The post where I get on my soap box about Fable 4's style (but also on the video game industries reliance on realism)
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Long as post below, also if you disagree know that you don't have to engage with the post, you don't have to argue or have a take on everything. Thanks, now let's move on down!
I'm remembering the recent Fable 4 trailer again and lamenting the lack of stylized art going into it. I've always hated that the video game industry, at least in the west always has to follow the same bog standard "realism" for no real reason or gain. For example looking at starfield most of the companion characters faces never change expression, so you're hanging out with someone like Sarah starfield, that's her full name, Todd coward told me so /sarcasm -
and she always looks like she's got so much cologne in her she can't emote. (Apparently they don't use facial muscles which is such a bethesda thing it's funny.) I heard someone say that if they gave Starfield a stylized different style from Fallout and Elder scrolls that it could give it it's own identity and I couldn't help but agree.
This goes on to my point and franky my argument in fable's lack of style.
(This was the only image of both of the hyper realistic characters I could find in short notice)
I think that Fable should of never "graduated" from it's cartoony/shaded style, the series has always been about kicking chickens and shrek esk humor, sticking to it there's a fairy in the opening, that looks pretty and cute and when she gets grabbed by the frog, her face goes from dainty, to an exaggerated expression you would expect from you know- getting attacked!
(obviously this is the first trailer and we'd get an update a couple of years later.) But it almost feels like they're embarrassed to be goofy or silly! This game- no this series would of been so better going for a Cel shaded look like many old and new games for example: The wolf among us, Hi fi Rush, No more heroes 2 and Ultimate spiderman (ps2) And they still look great despite three of these being older titles sans Hi-fi rush.
Fable would look phenomenal and you can still work with great expressions, exaggerated humor, a unique art style too, something different! ( while also taking it easier on your workers ) Everything looks hyper realistic and it also takes an age to come out because every follicle of hair needs to look great, every wrinkle and hairline has to be perfect, so perfect it can flow in the wind in the same direction as the grass; and that's the problem!
Fable is a comedic medieval fantasy game, and there's no problem with looking realistic, Baldur's gate 3 looks GREAT but it also has the most issues, with characters hair disappearing, or invisible NPCS and other hilarious glitches- that's not a jab, the same game happen in the above but I feel with a stylized look it could be something set aside from the constant hyper real games we constantly keep getting, something new, something with personality and a style that could turn heads! Cringe anime game take below! vvv
Not to bring this up (cause for some reason people get really mad at people even mentioning one of these for some reason) but Persona 5 looks very cel shaded and stylish, Gravity Rush too! And I can't help but wonder how amazing fable could be with such defining artistry and how much cartoony and silly and outlandish things it could get away with, with a more storybook or painterly art style.
And I can't help but see people clearly are drawn to the style of games like South of Midnight and again there's a massive fanbase of the wolf among us, to the point they're making a sequel to the tell tale game as we speak! (for the lack of a better term)
And know this doesn't come off as me saying that if the game is good that it won't matter, I just think games and media as a whole, shouldn't restrict themselves by going for one style or way of presenting themselves; especially western RPGS. This sadly extends beyond fable!
This should be a discussion that goes towards the entire video game industry, I mean look At Beyond good and Evil 1 in comparison to it's sequel in production (I think, it's been YEARS!)
The first obviously has a cartoony style, and this style suits the word and characters! Then its younger sibling looks expressive to a degree but I mean- we can tell why it's taking so long to come out, making indivisual worlds, and trying to apply realism to a world with animal people and future tech is a recipe for crunch!
We shouldn't have to stick to one style, just because it's become the norm in the industry, the point of the industry, should be to make video games and to experiment and try something new cause making video games IS an art!