccauley860 I was never much of a magic player, I only ever used that berserk spell in Fable 1 so I could hit things harder. But yeah I get why magic being oversimplified sucks.
@@taylormccauley860 i will agree with the magic bit, but honestly i only ever played strength skill and stayed away from will, and honestly the game felt good alot of the time, its no where near as good as F1 in some aspects but i think it nailed it with most of it.
Fantastic commentary. The development of Fable 2 (and that of pretty much every Lionhead game) is quite fascinating. After the game was released Peter showed on GDC a few more scrapped features and other cool experiments. One of them was a different system of rewarding/punishing your dog. When aproaching the dog the camera would move into first person perspective and you can either pet the dog to reward him or slap him as a punishment, similar to Lionhead's previews IP Black And White. Another feature was functional ray-tracing! it's crazy to think that an Xbox360 game from 2008 could've had some sort of ray-tracing in it. And the last one was really bizzare: A room with two mirrors that you could drag objects into one of them and it'll come out of the other. But each time the object went through the mirror it became larger and larger, eventually filling the whole screen. I have no idea what it could be used for but a quite similar mechanic was implemented in the puzzle game "Superliminal" 12 years later.
They were both right about the fairy trail. Yes, it made it so that you were never looking at a mini-map, but now you're looking at the trail and still not seeing everything else. The problem with F2's combat system was that once you got magic, it was just "stand in the middle and spam magic". EXP and timing and any form of skill didn't matter anymore, because a circular magic explosion was the fastest way to kill all the bad things every time. As for the death mechanic, I don't know that it mattered in a game that was so easy you would never risk dyeing. I couldn't even remember what happened when you died in this game. This is absolutely a game to give to non-gamers. The whole game felt too simple. I played it once because I enjoyed F1, then went back to Halo 3. I felt it was no where near as good as F1, but then F3 came out... and I wrote off Lionhead entirely
yeah Molyneuxs design systems were for people who have never touched a game in their lives. I wonder if they ever considered making the one button combat an accessibility option, rather than the core mechanic.
yeah the only good thing about fable 3 is the best coop system. Fable 2 had one but it was a little flawed. Thats why i am have such good memories of fable 3. From a coop game perspective it was good. From the single player perspective it was really bad.
@@GameStudioLore I don't think the concept of "accessibility options" became a thing until last console gen. I only first noticed color blind options on the PS3/360 gen. Maybe another video topic for you
Fable 2 is the best of the series. But all 3 fable games have only aged great (even fable 3 with all its problems) and I wish so bad that lion head was still around to create fable 4. I am so nervous for the new fable
I somewhat agree. I havent delved into the Fable 3 stuff yet. But im hoping that fresh eyes will hopefully liven up the game. Nothing drastic of course, but I dont want just Fable 1 in 2025 or whatever. I really want a grand adventure with consequences to your actions. Weve had so many games since Fable that have tried to do this, surely someone has to get it right lol. Plus the simulation aspect of the game need to be top notch, which maybe lionhead would be good for since they kinda always nailed that portion
@@GameStudioLore I agree consequences and simulation are all great and important aspects of Fable. IMO the most important thing of the Fable series is the storybook/fairytale feel mixed with the dark British humor. This is what worries me most with the new Fable. The trailer seemed to be way too “modern humor” feeling to me.
Great choice when you used Morrowind to compare for the bread crumb trail, it already solved exploration wonderfully with the directions in the journal and no markers.
Loved this video and the first Fable game video too. Great work on these. Fable 1(TLC) has and always will be one of my favorite games of all time. And fron my perspective, the only good ideas Peter Molyneux added we're the dog and maybe the voice acting stuff. Other than that, all of the other things he wanted were just going against what made Fable 1 great IMO. And personally I feel Fable 1 was also a pretty casual game, but with more depth and stuff that made it feel just right. If only Blue Box could've stayed in charge of it all, I can only imagine the amazing sequels we would've gotten. Look forward to a video on Fable 3. Keep up the good work, you've earned a new sub homie. 🙏🔥🖤
@@GameStudioLore Indeed, I agree. I definitely had moments I got my ass whooped, especially by a pack of Balverines if I came in unprepared or when I was still learning the game. 🙏 It had a nice balance, where as we all now know, 2 was kinda forced to be that way.
Fable two was for casuals! I thought the first was way better, but everyone I knew kept going on and on about how 2 was their favorite of the series, and I never understood it.
I think it depends on what you play first. My first console was the 360. Fable 2 felt quintessentially english and eccentric. I loved it. So, the lack of things compared to the first one wasn't an issue. To this day, I have never played Fable.
Fable is one of my all time favorite games, I'll have to give fable 2 another try. This video makes it look fun. Nothing but respect and appreciation to the creative team but why did they think the series needed to be more casual friendly? As a middle school kid I felt that fable 1 was already a good first rpg for a young or new person, while still being "hardcore" enough for "real" gamers. I was thrown off immediately by fable 2 and just rented instead of buying the followup to my most replayed game ever...
I think molyneux was obsessed with reaching people who literally have never touched a controller. And he overestimated how many people like that would even play the game, he made it way to easy
Honestly i havent watched the video entirely yet, but F2's combat system is worse in some aspects than f1 and better in others, but alot of the people acting like the roleplaying aspects of the game are "worse" is kinda crazy too me, i love both games i would say F1 is better overall and F2 does the world much better and social aspects much better. I can understand why people felt it was dumbbed down, but IMO alot of the aspects that were touched for the roleplaying/social elements are just more streamlined and easier to understand and in turn makes it easier to enjoy IMO.
The reason for games around this time trying to be more casual friendly is because of the Wii. Everyone was trying to replicate its success and bring that casual audience over to other consoles. A lot of games suffered as a result.
