Fable the Journey: First Impressions

This one has really polarized the fanbase. There are a lot of people who want absolutely nothing to do with Kinect and or can't afford to buy one. For the rest of us, the demo came out yesterday for Xbox Live Gold members, and I was really impressed with what I experienced.

My first impression was a bit sad; I didn't know the game was going to be played sitting down. And that's really not the experience I want when I play Kinect games, however, it wound up being far more active than I thought. Casting spells, blocking, and dodging enemy attacks can get pretty damn intense, and the accuracy of spell casting is amazing.

You can really get lost in it and feel like you're actually wielding magic. It also gives you the option between using solely gestures or quicker voice commands. It was a surreal experience throwing my arm forward and yelling magic shard while watching a magic spear form and fly in the exact direction of my hand.

One major criticism is that it's on rails. As the demo doesn't allow you to ride the horse and carriage around, I can't comment on the way it allows you to explore the world. But the battle sections are, I'd say, similar to Kinect Star Wars. While your character does move around to the next area by himself, you do have the ability to dodge traps along the way. And when combat starts, you're way too busy reacting to projectiles, thinking of which spells to cast, dodging, blocking, and aiming your spells to even care about not being able to run around freely.

In conclusion, it offers a unique gaming experience and stands out for that reason. It's so far above the quality of most Kinect games. I think a lot of people will expect it to feel like the typical Kinect arcade title or mini game, but it's levels beyond that and feels more natural than anything I've ever played on it.