The titles were:

• The RTS Dune 2: The game took players away from twitch play to a cerebral approach.
• Super Mario 64: The true precursor to the likes of GTAIV as it ushered in free roaming in an open environment.
• Tomb Raider: The game featured an iconic heroine instead of a muscle-bound man.
• Halo: The title brought FPS games to consoles.
• World of Warcraft: The use of "carrot dangling" to drive players to keep playing.

Agree? Disagree?

Molyneux picks his top 5 most innovative games [That VideoGame Blog]

That's according to an account of the Microsoft Game Studios creative director's talk at BAFTA's Video Games Lecture from That VideoGame Blog. It sounds like Molyneux either envisions something along the lines of free-to-play MMO pricing tactics, in which the good stuff may be available to those willing to purchase or simply an easier way to get unlockable items.

Based on a tweet from Gamesbrief's Nicholas Lovell, it sounds more like the latter. "In-game shops are just a way of monetizing cheating," Molyneux was paraphrased as saying at the lecture.

Of course, who knows how much of this will come to be, given Peter's track record. But it sounds like interesting plans are afoot for the third Fable, like them or not.

Microtransactions coming to Fable III [TVGB]

In an interview at the PICNIC Conference in the Netherlands last week, Molyneux's interviewer basically stipulates that there will be no Natal support in Fable III. Rather than move on to the rest of the question, Molyneux goes out of his way to correct the record, and then some.

Here's a transcript of Molyneux's relevant remarks, beginning with his questioner saying Fable III will not incorporate Natal.

I never said that.

I am going to say it's going to use a controller. But I've never said it's not going to use Natal.

And obviously what would probably happen if I started talking about this is you would see a little red dot appear moving on my forehead. And then as I would start to speak the words then there would be a shot, gunfire, and I would be assassinated. Quite clearly it is that sensitive.

But let me give this to you absolutely straight. I have not said that we're not going to have Natal in Fable III. All I have really said is it is a controller experience. That doesn't mean there isn't going to be Natal.

Do you really think ... knowing me ... I wouldn't want to use something like Natal? I mean that's just mad, man.

The entire video is here - the beginning narrative is in Dutch but the interview is in English. The relevant Natal comments begin about 7:00.

Big thanks to reader Rowan for the tip.

Interview Peter Molyneux [PICNIC 2009] [Game Kings]

"Now, I hate demos," Molyneux tells website Edge Online. "I think demos are the death knell of experiences. Over the years I've done demos and they've either completely ruined the game, given too much to the player, or they've confused people, so I said that we should give away the very first 45 minutes of the game, completely free, and just before you get to Bowerstone up comes this message saying, ‘If you want to continue playing press this button, but if you want to buy the rest of the game, press this'. So people that are interested but don't want to commit to the full purchase can play more, and people that are into it can buy all of it, and they don't lose experience or gold they've collected."

Instead of a separate demo, it sounds like Molyneux would rather allow players to start playing the actual title. If they like it, they can buy the game. If not, they can stop and be done with it. Kind of like flipping through a book in a bookstore, but without the ability to sit in said bookstore all day and read the book free of charge. Dammit.

"If you think to the future I think you can see a world in which the close relationship with the customer that digital affords is going to completely change the way players pay for games," adds Molyneux. That future, argues the designer, should be fairly priced so that players are "second mortgaging [their] house" every time they're buying an episode.

Interview: Peter Molyneux [Edge]

The "See The Future" DLC strongly and bluntly alluded to that new direction as well, and today's press conference in Germany seems to have cemented that into fact.

"Third in a series and second outing on same format can be a problem," Molyneux said. Instead of rehashing a slightly tweaked version of Fable II, the designer wants players to be surprised and "expect the unexpected." For Fable III, that means ruling a kingdom.

A voice-over for the game's teaser sums it up perfectly: "The kingdom of Albion is changing. The land needs a ruler. King or queen. Cherished leader or ruthless tyrant. That future has not been written. The race for the crown has begun."