I couldn't remember why I like Fable II so much, when one was a better game. And then the end of the video happened and you mentioned co-op. My brother and I played this game so much. I had totally forgotten.
it's cray that i started the series with Fable 2 and loved its immersion and lore so to the concept art director yes your work and vision was seen i love that kind of art style but i did go back to 1 and had that moment where it clicked why so many people love the first one but not the sequel
yeah, Fable 1s allure was just the whole style and feeling of the game. Really wish the time jump wasnt so far in the future, would like to fo back to that fantasy style
As a big fan of both fable 1 and 2 who have completed them both multiple times this video was absolutely fantastic! XD great insight into the development of the game and stuff I had no idea about. 10/10
The first Fable that I played was Fable 3, when I was about 13, and I still remember the story of it fondly, but I ended up coming back and replaying Fable 2 the most. The exploration and quests feel more challenging in F2, and talking to NPCs is also more engaging in 2. I remember how in 3, you'll have NPCs literally follow you around, in love with you, after you get to a certain level of fame. I like that in 2, they have a good opinion of you and it makes it easy to romance them, but very few of them just throw themselves at you for no reason. I tried playing the original Fable when the anniversary edition came out, and I couldn't really get into it because it was so difficult and didn't have the same charm as 2 and 3. I think they did a great job of making Fable 2 more accessible and fun
I downloaded the demo for fable 2 way back then. I think it let you play up to Bowerstone before it prompted you to buy the full game. Although I played the hell out of the demo, I never bought the full game. A console generation later the xbox one introduces backwards compatibility and it somehow recognizes my fable 2 demo as a full game of fable 2. Blew my mind that I was able to get a 10 year old game for free at the time.
I'm not gonna lie I hated the bread-crumb trail. I felt like it was holding my hand and also took away a feeling of adventure. also, I didn't notice at the time, but I followed it without doing much exploring.
Small nitpick, but you showed chewablethunder's video for the morality/purity body morphing, but don't seem to have credited them in the description. I recognized it immediately because it's like the *only* video on UA-cam that shows the four wildly different appearances in one quick go for each gender and for that effort it feels like something worth crediting.
If this game will ever get the remake/remaster treatment, i really hope in the combat and magic redesign, and a better difficulty, adding death and checkpoint. Instead of the fairy trail, would be better the feature of consulting the map area, seeing all the point of interest, and having the option to use a marker that you can see in game, like Elden Ring
"To give people ways of playing quests that match their preferred character type rather than saying "Save these people!" only to pull the rug from under them with a "Ha! They were evil, you idiot!", that might be clever, but it usually doesn't make the player feel good." Sixteen years later, I'm still mad about the Tenpenny Tower quest. Peter had it on the nose for that. "Hey, smoothskin, can you help us get in some actual digs and not these damp dark tunnels? These guys are bigots!" only to come back a week later and Roy's killed everyone, including Herbert Daring Dashwood. Prick.
To me, the breadcrumb trail was a sign Molyneux was losing it completely. Not only this didn't solve the problem, it increased it tenfold! I've played the stupid game with my eyes glued to the trail, because unlike a map, you not only couldn't even see where you're going, because the trail wouldn't go far and would often change directions, but I felt miserable and barely even took in the world around me - I'm sure the artists really appreciated this decision. You missed on all the important icons on the map and generally it was worse in every way. And this guy sat around the idea with developers for moths and couldn't see the issue. Thanks Peter, you delusional hack.
lolol, yeah. Instead of just doing something simple, or even trying to improve it slightly, he just had to create an entire ai led golden trail from scratch lol
I remember playing this game one time at my cousin’s house in London during the Olympics of 2012. I played the entire prologue before my mom forced me to go to a crappy looking carnival. If I was an Xbox guy, I would have played this game again and again. Here are my heroes of Bowerstone if I played Fable 2. 1. Male Sparrow. Good aligned, married to Alex and I chose to resurrect her. Two handed axe and rifle 2. Female Sparrow. Good aligned, married to Alex but chose to revive all of the lives lost in making the Spire. Long sword and pistol.
I think he still has it lololol. Hes a legend. And I appreciate that! Fable 3 will be out after this next video, just to give this video time to breathe
I am playing fable 2 for the first time right now and I think that it's honestly a really good game even compared to fable 1. While I would say 1 is probably the overall better game 2 has both a lot of bad and good streamlining as well as new ideas that really makes me appreciate it as a sequel.
While I totally agree that Fable 2 regressed a lot from the first in terms of the features that I would have rather seen fleshed out instead of dumbed down, when I booted this up again after a decade, I absolutely adored fully immersing myself again. Rose tinted glasses hard. Maybe just even though my older self knows I objectively don't like the changes from the first, I remember my younger self being so excited about this and absolutely loving every second of it. And it holds nostalgia even now.
It sucks that they decided to scrap the heroes guild and the concept of multiple famous heroes for this game. That was an enjoyable part of the original Fable’s story.
I just started playing Fable 2 for the first time and was a little shocked at how different it looks from the first. The cartoon style seems more timeless compared to the more 'realistic' style. Fable 2 feels more aged and clunky compared to the previous. I do like how the game is more thought out in terms of mechanics and depth. It's rare to find a game like that nowadays, modern games seem stale from their lack of innovation.
Fable is the best gaming franchise of all time. Are you going to cover fable 3 I've always wanted to hear about its development because it felt so rushed.
I remember this was the game spells were just completely bonkers op in. I rented the game and beat it in a week with my patented run up and press B then progressively hold B longer till everything was dead combo.
