JayCat's GotY

Game of the Year! I love this sort of stuff, let's take all the games that we love so much and try to pitch one of them as the best overall. But how to measure the GotY? Games are subjective, what is love at first sight for one person is complete mung for another. You have to look, not at your own enjoyment of the game, but is the game important, is it noteworthy for some reason. If I look at GotY in that light, I have to give my own personal, first annual JayCat award, the Golden Kitty to: Fable 2.

Okay, okay, okay  It's not a perfect game and as a caveat, I haven't completed the game yet, and I may not complete it for a very long time. So why would I give the coveted Golden Kitty to Fable 2? Simple.  Fable 2 has done the impossible; it's bridging the gap between "hardcore" adult gaming and simple  casual gaming. And while there will always be a spot for both extremes, the middle is awfully fun too.

First of all, I love that this game is rated mature, not for headshots with brains (although that is good fun) but because some of the content is adult. Get drunk until you throw up on your buddies, have (gasp ... homosexual!) sex with strangers, sacrifice loved ones, kick chickens! People who think that games are either mindless killing fests or stupid entertainment for the under 13 set will be interested to know that there is an inbetween. It's adult, but not gory. Silly in parts but not juvenile.

Secondly, the combat does a great job of balancing the right amount of in depth strategy, and plain old hack n slash. Yes, it's simplistic combat, especially if you are into Call of Duty or Halo, but there is an elegence here. There are various levels of specialization, and you have to pick and choose. Lots of weapons, augments, hidden legendary weapons. And it's also fun to just create a level 5 inferno to destroy a pack of balverines. Remember, although there is a scale of gamer at 2old2play, we are all hardcore. Few of us remember how hard it was to just be able to get your avatar to move in a straight line.  But I remember this. I still have a hard time with some types of games, and I can honestly see how the combat in Fable 2 can be a bridge . Too big to keep playing bejewelled, not ready for something more hardcore: Fable 2's combat is perfect for the gamer toddler.

It's also beautiful, just spectacular. Maybe my judgement is clouded by the fact that I just finished Fallout 3, and while I loved the game, Bethesda really needs to work on it's animation. Nowhere was that more evident when I compare Dogmeat (Fallout 3's canine companion) and my own Stickypaws (yes, that's his name, PFO). Dogmeat looks like a wooden toy dog. Stickypaws on the other hand acts like a real dog. If you have Fable 2, just watch him when he runs; when he's ahead of you, he half turns so that he can see you and lopes sideways, I swear sometimes he stumbles. In a world of games that feature various shades of mud, Albion is beautiful.

There is also just a ton to do. Buy property, do the jobs, gamble, find gargoyles, marry, have kids, find all the silver keys and explore Albion with man's best friend. All of that and I haven't mentioned the side quests, the good vs evil and corrupt vs pure paradigms. The game is full of stuff , yet none of it feels weighty. Do it or don't do it. It's up to you, but the best part is the variety. Anyone can find something that they enjoy.

But one of the main reasons why I am giving this game the coveted Golden Kitty (and if Peter Molenyeaux, or any of the team at Lionhead is reading this: PM me and I will make and send you one...) is because I foresee lots of people becoming gamers because of Fable 2. This is a gateway game; people who claim to hate games are going to learn that gaming is more fun than they ever realized. Case in point? A buddy of mine has a wife who is NOT a gamer. nope, not her. Gaming. Yuckie. Yet, somehow she has 830/1100 achievement points and recently joined 2old2play. So welcome to the party! And expect to see more new gamers, not because of the latest, greatest FPS, but because of games like Fable 2.
 

But what about you, 2old2play? Do you agree? If not, what is your personal GotY?