1. Resident Evil 5

Multiplatform: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
Release Date: March 13th 2009

The much anticipated sequel to the highly acclaimed Resident Evil 4 is edging ever closer to release. Expectations are incredibly high and the fans will be hard to please, but with the addition of online and offline co-op play to shake up the experience even more, it’s hard to think this game will be anything short of fantastic. On top of that, thanks to the incredible power in the two consoles, the visuals for the game so far look absolutely stunning. A demo was released recently on the Xbox Live Marketplace and received a great reception, so even if you’ve never played the previous games in the series, this may be worth picking up on release day if you’re itching for a new survial horror game to add to your collection.

2. God Of War III

Exclusive to PlayStation 3
Release Date: TBA 2009

By the end of this article I’m going to be using the phrase “much anticipated sequel” all too much, but it just so happens that some of the best games, that we currently know are being released, are sequels. God Of War landed on the PlayStation 2 back in 2005 and was critically acclaimed to be the King of the hack’n'slash genre. With more than enough bloody and brutal combat to suit your needs, over-the-top boss battles and an overly aggressive and angry main character, the setting was indeed set. 4 years, a fantastic sequel and a well received prequel later, and here we are, in awe of the new God Of War III trailer. If the improvements that God Of War II made to the original game are seen again in the third iteration of the series, then it’ll be safe to say that this could be the greatest hack’n'slash game of all time.

3. Street Fighter IV

Multiplatform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC
Release Date: February 20th 2009

Street Fighter to many people can still be seen as the leader in the genre of fighting games. The original game was first released way, way back in August 1987. Over the course of the next 21 years many sequels and versions of the series would be made, most of which were received well. Street Fighter IV is soon to be upon us on the home consoles having previously been released in Japanese and American arcades in July and August respectively. This new entry in the series is also the first to be featured on next-generation consoles, and will also feature 3D graphics, which is unheard of in Street Fighter. Luckily though the gameplay will still be completely 2D, and the 3D graphics are purely to give the characters and environments a look like never before. With the ongoing success of the Street Fighter franchise for so long, it’s hard to ignore this title, and the fact that it’s the next main instalment in the series is the reason why it’s so sought after.

4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Exclusive to PlayStation 3
Release Date: Winter 2009

One of my personal favourite games of 2007 was Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, an action-adventure game with a cover system like Gears Of War and the adventure elements of Tomb Raider. It was a great mixture of gameplay, and it wasn’t just me that enjoyed it. The majority of reviews for the game were very good, and with a high quality game on the console that really needed it, it was only natural that a sequel was expected. No surprise there then when Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was announced in December 2008. While many people were thrilled to hear about a sequel, just as many were so surprised to see another game in the series on the horizon so soon. From what we’ve seen already stunning visuals in the original are being topped, and with brand new animations, environments, smarter AI and new gameplay mechanics no top of all that, the sequel to the already fantastic game is looking to be quite a game.

5. Halo 3: ODST

Exclusive to Xbox 360
Release Date: Autumn 2009

Any Halo game is going to create a lot of interest and hype, so while the upcoming Real Time Strategy game ‘Halo Wars’ may not be what a lot of Halo fans are looking for, Halo 3: ODST should keep the core Halo fanbase happy. Being looked at as an expansion as opposed to a full blown sequel, ODST follows the journey of one particular trooper during the events of Halo 2. You’re not Master Chief this time though, and that’s where the name “ODST” comes in. It stands for “Orbital Drop Shock Trooper”, and you’ll as an unnamed one known as the “Rookie”, who has been separated from his four teammates. The game takes place at the same time as some of the events of Halo 2, and as it’s only an expansion, it’s expected to last up to 6 hours in the campaign. The game will also come packed with some Halo 3 maps, but you don’t need Halo 3 to play those maps, so you must be able to play multiplayer on ODST? It’s a bit of a grey area at the moment, but it’s a new Halo game, so there will be an abundance of hype closer to release.