Honestly the breadcrumb trail was a very good feature in my opinion. Watching the minimap is a huge problem in games. Even Bethesda's compass is terrible, as it has you look at the bottom/top of the screen instead of at the world. Either, don't include a minimap at all, and force players to open the map, learn it, and then try to navigate by focusing on the enviroment. Or for more casual players, that would never deal with this (and Fable especially is the wrong game for this), use this type of trail. Really a great solution to the "not looking at the enviroment" mentality. I remember when WoW added objective markers on the map. It ruined so much of the exploration. I realize for people who just want to reach endgame it is great but it was so boring for me leveling up compared to earlier games as it just felt automatic.
fable 2 is my favorite game, and one I've always been sad wasn't on pc. turning orbs on to see other players and joining them on their journey was always fun, it really made bowers tone market feel so lively. I didn't realize the dog developed so much based off emotes to change it's combat features. I wasn't really aware it could help in combat, because I don't ever remember it doing that, but if pampering him and calling him a good boy makes him avoid combat, then I'd gladly lose out on combat rather than be mean to him. the breadcrumb trail was a favorite of mine, like moleneau said, I was happy to wander on my way knowing I could find my way back. I enjoyed that you didn't need to be at a high level of button mashing and combos, to me needing to smash special combos to do powerful skills just ruins the mood. One button combat was excellent, I really enjoyed the timing system. it doesn't require expert controller input, simply being alert enough to time things. it was less about players physical ability to input and more about the players mental ability to understand how they wanted to play. co op was great, and something missing from modern games. linking you together really made it about the journey together rather than 2 separate journeys in the same world. I also loved finding the glitch where if you get a mercenary hero to join you, unlearn their skills, all their experience went back to the main character. The game shines in its ability to express yourself and interact with the world. Its your world and journey. it hit quite a good balance, and is sadly still the best game in the series, though I always holdout hope for rumors of a new game.
Are you an ai? Why is one button combat so great? Why not just play cookie clicker? Or why not sympathize with the rest of us and see the need for an easy vs hard move?.
Yeahhhhhhhh. It was quite the decision. Something that apparently they really were set on doing. One of the team members commented on the first vid and they were super excited about it.
It's an Xbox exclusive of course it's for casuals. That's who their target audience is That's not to say all Xbox exclusives are for casuals. I love lost oddesy and kotor
I love Fable TLC but the series was always casual. Compare it to cRPGs from the late 90's for example. For some reason, the Devs simplified the formula further to the point of it just feeling completely hollow. Speaking as a Brit, the game was less of a cultural representation than the original. While I don't get hung up on identity politics I will say that one of Fable's keystones was it's uniquely British atmosphere. This was lost in the sequels in favour of an Americanised view of "how Britain is/how British people are" and the atmosphere of the game suffered as a result.
yeah it was always casual, or at least a chill vibe kinda game. But 2 just took it to an entirely new level, thanks molyneux. And on the brit stuff, I agree. I didn't find a lot of info in the articles and videos i made, But i remember seeing a snippit of them hiring an american to help with the "feel" of the game or something, so maybe thats where that came from .But im not 100%
Fable 2 regressed so much of what I liked from the original. The game dumbed everything down. The magic,weapons,armor and choices were so streamlined it hardly feels worth it anymore. They even took out monetary rewards and instead reallocated it into boring mini games that that take far too long. Even the look and tone of Fable 2 is a massive regression. Everything feels far more generic and less imaginative. The charm of the original is largely gone. Honestly I think Fable 1 looks substantially better. The art style doesn't hit the same and the character animation ms are strange. Running in this game looks really awkward. The stkry is far less interesting to me as well. I really didn't like that the heroes guild was destroyed. Generally I don't like it when sequels tosses aside so much of qhat the original great. (Cough cough Mass Effect 2.) Fable 3 is Fable 2 but somehow even more dumbed down and mindless.
Can't disagree more. The Hero's Guild, the quest table, and the boast system were without a doubt the worst parts of the first one and were rightly excised. The game dropped the lousy parts of the first game and doubled down on the actual interesting and innovative parts of the first: the dynamic economy (including property purchasing), relationship building with NPCs, and character evolution. Virtually every change they made was for the better, with the exception of the time period (I never cared for the renaissance setting and style). Fable 2 is by far the best in the series.
Agree that magic being streamlined was unfortunate, but no idea what you're on about with regards to armor and weapons. Fable 2 and 1 had a similar variety of melee weapons and Fable 2 easily had more ranged weapons options since 1 was just bow or crossbow. Fable 2 had more clothing options with more customizability as well, they just didn't have them affect your stats in combat. I thought that was a positive change since it focused the system more on creating the look you wanted rather than equipping the armor with the biggest numbers.
I also prefer the look and feel of the original, i also prefer TLC over anniversary. Moving so far forward in time also was one of the worst mistakes that really shows in 3. Like they actively wanted to suck all the magic out of it. Smog isnt exactly what i expect or want from a magical fantasy game litterally called fable.
I was actually playing Morrowind while watching this and saw it pop up at 10:00. I suppose it's somewhat unfair but with a source port like OpenMW and modern hardware you can render most of the landmass of Vvardenfell to get to see "the magnificent world" Peter Moloyneux was getting at
@ todays games do not have an emphasis on couch play anymore. So i picked up a old xbox last week and a handful of games including fable 2 so my wife an i can play those golden age games together.
@@tristondoyle9286 it's true! It was an era that died when online came out. I remember playing fusion frenzy, time splitters , marvel ultimate alliance, halo
Let's be honest fable 2 is good but we all got made when we realized you couldn't throw a god damn punch,that's why fable 1 is my favorite,peter says they wanted to expand yet combat was drastically cut down especially the spells
Just because they took a simple approach doesn't mean it's not fun. Fable 1 was pretty casual for me as well. I breezed through them both but had a blast all the way to the end. I love the stories, the towns and npcs still had that fable charm and personality. My only gripe is I wish there was a bit more variety in weapons and clothing.Also other animal companion options besides a dog for the sake of variety and replay value . Ive never viewed the series as pure rpg, but more of a kind of zelda inspired game with rpg elements.
Yeaaa, ngl- i think he should have had a better content controller or someone who could tell him- okay dude chill because the one button combat bullshit is the stupidist shit ive ever heard. Like how do i make the game more accessible? Oh ik ill make the combat, something that makes up 70% of the game, tied to one button and less complex. That is so dumb. Like un ironically his the reason why alot of people don’t come back to the game.
I believe this was around the time Molyneux's son was getting old enough to play these games, and I remember Peter talking in the past how certain moments in his life heavily influenced his decisions - the one with tamagochi comes to mind, so I wouldn't rule out him being affected and just not listening to reason. As far as I am concerned, he never really was a designer, he was a dreamer and most of the things in Fable games that actually got realized didn't come from him, but he often gets credit for it.