Instead of becoming a hero, players will start out as the son or a daughter of an Albion hero and become the ruler of all — explaining those recent teasers. For the first half of the game, players will lead a fight against a tyrant king by gathering support, gaining followers and uniting factions and then face the reality of why those things happen in the world.

Players must decide which promises they can keep for their followers, and those choices will not be as easy as they sound.

The developer has been inspired by historical figures like Joan of Arc, Richard III and Genghis Khan.

"Why not be that king or that queen? Your consequences and your judgments affect not just you, but the whole of your land," Molyneux says. The designer wants players to feel the power of their actions.

Like other Fable games, players can play the title for good or evil. Choices include poverty, greed, tyranny, compassion, progress and tradition. Also, like in Fable II, the player's family will have a role in the game. You can expand your castle to please your queen or king, but at the expense of taking money from the pockets of your people. Characters from Fable II will also be appearing in the title.

The landscape of Albion will range from lush green to industrialized to show "dynamic regions" and how they show things like poverty and injustice.

Game mechanic-wise, Fable III allows players to pardon citizens or sentence them to whatever fate they like. It's up to the player to make those judgments. Another new mechanic is called "Touch". Because the expressions of Fable II are not appropriate for Fable III (you are the ruler!), this new interaction allows players to shake hands, hug, embrace and even give a "full passionate snog". "Dynamic Touch" allows players to hold hands and, for example, pull them along to look at the sunset.

"Imagine hearing the cries from a young child in a house," says Molyneux. "You as a hero, a ruler, you storm into that house to save that child." Dynamic Touch will add more to saving that child than simply pressing A to save them, letting you feel the interaction of picking them up, pulling them away, saving them from a burning house. "Being able to touch people as a ruler and see how they react, that's what we want."

According to Molyneux, "You're going to see all sorts on injustices on the road to your rule." That road to rule begins in 2010 when Fable III arrives on the Xbox 360.

OK, this very definitely is about a Gamescom announcement, but the choice of historical figures is quite intriguing. Guevara and Robespierre are men of considerable controversy; Lincoln, for his time (it was a civil war, after all) was, too, but definitely is remembered in a much better light than the other two. I mean, the guy's on money. End of argument.

Honest Abe's quote is about revolution, reinforcing that theme. Any clues what we're dealing with, other than yet another homepage countdown?

Lionhead Studios [site]

Visitors landing on Lionhead Studio's website are now greeted by the visage of Maximilien Robespierre, a key figure in the French Revolution. Gamers will also note that the number six that was subtly displayed next to Che's head has been replaced with a rather blatant number five today.

Peter Molyneux, no stranger to hype, seems to be preparing for some news, perhaps big news at next week's GamesCom. Five days from now Molyneux, Creative Director of Microsoft Game Studiosm, will, according to Microsoft, make a "special announcement."

Will it be for a revolutionary-themed game, or a game seen by Molyneux as revolutionary? Which ever it is, we'll be there live to break the news.

Under the black and white image is a single quote from Guevara:

"At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love."
Che Guevara (1928 - 1967)

Visitors have to click on either a thumbs up or a thumbs down to continue to the main page.

Clicking on the thumbs up brings visitors to a page that includes the word "followers" in the html and features not only Che's picture but two bullet riddled scrolls partially rolled down the sides of the page. There are also tiny insects fluttering about.

Clicking on the thumbs down brings visitors to a similar page with "subjects" in the html. The scrolls are a different color, there are no bullet holes, and the insects are replaced with what seems to be bits of floating dust.

The page also has a faded, hard to notice number six stamped next to Che's head. In six days Lionhead's Peter Molyneux will be speaking at a Microsoft Game Studio press conference to help kick off GamesCom in Cologne.

I think it's fair to say we can expect some news. But what will it be?

