Fable 2 is the best damn game I’ve played all year.  Period. Since the media embargoes are all ending today, I think you’ll see that I’m not alone in believing this.  Everything from the first game has been dramatically improved and I really do believe this is Peter Moleneux’s best game to date. Sure there are a few things I’m unhappy with (a lot of it to do with co-op), but I haven’t had this much fun playing an RPG is as long as I can remember.

Obviously this game is currently my front-runner for game of the year.  I’m expecting Fallout 3 and Gears of War 2 to also be strong contenders but at this point  I’m not so sure they’ll be match my love for this game.

One of the most fascinating things about this game is how different everyone’s world is.  Talking with my twitter-friends reveals that we’re all having completely varied experiences based on the choices we’ve made.  And those choice? NOT OBVIOUS.  I can’t say too much without the possibility of massive spoilers but I will say that I was making choices without realizing it… BIG ONES.  If you want to get a lot more out of this game when you pick it up tomorrow… be sure to share your experience with other players.  It adds a lot to the experience.

36. Another Day in Albion - Part 1

Being gamers, Maranda and I have spent an awful lot of time lately talking about which games are on the must-buy list this holiday season.  Our lists differ a little, but I thought I’d take a moment to talk about my A and B tier games and why they’re on their particular list.  Let’s start with the “A” list (games that I consider to be “must buy” on release):

• Fable 2
• Fallout 3
• Gears of War 2

Fable 2 wins top spot as my most anticipated game this year.  A lot of people call me crazy, but I really did love the first game.  I hadn’t heard any of the hype associated with this game except for that it was supposed to be really good and to this day it remains the only RPG that I’ve played through more than twice.  If Peter Moleneux and his team say this one is better than I’m inclined to believe them.  And, luckily, I’ve already had some playtime with this one last August at X08.  I enjoyed what I played and October 21st can’t get here soon enough!

Speaking of RPGs, I really did try to get through Oblivion more than twice.  Hell, even more than once would have been a significant accomplishment.  Oh, don’t get me wrong… I tried to get through it again several times after I had completed the game but Tamriel is just so damn big that I never got very far!  Bethesda’s follow up game has been described to me as Oblivion with guns and, let me tell you, that sounds freaking amazing.

For me, Gears of War 2 really represents the phenomenal season closer.  Maranda and I played through the first game split-screen and had a fantastic time.  You can tell that Cliff and the crowd over at Epic really knew what they were doing when they put that one together.  Everything just makes sense.  The next game is supposed to have a better story (which is good because I had to watch the ending of the last game twice before I could understand what happened), and better graphics (I’ve seen them in person, they’re pretty slick but you really have to look for the changes).

Hit the jump for more…

Cliff Bleszinski from Epic Games

X08 is pretty different for me than it is for most.  Typically, attendees fall into two different groups; people who are showing off their games and the people who are there to play them.  Myself? I’m there pretty much to meet people and network.  Yes it’s true, for me the games are secondary.

In fact, X08 marks the first X0 event where I’ve even picked up a controller.  I made it a point to get there early enough that I’d have time to play games in between conversations and I’m very glad I did because X08 was, by far, the best in the entire series.  No contest.  I guess the high-lights would be:

• Meeting everyone that I met! Fans, friends, gamers… they were all awesome.
• Meeting Cliff from Epic Games
  
• Meeting Donna from Electric Playground
  (I still feel bad because our camera was a little screwy and we had to take three pictures before it worked right!)
• Getting interviewed by Jake for I.X.
• Going to dinner afterward with the community

Of course, an X0 wouldn’t be complete without a few games. Read on, my friends.  Read on.