Discount Fable: The Journey - Xbox 360

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This is a good game, but it takes a while to get into.

The first 20 minutes is spent steering the horse around obstacles, which is pretty boring, let's be honest.

But once you start learning how to cast different spells and begin fighting off Hobbes and Balverines it's a pretty fun game.

This isn't like the other fable games because it lacks the free roaming, which is an iconic feature that users have come to expect from fable games. So, as a fable game, it does not live up to the standard of the preceding games. In all fairness though, these games set the bar pretty high, and 'Fable: The Journey' is just a different way of gaming. They say that change freaks us out and I think that the response to this game gives credibility to this notion. But, if you were to compare Fable: The Journey to other kinect games, it becomes more obvious that this game is actually a decent one (it's definitely the best kinect game that I own). If you want a kinect version of fable II or III then I would not recommend buying this game. But if you have an open-mind and are prepared to experience the fable world from a different (more interactive) perspective, then I would give it a go.

It's not as comprehensive as the other fable games, and I think the bad ratings are more so from disappointed expectations then the game actually being poor. I tried to look at this game objectively, rather than expecting it to mimic the previous games, and I must say that I was satisfied with the outcome. I am positive that anyone else capable of doing this will be enjoy this game as much as I have.

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Just finished it last night, and wow, such mixed feelings.

On the plus side, I have never felt as part of the action as I have here. There is something seriously cool about using one hand to cast a spell to rip away an opponent's shield before blasting him with your other hand. A heck of a lot better than mere button mashing.

You also really do feel like you're riding your horse, and she takes on more of a life than your typical video game sidekick.

BUT...

If it hadn't had the word "Fable" in the title I've probably have had an easier time taking it for what it was. As others have said, you make no decisions whatsoever, the plot is completely pre-programmed, and your course is completely set for you. While I can see that the interface imposed some limitations, there's no reason more plot variability couldn't have been programmed in.

The game was also too short (I know, I sound like one of those whiners, "The food was inedible and the portions were too small").

It really is a nifty interface (well, at least when the Kinect is working), it's just a shame they didn't to more with the plot variability.

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I haven't beat the game yet so I can just talk about what I've played so far. Since it is a Kinect game it is way-way more limited than a regular game. Basically what you do is ride a horse, stop to rest (clean, feed, give water to the horse), fight here and there, go back to the horse. Ride the horse is more fun than fight, since it is not very accurate actually my husband is playing and yelling at the game right now so if the targets are far, its quite hard to hit them. Once they get pretty much in front of you you can kill them. And it is pretty easy to kill.

The story hasn't been that interesting either. A young man (you do not have the option of choosing a character) that eventually meets Teresa and go on from there.

The first Fable I played was the third one, so I wasn't disappointed at it at all. Actually that made me buy Fable 2, and when I eventually bought Fable (the original one) it wasn't very fun as the graphics were quite old. So the fun about playing Fable is you making your choices, having plenty quests to do as you desire and making your own path. This Fable isn't that at all, so I do not like playing it. The only option you have is what you are going to upgrade and there are not many options. The chests are stupid. All you get is cards from stuff you've seen at the other Fables A card of a pie, a dog ball, a gargoyle... So far I haven't seen a use to them.

The balls [I am sorry, don't know how to call those things you get that gives you experience (red, green and blue)] you just get them on the road and there's no difference. They all go towards the same thing that lets you upgrade something. The only difference is that according to the color you need a different speed from your horse to pick them. So that's another thing kind of stupid.

About people complaining of getting tired... Sorry to tell but it is a kinect game, so you have to use YOUR BODY to play. And actually you can play sitting, so that's a good thing. If I compare with the game it comes when you buy the Kinect, I play that for 5 minuted and I am dying, Fable Journey you can play for half an hour and you should be ok. And I do not do any exercise so no excuses.

My final point is: If you want to try it, go ahead and play it. But I am not sure if it's worth 50 dollars. Maybe you could just find a way to rent, have it for a couple of weeks and be done with it. I feel like I wasted way more than its worth it and I am already considering to sell it. Or maybe the game will get so many bad reviews that the price will go down pretty soon...

