ArcaneCrystal
very strange that they sold this as a $60 retail title, because the arcadey nature of it makes it feel like a bonus co-op campaign. taken on that level, it's not a bad one, but they run out of interesting challenges quickly and have to start repeating them
2008
on a design level i think this campaign is just about perfect. it's always introducing new ideas and discarding them before they get stale, and each chapter feels different from the last. shame about the story.
2021
I do like the audio drama here, but I don't think the first person adventure format serves this story well at all
2010
man, what a mess. this game has been drained of any fairy tale atmosphere in favor of being a fantasy novel about kings and politics, but not one that is good, and one that seems to have many scenes missing.
the world is less colorful, and there are far fewer interesting sightlines. the zones have gotten a little too big, to the point that it's a pain to walk across them, so you relate to much of the game through the map, devaluing the spaces further.
every weapon being unique is cool at first until you realize that they all have boring augments and augment objectives. it ends up ultimately feeling like less weapon variety than previous games, especially since they all handle the same.
every combat encounter is just an enormous swarm of guys that you spend forever cutting through. there's not even a little pressure to any of the choices because you are drowning in real estate money. they really wanted to make "ben finn" happen but he's just an annoying guy.
occasionally that fable charm still shines through. fashion is fun. there are some really creative quests. good demon door zones. the aurora section really works. i remember liking this a lot more in 2010, but now i very much understand why this is the worst fable
the world is less colorful, and there are far fewer interesting sightlines. the zones have gotten a little too big, to the point that it's a pain to walk across them, so you relate to much of the game through the map, devaluing the spaces further.
every weapon being unique is cool at first until you realize that they all have boring augments and augment objectives. it ends up ultimately feeling like less weapon variety than previous games, especially since they all handle the same.
every combat encounter is just an enormous swarm of guys that you spend forever cutting through. there's not even a little pressure to any of the choices because you are drowning in real estate money. they really wanted to make "ben finn" happen but he's just an annoying guy.
occasionally that fable charm still shines through. fashion is fun. there are some really creative quests. good demon door zones. the aurora section really works. i remember liking this a lot more in 2010, but now i very much understand why this is the worst fable
really big improvement over zelda 19... i like this powerset way more, the world is better designed for it, and the contraptions actually feel useful. the world feels more varied, even the korok puzzles are less repetitive. they put real bosses here, and dungeons that feel different from both ocarina and from the hyrule castle style of dungeon. the story has some of the highest highs in the series but also some parts that feel like unfinished placeholders... and my man ganondorf is kind of a chump here
2008
Fable is about making a wish to live in a castle at the beginning of the game, and living in that castle at the end of the game. I really love how the bloomy, characteristically Xbox 360 lighting, the ghosting effect on camera movement, the exaggerated animations, and the cartoon 18th century aesthetic combine to make a dreamy fairy tale atmosphere.
2007
the vehicle sections still go way harder than any other halo
2014
there's something really charming about a game with 15 demon doors and 30 silver keys and small zones that are evocative of a larger world... they even made bespoke zones behind every demon door. unfortunately not only does this version look worse than the original, but it has constant bugs and frequent freezing, at least on the series x
2003
talk about post-nut clarity! for all the reputation this game has i would have liked to see the monsters be way grosser, it falls back way too much on characters having their minds broken by witnessing the indescribable horror happening just offscreen
2022
damn!!! now that's what i'm lookin for out of a journal updated game!!
2022
This is everything I want from a video game.
2021
i liked the way this was ultimately just one puzzle to figure out, it definitely feels like a board game in that way. it's easy to imagine a bloated version of this with crafting and xp and an open world but i think it is much better being about fitting 8 kills into 4 time periods. ran into a bunch of frustrating glitches where my infused items would just disappear. i wish it had actual writing instead of a bunch of bad jokes, because the voice acting is pretty good.
2020
really surprised how warm i ended up on this. the map is too big for its own good, the perks and abilities are weak and underwhelming, the ai doesn't provide any challenge even on very hard, it's generally not very good as an action game, even if i like the design of most of the missions. but it really excels at being a linear story based game where you talk to characters. the animation and the voice acting is really good. it doesn't just look expensive but also puts a lot of thought into lighting and shot composition in a way most of these don't.
2015
really warmed up to this on this playthrough! survival was great except that the game is way too crashy for that kind of limited saving
I like looking at the little guys. However I hate flipping a coin for any reason. Never feels good to leave something to 50% chance, yet it is the favorite trick of the designers.