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This has to be the most endearing display of cross-developer love we've seen during our games writing careers. Capcom's Shawn Baxter (a.k.a. "Snow,") recently posted on the company's community blog about his latest D.I.Y. project -- a real-life version of Fortune's Tower, one of the pub games featured in Fable II. Oh, and in Fable II Pub Games, though you probably didn't need us to tell you that.

Words can't really describe this two-month, $400 project as well as pictures, so hop on over to Capcom's blog and check out the delectable fruits of Baxter's labor. If you're of a crafty ilk, the post also contains a few blueprints you can follow to make your own Fortune's Tower set. We probably won't post about yours, though. This is a one-time thing.

After discussing his vision for Fable's future, Lionhead's Peter Molyneux recently reiterated his mantra of inclusive gaming innovation to attendees of BAFTA's Annual Video Games Lecture. Citing their ability to challenge "the foundation stones of conventional wisdom," he revealed five titles (documented by That VideoGame Blog) that he considers to be among the most revolutionary within the last two decades.

Molyneux praised Tomb Raider for subverting gaming's tough-guy protagonist and named Mario 64 as the genuine precursor to 3D titles like Grand Theft Auto 3. Dune 2 got a nod for its encouragement of more thoughtful tactics, while Bungie's first Halo earned mention for halfway introducing the now-ubiquitous regenerative health system and curtailed weapon swapping.

And the fifth title? World of Warcraft, which managed to lure Molyneux to level 40 with promise of a steed. You see? He's human, just like the rest of us.

Shocking absolutely no one, Peter Molyneux has confirmed that Fable 3 will support Project Natal in some fashion. The confirmation came during a lecture at BAFTA in London. The news was confirmed by Eurogamer's Johnny Minkley, who tweeted the info during the event itself. Molyneux also reportedly showed off Milo and proved that Natal is capable of scanning objects (people, presumably) in bad lighting.

Molyneux himself hinted at the possible inclusion of Natal in Fable 3 as recently as two weeks ago, though he neglected to confirm it for fear of a quick, sniper-borne death.

So that's that then: Fable 3 will use Project Natal. Of course, we don't speak for everyone, but we can't wait to pretend to fart in front of a crowd of adoring, virtual townsfolk.

[Via VG247]

If given the choice of becoming a (presumably) anthropomorphic vegetable, Phil Spencer would opt for an eggplant. Sure, we spoke to the confident head of Microsoft Game Studios about other things -- Halo, Project Natal, Fable, Crackdown, the Xbox 360's successor, blah blah blah -- but with that profound scoop out of the way, there's barely any reason to read this interview.

Mind you, the part where Spencer suggests that alternate forms of input (whether in addition to or in substitute of traditional controllers) might become a common expectation is pretty interesting. You should definitely read that.

Joystiq: We just came out of the Tokyo Game Show panel discussion for Project Natal ...

Phil Spencer: The creators panel.

Yes, the creators panel. Hideo Kojima was there; they brainstormed about all these games. How much focus is Microsoft Game Studios placing on Natal development internally in comparison to other projects?

It's a big focus for us in first party. As a first party, I think it's our duty, it's our responsibility to look at the new technologies that we bring to our platform. We did this with Live. We did at launch of 360. When we look at Project Natal as an opportunity for first party to truly innovate on our platform, creating new experiences, new intellectual property, we're very focused. A large percentage of the studio right now is thinking about Natal as part of what they're doing.

In an interview with Joystiq, Microsoft's Phil Spencer said he wouldn't be surprised to see Project Natal integration in Fable 3. Another person who wouldn't be surprised? The guy in charge of Fable 3. Peter Molyneux told Game Kings that he was "leaving the most exciting gameplay stuff for later." He then added, "I am going to say it's going to use a controller, but I've never said it's not going to use Natal."

"And obviously what would probably happen if I started talking about this is you would see a little red dot appear moving on my forehead," Molyneux continued. "And then as I would start to speak the words then there would be a shotgun fire, and I would be assassinated. Quite clearly, it is that sensitive." But not so sensitive that he can't quite nearly confirm it in the next breath.

