| System: Xbox 360 |  |
| Dev: Lionhead Studios | |
| Pub: Microsft Studios | |
| Release: October 9, 2012 | |
| Players: 1 | |
| Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p | Mild Blood, Mild Language, Violence |
That being said, the game can get repetitive at times. Though you can upgrade your spells as the game goes on, your spells never change that much aside from having a bigger area to affect or doing more damage. You also only really have three spells to choose from, and they are all basically projectiles that, once again, operate very similarly to each other. You never actually get the feeling that you are getting more powerful like you would normally get in an RPG.
Luckily, the game manages to shake things up with its astounding boss fights and set pieces. You'll fight enemies that tower above you, aiming for tiny weak points as they wreck the earth in your general vicinity. A lot of these bosses have a Legend of Zelda-esque puzzle feel to them. You'll have to use your tether and magic spells in conjunction with each other in order to eventually make these bosses reveal their weak points and take them down. They are easily some of the most enjoyable battles in the game, and they happen often enough to keep the game feeling fresh without becoming stale themselves.
As fun as the game is, there are still some issues with the motion controls that need to be mentioned. Particularly, they don't always work. The Kinect has a habit of making your spells fly off to the edges of the screen a good portion of the time. Sometimes it won't pick up on your motions at all. A lot of these issues can be fixed by re-calibrating the Kinect, but this can only be done by quitting the campaign. It's actually difficult to play the game for long periods of time without the calibration getting jacked up somehow. I frequently found myself quitting the game just because the Kinect was acting up and I didn't want to go through the entire calibration process again.
Fable: The Journey doesn't overstay its welcome. You can beat it in nine or ten hours, a far cry from the 30-hour epic stories of other Fable games. It's a fun little side story that doesn't hook you like other RPGs, but does keep you entertained for the most of its running time. Most importantly, Fable: The Journey is the closest thing we have to a hardcore motion-controlled game, and it sets some amazing groundwork for future motion titles. If motion controls survive long enough, Fable: The Journey proves that we may see them sneak into the hardcore scene yet.
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By Angelo M. D’Argenio Contributing Writer Date: October 9, 2012 |
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