Molyneux's changes to the combat/death system were his worst contributions. The game's combat is so repetitive and boring. There's no worthwhile consequences or challenge.
The original Fable was my favorite. Fable 2 was a good follow up, but there were sections that I hated. The prison bit was the worst part in both games, but Fable 2's prison bit was soooo much worse for me. I hated wasting so much of my life rotting in the prison. I hated being taken out of the world, away from my family.
Thanks for watching! If you missed Fable 1 video, find it here ua-cam.com/video/5IzamQvbYhY/v-deo.htmlsi=uY12d84bd8Sf_n_3
Man I just want to say your long form content is fantastic, that’s what’s gonna make your channel take off.
@@mystik7021 I appreciate that! I'm glad you enjoyed them
It's interesting to learn about the development for this one, and specifically how Molyneux fought the team so often both for good ideas and infuriatingly bad ones. Imo the best examples for either side are:
Good- Pushing so hard for the dog was a great idea, as it was a great companion and had a tangible positive effect on gameplay. It speaks volumes that the obvious good ending choice is hard to pick even as a good character because it meant not getting your pup back (until Knothole, at least).
Bad: "We don't want it to be too scary for the children". Peter, this is an M-rated game where you can have unprotected sex with male prostitutes three at a time. The target audience is not and should not be children, and his attempts to tone down the themes just meant that the darker parts of the game had less bite. I feel this is a related issue to his attempts to tone down the combat complexity for a more "casual" audience, it seems to me Molyneux just did not understand what his target audience was.
spot on. I also think he completely overestimated how many "Casuals" would even get involved in gaming just because he made Fable 2 this way.
I feel he perfectly understood it. A lot of children played fable, including me. It was THE RPG that a child COULD play. Finishing Oblivion as a 7 year old was a very daunting task. Finishing Fable was fun.
Also, kids mostly did not notice the sex parts. You have to either go out of your way to do it, or you don't understand why the screen goes black and the adults are "tickling eachother". It is the perfect way to include this in a game if you don't want angry parents.
I think it was a perfect decision. Fable is not Dragon Age or The Witcher, and doesn't try to be. It is a game that anyone can enjoy, regardless of age or edgy politics, while still being inclusive. I feel like an adult doesn't need things to be explicit to enjoy a story as mature. You still understand what is going on. The way the story is told ensures that.
@@rble4433 "kids mostly don't notice the sex parts" 10 year old me definitely did. The look on my step fathers face when he saw how many stds I had contracted while scrolling through my character stats was priceless 😂.
Fable 2 is one of my favorite rpgs, seeing the vision for the dog and learning about that implementation, remembering the story and hearing the music reminds me why. Idgaf if it’s for casuals! Solid vid!
hahah yeah if its casual its chiill. It was just a huge change from the first game thats all. Im glad you enjoyed the video!
I played both (as a youngster) and loved them dearly.
You're the casual
@@Pat315I just beat castle crashers on insane mode, come correct
@@N3MAT0DE Okay you're extremely casual - that's a kids game 🤣🤣🤣
This explains so much about why Fable 2 was so watered down compared to the first game. Molyneux’s disregard for the core fanbase in exchange for trying to pander to the widest audience possible led to the game feeling so much less magical, unique and flavorful than the first game did. I always wondered why the sequels felt so much less “Fable”. Hopefully the team working on Fable 4 brings back the charm and wonder of the first game rather than trying to revive all the weird decisions made in the sequels.
Yupp. Molyneuxs work. I think when playground goes back to look they have to see how much Fable 1 just felt way more magical. It's gotta be obvious
I Love all the Fables but I do agree it's really weird how hard they try to make the game more like Life?, I guess with things evolving around Guns?!!
It's really strange.
😂
It really sucks that this game is still not on PC
Available on Xbox Game pass ultimate depending on your country and you need an Xbox controller. Completely playable on PC
@@jordanharris2314 that’s just streaming the game though. There’s no way to run it on PC hardware directly
it's a game for children, get over it
@@MGrey-qb5xz oh my god you’re right, how could I not have seen that sooner? Thank you citizen!
@@MGrey-qb5xz Yes, this M-Rated game is for children. You're so right and logical.
Fable 2 is my favourite Fable game and one of my favourite games of all time. I love the world and the living world systems. THere are times I boot up the game and just stay in Bowerstone, never going to Oakfield. Just interacting with NPC's, exploiting the economy, starting a family. A true roleplaying game.
I completely agree, they nailed the world in every way. I just hate what they did to the magic in the game.
@@taylormccauley860 I was never much of a magic player, I only ever used that berserk spell in Fable 1 so I could hit things harder. But yeah I get why magic being oversimplified sucks.
Yes, these systems are so good. The simulation mechanics, they always seemed to do quite well.
Fable 2 was trash compared to the first one. I don’t even know how people could have this bad of a take 😂😂😂😂
@@taylormccauley860 i will agree with the magic bit, but honestly i only ever played strength skill and stayed away from will, and honestly the game felt good alot of the time, its no where near as good as F1 in some aspects but i think it nailed it with most of it.
Fantastic commentary. The development of Fable 2 (and that of pretty much every Lionhead game) is quite fascinating.
After the game was released Peter showed on GDC a few more scrapped features and other cool experiments. One of them was a different system of rewarding/punishing your dog. When aproaching the dog the camera would move into first person perspective and you can either pet the dog to reward him or slap him as a punishment, similar to Lionhead's previews IP Black And White.
Another feature was functional ray-tracing! it's crazy to think that an Xbox360 game from 2008 could've had some sort of ray-tracing in it.
And the last one was really bizzare: A room with two mirrors that you could drag objects into one of them and it'll come out of the other. But each time the object went through the mirror it became larger and larger, eventually filling the whole screen.
I have no idea what it could be used for but a quite similar mechanic was implemented in the puzzle game "Superliminal" 12 years later.
those sound wild! I didnt know any of that stuff! thanks for sharing!