My Personal Picks

1. New Ratchet & Clank

Exclusive to PlayStation 3
Release Date: Autumn 2009

These “personal picks” are just a handful of games that I personally can’t wait to get my hands on, and what better way to start that with quite possibly my favourite series of games ever? Ratchet & Clank debuted on the PlayStation 2 back in 2002, and I’ve loved the series ever since. The humour, charm, art design and the gameplay itself make me come back for more in every instalment, and I’ve yet to be disappointed. The first entry into the Ratchet & Clank series on PlayStation 3 was named Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, and it was exactly what I wanted in the game. The classic humour, stunning graphics and classic R&C gameplay that makes the game what it is. This was followed up 10 months later with Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, which was essentially an expansion that follows a small amount of the adventure following the end of Tools of Destruction. On completion and following the credits, a teaser graphics is shown stating “The Quest Continues Fall 2009″. Whether this is going to be a full blown sequel or another expansion is yet to be seen, but either way I’ll be playing it on release day. Hopefully it’ll be a full sequel, but as I say, I can only hope.

2. InFamous

Exclusive to PlayStation 3
Release Date: Spring 2009

InFamous seems to be a mixture of different games, but not in a bad way. Take the huge explorable city of the Xbox 360 game Crackdown, add in the parkour-style climbing and navigation of Assassin’s Creed, and throw in some Force Lightning from Star Wars, and InFamous is basically what you’re left with. That’s no bad thing though, because sandbox games are some of my favourites. One of the cool things about Crackdown was that you could run around this huge city as a genetically enhanced agent, and leap from rooftop to rooftop and shoot down criminals as you go. I personally think it’s going to quite interesting to have that freedom given to you with such a big environment, but a different style of navigation and gameplay could shake things up a bit. There isn’t actually a massive of information about the game around and, considering the game is scheduled to be released in the next few months, I’m not really sure whether that’s a good or bad thing. We’ll have to wait and see, but hopefully it isn’t delayed, and even moreso I hope it’s as good as it seems.

3. The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf

Multiplatform: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
Release Date: Autumn 2009

The Witcher was originally released in late October 2007. The game was met with fairly decent reviews but it was praised for trying some new things. The over-shoulder gameplay, inventive combat system and interesting gameplay mechanics as well as somewhat impressive visuals made for an impressive single player RPG for PC. During the next 11 months an Enchanced Edition of the game had been in the works, and in late September 2008, the Enhanced Edition of the game was released. It was essentially a Collector’s Edition of the game, featuring a ‘making of’ DVD, a 29 song soundtrack CD, extra quests and a game map. All of this is available in a box-set, or for players who had already bought the original, all of this content was made available as free downloads on the official website. In December 2008 a console version was officially announced, but Rise of the White Wolf is more than just a port. The graphics engine is being completely updated to fit the next generation consoles, and the combat system is being completely remade, again to fit with the consoles. I already found the game throughly enjoyable on PC, so a huge update and port to my preferred system is a no-brainer purchase for me. Hopefully the “improvements” to the graphics engine and gameplay mechanics will actually be improvements, but we’ll have to wait and see.

So that’s 2009 folks – part of it anyway. I know there are some titles here that some of you may feel should have been included instead, but this wasn’t intended to be a list of every hyped game coming out in 2009. Hopefully all of the games we’re looking forward to will be as good as we want them to be, and let’s all hope 2009 is as good as the past two years have been for gaming.

The much hyped and potential system-selling PS3 game is upon us. First unveiled at GDC (Game Developer’s Conference) 2007, the game stood out from the crowd and has since been one of the most popular and hyped games for the PS3. Around 18 months later and the game hit stores around the world (after several delays I might add). Delays aside however, the hype has been completely justified, and LittleBigPlanet is one of the most original, fresh and enjoyable gaming experiences around.

