Xbox 360 '08 line-up impressions

Apologies for the delay in posting, but getting up to San Francisco, then back, then catching up on everything I missed isn't easy. I'm not really sure how journalists who spend so much time attending press events manage to get anything else done.

Anyway, as most of you probably know, Microsoft hosted the press in San Francisco to show off its Xbox 360 lineup for the rest of 2008. Of course, those who want the hottest release dates and screenshots probably found them somewhere else, but here's the things I found most interesting about the exclusive games I got to try:

-"Fable 2" is without a doubt the only game that had me really excited. I'm one of those people who considered the first "Fable" to be one of my most disappointing gaming experiences ever, so I'm skeptical. But Peter Molyneux is a very persuasive speaker and her certainly had me convinced that this game will actually achieve of what he said he wanted to do with the first one: create a world where decisions have long-ranging consequences on everything from the story to the character's look and abilities and relationships. All combined with an interface and controls that can reward hard-core players without alienating casuals.

Sure, we've heard it all before, but everything Mr. Molyneux showed certainly indicated that "Fable 2" can actually do it. I was particularly interested in his answer when somebody asked about the path of good/path of evil issue, which as we all know was binary to the point of absurdity in the first "Fable."In this one, he promises, he's not about being good or evil. It's about cruelty vs. kindness:

If you want to be a good guy, you'll have to sacrifice a lot... things like gold or experience. If you're evil, it's all about greed. It's not about killing people or making them suffer.

He gave an example: At one point, a shadow creature tells the player he has to either suffer himself or let a young girl suffer. In most games, like the old "Fable," of course you'd let yourself suffer. But in "Fable 2," if you take the punishment, you'll have scars that will make other people, including your girlfriend or wife, recoil in horror.

Of course, these things are easy to promise and it's all about execution. But Molyneux certainly had very specific ideas about how to implement his grandiose promises, which is a big and exciting step forward.

-"Gears of War 2" was... "Gears of War" with a few improvements. That's hardly a bad thing, since the first was such a solid action game. But I was literally left thinking about how the reticule is a little bigger and the enemies looked a little different, since the gameplay, visuals, interface, etc. were basically the same thing. CliffyB (who else?) promised co-op and multi-player would be bigger and better. But it's basically the same game. I'm sure it'll be fun, but as of yet it doesn't look like it's upping the ante the way, say, "Resistance 2" is.

CliffyB also promised the story will be more epic and more integral to the game this time. Hell, if I can even tell what the story is this time, I'll consider that a huge improvement.

Oh, and remember back in February when I reported that "Gears 2" would have chainsaw battles? Now it's confirmed as true.

-"Too Human" looked a lot like "Mass Effect," which to me is a huge turn-off, but it's probably not the kind of game you can figure out much about in 20 minutes of playing. I can say, however, that the lack of camera controls drove me insane right away. Though maybe it's something you can get used to.

-"Ninja Gaiden 2"? Ummm, I killed a lot of people, then I killed a lot more, then I got bored. I can't imagine doing that for 20 hours, but I'm probably just not the target audience. It looks gorgeous, though. And controls pretty smoothly.

"Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise" and "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" are not games I feel like I actually understand how to play at all even after watching demos and sitting down to play them for about 20 minutes each.