Last week a group of journalists, from all over the world, paid a visit to the Lionhead Studios offices in sunny England. Apart from chatting to Mark Webley and Gary Carr about Lionhead’s future plans, they also sat down and played our latest game, Fable: The Journey.
Here is a little round-up of the day and their experiences with the game:
IGN.com – “It Just Works”
“Moreover, a focus on magic allows for some interesting design choices, such as after-touch that can be applied to spells in order to fling electrical bolts high into the air before bringing them crashing down on hapless foes with downward swipe, which is useful for flushing enemies out of cover or for bending spells around environmental obstacles.” Read more…
DigitalSpy.co.uk – “a compelling Kinect experience”
“The physical nature of the magic system coupled with the first-person viewpoint adds a level of immersion not previously possible in past releases. Casting spells is enormously enjoyable and highly intuitive, albeit slightly basic during the early stages.
With new spells, higher levels and voice activation still to come, the complexity of the system is likely to grow. Judging by what we’ve seen so far, this is a journey we look forward to taking.” Read more…
OXM.co.uk – “Lionhead’s Kinect spin-off does Fable justice”
“Here, it genuinely feels like you’re a lone adventurer, winding your way through the fastness. The Journey is off to a very good start.”
“The Journey’s long term interest will probably hinge on the scope of its magic upgrades tree, which promises to transform both what spells do and how you cast them. Fireballs will become cluster bombs, bursting to shrapnel with a well-timed high five, and more expansive gestures will produce fatter energy balls. You’ll be able to hurl magic from the wagon, too, blasting winged demons and patching your horse’s wounds on the fly.” Read more…
Eurogamer.net – Kinect’s Journey
“But if you’re the average Eurogamer reader, you probably don’t want to play it – or think you don’t.”
“Lionhead’s commitment to those causes in Fable: The Journey – especially in establishing a solid framework for seated play, and in expanding the horizons of Kinect game production – is both substantial and impressive.” Read more…
DailyMail.co.uk – “I felt like Gandalf on acid – hurling spells all over the shop.”
“The next step of the hands-on experience involved some very cool spell-casting. When met by some nasty looking critters I had the option of dodging the attack by moving side to side.” Read more…
GameSpot – “there’s an unmistakable Fable flavour”
“Thankfully, this “nine- or ten-hour” all-Kinect game is played sitting, with the horse-drawn sequences controlled by tugging left or right on the reigns, cracking both to accelerate, or pulling them up and back to halt. The on-foot action means using each hand to cast spells that include a fireball, a force push, and a blade-summoning number Fable fans will recognise from previous instalments.” Read more…
Rest of the world:
9Lives (Dutch)
Famitsu (Japanese)
Meristation (Spanish)
Multiplayer.it (Italian)
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