Fable 2 is certainly out there among my favourite games. I love the setting so much.
Absolutely fantastic work with making these documentary style videos, takes me back to the simpler days.
Appreciate that! Thanks for watching. It was a lot simpler back then, prolly though because i was a teenager lol
They were both right about the fairy trail. Yes, it made it so that you were never looking at a mini-map, but now you're looking at the trail and still not seeing everything else.
The problem with F2's combat system was that once you got magic, it was just "stand in the middle and spam magic". EXP and timing and any form of skill didn't matter anymore, because a circular magic explosion was the fastest way to kill all the bad things every time.
As for the death mechanic, I don't know that it mattered in a game that was so easy you would never risk dyeing. I couldn't even remember what happened when you died in this game. This is absolutely a game to give to non-gamers.
The whole game felt too simple. I played it once because I enjoyed F1, then went back to Halo 3. I felt it was no where near as good as F1, but then F3 came out... and I wrote off Lionhead entirely
Sadly you never die. You get a scar when health reaches zero. Rad
yeah Molyneuxs design systems were for people who have never touched a game in their lives. I wonder if they ever considered making the one button combat an accessibility option, rather than the core mechanic.
yeah the only good thing about fable 3 is the best coop system. Fable 2 had one but it was a little flawed. Thats why i am have such good memories of fable 3. From a coop game perspective it was good. From the single player perspective it was really bad.
@@GameStudioLore I don't think the concept of "accessibility options" became a thing until last console gen. I only first noticed color blind options on the PS3/360 gen. Maybe another video topic for you
@@PSNPerfectNinja that's a great point. I didn't even think about that. I shall note that. Thank you
Fable 2 is the best of the series. But all 3 fable games have only aged great (even fable 3 with all its problems) and I wish so bad that lion head was still around to create fable 4. I am so nervous for the new fable
I somewhat agree. I havent delved into the Fable 3 stuff yet. But im hoping that fresh eyes will hopefully liven up the game. Nothing drastic of course, but I dont want just Fable 1 in 2025 or whatever. I really want a grand adventure with consequences to your actions. Weve had so many games since Fable that have tried to do this, surely someone has to get it right lol. Plus the simulation aspect of the game need to be top notch, which maybe lionhead would be good for since they kinda always nailed that portion
@@GameStudioLore I agree consequences and simulation are all great and important aspects of Fable. IMO the most important thing of the Fable series is the storybook/fairytale feel mixed with the dark British humor. This is what worries me most with the new Fable. The trailer seemed to be way too “modern humor” feeling to me.
Coincidentally went back and rewatched your first Fable video today, perfect timing can’t wait to watch this! Keep it up
coool! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it
Great choice when you used Morrowind to compare for the bread crumb trail, it already solved exploration wonderfully with the directions in the journal and no markers.
🙃 thanks!
Loved this video and the first Fable game video too. Great work on these. Fable 1(TLC) has and always will be one of my favorite games of all time.
And fron my perspective, the only good ideas Peter Molyneux added we're the dog and maybe the voice acting stuff. Other than that, all of the other things he wanted were just going against what made Fable 1 great IMO.
And personally I feel Fable 1 was also a pretty casual game, but with more depth and stuff that made it feel just right. If only Blue Box could've stayed in charge of it all, I can only imagine the amazing sequels we would've gotten.
Look forward to a video on Fable 3. Keep up the good work, you've earned a new sub homie. 🙏🔥🖤
Appreciate that! Fable 1 was def casual but it wasn't so completely dumbed down to be so. It was just.... Chill lol.
@@GameStudioLore Indeed, I agree. I definitely had moments I got my ass whooped, especially by a pack of Balverines if I came in unprepared or when I was still learning the game. 🙏 It had a nice balance, where as we all now know, 2 was kinda forced to be that way.
Fable two was for casuals! I thought the first was way better, but everyone I knew kept going on and on about how 2 was their favorite of the series, and I never understood it.
I think it depends on what you play first. My first console was the 360. Fable 2 felt quintessentially english and eccentric. I loved it. So, the lack of things compared to the first one wasn't an issue. To this day, I have never played Fable.
@@TheMightyFlea-0 You should definitely give it a try.
I enjoyed two kore but fable 1 was still very good and had its
Strengths
Cant wait for the next video on Fable 3
Same! Should be...fun? lol
Brotherhood of the wolf is one of my top movies, what a revelation, cheeeers for that
anytime =)
Well thanks, now I have to put my current game down and immediately replay Fable II 😆 great video!
Aye youre welcome! Thank you!
Awesome video, thanks! I hope Fable 3 is next because this one is gonna be rough XD
I will! After this next video! THank you!
Fable is one of my all time favorite games, I'll have to give fable 2 another try. This video makes it look fun.
Nothing but respect and appreciation to the creative team but why did they think the series needed to be more casual friendly? As a middle school kid I felt that fable 1 was already a good first rpg for a young or new person, while still being "hardcore" enough for "real" gamers. I was thrown off immediately by fable 2 and just rented instead of buying the followup to my most replayed game ever...
Man do I miss renting games
I think molyneux was obsessed with reaching people who literally have never touched a controller. And he overestimated how many people like that would even play the game, he made it way to easy
Honestly i havent watched the video entirely yet, but F2's combat system is worse in some aspects than f1 and better in others, but alot of the people acting like the roleplaying aspects of the game are "worse" is kinda crazy too me, i love both games i would say F1 is better overall and F2 does the world much better and social aspects much better. I can understand why people felt it was dumbbed down, but IMO alot of the aspects that were touched for the roleplaying/social elements are just more streamlined and easier to understand and in turn makes it easier to enjoy IMO.
The reason for games around this time trying to be more casual friendly is because of the Wii. Everyone was trying to replicate its success and bring that casual audience over to other consoles. A lot of games suffered as a result.
This is an amazing retrospective, no one touched on that. Keep it up!
THank you so much!