Good Points:
Beautiful visuals fill the world with charm
Simple controls make gameplay fun and accessible
Creation system is deep and allows for imagination to run wild
Replayability potential is high with the focus on community content

Bad points:
Automatic switching between layers while playing can become a pain
Making a great level can take days so a lot of players won’t bother with it
Single player mode is quite short

“Play. Create. Share.” That’s the way LittleBigPlanet works, and it’s one of the taglines used for the game. I’ll start with Play, as that’s mainly what you’ll be doing. You take control of an adorable little being called Sackboy (or Sackgirl), and his main role in life is to navigate his way through levels using what starts off as simple platforming, but eventually gets quite complicated. LittleBigPlanet is essentially a platform game, but it’s a game based entirely on a brilliant physics engine.

After loading up your game for the first time, you’ll be greeted by an introduction. You’ll be shown the very basics of movement, showing emotions with your Sackboy and how to dress him up, all wonderfully voiced by Stephen Fry. You run through this intro left to right, and as you do the Media Molecule team will pop up behind you in a manner of different ways. It’s essentially part mini-tutorial, part playable credits. Soon after this you’ll be dropped into your Pod, which is the hub where you’ll spend some of your time. It’s here where you can access the three planets that’ll you be spending the rest of your time in. First off is the InfoMoon, which contains the basic things such as your favourite levels as well as ones you’ve made, your friends list, and the news page. The next planet I’ll go to is My Moon, which is where you go to create your own levels. Finally, the third planet is LittleBigPlanet, where you can choose to play Story Levels, Cool Levels (online stuff), and Quick Play, which joins you up with some people online, picks a random level and lets you do whatever you want.

The Story Mode is where the game makes you go first, as you have to finish a few levels before the game lets you access the InfoMoon and My Moon, which to be fair was something I found slightly annoying. The Story consists of 54 levels in total (not including the Introduction which you can repeat at any time), and although there were originally supposed to be 60+, 54 still doesn’t seem too bad, right? Well, technically there’s even less than that. While there may be 54 levels, 29 of them are actually mini-games/challenges designed for quick bursts of play with friends. While that’s fair enough, having over half of the final amount of “Story” levels as mini-games was more than a bit disappointing in the end. That said, the full length story levels that are present are so wonderfully crafted and great to play that in the end, that would have been worth the £40 on their own. The imagination shines out from the screen when you play through these levels, and the most impressive thing is that all of the levels in the game were made in the creator which is included in the game. It’s only when you go into the creator yourself and try to make something good where it really hits you how much time and effort was put into making those levels. The levels are designed on three different layers, which allows for some interesting landscapes. You may be running on the back layer and then the back and middle layers are blocked off, and you have to move forward on the front layer. If you just carry on running right into the wall for a split second, the game will work that out and automatically put you into the front layer. Useful yes? In most cases sure, but there’s a few situations where you try to jump a gap and expect the game to put you onto the layer with the bridge in it, and it doesn’t do it, sending your Sackboy into a fiery death. There’s also other cases where you may be on the front or middle row, and someone has made a ledge for scenery on the back row. You want to continue running right, but when you try and jump across, the game puts you onto the ledge on the back row where you don’t want to be, so you have to manually get back to the front row and try again. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s usually quite annoying when it does. Still, that doesn’t tamper with the fact that the levels are brilliantly imaginative and fun to play.

To get through these fantastic levels though, you’ll need to know how, and luckily the controls are simple. The left analogue stick is used to run left and right, and it’s also used in conjuction with X in some situations to move between different layers. X is used for jumping, and R1 is used to grab onto things. That’s it really in terms of playing through levels. The only other button you’ll be using is the square button, which brings up the Popit menu. This little thing is where all of your stickers, accessories, favourite items and costumes are kept. You can also type out text messages and they’ll pop up at the top of the screen (useful if you don’t have a PS3 headset in multiplayer). There’s also a retry button, which means that if you get stuck, hold in this button with X and your little Sack friend will get all angry and explode, and you’ll be sent back to the last checkpoint. Another thing you can do is use the directional buttons (D-pad), to controls Sackboy’s emotions. There are four different emotions, Happy (up), Angry (right), Sad (down) and Scared (left), and each one has three varying degrees of intensity. Tap up once and your Sackboy’s smile will get a bit bigger. Tap it again and he’ll have a big grin on his face with his mouth open. Tap it a third time and he’ll have his mouth wide open with his tongue sticking out. Tap up a fourth and final time and he’ll be set back to the default expression. One final thing to do with controls is being able to slap other Sackboys. The L2 and R2 buttons control Sackboys arms if you hold them in, and at this point you can use the left and right analogue sticks to wave Sackboy’s arms about. If there’s another Sack person standing to your left, grab hold of your left arm with L2, pull the left analogue stick to the right, then flick it over to the left. It’s sounds overly complicated to do, but it’s quite simple, and done out of nowhere can send laughs through a group of friends.