Lionhead Studios

So who's mentioning Fable III now? The New York Times, which is typically not wrong about much. More specifically, the Times "Weddings/Celebrations" section is talking about the next Fable game. Yes, Fable III is being mentioned alongside the announcement of Lionhead designer Joshua Atkins' weekend wedding. PR is so weird!

This nuptial news source isn't the first time Fable III has been rumored to be underway, as British TV personality Jonathon Ross indicated his voice over involvement in the third chapter. Peter Molyneux has hinted at what's to come in future Fable games, citing the "See The Future" expansion as "a flavor at what's going to be happening" in the next episode.

Again, no real confirmation that Fable III exists—for that, we're checking in with Microsoft. But if it did, would anyone be surprised?

Let's just pray that development on future Fable games does even less relationship harm in the future. And congratulations to Mr. Atkins.

Amy Gilbert, Joshua Atkins [NY Times - thanks, Louis!]

Previously, Molyneux founded Bullfrog Productions where he created "god games" like Populous. After leaving Bullfrog, Molyneux created Lionhead Studios, which has churned out titles like Black & White and The Movies. That studio was purchased by Microsoft in April 2006.

In his new role, the game designer will oversee the creative direction of fellow UK Microsoft studio Rare, as well as other European external projects. He will continue to be based in the Lionhead offices. And those worried about his involvement in future Lionhead titles, Molyneux tweeted, "thanks for the support everyone. Just to be clear I will still be as involved with the design of lionhead games as ever was."

Molyneux becomes European creative director at MGS [Develop]

The studio that brought us Black & White and the Fable games has a creative process called "experiments" where anybody in the company can take a stab at developing a game mechanic or a piece of technology to be used in a future Lionhead game. The process sounds a bit more rigorous than Bungie pre-Halo 3; but it yields some pretty interesting results.

Molyneux showed off some of these experiments — ones that worked and ones that didn't quite pan out. We saw two prototypes of the dog from Fable II: the first was a rewards system where you could pet the dog a la Nintendogs (which Lionhead eventually chucked; and the second was a mechanic of having the dog run ahead of the player instead of following behind (the status quo in the final game).

We also saw a host of technical developments — like an aging system that applies a layer of wear and tear to everything in the world (murderizes the rendering rates), and a one-button combat system where the computer decides how the character attacks based on proximity to a target (which sort of made it into Fable II).

But the most interesting thing was a "tech demo" called "The Room" — made with love by Alex, Mark and Dave. As in Mark Healey, Alex Evans, Dave Smith — three out of the four guys that formed Media Molecule which went on to make LittleBigPlanet.

You could see a lot of proto-LBP things in "The Room" — from the textures on the fabrics and wallpaper to the concept of "empowering player creativity" by letting them design their own items to fill the room , everything just screams "Make me into an award-winning game."

But Lionhead didn't. They shelved it.

"This is one that didn't work terribly well," said Molyneux. "They worked on this for quite some time... and they had some really, really cool ideas. All of this was enormously, massively exciting... Each time we looked at it, our jaws dropped every single time. But – at the end of the day, even though this looks really cool and inspired us massively, it wasn't an experiment that really went anywhere."

You're right, sir. Four Game Developers Choice awards, a BAFTA and tons of Game of the Year nominations and wins is nowhere.

But, before you can cry "sour grapes," Internet — you should know that Molyneux said, "Media Molecule [are] some of the smartest people in the world."

Apparently, smarter than him, even.

Fable II (Lionhead Studios), Race Driver: GRID (Codemasters) and LittleBigPlanet (Media Molecule) were all developed at UK studios, and all won at this year's Bafta Video Games Awards. Vaizey, a Conservative, singled them out for praise) in his motion in the House of Common. Eleven members supported the motion.