"Do you really think, knowing me, as maybe you do over the years, I wouldn't want to use something like Natal? I mean, that's just mad, man." Let's just lay it out here: The guy responsible for basically the only known Natal project is going to put some Natal segments in Fable 3. We all know this. It's going to happen. Try to look surprised when it's announced at whichever trade show next year.

[Via IGN]

Among the truckloads of possibly legit megatons included in the alleged leaked minutes from a meeting between Sega of America and Sony Computer Entertainment America, a number of notable gaffes and oddities can be found. Besides wondering if "characters from [the] Rare or Fable universes" should be included in Sonic Racing, it appears that Sega may be interested in assigning all of its properties a PlayStation Home-room. Oh, and a product evaluator thought Alpha Protocol felt "barely RPG" -- final analysis: make it even more Mass Effect-y.

Additionally, the mention of PS2 games as downloadable content on PSN makes us reminisce all the way back to mid-2006 when the idea first popped up on our radar --- surely, this isn't why Sony removed built-in backwards compatibility? And either the person taking minutes was daydreaming or knows something we don't, as reference is made to "Eidos' Batman" featuring "PS3/PSP interoperability" support -- a Batman or related DC Comics PSP game then? Juicer still, that little mention comes right after talk of a project named "Vanquish" and a possible PSP iteration of the currently shelved Aliens: Colonial Marines that Gearbox Software is working on. Also, Sony is eager to check out that hopefully not-so-crappy Thor game soon (suggestion: make it less Iron Man 2-y).

The cherry on top comes in the form of what we've been calling around the Joystiq water cooler: "Sonic and the Inverted Castle." Found under the "Sonic Anniversary" subhead, the note taker jots down, "SCEA would love PSN exclusive power ups/different game modes (like Castlevania's flip it over/backwards)." Actually, we believe that's Missy Elliott who puts the thing down, flips it and reverses it, thank you very much.

Eurogamer reports that Fable II: Game of the Year Edition has been confirmed by Microsoft. Furthermore, the site notes that the title will release in Europe on September 18 for €64.99/£39.99. Doing a little digging of our own, we uncovered the box art for the game (pictured above), which gives us some idea of what to expect in the package. According to the box, purchasers will receive: "More Quests! More Locations! More Choices!"

If previous retail listings for the title are to be believed, all that "more" will be comprised of both the Knothole Island and See the Future DLC packs. So far, the Game of the Year Edition has only been confirmed for Europe, but we've contacted Microsoft for confirmation and details regarding a North American release.

Hot off the announcement this morning of Fable 3 coming to Xbox 360 in 2010, Microsoft Game Studios of Europe head Peter Molyneux sat down to discuss the franchise a bit with GamesIndustry.biz. Though the acutely over-promising developer kept tight-lipped about details on the upcoming sequel, he did let slip that Fable 3 will question "some of the foundations that Fable [the franchise] is built on."

We're not sure exactly what that means, but we already know that the gesture system has been given a major facelift. The moral choice aims to be a lot deeper than in Fable 2 as well, with Molyneux saying promises you make in your rise to power will affect your position as the people's ruler. We'll be sure to remember these promises when the game releases next year (that's three promises so far, Molyneux!).

Console Monster reports that a listing for a Game of the Year Edition of Fable II has popped up on a pair of UK websites. The listing appears on both Play.com and ShopTo.net, and mentions exactly the kind of goodies you'd expect in a GOTY package. With a suggested retail price of £39.99 (~$65), the package includes both the Knothole Island and See the Future DLC, which normally cost 800 ($10) and 560 ($7), respectively. So, essentially, the package offers the original game and both pieces of DLC for standard retail price. Not a bad deal for those that have yet to set a next-gen foot in the world of Albion.

