Fable - The Journey: Destined or Doomed?

Microsoft’s Kinect hasn’t had the best life as a peripheral. It turned out to be one of those gimmicks where you go “oh yeah, I’ve got it, but it don’t really use it” and it sorta sits in the corner for a couple of months. A bit like all of those Wii peripherals, but not quite as bad. (Wii Zapper, Wii Tennis Racket, Wii Balance Board, etc…)

But will Fable: The Journey change what we see of the Kinect? Well, actually, I doubt it. Let’s see what it’s got now.

Apparently, you use gestures to create magic spells and attack enemies, and you use imaginary reins to control your “off rails” horse. And you can yell out spells for more effect, or something like that. And something about healing your horse, or hurting it more. Bad news is that there are no guns. No swords. Just magic.

So are all of these new add-ons really worth it? On paper, it sounds wonderful.

… But basically, in reality, you wave your arms around in a really annoying combination of frustration and desperation, trying to get the damn Kinect to work.

This has probably applied to 40% of Kinect users.

And when you try to yell out the spell and all, it probably doesn’t register your voice, and you end up looking like an idiot who has confused Earth and Albion.

The only thing more annoying is when Nintendogs do this.

And when you try to heal your horse/hurt it even more, you are completely baffled by the confusing moral system. Molyneux said that if you heal your horse, then something else will die, or you can simply hurt the horse more. I think it’d be better just to do nothing.

I hope Theresa doesn't get height sickness or anything...

And knowing Molyneux, some of this might be less then what it sounds like. 

But, even though some of this might turn out badly, some of it does sound promising, like if you use more emotion in your voice when you’re yelling out spells, it detects louder sound waves and produces a stronger spell. The fact that it’s off rails is also a good indicator – the Fable series would just not be the same.

But will this all unfold nicely? Will this game finally make people turn to Kinect? Personally, I don’t think so. It will probably make a nice addition to the Kinect’s line-up of weak but amusing games, and some of these promises will, like other Kinect games, make for an interesting change.

Fable: The Journey might not be a masterpiece, but it (hopefully) won’t be a disaster either. It might be destined to become the sole breadwinner of the Kinect ... or it could be doomed to another disappointed gamers' cupboard. Either one.