I couldn't remember why I like Fable II so much, when one was a better game. And then the end of the video happened and you mentioned co-op. My brother and I played this game so much. I had totally forgotten.
it's cray that i started the series with Fable 2 and loved its immersion and lore so to the concept art director yes your work and vision was seen i love that kind of art style but i did go back to 1 and had that moment where it clicked why so many people love the first one but not the sequel
yeah, Fable 1s allure was just the whole style and feeling of the game. Really wish the time jump wasnt so far in the future, would like to fo back to that fantasy style
As a big fan of both fable 1 and 2 who have completed them both multiple times this video was absolutely fantastic! XD great insight into the development of the game and stuff I had no idea about. 10/10
absolutely amazing editing and script!!!! expecting 100k subs by end of year
Aye I appreciate that! My goal was 10k so that would be amazing 🙃
The first Fable that I played was Fable 3, when I was about 13, and I still remember the story of it fondly, but I ended up coming back and replaying Fable 2 the most. The exploration and quests feel more challenging in F2, and talking to NPCs is also more engaging in 2. I remember how in 3, you'll have NPCs literally follow you around, in love with you, after you get to a certain level of fame. I like that in 2, they have a good opinion of you and it makes it easy to romance them, but very few of them just throw themselves at you for no reason. I tried playing the original Fable when the anniversary edition came out, and I couldn't really get into it because it was so difficult and didn't have the same charm as 2 and 3. I think they did a great job of making Fable 2 more accessible and fun
Maybe I was raised a casual by this game but damnit it made me a gamer 🥲
I downloaded the demo for fable 2 way back then. I think it let you play up to Bowerstone before it prompted you to buy the full game.
Although I played the hell out of the demo, I never bought the full game. A console generation later the xbox one introduces backwards compatibility and it somehow recognizes my fable 2 demo as a full game of fable 2.
Blew my mind that I was able to get a 10 year old game for free at the time.
I'm not gonna lie I hated the bread-crumb trail.
I felt like it was holding my hand and also took away a feeling of adventure.
also, I didn't notice at the time, but I followed it without doing much exploring.
Fable 2 is such an underrated game. I'm a huge fable fan and while I don't compare 2 and 3 to fable 1, I still think fable 2 is excellent on its own.
Dude, this was a great video! Please keep making more
i appreciate that! this was a fun one to make, Im glad you enjoyed it
Small nitpick, but you showed chewablethunder's video for the morality/purity body morphing, but don't seem to have credited them in the description. I recognized it immediately because it's like the *only* video on UA-cam that shows the four wildly different appearances in one quick go for each gender and for that effort it feels like something worth crediting.
Oh dang thanks! If I didn't, it wasn't intentional and I missed it
This series was beautiful, I miss it very much
Great video! Hope there’s a Fable 3 video in the works!
There will be! Thank you!
Don't care what anyone says. Fable 2 is in my top 5 favorite games of all time. I adore it.
Some games just have that ability, all good =)
Great video, can't wait for the fable 3 retrospective :D
Thank you! I'm finishing up this next video on a new franchise and will beyin Fable 3 right after
Love fable, and love the video! Love the deeper dive - Great work! Thanks!
Appreciate you! thanks!
If this game will ever get the remake/remaster treatment, i really hope in the combat and magic redesign, and a better difficulty, adding death and checkpoint. Instead of the fairy trail, would be better the feature of consulting the map area, seeing all the point of interest, and having the option to use a marker that you can see in game, like Elden Ring
Yes those are great adjustments. Hopefully those are in fable 4!
I think part of the reason for the time skip is they wanted to advertise guns in the trailers
The more I come back to Fable 2 the more I realize how good yet wonky it is.
Fable and fable 2 are the entire reason im an Xbox gamer.
Same, with halo !
OHYUP the first was a banger this about to be insane
i love fable 2
So good
"To give people ways of playing quests that match their preferred character type rather than saying "Save these people!" only to pull the rug from under them with a "Ha! They were evil, you idiot!", that might be clever, but it usually doesn't make the player feel good."
Sixteen years later, I'm still mad about the Tenpenny Tower quest. Peter had it on the nose for that. "Hey, smoothskin, can you help us get in some actual digs and not these damp dark tunnels? These guys are bigots!" only to come back a week later and Roy's killed everyone, including Herbert Daring Dashwood. Prick.
To me, the breadcrumb trail was a sign Molyneux was losing it completely. Not only this didn't solve the problem, it increased it tenfold!
I've played the stupid game with my eyes glued to the trail, because unlike a map, you not only couldn't even see where you're going, because the trail wouldn't go far and would often change directions, but I felt miserable and barely even took in the world around me - I'm sure the artists really appreciated this decision. You missed on all the important icons on the map and generally it was worse in every way.
And this guy sat around the idea with developers for moths and couldn't see the issue. Thanks Peter, you delusional hack.
lolol, yeah. Instead of just doing something simple, or even trying to improve it slightly, he just had to create an entire ai led golden trail from scratch lol
You could turn it off in the menu & just use in world signage, or just have it briefly appear on a button prompt.
I remember playing this game one time at my cousin’s house in London during the Olympics of 2012. I played the entire prologue before my mom forced me to go to a crappy looking carnival. If I was an Xbox guy, I would have played this game again and again. Here are my heroes of Bowerstone if I played Fable 2.
1. Male Sparrow. Good aligned, married to Alex and I chose to resurrect her. Two handed axe and rifle
2. Female Sparrow. Good aligned, married to Alex but chose to revive all of the lives lost in making the Spire. Long sword and pistol.
GAMESTUDIOLORE with another BANGER. lets go
Listening to video while playing Fable 2
Enjoy it!
earned a sub with both of these reviews!
Man... How long did Dene keep that look.... Geh....
You need to close out the series now. I'll be here. You've gotten my sub.
I think he still has it lololol. Hes a legend. And I appreciate that! Fable 3 will be out after this next video, just to give this video time to breathe
@@GameStudioLore Fable 3 had good mixed in with a lot of awful and a touch of "... At least there's John Cleese. That's always good."
