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Fable
by Jolex Del Pilar / Kyle Johnson

Monday, December 3 2001

Few games can claim to revolutionize a genre, but this one looks to not only "revolutionize", but to redefine.

Title: Fable

Platform: Xbox

Publisher: Lionhead Studios

Developer: Big Blue Box Studios

# of Players: 1

Genre: RPG

Origin: United Kingdom

Expected Release: Q4 2004

Grapevine: Just don't expect little Timmy to grow up to be a very kind, and sociable person. In fact, his "Angry at not having a father figure syndrome" might come back to haunt you later on in the game.

--- Updated 08/10/03
Sorry for the long delay in updating this preview, but nothing really has been said about this game in the past few months, even at E3 2003, where unexpectedly, Fable related news was miniscule. I was talking to a press spokesman from Microsoft and supposedly the game will be hitting stores by Winter 2003. How accurate is that date? Who knows, the game has overshot its original launch date by more than a year. We can only hope this is due to Peter Molyneux's personal touches in making the game better and not rampant mismanagement of resources and time. More news and tidbits on this game as it comes.

--- Jolex Del Pilar

---Updated 06/27/02
There are high hopes for Project Ego. Not only is it one of the few RPGs on the Xbox, but it’s set out to redefine the RPG genre. Being developed by Big Blue Box, a European developer, Project Ego was a monstrous hit at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in both 2001, and this year 2002. Last year it was claimed to be one of the most innovative games, and most visually stunning games present. What’s the reason, or cause, for Project Ego becoming such as hit early on in it’s development? Well, it’s not really “what” the reason is, it’s “who” the reason is. That “who,” is none other than Peter Molyneux, who for those unfamiliar with Mr. Molyneux, he is one of the best game designers the industry has, and whenever he has anything to do with a title, it is usually proclaimed a masterpiece even before it is released. Enough about Mr. Molyneux, let’s get on with Project Ego. That is, after all, why you’re reading this….right?

The Project Ego Story:

You begin your Project Ego journey as a young, inexperienced character, at the early adolescent age of 15. Your every characteristic in appearance is of yours to choose, and every one of your actions throughout the game will affect look and personality. You may grow to become a well-respected knight of nobility, who receives praise and honor by doing good deeds for those in need, or you may become a ruthless murderer, spreading evil like a plague throughout the land. Choose which path to take, for the choice is yours.

Depending on what feats you accomplish in the game, your character will respond to it, either mentally or physically. All these cause and effects just add more realism to Project Ego, if you aren't already satisfied with the game's tendency to surpass reality visually, that is. Even as the game advances, your character's appearance changes as you age. Wrinkles slowly appear, and hair begins to whiten. Also, it may be possible that speed and agility drop, as well as strength. These natural aging processes that happen to the players also increase the realism of the game drastically, and creates an illusion to fool your senses into believing it's a true, living, breathing environment.

Like stated above, Project Ego was named the most visually stunning game at the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo, and there’s nothing to prove that wrong. This is all thanks to the high level of detail in the environments, as well as in all the character models. The anatomies of the character models are probably the most accurate to those in real life seen so far, and textures on all the objects are clear and not repetitive. Lighting and shadow effects are perfectly placed to hit the surface of every building and person it encounters, and even the smallest things, such as a blade of grass or a strand of hair, waves independently and according to the direction of the breeze that's causing it to move the slightest amount. In truth, when it comes to realism, Project Ego pushes the limits.

AI has become a major factor in games today, and the most impressive has got to be Project Ego's. All villagers will respond to your character in a different way depending on how you look, how famous you are, how poor you are, what you're wearing, and if you're a good or bad character. Let's say you stride into village wearing brilliant armor, well groomed hair, and had just returned from a battle victorious; chances are they will look up to you, even bow at your presence, and treat you with respect. On the other hand, if you trample into town a weak, rag-wearing, un-groomed individual, chances are they will look away from you, and maybe even ignore you when try to talk to them. So this also shows that your outcome as a character will affect everywhere you go.

Time meaning, everything should keep moving along its schedule throughout the game. Such as people living their daily lives with out refrain and day/night transitions should be illustrated through contrasts of the sky. Everything must keep moving in time, to make the environment extremely believable. Say you enter a village and speak to a boy who had just turned 5 years old, when you return 20 years later, (in-game) that boy would have already become a married adult with seven children.

Project Ego takes place in Albion, a calm beautiful place were only stories of demons and corrupt evil exist, until now. You become the one destined to destroy this new lurking evil and restore Albion, or you can choose to aid those attempting to destroy it. That is what the glory of Project Ego is; the freedom choice. Independence seems to be an important factor in games today, and this is as independent as it gets.

When it comes to Gameplay, Project Ego acts a lot like an RPG, but the Adventure genre best fits the classification for this title. In truth, the set of play is totally unique in itself, so it's still too early to tell what genre it will really be under. Other than that, no details have been announced concerning gameplay, so until then, all we can do is drool all over the images Blue Box has supplied us with, which really isn't that bad at all. As soon as there is any more information on this exciting title, Project Ego, Team Xbox will be the ones letting you know!