Here is its full text:

That this House notes the importance of the video games sector to the UK economy; congratulates the winners and nominees at this year's Bafta Video Games Awards; notes in particular the success of UK developed games, including Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet, Codemasters' Race Driver: GRID and Lionhead Studios' Fable II, all of which won awards; applauds this recognition of the continued success and significance of video games despite the complete lack of support from Government; regrets the fact that this lack of support from Government has seen the UK fall from being the third largest producer of video games in the world to the fifth largest; and urges the Government to devise a clear and supportive strategy for the UK video games sector as part of the Digital Britain review.

Other MPs have also decried the Government's lack of interest in seeing its development industry thrive.

Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, the day's first motion expressed the House's "great shock and sorrow" at the shooting in Germany, which authorities there pinned on the gaming habit of a disturbed teenager.

Fable II, LBP, GRID Receive Kudos in Parliament [GamePolitics]

I thought maybe I was in the wrong room, but then Fable II's Technical Art Director, Ian Lovett, started speaking and I relaxed a little.

The lecture — done mostly by Microsoft's Lead Environment Artist, Mark Smart, focused on the transitions that the art and design teams of Fable I had to make to get Fable II up to Xbox 360 visual quality standards. Fable I had a sort of clunky charm — Smart called it "organic" — that was achieved mostly by the art team not knowing where to find assets and not having really any concept artwork to go off of before beginning the modeling process.

According to Smart and Lovett, about 40% of what the art team made for Fable I was wasted. In contrast, Fable II only had to waste about 2% or 3% of the total art created.

This newfound "green" approach came mostly from adopting discipline. The team threw out the old engine and the "pipeline" that artists used to put their creations in the world and built everything from the ground up: engine, software, technique – everything.

"It's quite, well, an aggressive learning process," Smart admits. He says that because everything wasn't even built when the artists had to start working, nobody could even preview what they made before submitting it.

"Typical no pain no gain," he said. "But try to explain that to a bunch of angry artists that can't see what they're making."

Now I understand why they played that blues song about whipping — sounds like Lionhead had a to crack one over their collective ass.

Even Peter Molyneux had to climb down from his arts-y cloud and learn some discipline: "I'm just going to be mean about our boss here," said Lovett. "He's a fantastic designer, incredibly creative. But like most [designers] he doesn't understand what he's doing [right from the start]."

To save on time, energy and screaming at the art team while the new engine was built, Lionhead decided to render Albion — the world of Fable II — in the Fable I engine, just as a mock-up. It was an enormous help, said Lovett, because it allowed the designers to come up with what they wanted to do in advance so that when the new engine started working, there wasn't a lot of time wasted on "exploring."

The team sacrifice of total design freedom in favor of concept art, pre-rendered objects (called "white boxes") and a little bit of outsourcing paid off, said Lovett. "We are incredibly proud of the end result. We introduced all kinds of new concepts when we were making the game – the idea that we could be organized, the biggest of them – but we managed to produce a game [that sold] just under 3 billion units and won a number of awards. We just won the BAFTA for best action-adventure game."

"Just having something well-planned, well thought out," Smart said, "saved us so much time and effort. And sadness, really, because there's nothing worse than working on a particular thing only to see it put in the bin."

"Have you seen Marley and Me yet," I ask.

Molyneux seems confused for a second than remembers it's that movie based on the true story of a man and his dog, a big affable, but destructive dog.

No, he says, it was too sickly sweet, something that should be avoided at all costs.

"It's just that it seems like Fable II," I say "It uses a dog as the emotional vehicle and you get really attached to Marley and then he dies."

"Oh! You've spoiled it for me! Now I can't see it!"

... Spoiler alert?

Gay video game designer Jamie Durrant is suing Microsoft for £45,000 in 'hurt feelings' and lost pay, claiming discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Durrant claims that following Microsoft's buyout of Lionhead, where he has worked for the past 11 years, the atmosphere began to grow uneasy. Around January of last year, Jamie says he began receiving abusive emails with subjects that read "I'm Jim and I'm Gay" and "Me and my Favourite Men", and that he was given the nickname "Fag Boy Jim".