I am playing fable 2 for the first time right now and I think that it's honestly a really good game even compared to fable 1. While I would say 1 is probably the overall better game 2 has both a lot of bad and good streamlining as well as new ideas that really makes me appreciate it as a sequel.
While I totally agree that Fable 2 regressed a lot from the first in terms of the features that I would have rather seen fleshed out instead of dumbed down, when I booted this up again after a decade, I absolutely adored fully immersing myself again. Rose tinted glasses hard. Maybe just even though my older self knows I objectively don't like the changes from the first, I remember my younger self being so excited about this and absolutely loving every second of it. And it holds nostalgia even now.
The golden crumb thing is the most infuriatingly stupid thing to spend resources and time on
I'm sorry but I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about, and I've played 1 & 2.
I wonder if that Associate Producer who hated making cutscenes in Fable 1 is the reason 2 has very little of them.
There was some background on him I cut from the video as I felt it lingered to long, but it was 100% the reason
Apparently Cutscenes are too hard for him.😂
Yes, I know Cutscenes are hard but like that's your Job.
It sucks that they decided to scrap the heroes guild and the concept of multiple famous heroes for this game. That was an enjoyable part of the original Fable’s story.
The perfect video to enjoy the weekend
Wow, thank you!
I wish it was on pc 😢
Yeah i have no idea why this never happened. Maybe something with the rights now after lionhead got shutdown
I really love Fable 2 even compared to 1, but I understand the magic system could've been more in depth for sure
Banger video, keep the grind up
I just started playing Fable 2 for the first time and was a little shocked at how different it looks from the first. The cartoon style seems more timeless compared to the more 'realistic' style. Fable 2 feels more aged and clunky compared to the previous. I do like how the game is more thought out in terms of mechanics and depth. It's rare to find a game like that nowadays, modern games seem stale from their lack of innovation.
That dog really was the best dog ever! Only Dogmeat comes close
Fable is the best gaming franchise of all time. Are you going to cover fable 3 I've always wanted to hear about its development because it felt so rushed.
I will! After this next video, so this one gets time to breathe!
I wish the Fable 2 intro cinematic was what the game actually looked like, and that scrapped final boss battle sounds great.
Cinematics are always so good for games, then the graphic aren't even close. I always think of WoW for this as well
Fable 2 got so much right it astounded me how much fable 3 'over corrected' to straight wrong.
I love Fable 2 it’s my favorite RPG of all time!
Crazy how different gaming is now.
Very informative!! Amazing video
THank you! I try my best to make it as info heavy as possible, but keep it fun
You gonna do Fable 3 & Legends at all? good video
Yes! I'm editing it right now =)
you put a lot of work into it, top.
I remember this was the game spells were just completely bonkers op in. I rented the game and beat it in a week with my patented run up and press B then progressively hold B longer till everything was dead combo.
Sometimes i feel like I'm the only one who loved fable 1, 2, and 3 and didn't disparage them for what they did different from the others.
Great video man.
this analysis is so good, great work --- SUB TO THIS MAN !!!
Thank you so much! It was fun to make 🙃
It should be pretty obvious that creating games for people that hate games is a losing strategy.
Honestly the breadcrumb trail was a very good feature in my opinion. Watching the minimap is a huge problem in games. Even Bethesda's compass is terrible, as it has you look at the bottom/top of the screen instead of at the world. Either, don't include a minimap at all, and force players to open the map, learn it, and then try to navigate by focusing on the enviroment. Or for more casual players, that would never deal with this (and Fable especially is the wrong game for this), use this type of trail.
Really a great solution to the "not looking at the enviroment" mentality. I remember when WoW added objective markers on the map. It ruined so much of the exploration. I realize for people who just want to reach endgame it is great but it was so boring for me leveling up compared to earlier games as it just felt automatic.
“We were children…” so was I when I played these games…
😔
🤜
Same haha
As much as I thought Cliffy B and Peter Molyneux were over hyped in the past, They are what Xbox needs now. Xbox has all these IP's but no vision.
15:08
The best Doggo ever
fable 2 is my favorite game, and one I've always been sad wasn't on pc. turning orbs on to see other players and joining them on their journey was always fun, it really made bowers tone market feel so lively. I didn't realize the dog developed so much based off emotes to change it's combat features. I wasn't really aware it could help in combat, because I don't ever remember it doing that, but if pampering him and calling him a good boy makes him avoid combat, then I'd gladly lose out on combat rather than be mean to him.
the breadcrumb trail was a favorite of mine, like moleneau said, I was happy to wander on my way knowing I could find my way back.
I enjoyed that you didn't need to be at a high level of button mashing and combos, to me needing to smash special combos to do powerful skills just ruins the mood. One button combat was excellent, I really enjoyed the timing system. it doesn't require expert controller input, simply being alert enough to time things. it was less about players physical ability to input and more about the players mental ability to understand how they wanted to play.
co op was great, and something missing from modern games. linking you together really made it about the journey together rather than 2 separate journeys in the same world. I also loved finding the glitch where if you get a mercenary hero to join you, unlearn their skills, all their experience went back to the main character.
The game shines in its ability to express yourself and interact with the world. Its your world and journey. it hit quite a good balance, and is sadly still the best game in the series, though I always holdout hope for rumors of a new game.
Are you an ai? Why is one button combat so great? Why not just play cookie clicker? Or why not sympathize with the rest of us and see the need for an easy vs hard move?.
@@montyparata3507 Why press 6 buttons when 1 button 6 times do trick
hope you continue with 3!
"You know what's perfect for our fable rpg ? The industrial revolution setting"
What a bunch of idiots
Yeahhhhhhhh. It was quite the decision. Something that apparently they really were set on doing. One of the team members commented on the first vid and they were super excited about it.
