Moochy

The 'Blades' epitomise why the 360 - alongside the PS3 and Wii - was the best generation of gaming. They made the console itself an experience, with some outstanding games to boot that were so progressive compared to the prior gen... Whereas the gaps between generations now just feel so miniscule in comparison!

I've always loved the original Fable's box art, it's simple but embodies the game brilliantly.

@Nightcrawler71 Dare one might even say... "ghosted" for GoY 🥸

@Fenbops completely agree, if by 'technological' Xbox are snidely referring to cloud gaming or some other sort of relatively still niche aspect of gaming, then sure, but otherwise the gaps between each new gen seems increasingly miniscule.
The PS5 Pro price is definitely a concern, too. Assuming the eventual PS6 (or next Xbox) are more powerful than the PS5 Pro, logic suggests they'll also be more expensive... Unless Sony realise they majorly overpriced the Pro and learn their lesson (one can only hope, ay)!

Fable is definitely my favourite game to come from the OG era, which I think only comes second to the 360. But honestly my fondest memory of playing the original Xbox was playing it in Curry's on a demo stand whilst my mum looked about. It was a time when you could go the high street and discover something in-person as opposed to always reading about stuff on the internet these days!

Feel like the whole PlayStation angle is being milked here.. I definitely recall playing this as a hatchling back when it was common to have a 'family PC'!

I feel like I'm in the minority with this, but I've always thought that 3D Worms games are far superior to their 2D counterparts. I often consider buying an old PS3 just to redownload Worms Ultimate Mayhem for whenever I have mates around.

Game looks a hot mess

I was definitely more tolerant to longer games as a kid/teenager that had no real responsibilities and the freedom to waste time. But these days, anything 30 hours plus is draining; especially when it involves doing the same sh*t over and over.. there's only a handful of games that I've gotten truly 'lost in' as an adult.

The 360, alongside the PS3 and the Wii, was gaming at its best for me. The leap in terms of performance and graphics etc was exceptional, the games in general felt more original, online gaming was beginning to properly find it's feet, DLC wasn't the norm, and even navigating console interfaces felt like a new and fun experience.. all happy memories now!

Great game, definitely worth a play through.

Absolute hogwash! Changes between generations are becoming more marginal than ever... I'll believe it when I see it.

New Vegas for me, followed by The Outer Worlds

@Kaloudz Yeah I think we're referring to different aspects that are getting lost in translation (the cons of plain text without tone etc).. you definitely can take a good game (i.e., AC 2) and then hold other games to that standard - albeit for different reasons depending on what people prioritise. For instance, someone might prefer the plot of no.3 but the mechanics of Odyssey.

And no, I'm not talking about specifics within games. You have to appreciate that comparisons are often much more crude, even amongst key gamers. Imagine a casual gamer friend asking you "what's the best game set in feudal Japan?", or an article titled "The 10 Best Xbox Games set in Feudal Japan" (which is entirely believable and very likely already a thing).. you're forced to make a collective comparison (e.g., GoT to AC 'Red', and so on)... believe me, I've wanted a feudal Japan AC for as long as anyone, but it's sad to say that itch has well and truly been scratched via some brilliant games over the past decade or so. Had Ubisoft listened to their fans and developed/released 'Red' prior to any of entries from Origins onwards, I think the reception would have been much better. However, for obvious reasons, Ubisoft's reputation has taken a bit of a beating more recently and this could well impact how 'Red' is eventually received by more serious gamers (which is probably irrelevant anyway because Ubisoft clearly prioritise profits and the larger, casual fanbase).

Finally, yes, I agree there's a stark difference between fan favourites and unit sales; both fall under the idea of 'popular'.

@Kaloudz no one is disputing the setting etc, anyone remotely aware of AC could guess feudal Japan makes for a brilliant location.. we're saying they're a bit late to the game as all and is now unlikely to introduce anything ground-breaking. You're naive if you think that people won't compare this to the likes of GoT.

Rivals are almost certainly based on comparisons (e.g., FIFA to Pro Evo; CoD to Battlefield; Tekken to Street Fighter; Forza to Gran Turismo)... Also not quite sure what popularity has to do with anything; Call of Duty sells like hot cakes despite being absolute dog poo!

@ZuneTattooGuy completely agree, feudal Japan has well and truly been done at this stage.. and excellently at that (i.e. Ghost of Tsushima)! It's not to say this AC can't be amazing, but they'll need to go heavy on the stealth element for me (like Tenchu Z)

@Kaloudz of course comparisons will be made, it's how we judge what's good/bad with any game! You've evidently made comparisons yourself within AC as a franchise to suggest this one could "rival" AC 2.

@CharlieChooChoo fudge the history is AC's middle name!.. but let's be real, shinobi are arguably the closest thing so far in any AC game to people's broader depiction of assassin's; certainly moreso than Spartans and vikings! So I wouldn't lose sleep at this point over historical (in)accuracies.

I think people playing this down are missing the point. It's simply not part of the gaming experience. Yes, it's instantly skippable but being compliant to this sort of tasteless greed is exactly why incomplete games and DLC has become the industry norm. I won't personally lose sleep over the issue, but it's definitely one of those things that makes me think not having as much time to game the older I get isn't such a bad thing... But as for people trying to justify it by saying stuff like "it's money they can invest back into the games" - get real! The fat cats at Ubisoft etc care first for lining their pockets, and the quality of their games second.

Nope. It's somewhat apples to oranges, but Forza doesn't come close to the likes of Mario Kart or Midnight Club for overall enjoyability and playability.

Is it just me who thinks it looks/sounds so generic? Sophisticated gizmos aside, the plot seems little more than buttered bread... I truly hope I'm wrong with my 7/10!