First Impressions - Fable III

Fable III

Developer: Lionhead Studios

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Release Date: October 26, 2010

Date of Play: November 4, 2010

Stated as politely as I can manage, Fable II was a game I came to rather dislike. Perhaps it was Peter Molyneux’s incessent promising of features he couldn’t deliver, perhaps it was a case of high expectations being soured by a good, not great, game, or perhaps it was simply bad timing. Fable II released a week before the magnificent Fallout 3, after all, giving me only a short time in Albion before being blown away by the openness, freedom, and expansive world to explore in Bethesda’s somewhat wonky masterpiece, leaving Molyneux's world feeling a bit lacking by comparison. 

I would call my time with Fable II enjoyable, to be clear, but I would classify it as good, not great. The ending was lousy. The game world felt small. And it had some issues mechanically that took me out of the experience, such as the absolutely stupid relationship system based on absurd repetitions of dumb animations, or the occasionally frustrating, simplistic combat. 

Still, I liked the idea and the humor of the world, and I hope that Fable III might deliver a better overall experience. I must admit to being highly skeptical of Molyneux’s ability to make this happen, but I’m going to try to keep an open mind. In an interesting twist of fate, the tables are turned from two years ago. Fallout: New Vegas released a week before Fable III and a negative first impression of Obsidian’s lazy sequel leaves the door open to a reversal of fortunes. Can Fable III take back the crown and impress a hardened skeptic who wrties off Fable II as a loss and never even played the original Fable?

Let’s find out.

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First Impressions - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Publisher: LucasArts

Developer: LucasArts

Release Date: October 26, 2010

Date of Play: October 28, 2010

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was a game I enjoyed playing, but never finished. I got my fill of the spiffy Force powers during my rental period and before I ever got anywhere near the end the repetition, occasionally clunky combat, and frequent frustrating sections put an end to my lightsaber-wielding ways.

I was hopeful when I heard of a sequel that they would improve upon some of the elements that I disliked about the first game and turn the experience into something I might be able to see through to the end. I was also wary that they might simply spit out an easy followup with nary an improvement in sight; something that would be all too easy to justify given the high sales of the first game.

So which is it? Does Force Unleashed II give us perfected Force flinging like we’ve never seen before or does it rest on its laurels and deliver more of the same? Let’s find out.

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First Impressions : Costume Quest

Costume Quest (XBLA, PSN)

Publisher: THQ

Developer: Double Fine

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Date of Play: October 19, 2010

Double fine has a bit of a troubled history when it comes to the sales of its stellar titles. Its wonderful blend of humor, original gameplay concepts, and terrific writing produces games that are critically acclaimed, but don’t sell all that well. This is a shame because Tim Schafer and company produce games that every gamer should be able to play and love and cherish.

With Costume Quest, Double Fine begins a new adventure into the realm of downloadable games. Potentially, this could be a match made in heaven. It allows Double Fine to express its wonderful weirdness in a more compact, cheaper form. Games such as these are less expensive both for the company to produce and for the consumer to purchase. This lower cost of entry has worked well for other downloadable titles that veer from the safety of the mainstream, so it could be the perfect fit for Double Fine’s unique brand of entertainment. Should this venture work out, not only might Schafer’s company have a brighter future ahead of it, but we might get to see more frequent releases from the company as well.

Can Costume Quest manage to condense the wonderment brought on by Psychonauts and Brütal Legend into a package that feels both worthy of the company’s history and of your $15? Let’s find out.

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First Impressions - Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Date of Play: October 19, 2010

When I first heard that Bethesda was making a sequel to Fallout 3 set in their take on Las Vegas, I was immensely excited. When I read that it was being developed by Obsidian, which happens to include some members of the team that made Fallout 1 and 2, I was even more excited. Fallout 3 was a tremendous game, surely one of my all-time favorites. I spent easily 100 hours in that world, and I was certain that a sequel could convince me to spend 100 more.

The more I read about the game, however, the mroe worried I became. It seemed as if Obsidian wasn’t bothering to raise the bar. It seemed as if New Vegas lacked ideas of its own, as if it were simply recreating Fallout 3 as-is in a new setting. This was not discouraging enough to prevent a purchase, and even if true I’m sure I’ll still squeeze plenty of fun out of it, but going in I have to hope that there’s something more to this experience. As good as Fallout 3 was, it wasn’t perfect and two years have now passed since its release. I want something more than just Fallout 3 again.

Can New Vegas deliver or am I in for a serious sense of deja vu and a lot of the same problems back to haunt me.

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First Impressions: Dead Rising 2

Dead Rising 2 (Xbox 360 version)

Release Date: September 28, 2010

Date of Play: September 29, 2010

One could accurately say that I’m a little hesitant going into Dead Rising 2. I adore the concept, but historically I have not been such a fan of the execution of said concept. The clunky, outdated mechanics, terrible save system, and difficulty level requiring you to play the game multiple times just to beat it once aren’t up my alley. 

So I head into Dead Rising 2 trying my best to keep an open mind. I hope the game will have changed enough this go-round to let me enjoy the wonderful open world zombie killing antics this series does better than any other, but I somewhat expect that I will be once again turned off and forced to give up. 

We shall see. 

• The first thing the game does when I press the start button is freeze for long enough to make the think the game has locked up. We’re off to a good start, ladies and gentlemen.
• I am already disheartened by the fact that there does not appear to be a free roam mode. I was desperately hoping there would be one, because that would stand the greatest chance of letting me enjoy this experience. I can hope one is eventually unlocked, I suppose, but that would require me to play enough to unlock it, a feat of which I am currently uncertain of my ability to accomplish.
• Let’s see if the game proper can get me playing quicker than Case Zero did. I certainly hope so. Call me crazy, but fifteen minutes of mediocre cutscenes before any zombie killing at all is not what I want out of Dead Rising. 
• I’m not going to lie, this game is a little fugly. It’s better looking than the first though.
• Am I over-thinking it when I wonder how in the hell the economy of a zombie goddamn apocalypse can support a reality show like Terror Is Reality, the one featured at the beginning of Dead Rising 2? 

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