Speaking of friends, this is what LittleBigPlanet was built around. Sure you can play through the story levels on your own and it’ll still be a great experience, but playing through them with three other people over the PlayStation Network, or even better in the same room, is simply much more fun. You can also play through the levels online with random people, and while the company is still appreciated, it doesn’t beat the fun of playing with a group of friends in the same room.

Moving on, the next thing on the list is Create. My Moon is where you’ll find the creation tools, and when you decide to make a level, you can choose a template if you want. Most people won’t use a template, and I’d recommend not to actually because in a way it hinders you. The main reason people pick a template is because they may want a certain background. When you play through the story levels, once you get to a new area, you unlock the background for that area in the creator. So if you want to use that background and you haven’t got there in the story yet, you’ll have to pick the template you want and delete everything in the level first, which is quite a pain to do. When you first go into the creator, if you try to place practically anything, you’ll have to go into a tutorial on how to use it. The good thing about this is that most people will actually want to do the tutorials as they’re incredibly helpful. The downside is that they compulsory, so if you want to use that particular object or tool, then the game won’t let you until you’ve done the tutorial for it. It seems odd, but it works out better in the long run because then you’ll know how to actually use everything when you get to properly start to make a level.

It’s hard to explain the creation tools because they’re just so deep. With the right mindset, enough time, and a big imagination, the things that you can make in the creator are limitless. As shown in the story levels, variety of things you can do with one simple tool, if you think outside the box a bit, are astounding. There have already been some fantastic levels made by people in the LittleBigPlanet community, and I’m sure the day will come when some levels will be of such a quality that they rival the story levels. While this may make you think “Wow, once I’ve done the story levels there’s hundreds more great levels to play online made by other people!”, that’s not strictly true. Sure there’s hundreds of levels, but only a handful are brilliant, which in a way is to be expected, but also could eventually be the downside to the LittleBigPlanet community.

Share is the online experience, and as I say, one of the most promising things about the game may eventually be its downfall. Having to sift through all of the short, boring and dull levels made by bored players for the sake of it can get tiresome, and the small amount of great levels worth playing doesn’t really make up for it. The community can only hope that the certain users that have made brilliant levels so far continue to make great levels, or better yet, new users follow suit and spend the time making levels too. This is partially resolved in a way though. Whenever you finish playing a level, you have to give the level a rating out of 5 stars, and as an option you can then ‘tag’ a level with a word that you think fits the level. The highest rated levels get pushed towards the front pages of levels, and the lower rated stuff get’s shifted back into the abyss of bad levels. The 3-4 most popular tags selected for the level will then show up in the level description, which gives people a basic idea of what to expect. You can also “heart” levels and users, who then get put into your hearted list, which is essentially your favourites.

It’d be wrong to expect everyone to come out with some high standard levels, but a few more would certainly liven up the selection of levels a bit. I myself have spend many an hour in the creator only to come out with quite poor stuff, so it just depends really. The variety of levels that people have made though is great. Obviously there are the standard platforming levels, but one of my favourite types of levels are the musical levels. The basic idea is that you go into the level and get onto a slow-moving vehicle with a sensor on it. As this sensor goes past some switches, those switches activate some music sounds, and some people have managed to recreate some amazing instrumentals using this design. It takes a long time, but the end result is worth it.