Honest reviews on Fable: The Journey - Xbox 360

UPDATE: I just finished the game. I'm lowering rating to 4 since it took about 10 hours for story mode (incl.collecting all cards). I'd expected it to be bit longer and more difficult. However I found you can replay sections in arcade and it's pretty tough to get gold which extends gameplay. Still great must have unique Kinect game in my opinion but not perfect.

Summary: I'm judging this as a Kinect game and not as a Fable game. That's probably why opinions differ especially on Kinect games. However story and graphics are easily best of any Kinect game so far. Graphics are really amazing even compared to non-Kinect games. Scenery also changes constantly and never gets boring. It's one of the most varied Kinect game and Kinect control is great. If you like Kinect games I'd say must have title for 2012.

You can play this entire game sitting down but I just played it standing up (I only play 1-2 hours at a time anyway). You could move chair into the playspace of course.

I had no problems with controls and with calibration the accuracy is really good for Kinect: After one time calibration you point with your hand exactly in the direction you want to cast the spell which is pretty unique for Kinect game. For me it works pretty much 1:1 onto TV screen. There's a demo to give you taste of the combat.

If you want to get decent video impression checkout: kinectaddict channel on youtube.

Note however it gets much more interesting later in the game. In beginning it's easy but gets slowly progressively tougher (including optional stops).

Story mode game has these alternating parts:

Navigate on your horse: you can control: speed, left/right direction and you can stop (note you can die going off a cliff or when chased you may hit too many objects/fire). You can collect tokens on the road which can be used for upgrades. There are some scenes mixed in where you are being chased or you are chasing hobbes or fending off attacks

optional rest stops where you can take care of the horse and restore health (heal, remove arrows, give water and food and brush the horse). Except for heal and remove arrows you get extra points for these that you can use for upgrades. You could skip this though and you just can buy less upgrades

optional stops for extra card collecting: they are like mini-games and are progressively getting tougher. Later stages have small basic puzzles and more combat

story & combat scenarios: these are the most interesting parts where you use your spells (with both your hands). Later on puzzles are added. Also new characters are introduced. There are about 7 different creatures that attack you with couple of end bosses

Arcade mode: There are 16 levels you can replay and it's little bit different from story: your energy doesn't automatically renew and you have optional scarecrows to find and destroy. This is a lot more challenging than story mode and lots of fun. Getting gold in each level is very tough so this will extend gameplay good deal and it's fun to play.

Potential negatives:

On rails: I can see how exploration would have made this game better. There are choices at times to go either left or right but typically they just open up optional mini games to collect more cards. So story is still linear but you can discover additional areas to collect cards

Story mode easy: chapter 1 is pretty easy however it becomes gradually more challenging. Chapter 2 introduces puzzles which most of the time are relatively easy. I finished the game and for most part it never gets overly difficult. I died about 5 times in entire story mode (accuracy is spot on for me so this allows me to finish enemies often quickly). Still fun but bit I'd be fine if it would be tougher (which is often case with Kinect to avoid making you too tired by retrying over and over). If you opt not to upgrade at all it will make the game lot more challenging so that's an option.

multi-player action: Not offered and would have been nice. You can see compare arcade scores on xbox live

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Not sure what the other people complaining about bad controls are talking about. Compared to other kinect games this has pretty good control. Like all kinect games, how well it controls is going to be dependent on how optimized your playing area is. I have a good amount of space and always use good lighting. I know not everyone is going to have a large amount of space to play, but that isn't really the games fault, you know what you are getting into with any kinect game. With this game you are for the most part stationary so you don't necessarily need a wide playing area but you will still need to be able sit far enough back so the kinect sensor can see you accurately. The game responds well to your arm motions whether it be pulling the reigns for your horse or redirecting the direction of the spells you cast. My eight year old daughter plays this game fine without any trouble, if she can control it fine I don't see any reason why anyone else wouldn't be able to.

As far as the game itself, it is a pretty fun lil spinoff of the fable games. This does not play anything like the past fable games and it is not meant to. This is not a continuation of the past fable games. This is a completely new game that takes place in the fable world. It is an on rails game and time will be split between driving your horse drawn carriage or on foot casting magic with both of your hands.Spells consist of projectiles that you can shoot and redirect around objects, pushing spells that also stun and pulling spells that let you fling enemies around or interact with world objects like boulders or pulling down parts of the ceiling. Along the way you gain experience and can upgrade your characters skills. It is a fun game with a decent story and worth a try if you enjoy kinect games.