10 Video Games We Want To See On Film

Peter Molyneux’s role in the gaming industry has been one of the longest in the industry’s history, with his first game, The Entrepreneur , being released in 1984. The Entrepreneur , despite Molyneux’s enthusiasm toward it, was a mass commercial failure, said to have sold only two copies (one of which rumored to be from his own mother). After the game’s brutal release, Molyneux left the industry for the next three years, until he teamed up with Les Edgar to begin the game development company Bullfrog Productions. Though the company released a scrolling shooter named Fusion a year before, 1989 marked the release of Populous , Molyneux’s claim to fame and what is arguably the very first "god game." Populous was a commercial success, becoming the best-selling game from the company and becoming the progenitor for future strategy games of its kind. Further Bullfrog games like Dungeon Keeper followed in Populous’ wake until Molyneux created Lionhead Studios to produce other god games like Black and White . Molyneux steadily continued experimenting with new ways to play with Fable on Xbox and use of Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral (with the tech demo Milo ). Currently with 22 Cans Studios, Molyneux is developing a "spiritual successor" to his game Populous called Godus , which met funding goals on Kickstarter in 2012.

Peter Molyneux has created a number of legendary titles since he began making games in the '80s, earning numerous accolades and pioneering one of the most important genres in gaming history. But his ambition has become somewhat infamous over time; he’s always reaching for creative new ways to play and experience games, but almost always misses the target in some way, shape or form. And Molyneux’s eagerness to innovate is no secret (he’s admitted it himself): he’s formed a recurring theme for anything he’s made. Peter Molyneux refuses to settle in the current environment of gaming; whether it’s good, bad or in between, the Lionhead visionary has never stayed in one place in the industry. He loves the future, but can never reach it. He hates the past, but can never embrace its strengths. Welcome to the Molyneux Paradigm.

While creating a sprawling adventure controlled only by body movements may seem impossible, the world has been carefully sculpted around the concept. Nearly the entire game is on-rails, with player-controlled progress limited to traveling via horse and carriage. Movement of Seren is controlled by grabbing onto the reins. Once holding on, jerking both hands up in a cracking motion makes the horse go faster, while pulling your hands up towards your body stops her. To move left or right, you pull the hand of the intended direction towards you while extending the opposite arm. Intensity is based on how fast and dramatic the gestures are. Instead of simply darting to the next area, however, players must pay attention to not run into obstacles while scoping out any side-areas, where treasure chests or revealing NPCs can be found.

With a sprawling, graphically intense world part of a near fifteen-hour campaign, Fable: The Journey breaks any conceptions of what a Kinect title can be. It’s not demo material or a novelty release, but an uncompromising Adventure game Collectibles game that weaves an engrossing story while utilizing the full potential of motion control. It doesn’t always work flawlessly, but the sheer ambition alone makes it a must-own for Fable and Kinect fans alike.
The final new feature in Fable Anniversary (besides achievements) is that of SmartGlass, something that is weighing heavier and heavier in overall experience these days. As admitted by Lead Designer Ted Timmins, it was basically implemented here as way to test the technology’s capabilities for future implementations. Thanks to that, there are actually a few interesting features that the app offers. Unsurprisingly, it’s basically an interactive map, but they’ve worked with Prima to also provide the locations of key items and characters (without going into too much detail). While this may seem a bit like cheating at first, it’s helpful enough only to ensure that you won’t get lost and makes it so you won’t result to using a full-blown strategy guide.

Movement off the horse, such as in a dungeon or mine, occurs with no player input, putting focus solely on clearing away baddies. Combat is handled via two main powers controlled by each hand. The right hand casts a damage-dealing attack spell, while the left hand can push enemies back or fling environmental objects at them. To execute either attack, you simply aim at the intended target and push your lower arm away from your upper arm with the palm facing out. While it’s a simple combat system, it truly feels that you are the one casting the spells -- always a victory for motion-based titles. Common variances like needing the left hand to pull the armor off of an enemy, while dealing damage with the right prevents gameplay from seeming stale.