The actual graphics of the game itself are astounding too. Everything in the world of LittleBigPlanet is made out of real-world materials that have been beautifully rendered and put into the game for everyone to see and use. It gives the game a really organic feel, and that’s definitely a good thing because it doesn’t appeal to any key demographic. The physics engine in the game really gives the world a great feel, as everything has its own weight, and it’s all incredibly convincing. The soundtrack is also of very high quality, with some songs that will just play from start to finish, but also some original songs composed by the team who made the game themselves. The best thing about those songs is that, in the creator, the songs themselves are split into about six parts. Rather than just having a song that plays from start to finish, the team have made it so that you can pick and choose what parts of the song will actually be playing, so you can customise how the songs plays throughout your level while still maintaining the overall theme.

Overall, LittleBigPlanet is a triumph. It manages to succeed in what it tried to achieve in trying to create an accessible game for all ages. On top of that, it then allows people with a bit more time on their hands to create more content for everyone to enjoy. Top that off with a variety of incredibly enjoyable story levels, and multiplayer orientated challenge levels and you’ve got a winner. There’s also weekly downloadable content, which although is only new costumes for your Sackboy at the moment, there’s no reason why they couldn’t add new story levels or items for the creator into the mix. The potential for replayability is definitely there. While the story levels won’t last overly long if you just run through them, there are lots of prizes to collect throughout the levels, some of which you can only collect if you are playing with two, three or four players. There’s also trophy support for this game, and one particular one wants you to finish every story level without dieing, which is a lot harder than it sounds.

LittleBigPlanet is the first of its kind, and I hope that it keeps on going and going. Whether that be in the form of a sequel, an on-disc expansion, or extensive downloadable content, this is one game that really shouldn’t be missed, and most definitely shouldn’t be left behind.

Score: 4.5/5

Fable II is the long awaited sequel to Fable, the highly acclaimed action RPG from Lionhead Studios. It’s 500 years later in the world of Albion, and while it may have been a long 4 years later for us, the wait was definitely worth it. Peter Molyneux’s promises and subsequent disappointments from the original game aren’t to be found here, and the only thing seen instead is a delightful gaming experience that should be experienced everyone.

Good points:
Brilliant art style gives the world a unique feel to it
Strong soundtrack ties in perfectly with the game world
Simple yet effective and rewarding combat system
The addition of the dog as a companion is genius

Bad Points:
Sluggish menus
Less quests than I’d hoped
Not enough variations of clothes
Small co-op issues

The world of Albion has changed a lot over the past 500 years, but townsfolk still talk of stories that occurred in the original game. Fable II follows a young hero on a quest to defeat a man called Lucien, who is responsible for a life-changing event very early on in the game. After this event, and 10 years later, the hero has now grown up and can finally take his revenge on Lucien. With a mysterious woman named Theresa leading the way, and his trusty dog companion by his side, is there nothing the hero can’t do? As his quest continues he learns that he is a very important Hero, and he is necessary in taking down Lucien. As well as himself, he’ll need to recruit three more Heroes (of Strength, Will and Skill) who will also use their own individual skills to help defeat Lucien.

The story itself is actually quite short (if you just rush through the game doing only the story), but it’s paced well so that it all seems to fit into place in a structured timeline. Once again Lionhead have done a great job of giving the world of Albion a unique charm that makes you want to come back. Be it the beautiful environments, the genuinely funny dialogue or the citizens of Albion themselves, the work that has been put in is clearly evident and it’s a joy to play through it. The moral choices that your character is faced with are also very interesting. One particular quest that stuck in my head was one where I ended up meeting a ghost, who was just as surprised as I was that I could see him. He loved this woman, who then ran away on their wedding day, so he sadly took his own life. It’s not done in a morbid way, so don’t let this sad story put you off. That said, he then wants you to go and find this woman, make her fall in love with you, then give her a note from the ghost telling her it was all a joke etc. You find the woman who immediately falls in love with you and it turns out she wants to marry you and have children. You then get to make the choice of giving her the note, therefore showing her it was a lie and the ghost gets his revenge. Or, you can get married to her and steal the ghosts love of his life. I won’t say what happens if you pick either choice, but the two results are very significant in relation to those two particular characters. That’s just one of the moral choices you have to make, and there are several more that you’ll have to make along your quest.