This might be what the "revolutionary" countdown on Lionhead.com is all about -- though that seems unlikely. Either way, as the countdown isn't set to expire for another two days, we've asked both Microsoft and Lionhead to confirm if the listing is real, and also to clarify any plans for a North American release. We'll update this post with any new information.

Source - Play.com -- Fable II: Game Of The Year Edition
Source - ShopTo.net -- Fable II (2) (Game Of The Year)

Update: It would appear as though Lionhead Studios' website has been overthrown by not one revolutionary but a series of them, as the site has updated today with a numeral five (countdown!) and an image of Maximilien Robespierre. Oh, you don't know who he is? He's one of those copycat French revolutionaries. A famous one, we promise. Now we're just hoping that at the end of the countdown, Lionhead doesn't overthrow the Internet.

Don't you just hate it when your website gets overthrown by a long-dead South American revolutionary? Happens all the time! Well, okay, we're embellishing a bit, but it seems as though that's happened to Fable 2 developer Lionhead Studios' website. As you can see in the image above, Che Guevara's questioning gaze posits, "At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love," accompanied by a massive six.

Sure, that could be six years or six celestial bodies orbiting around Lionhead prez Peter Molyneux's head at any given time, but we're thinking it pertains to a "special announcement" at next week's Euro convention, Gamescom, by the (in)famous developer. The email from Microsoft says, "Peter Molyneux, visionary developer and Creative Director of MGS Europe, will make a special announcement, so be sure to join us for this reveal." In the meantime, we'll be busily clicking between the thumbs up or down choice below Che's silhouette, watching as the sidebars change.

It's called moral choice, folks. It's kind of popular.

Develop has posted an interesting feature about the creation of the soundtrack to Fable II. The article tells the story behind the score through the words of its composer, Russell Shaw. Shaw says that he wanted the music "to convey the world of Albion but also enhance the story," noting that each region has its own particular sound. The music of Bowerstone, according to Shaw, is based on the keywords "Celtic, Scottish, folk and gentle," for example. Shaw also discusses the combat music, which flows and changes based on the size of the fight and on the actions taken by the player.

On the state of music in the game industry, Shaw says, "This is a brilliant time to be in game music," noting that the barriers between game and movie composers have "pretty much eroded completely." If you've ever found yourself humming a Fable II tune -- if you've played the game, you probably have -- you should definitely give the article a read.

Wedbush Morgan Securities' 2009 industry report includes a list of the top thirty brands of 2008. The report notes that of the companies whose brands appear on the list, Nintendo, EA, and Activision were the only three with more than one brand to generate over $100 million at retail in the US last year.

And boy, did they. The top brand of the year, Guitar Hero -- perhaps you've heard of it -- was responsible for $992 million in US sales in 2008. The next two brands, Mario Bros. and Rock Band, generated $761 million and $662 million, respectively.

One company is notably absent from the top brands list: "Most strikingly," the report reads, "Sony had no top 30 brands for the third year in a row." Microsoft had two brands on the list (Gears of War and Fable) and Nintendo had four (Mario Bros., Wii Fit, Wii Play, and Pokémon). See the list of brands after the break.

Last Friday's New York Times "Wedding/Celebrations" section announced the nuptials of Ms. Amy Gilbert (who is studying for her Ph.D. in molecular medicine in London) and Joshua Atkins, the "lead game designer for Fable III." Would this be be first tandem wedding and game announcement? Although Fable III doesn't officially exist, Atkins has been with Lionhead since Fable and is listed as a part of the design team at Microsoft Game Studios in the Fable II manual.

This isn't the first time Fable III has been unofficially mentioned: British talk show host Jonathan Ross tweeted in March that he was approached to do voice work for the game. Of course, we've contacted Microsoft for confirmation of Fable III's development. We absolutely can't wait until the company pulls "we don't comment on rumor and speculation" on this one.

PS: From all of us at Joystiq: Congratulations to the happy couple!

Update: Microsoft's official statement: "We have nothing to announce regarding future Lionhead Studios projects."

[Via Kotaku]