| Fable II Pub Games |
| Posted on 14th September 2008 by Ruairidh Campbell |
Fable II Pub Games is an advert. That's basically its only function. A means of telling people about Fable II with the added prospect of anything won in it being transferred to the retail game. It seems Peter Molyneux likes gimmicks as much as he does hyping up his games. It's a good idea, yes - making money for advertising - and one which we're bound to see happen more and more. A good game, though? No.
Pub Games comes free with both versions of upcoming Fable II, but is available now on the marketplace for download at 800 MS Points, or free from some stores if pre-ordered. For your 800 points, you'll get a selection of 3 gambling games to play through: Keystone, Fortune's Tower and Spinnerbox.
Keystone is a dice throwing game, in which the number that rolls up can make or break you, depending on what was bet on prior to the throw. It's a fairly simple game. Just like all of them. Fortune's Tower is a card game in which you continually are issued cards until you chose to take the money; the value of the cards determining the money you win. Get two of the same card in the same 'column', and you risk losing your bet. Spinnerbox follows the generic gambling mini-game idea that Pub Games has going on. It's a game of slots. That simple. All three of the games involve very little skill, too. A good share of the outcomes are down to sheer chance, regardless of any 'gambling skills' you may have established. This can often result in little more than you getting annoyed at the game.
What is there to do? Well, there's unlockables. You can unlock some concept art, some tournaments of the thrilling gambling games and… well… that's all you can do. There's a few bugs being reported that allow you to make ridiculous amounts of money within a few minutes playing time, if you want to start Fable II with more bling than 50 Cent will do in Blood on the Sand. But, to be honest with you, I only see that as ruining a lot of the fun of what makes Fable such a great adventure game.
And, so, it's quite ironic that this is what Fable II Pub Games does. The game is soulless, charmless, and ultimately a waste of your time – the exact opposite of what Fable is about. As a free add-on to Fable II, Pub Games might not get that harsh a criticism. But, as a 800-point arcade game, it's impossible to recommend. Big fans of the Fable universe are the only ones that could really get anything out of it, and those are also the people that will have pre-ordered the game, and so be getting it free. Considering paying 800 points for it? Do yourself a favour and just look up Google for some free flash gambling games.
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Single Player Score: 2/10
Multiplayer Score: 0/10
Overall Score: 2/10 |
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