Moral choices lead us on well into a key part of the gameplay. In the original Fable you had a bar of Good/Evil, and while that’s still present in Fable II, they’ve added another bar. This bar is for Purity/Corruption, and it makes sense after reading into it. Certain acts, such as murdering citizens or letting an evil guy keep some slaves instead of setting them free, will gain Evil points, which will affect your Good/Evil bar. Others such as eating meat, drinking alcohol, or charging high rent on your real estate, will earn you Corruption points, which affect your Purity/Corruption bar. The reason for this is because there are several ways to play the game. It may be that you’d never kill anyone and you’re generally a nice person, (meaning you’re Good) but you like to get drunk and charge high rent (meaning you’re Corrupt). You could also just as easily have a completely full Evil bar, but you’re completely Pure, which to be fair is a lot less likely, but still completely possible. It adds much more depth to the morality system of the game, and ultimately it allows the player to still be Good overall but do a few bad things along the way without too much punishment, which leads to a more enjoyable experience.

The main part of the gameplay that you’ll be experiencing most however is the combat. Thankfully, while it seems simple, it’s a very effective yet rewarding system. Melee attacks are assigned to the X button, Magic attacks to B, and Ranged to Y. When you start the game your melee combos will be weak and simple, your ranged attacks will be one shot at a targeted enemy, and your magic will be very weak. To level up these skills, you’ll be killing enemies, and apart from getting Strength (melee), Skill (ranged) and Will (magic) experience, you’ll also get General experience, which can be used in conjunction with another amount of experience to make a total to learn an ability. It sounds confusing, but it’s not. Say you need 50000 total experience points to level a magic spell. It may be that you only have 20000 Will experience, but because you have 65000 general experience, you can take 30000 from the general experience and level up the magic spell. You can do this for Strength and Skill abilities as well, and by the time you max out your stats you’ll be attacking with fast fluid combos and countering enemies attacks, as well as being able to zoom in on enemies with your gun and decapitate them with the bullet, and finally your magic attacks will be devastating. The sound effects pack appropriate punch, and the animations are fluid and well done to make each confrontation as enjoyable as the next. The best thing for me though personally was finding out about decapitations. Call me violent or whatever, but it’s a lot more satisfying to shoot someone’s head clean off with a bullet than it is to simply kill them with a shot to the head.

As well as the combat, there are also lots of minigames to play throughout the world of Albion. When you’re starting out and you need a bit of cash, you can take on a series of jobs. My main income for the best part of half the game was training as a blacksmith in Bowerstone Market (the main town where you’ll spend a lot of your time). The minigames are a simple enough affair, where you need to time your pressing of the A button so that it fits into the green area of a shrinking target. It’s actually quite hard to explain, but again it’s very straight forward in practice. Most of the minigames follow this structure, and while it may get boring quickly for some, I actually found it quite fun, as bizarre as it sounds.

Arguably though, the biggest aspect of the gameplay added to Fable II is the addition of the dog. For the most part of the game, you have no choice on whether you have a dog or not. If you don’t want it, you can let it get injured in a fight and just leave it, but it’ll follow you everywhere no matter what. That’s plain cruel though, and even if you don’t want to the dog as a companion, you can still use him as a tool. He’ll bark when close to a treasure chest, and he’ll bark and try to make you follow you if he’s found a spot to dig up some treasure. I personally found it hard not to love the dog, simply because it seems so real. The animations are spot on, and the way it acts in general is how a real dog acts. People in the towns will come up to you and pet the dog, and he’ll wag his tail in delight as he chases the rubber ball you’ve thrown for him. At one point you’re running through a graveyard with some misty areas with an overall creepy feel about it. The dog will have his ears down, walk a bit slower and have his tail between his legs, and he’ll let out an occasional yelp to tell you he needs a bit of reassurance. It’s the subtle details in the dog that really make you want him around, so it seems odd when the dog occasionally glitches up and goes missing, only to arrive onscreen out of the blue.

