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These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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'Fable', 'Burnout 3' take different paths to greatness
Friday, September 24, 2004

Two recent releases have been monopolizing my gaming time, Burnout 3: Takedown and Fable, and I'd like to share with you my thoughts on their design philosophy. Well, more accurately, my philosophy on their design. Both are widely considered to be excellent games, but for very different reasons. Burnout did everything and more that we'd ever expect from a sequel, and though not quite the all-consuming RPG once imagined by it's creator years ago, Fable is still one of the most ambitious and compelling games you will ever play. That said, they represent two completely polar schools of game design, whether it was entirely conscious or not.

Burnout 3 is the best arcade racing game that I've ever played, and considering that it's the third-highest reviewed game this generation, it seems that plenty of people would agree. Hell, it's one of the best games that I've ever played on any system in any genre. It's blazingly fast, spectacularly gorgeous, and sublimely simple in design. The goal is to race as dangerously as possible to gain speed boosts, which you can use in turn to outrun (or smash to bits) your opponents. The game uses three buttons for everything besides steering - gas, handbrake and boost. While seemingly shallow at first, you can manipulate your use and combination of all three differently around every turn, so if you want it to, it can be a very deep, demanding game. Another large part of the game, besides racing, is crash mode. You're given a car, a time limit, and a traffic-packed intersection/overpass/stretch of highway/etc. to cause as much damage in as possible (and multiple power-ups to help you out). Like everything else in the game, this mode is ridiculously addictive and riotously fun. There are a handful of other modes as well, very robust online play, a huge garage of cars to unlock, and generally loads to do at any given time.

That brings me to my point about the game - even though it's all seemingly just icing on an already delicious cake, the basic gameplay and controls are so solid that they would easily stand strong without all of the extra flourish. After Burnout 2, Criterion (the developer) obviously spent their time first and foremost on honing an already brilliant concept into the most finely tuned arcade racing experience the gaming world had ever seen, and then set about adding all the little touches and extras. It seems that so many companies these days focus on having a glut of features right from the start, and devote all of their time evenly amongst them throughout development; this also seems to be resulting in, more often than not, an overambitious game that lacks the basic ingredients of entertainment. There's no point in a character having dozens of moves if they're not fun or intuitive to pull off - it's why games like Rise of Honor fail, and why games like Ninja Gaiden succeed. Get the basics down, or don't bother with the rest of the game. Another key factor of Burnout 3's greatness is how it rewards the player for their progress - it does so early and often. Even though there is a ton to do and see in this game, you never feel unrewarded or unmotivated to proceed since you're constantly given new cars to try out, new places to go, or new crash junctions to wreak havoc in. It's by no means easy to complete, but the progression seems so natural and forgiving that it's a blast even when you're stuck.

On the other side of the design spectrum stands Fable, a masterwork of modern engineering and human fault (literally and figuratively). A very ambitious, character customization-driven Action/RPG, this game stands almost completely alone in breadth of concept and depth of success and failure. Though the character development isn't quite as behind-the-scenes as was once promised, the extent to which you control your character's looks and behavior is certainly still impressive. As you venture gorgeous fairy-tale forests and creepy Balverine-infested swamps, you'll acquire new haircuts, tattoos, magic powers, social expressions, etc. You can buy property, get married, have sex, and murder your wife if you're so inclined. The best part is, how you behave is how you'll be perceived in the world, from whom you kill to how you wear your beard. People will speak of you in hushed tones, keeping their distance, or surround you and sing your praises, depending on your actions. As you can tell, there's plenty to do in this game.

The problem with Fable, though a great game it maybe, is that no one element is completely polished. The combat, while varied, seems a bit clumsy, as does exploring the beautiful world around you, interacting with people, using spells and items, etc. etc. etc. Whether you choose to tear through the game doing only what you need to in order to beat it, or spend your time seducing villagers and murdering traders in the woods until you're going grey, you'll have to work through the games kinks and come to terms with some of the larger problems to get the most out of it. And with every great element comes a restriction or frustration of some sort - the areas you'll travel to look amazing and are dying to be explored, but you're stuck on a set, linear path; there is a detailed map of every place you'll go, but since it's not player-centric it does little to help you get your bearings. And though the game is generally glitch-free, the odd disappearing wife or empty ground texture will have you scratching your head from time to time. When you play the game, there's no question as to why it took so long to be made - for all it's problems, it's still very immersive, and it looks simply gorgeous. You just wonder what could have been accomplished had they spent a bit more time on making swinging your sword feel perfect and a bit less time on the 3D modeling of the various fish you'll catch. Not to say that their ambitions were mismanaged, but it seems not all the right decisions were made in the closing months of development.

Though these two games are obviously nothing alike, they can stand to represent most sectors of gaming when side by side. One is pick-up-and-play simple (and fun for any amount of time), while one is as much an investment as it is an adventure. I enjoyed both games thoroughly, but I think that Burnout will be remembered more for what it introduced and for it's near-perfection of the racing genre. Fable is a mighty achievement, but RPGs have been done better in Final Fantasy, and life simulators have been done better in The Sims. Things could have easily been reversed for these two, had their respective producers had the insight (or lack thereof) to hone, or not hone, every aspect of their games before proceeding. Whereas Burnout 3 starts out flawlessly and really never lets up, Fable comes across as a massive plate of unfinished ideas with a lot of talent and money behind it. While I have no doubts that either will sell well, I think it's important for gamers and developers alike to understand what makes both games successes in their own right, and what could have been improved or prioritized somewhere along the way to make for an even better final product.

- Nick




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