Guns were fun
It's an Xbox exclusive of course it's for casuals. That's who their target audience is
That's not to say all Xbox exclusives are for casuals. I love lost oddesy and kotor
I love Fable TLC but the series was always casual. Compare it to cRPGs from the late 90's for example. For some reason, the Devs simplified the formula further to the point of it just feeling completely hollow. Speaking as a Brit, the game was less of a cultural representation than the original. While I don't get hung up on identity politics I will say that one of Fable's keystones was it's uniquely British atmosphere. This was lost in the sequels in favour of an Americanised view of "how Britain is/how British people are" and the atmosphere of the game suffered as a result.
yeah it was always casual, or at least a chill vibe kinda game. But 2 just took it to an entirely new level, thanks molyneux. And on the brit stuff, I agree. I didn't find a lot of info in the articles and videos i made, But i remember seeing a snippit of them hiring an american to help with the "feel" of the game or something, so maybe thats where that came from .But im not 100%
We need fable 4
Fable 2 regressed so much of what I liked from the original. The game dumbed everything down. The magic,weapons,armor and choices were so streamlined it hardly feels worth it anymore. They even took out monetary rewards and instead reallocated it into boring mini games that that take far too long. Even the look and tone of Fable 2 is a massive regression. Everything feels far more generic and less imaginative. The charm of the original is largely gone. Honestly I think Fable 1 looks substantially better. The art style doesn't hit the same and the character animation ms are strange. Running in this game looks really awkward. The stkry is far less interesting to me as well. I really didn't like that the heroes guild was destroyed. Generally I don't like it when sequels tosses aside so much of qhat the original great. (Cough cough Mass Effect 2.) Fable 3 is Fable 2 but somehow even more dumbed down and mindless.
Yeah. I kinda wish they didn't go so far ahead. But they had the idea and went with it. Maybe the new fable will bring it back the fantasy
Can't disagree more. The Hero's Guild, the quest table, and the boast system were without a doubt the worst parts of the first one and were rightly excised. The game dropped the lousy parts of the first game and doubled down on the actual interesting and innovative parts of the first: the dynamic economy (including property purchasing), relationship building with NPCs, and character evolution. Virtually every change they made was for the better, with the exception of the time period (I never cared for the renaissance setting and style). Fable 2 is by far the best in the series.
Agree that magic being streamlined was unfortunate, but no idea what you're on about with regards to armor and weapons. Fable 2 and 1 had a similar variety of melee weapons and Fable 2 easily had more ranged weapons options since 1 was just bow or crossbow. Fable 2 had more clothing options with more customizability as well, they just didn't have them affect your stats in combat. I thought that was a positive change since it focused the system more on creating the look you wanted rather than equipping the armor with the biggest numbers.
I also prefer the look and feel of the original, i also prefer TLC over anniversary. Moving so far forward in time also was one of the worst mistakes that really shows in 3. Like they actively wanted to suck all the magic out of it. Smog isnt exactly what i expect or want from a magical fantasy game litterally called fable.
I disagree on the art style. Fable 2 is beautiful. Even more so than Fable 1.
I was actually playing Morrowind while watching this and saw it pop up at 10:00.
I suppose it's somewhat unfair but with a source port like OpenMW and modern hardware you can render most of the landmass of Vvardenfell to get to see "the magnificent world" Peter Moloyneux was getting at
A tale as old as time.
Great video.
Its a great game for couch coop. My wife and i like playing it
oh thats cool! Didnt know people were still playing fab3 in 2024
@ todays games do not have an emphasis on couch play anymore. So i picked up a old xbox last week and a handful of games including fable 2 so my wife an i can play those golden age games together.
@@tristondoyle9286 it's true! It was an era that died when online came out. I remember playing fusion frenzy, time splitters , marvel ultimate alliance, halo
Let's be honest fable 2 is good but we all got made when we realized you couldn't throw a god damn punch,that's why fable 1 is my favorite,peter says they wanted to expand yet combat was drastically cut down especially the spells
yup. Dude thought he could sell the game to the masses and burned his core audience
You can find apples in chests,that is the word reward ever i would be happier to find a mimic.
This video earned a sub, plz do fable 3
Awesome!!
Thanks!!! Was fun to make
I hated Fable 2 being dumbed down compared to TLC.
But over time I fell in love with Fable 2 and dream for a PC port one day..
Maybe one day... hinestly dunno why it hasnt gotten it yet, but were in the age of remasters and stuff so maybe itll be coming...
Just because they took a simple approach doesn't mean it's not fun. Fable 1 was pretty casual for me as well. I breezed through them both but had a blast all the way to the end. I love the stories, the towns and npcs still had that fable charm and personality. My only gripe is I wish there was a bit more variety in weapons and clothing.Also other animal companion options besides a dog for the sake of variety and replay value . Ive never viewed the series as pure rpg, but more of a kind of zelda inspired game with rpg elements.
I bought a 360 just so I could play fable 2 back in the day.
Hearing about Molineaux think so low of gamers and nerf the combat is aggravating. He had a mixed bag of good ideas and bad ones.
Yeaaa, ngl- i think he should have had a better content controller or someone who could tell him- okay dude chill because the one button combat bullshit is the stupidist shit ive ever heard. Like how do i make the game more accessible? Oh ik ill make the combat, something that makes up 70% of the game, tied to one button and less complex. That is so dumb. Like un ironically his the reason why alot of people don’t come back to the game.
I believe this was around the time Molyneux's son was getting old enough to play these games, and I remember Peter talking in the past how certain moments in his life heavily influenced his decisions - the one with tamagochi comes to mind, so I wouldn't rule out him being affected and just not listening to reason.
As far as I am concerned, he never really was a designer, he was a dreamer and most of the things in Fable games that actually got realized didn't come from him, but he often gets credit for it.
Molyneux's changes to the combat/death system were his worst contributions. The game's combat is so repetitive and boring. There's no worthwhile consequences or challenge.
The original Fable was my favorite. Fable 2 was a good follow up, but there were sections that I hated. The prison bit was the worst part in both games, but Fable 2's prison bit was soooo much worse for me. I hated wasting so much of my life rotting in the prison. I hated being taken out of the world, away from my family.
Yeah it was an interesting story choice. Lots of ideas MOlyneux had were...interesting >