Great news everyone: they’re deep-sixing the dog. In a chat with IGN, Playground general manager Ralph Fulton said that, in contrast to the preceding two Fable games, this autumn’s Fable reboot won’t give you a furry canine companion to venture alongside.
I’m sure I speak for us all when I say: thank god.
Here’s the thing: I love dogs. I love dogs in reality, and I love them, in general, in videogames. But I hate Fable 2’s dog. First up, it’s the most naked bit of emotional manipulation in videogame history. When I played that game, even as a kid, I knew the second that little pooch approached me that it would at some point be yanked cruelly away to tug at my heartstrings. I resented it.
But more than that: the dog was mechanically important. Your mutt would identify spots for you to dig, revealing treasure and silver keys and other goodies. When he gets taken away, you no longer have the capacity to access that anymore, and screw you if you got used to having it (there is a way to bring him back, but it involves making a very selfish end-game decision that has the game’s only good character berate the hell out of you).
So you know what? Good. I’m glad the dog is gone, purely because of how much I disliked absolutely everything Fable 2 did with its own canine. I said it, and I’m sure the comments will now be filled with people agreeing with me.
Read the full article here