As much as I’ve praised the game though, it eventually gets to the point in the review where I have to mention my complaints, and unfortunately, there are a few. To start, and perhaps a surprising complaint, I expected to see a lot more content than was actually present. I’d finished the main storyline, done all quests that weren’t simply to buy a property or destroy some gargoyles, and maxed out my combat stats in roughly 25 hours. That’s by no means short, but for an RPG with such great production values potential to have much more than it did, I ended up being a bit disappointed at the end of it. The only thing left to do now is to collect some silver keys, destroy a few gargoyles and get my real estate value up to 2.5 million gold. To me, none of those are particularly “fun”, and they only seem to artificially extend the life of the game by exploring environments repeatedly until you find that one key. Slow menus get a bit annoying at the start, but you’ll soon get used to it. One thing I found slightly bizarre though is the lacklustre range of clothing for your character. It may seem an odd thing to complain about, but the one move taken by the design team was that they wanted every character to look unique, so they decided to take out armour from the game so that everyone didn’t end up just buying the best stuff and leaving it at that. On the flip side though, the range of customisation in terms of clothes is quite small, thus rendering the whole idea pointless. I only found one set of clothes that made me look remotely like a warrior, with everything else making me look like a strange citizen of the town, or a nobleman; neither of which I would consider appropriate for a warrior.

Co-op play was touted to be a key part of the design process in Fable II, and while it’s a great feature in theory, in practice it falls flat on its face. To start, the camera is infuriating. The sheer fact that neither of the two participants in the game have any control over the camera whatsoever is ludicrous. One particular situation had me and a good friend playing through one of the game’s caves. When we reached the end, we had to fight a troll, and the camera managed to position itself in such a way that our two characters were facing out towards the screen and we couldn’t actually see the troll that we were supposedly killing. It was literally just our two characters shooting at something and a dog running around in circles. We then spent the best part of a minute just running around trying to make the camera move into a decent place so we could actually see what was going on. Running around in buildings is even more of a nightmare, simply because the camera can’t zoom out particularly far to try and get a good view of the scene, something which luckily it manages to do fairly well in outside environments. Secondly, despite the fuss that was made about every character being unique and being able to show it off to your friends, which only works for the host of the game. If you join someone else’s world in Fable II, you have to play as one of 6 preset henchmen, and while they may have all of your stats, the fact that you’re not actually playing as your own hero is stupid. To top it all off, the fact that the camera doesn’t move also means the distance that you can move away from each other isn’t very large at all, this makes trying to take out a group of enemies from two sides practically impossible.

One side of the game that’s all positives though is the technical aspect. Aside from the lip-syncing being a tad off (which to be fair isn’t really an issue because the camera is never close enough to character’s faces to really notice), and the odd sound not playing, the technical performance of the game is very good. During online and offline play the frame rate issues are generally stable, and I only encountered one glitch in which some text appeared as I moved to another area but didn’t disappear when I got there. This was simply remedied by moving to another area. The only other issue I had was that when in caves and tunnels, the textures on the dog can tend to change colour and/or disappear. Hardly game-breaking though to be honest, but it’s still there. Reports have been going around of lots of other bugs and glitches though, so while I didn’t personally encounter many glitches, that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t any.

Fable II is a fantastic game, and while I may have my issues with it, they are greatly outweighed by the positives. The fantastic art style, enchanting soundtrack and rewarding gameplay make for a brilliant gaming experience. The sheer amount of manpower and effort that has gone into the game is clearly evident, and it’s things like that that make you really appreciate what you’re experiencing. The dog brings a lease of life into the game that’s hard to describe, and it’s only when it isn’t there when you realise how different it is without it. It’s one of those games that doesn’t come around very often, and while it may not be perfect, it’s definitely one of the best at what it does.

Score: 4/5