Let’s not beat around the bush here, Fable 2’s first incarnation of downloadable content, Knothole Island, was a little flat, a tad lifeless, and incredibly short. Not exactly the epitome of value for money. Here we are though, second chances and all, and we’re hoping that Lionhead can instil a little pizzazz into their title with their second, slightly cheaper, outing, See The Future.
See The Future sees the return of Murgo the charismatic trader and his wonderful range of wacky items that carry a whole lot of trouble with them. The downloadable content sees the introduction of two small new areas with a quest tied, with the added bonus of a Coliseum, that makes the Crucible look like a leisurely stroll in the park. Players are free to tackle the two quests as they so wish, but in order to see the uninspiring See The Future interactive cutscene and battle in the Coliseum, players must have a completed the main story arc … which I hadn’t on my remaining save, forcing me to play through the game again just to see this part.
The first of the quests sees you heading into a small village inside a snow globe. Many will either recognise the village as Oakvale from the original Fable, or more recently, Wraithmarsh but without the wanton destruction and decimation. Here, players will be asked to save the once peaceful village from a evil curse that terrorises the locals and causes the world to be devoid of colour. An enjoyable quest but one that is rather samey and predictable and a little bit empty at times. The more amusing of the two quests is surely the latter that throws you into a graveyard to help a trapped spirit and requires you to dress up in various costumes to advance, tackling the usual suspects as you go.
The challenge and easily the more replayable aspect of See The Future comes in the form of the Coliseum, where players literally become overwhelmed with wave after wave of a whole range of foes in a 5 minute battle royale. Your aim is to last the 5 minutes killing as many foes as you can with each wave getting progressively harder. The Coliseum definitely adds a more competitive edge to the proceedings which is what the original adventure sorely missed and will have you retrying and retrying until you eventually clear all the waves and the Necromancer at the end. A welcome addition to the Fable universe and something you feel that the Crucible should have been in the first place.
As Lionhead did with Knothole Island, new items have been added for all to take advantage of, whether you purchase the premium content or just decide to stick with the free pack. The items include a few key items, namely, the dog evolving potions that allows you to basically change the look and strengths of your dog. Also worth a notable mention are the inclusion of the “Hat, Headband, Moustache” expression and your dog’s backflip which allows the Completionist achievement to obtained without having to purchase the Fable 2 Pub Games.
See The Future also sees 13 new achievements added to the title carrying a total of 250 points. The new achievements are in the same vein as the original’s and currently set the standard in what we’d like to see in DLC achievements from here on out. The new achievements have you sleeping around (sexually of course), shooting people’s nuts, abusing the locals in a wide range of costumes and opening demon doors (an achievement we feel should have been in the original list). At the other end of the scale, See The Future has thrown in some, not impossible, but challenging Coliseum achievements where the balance it spot on. All in all, a great set of additional achievements and ones that will have us scouring the far reaches of Albion once again.
The problem with See The Future is one that so many DLC packs have failed to overcome in recent months … and that’s offering you bang for your buck. Granted, it is better value for money than Knothole Island but it still falls short of the main game and fails to pull you in with any sort of “wow” factor. After you’ve spent a short few hours completing the two added quests and wasted an hour in the Coliseum, you’re still overcome with the “what now” vibe that we’re starting to become bored with. Don’t get me wrong, See The Future is an enjoyable couple of hours, but for $7, you’re probably better off getting a goldfish … it might have more life in it.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
See The Future sees the return of Murgo the charismatic trader and his wonderful range of wacky items that carry a whole lot of trouble with them. The downloadable content sees the introduction of two small new areas with a quest tied, with the added bonus of a Coliseum, that makes the Crucible look like a leisurely stroll in the park. Players are free to tackle the two quests as they so wish, but in order to see the uninspiring See The Future interactive cutscene and battle in the Coliseum, players must have a completed the main story arc … which I hadn’t on my remaining save, forcing me to play through the game again just to see this part.
The first of the quests sees you heading into a small village inside a snow globe. Many will either recognise the village as Oakvale from the original Fable, or more recently, Wraithmarsh but without the wanton destruction and decimation. Here, players will be asked to save the once peaceful village from a evil curse that terrorises the locals and causes the world to be devoid of colour. An enjoyable quest but one that is rather samey and predictable and a little bit empty at times. The more amusing of the two quests is surely the latter that throws you into a graveyard to help a trapped spirit and requires you to dress up in various costumes to advance, tackling the usual suspects as you go.
The challenge and easily the more replayable aspect of See The Future comes in the form of the Coliseum, where players literally become overwhelmed with wave after wave of a whole range of foes in a 5 minute battle royale. Your aim is to last the 5 minutes killing as many foes as you can with each wave getting progressively harder. The Coliseum definitely adds a more competitive edge to the proceedings which is what the original adventure sorely missed and will have you retrying and retrying until you eventually clear all the waves and the Necromancer at the end. A welcome addition to the Fable universe and something you feel that the Crucible should have been in the first place.
As Lionhead did with Knothole Island, new items have been added for all to take advantage of, whether you purchase the premium content or just decide to stick with the free pack. The items include a few key items, namely, the dog evolving potions that allows you to basically change the look and strengths of your dog. Also worth a notable mention are the inclusion of the “Hat, Headband, Moustache” expression and your dog’s backflip which allows the Completionist achievement to obtained without having to purchase the Fable 2 Pub Games.
The problem with See The Future is one that so many DLC packs have failed to overcome in recent months … and that’s offering you bang for your buck. Granted, it is better value for money than Knothole Island but it still falls short of the main game and fails to pull you in with any sort of “wow” factor. After you’ve spent a short few hours completing the two added quests and wasted an hour in the Coliseum, you’re still overcome with the “what now” vibe that we’re starting to become bored with. Don’t get me wrong, See The Future is an enjoyable couple of hours, but for $7, you’re probably better off getting a goldfish … it might have more life in it.