Durrant's complaints to the human resources department resulted in nothing more than a promise to send round a memo on how to behave in a diverse workplace once the firm updated their official policies, which never happened. Durrant also claims he was offered counciling, to which his response was
"They're making out that I'm the one with the problem."

As of right now, Jamie has been off work for depression for seven months, and now he is seeking damages. If his claims are legitimate, I'd say he's aiming far too low money-wise, especially considering he's dealing with a company once lauded by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for their treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered employees.

Perhaps Lionhead simply didn't get the memo.

Xbox designer sues Microsoft over 'Fag Boy' jibes at work [Mail Online]

(We agree.)

Sir Molyneux has lauded the creative platformer before, telling the BBC the game was a product of "superb artistry and a fantastic marketing job by Sony." He did question LittleBigPlanet's release time frame though, so Pete's not without his criticism.

Molyneux's shout out to Media Molecule and Sony came via c&binet — the Creative and Business International Network — an organization at which he's an "ambassador."

“LittleBigPlanet has outstanding creative vision," he said. "It’s from a British start-up studio and is one of the defining titles on Japan’s Sony PS3.” The Britons do stick together.

The Best of the Creative Economy: Peter Molyneux on Little Big Planet [c&binet via GamesIndusty.biz]

Here's the full list of what's fixed:

• The Ritual/Monk’s Quest — Fixed the issue with the Abbott becoming unresponsive if you leave Oakfield before he finishes talking. This will fix the problem if you’ve already hit it, too.

• Rescuing Charlie/Rescue My Baby — after rescuing Charlie, you can now able to interact with objects

• Guild Cave chest — resolves any issues with previously inability to retrieve items unlocked from Limited Collector’s Edition, website or Chicken Kickin’ game. If you’ve already hit this bug you should now get your items.

• The Spire (Pt2) — no more issues with ship captain being unresponsive

• The Hero of Skill (Pirate King) — you’ll no longer get stuck during Hero of Skill quest (Bloodstone)

• T.O.B.Y./Trouble In Bloodstone — you’ll no longer get stuck during T.O.B.Y. quests (Bloodstone)

• Your child — will no longer be chosen as an assassination target

• Furniture Shop in Albion (Bowerstone) will now always have something for sale

• "Additional unspecified fixes" (their words)

Also, Knothole Island has been added to the map in Tales of Albion.

Fable II Title Update release and Tales of Albion [Lionhead Dev Blog]

Knothole Island will come with three new quests set in three new dungeons, a new range of outfits, six new weapons, dozens of new potions and new weapon customization.

A free content updating hitting Live on Jan. 13 will also give players a collection of gifts from Knothole Island including Knight's Boots, Assassins Gloves, a special Weight Loss Potion and a collectible silver book.

Citing "unexpected technical difficulties," which is starting to sound like a Fable II tradition, the Knothole Island expansion will instead ship "late January 2009." It was originally planned for a mid-December release when it was announced in November. Obviously, that means the Download and Win contest associated with its release has also been temporarily suspended.

It's OK, Lionhead, I'm always late for everything too. We're sure everyone will find something else with those 800 Microsoft Points.

Fable II Knothole Island [Xbox - thanks, Craig!]

Now that Fable II has shipped and made a killing at retail, it's time to move on. The show is still a few hours away for those of us on the West Coast, but G4's The Feed writes that Pete will talk up one "familiar" game, hinting that a beloved Bullfrog or Lionhead franchise may be revisited. Ooh! What could it be?! The Moves II?

The other? It's touted to be "something completely different," specifically "different from anything any development studio has done before." Perhaps it's a hyperbole game? Whatever it is, we've now learned that a teaser for a teaser is almost as unbearable as an announcement about an announcement.

Exclusive: Molyneux Teases TWO New Projects on Tonight's X-Play [G4]