Project Ego will be an exclusive title for the Xbox, and it is set to release in fall of 2002. It's quite a long time from now, but all we can do is wait, and wait, and wait, and wait even more =(. But soon enough, Ego will be out, diminish the competition, and become best game of 2002. We hope.


Project Ego Features:

Forging a hero based on actions. Heroes age and evolve through the actions players choose and the paths they follow — be it for good, evil or in between. Those who ply the way of the sword will see their muscles bulge. Those who weave the dark arts will witness power crackle at their fingertips. And those who skulk in the shadows will watch their skin bleach.

Engaging in intense real-time combat. Players collect battle scars as they duel with cunning foes and deadly creatures. They can master an array of deadly weapons as they hone the art of blade-craft, hunt their quarry using subterfuge and stealth, or weave death from the elements as they harness the dark arts of the arcane.

Building a living legend. Through deeds and actions, “Project Ego” players build a name for their character across the land. They can recruit allies and followers, gain glory or notoriety, make friends and enemies, the whole time interacting with a living world of people, places and events all reactive to them.

Shaping and exploring a living, evolving world. Players champion or manipulate an ever-changing land with competitive and cooperative heroes, dynamic weather systems, and deformable environments teeming with cultures, creatures, citizens and cities.

Honing scores of unique skills and extras. Players master new abilities and add possessions as their character develops. They can learn to ride steeds, master the art of thievery, acquire pets, clothing or tattoos, and more.

Never playing the same game twice. Once an adventure has been completed, players can forge a new tale full of unexpected twists and turns, with new skills, powers, influences, allies and enemies.

---Kyle Johnson, VGLN Xbox

--- 12/3/01
Whether you loved or hated "Black & White", one thing most people have to admit is "it was very ambitious and unique." Although that last sentiment could describe a great number of things, it usually applies to "game design" when the sentiment is applied to anything Peter Molyneux decides to put his creative mind into. Project Ego seems to be continuing that pattern.

One must conjecture that Project Ego is being classified as an "RPG" for the sake of ease when describing what the game is to an average gamer. However, if images of Final Fantasy 7, or even Baldur's Gate are popping into your head right now, then perhaps we should just throw away the "RPG" tag. Project Ego is such an ambitious game in so many respects that it may transcend "genre".

Instead of fumbling words in trying to explain exactly what Project Ego is about, I'll just paste a one-liner from the Big Blue Box website that sums it up quite nicely, "Create your life story from childhood to death". What exactly does that entail? Oh you wouldn't believe the half of it. The game begins with you playing as a young child, perhaps age 12. As a male or female, the game begins with youth, and the game may end when your character is near 80 (or earlier depending on your lifestyle). During this game time, you may notice some changes in the way your character looks; wrinkles, balding hair, perhaps a scar from a battle wound long ago. This is just some of the detail that begins to intrigue. But there are some hook-and-sinkers that are still to be mentioned.

Your daily actions in the game have a direct impact on your character's development. Eat too much food, and your avatar may grow too obese to be an adventurer. Work in the sun a lot? Your character will get a nice brownish tan. If you do heavy labor such as cutting wood, your character will bristle with muscle all over his body.

Although there are no actual character classes in the game (mage, fighter, etc.), you do have control over what your eventual career path may be. You can choose to be a good, God-loving, knight of the cross, or an evil sonavab*tch. It's all up to you. However, your good deeds (or evil exploits) will affect how people react or treat you. Be a heroic knight and the people may begin to treat you as a cherished hero and sing songs to honor your existence. Live life as an evil bastard and the people, including little children, will show dislike for you. Speaking of little children, one of the most unique aspects of Project Ego is the ability to pick a wife, have some darling youngins', and raise them yourself. As you age, they age. So little Timmy at six years old might not be of any immediate help to you, but 30 [game]years later, he might be one of the most powerful governmental figures of the land. Interestingly enough, if you have kids, and decide later that raising kids is a pain in the arse, then you can simply leave your family. Just don't expect little Timmy to grow up to be a very kind, and sociable person. In fact, his "Angry at not having a father figure syndrome" might come back to haunt you later on in the game.

The graphics engine is fantastic. Every blade of grass, gleam of sword, and spittle from baby barf is rendered using the vast power of the Xbox hardware. Suffice to say, the graphics are nearly as ambitious as the game's plot.

It is rumored that the Xbox hard drive may be utilized to keep important events in memory, further customizing the games experience. So don't go around having too many kids, the Xbox will remember!

The game is slated to be an Xbox exclusive, and due for the Summer/Fall of 2002. Although that is a few eons off, especially considering the building anticipation for this game, patience is a virtue in waiting for possibly one of the most celebrated games of 2002. Besides, what other game has the cool feature of allowing you to have illigitimate children? Hmm...

--- Jolex Del Pilar, VGLN Warlord

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