Lionhead Studios: Fable 4 Jobs For Next-Gen

It was the console to beat all others. Nintendo announced its new system two years before its unveiling. It was named, "Revolution" and had everybody buzzing. We now know it as the Wii-- a less than threatening name that is more suited to Nintendo's goals. "Revolution" served as a wonderful project title filled with mystery and excitement. However, according to Reggie Fils-Aime, it would not translate well under many other languages. Plus, a name like that would have probably caused an uproar from Americans stating the Japanese are out to get them again. That didn't happen...at least to my knowledge. Wii is friendlier and less menacing. Nintendo was right about the Wii's original namesake, it did cause quite the revolution in the video game industry because of its highly advanced motion sensor system.


There was one new IP shown that got our attention as gamers for a brief moment, Codename: KINGDOMS , with no game-play or true promotion. This was quickly watered down for those of us at home who saw those covering the event immediately drawing comparisons between this and the God of War franchise. Eventually they revealed the Xbox 360 S (a.k.a. Slim) which did little to entice owners of functioning Xbox 360s. Another thing that worked against MS was the decision to demo Call of Duty: Black Ops , a multi-platform game for a longer period of time than most of their other showcases. Yes, there was talk of some timed exclusivity for the DLC (wouldn't be MS without some) but this too was little to parade over since this deal has already been standard with bestseller Modern Warfare 2 . All things considered, the Microsoft Press Conference was almost hard to watch. I had thought ahead of time that MS could show many strong new IPs and win E3 2010, but boy was I wr


But if anything, The Journey did offer the series room to breath after its three main installments between 2005 and 2010. Creator Peter Molyneux has already promised that Fable 4 would come to fruition at some point in the foreseeable future, and a pair of job listings from Lionhead Studios suggests that a major series overhaul -- perhaps even a full reboot -- is underway for the next generat

This event is such a big deal for some that it's probably more exciting than Christmas. The Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3, is the greatest event on every video gamer's calendar. It all began back in the 1990s to little fanfare. Despite the lack of attention, there were some monumental announcements. It was at this E3 that Sony made its debut to the gaming industry. The Sega Saturn was available to test play as well as the Nintendo Virtual Boy. Nintendo also revealed its Ultra 64 console, stating it will be ready next year. A few notable game titles at the show included Ridge Racer, Panzer Dragoon and Virtua Fighter. E3 started slow, but because this was the first expo dedicated to video games, more companies and fans realized they weren't going to miss out next year.


Seeking to fill vacancies for an animation director and a core engine programmer , the listings became notable for their job descriptions and preferred-experience requirements. Both positions, they read, fablelegendary.Com will be "key contributor[s] on an unannounced title," and both desire applicants with "knowledge of Unreal Engine 3 and/or

Oftentimes, the other concern, when discussing ported games, is the controls. Lionhead claimed that this was their number one priority in building the PC version of the game. They completely reconfigured the control system for the PC - taking advantage of key things like the mouse wheel (which is used to switch between magic, guns, and swords, similar to how it is used in shooters to switch weapons). The game controls well, and even for a native Xbox player I found it easy to pick up and play. Of course, the game also supports gamepads, and using the 360 controller offered a equivalent experience to playing on the X


PC users are also given all the add-ons included with the Limited Collector's Edition of the console title - which amounts to a new area, a quest with a new sword, outfit, and the boxer dog breed. For those that have pre-purchased from Steam, there will be 5 exclusive tattoo sets as well as 4 legendary weapons made available to your H


The industry's current infatuation with motion control gaming is openly seen as a clever (or not so clever) ploy to divert the attention of the "casual" gamer from Nintendo’s very successful Wii console. It has been common knowledge for some time now that both Sony and MS are developing their own approach to motion control gaming, the Move and Kinect respectively. But to take the world's largest annual industry platform, at which many of gaming's biggest showcases have occurred, and focus on this single, controversial piece of hardware as the centerpiece has left many fans, myself included, shaking their fist in the air and wondering what the heck happe


Should the listings indeed apply to Fable 4 , Lionhead's "reimagining" may well arrive in the form of a next-generation, free-to-play MMO. For one, The Journey , as mentioned, already took a significant departure from the Fable foundation with its implementation of Kinect-based gameplay and a more linear narrative. And when Lionhead hired former Cryptic Studios CEO John Needham to head up operations this April, parent company Microsoft was quick to extoll his "deep understanding" of "subscription-based, massively multi-player, client-based console and free-to-play online [experience