Seems like its almost "mandatory" these days to talk trash about Peter Molyneux. Something he has partly brought upon himself but that has been blown waaay out of proportion with flaming taken way further than it should, even as far as into the Giant Bomcast with Ryan recklessly flaming Peter. Seems like soon enough ill be the only one who still fully respects Peter and that never ever would event hink about saying something bad about him. I respect him both as a poineer in the industry, as a person and as a game designer. Game designers that really have a fire in their hearts for what they are doing like Peter does is almost non existant these days and its nice to see someone that dosent go with the flow and that wants to stride on to innovate games. He is one of the best public speakers out there (even the haters should all agree on that) and I personally hold many of his games as some of the best I have ever played. Fable 1 needs to be overlooked when talking about that. A Game that way to many got stuck in their heads. Go back to Dungeon Keeper instead. Peter at his best. A big part of my gaming childhood!

I don't really think they are flaming him, in the podcast (if I remember correctly) weren't they just saying it shows you his skills as a sales man that he can spin such hype for his products?

I personally think he is a very creative man who is excited about the games he gets to make and he sometimes lets his excitement get the better of him, I don't feel thats a bad point... I'd rather have a passionate spin doctor than a guy making my games who couldn't give a shit either way.


At the end of the day Molyneux is the MAN! lol

I think people would rip him less if he was more careful about what he says. Giant Bomb guys always mentions that his PR people must always being telling him to not say the things he does. If he reigned it in a bit I think people would lay off, and I think if Fable 2 is as good as he says you'll hear a lot less.

The thing is. I rather hear a lead designer  talk about ideas that the team has. I rather hear him talk about what they want in the game, what they are thinking about doing and what the teams vision of the game is. That dosent mean that I automatically assume that everything will be in the final product because Id like to think Im smarter than that. Would people rather have some stale boring dude who only says "I cant say anything about that and that and that"? I dont get it. THAT is what I want to flame about, not the opposite...

I respect him aswell.

Vinny in a Peter Molyneux voice: "we're gonna render the moon".

He is my favorite game designer just for the fact that he is so awesome to listen to.

i think peter has alot of great ideas and is very passionate. I've just learned to take everything he says with a grain of salt

He is a good game designer, one of my favorites. It's just that since Fable, and everything he said that would be in it that wasn't, I and many others have taken what he says with a grain of salt. Things might change depending on how Fable 2 turns out, but you definitely aren't alone. He is passionate and definitely one of the best public speakers in the gaming industry. He makes even the simplest game mechanic sound cool.

You're not the only one, I think that since consoles have become more prominent a lot of the console focused media and gamers tend to forget or be completely unaware of the  contribution he's made to the gaming industry over three decades. I personally regard him in the top echelon of veteran designers still in the industry today, which also includes Sid Meire and Will Wright.

Whilst the Fable baggage may add some salt to his passion, personally I regard him as a leading light of the industry who is enthused not just about his games but the progress and innovation taking place across the industry. [That'd be my blurb on the GB Wiki entry. ;)]

Anyways, he's apparently got three projects on his slate. With Fable 2, Dmitri and something else (MMO/Bullfrog remakes?) on the table.

I expect Fable 2 to surprise many given his relatively PR restrained tongue this time round and innovate all over the shop, but more coherently. If he makes a Syndicate re-imagining  or transplants the concept to an MMO he'll be my gaming god. And if Dmitri is as scientifically significant as the whispers suggest he may well prove to have more far reaching affects than the domain of the game industry...

Fingers crossed. :D

I have great respect for the dude,he just gets a lil too carried away sometimes with overpromising and not deliverying but I think thatl change with the release of fable 2

Yeah, I think Peter Molyneux is awesome, even if he did over-talk Fable a bit.

Well with Fable I learned not to take everything he says for granted, but the guy has so many awesome ideas and he's so passionate about what he does that I can't help but to respect him.

Yes! :|

I think anyone who likes games should respect him enough that he is in the industry and has made at least,"decent" to "good" games regardless if not everyone liked them or they lived up to his high expectations. I think it mostly comes down to somewhat taking his over the top hype and amazement he tries to say the games have and then them not living up to that hype.  At the same time though,its not like its a crime for someone to want to make a great game,every developer I'm sure thinks the same way,just not always so in the public so they can be quoted when it doesn't quite live up to the hype.

"Seems like its almost "mandatory" these days to talk trash about Peter Molyneux. Something he has partly brought upon himself but that has been blown waaay out of proportion with flaming taken way further than it should, even as far as into the Giant Bomcast with Ryan recklessly flaming Peter."

I think your mistaken. Or you definition of flaming is slightly out. I dont think people are flaming him, just acknowledging that he has great ideas and is passionate and excited, which is infectious to those he is around. He has a record of talking his vision for a game and in the past (black or white, Fable) has promised more than eventually delivered.

For the record i have great respect for Peter Molyneux, and he has been my favourite developer since the bullfrog days.

It's all in the past and Peter Molyneux's designing skills are clearly remarkable no matter whether  he lives up to a claim or not. Who can honestly say Fable 1 was a bad game? You could say it was a let down in comparison to what Peter promised but a maker of bad games? Never.

Probably. He flat out lied to the public about Fable during the development. It turned out to be a huge disappointment and I now have trouble taking his word on anything.

No, I mean it's like that with him. If you don't know who he is you'll probably, like, believe him when he says "Im my new game you're going tobe able to feel the pain when your character eat nine inch needles, and that's really cool.", when people who have heard of him and his ways will take it as "Yeah, I mean I'm hyping this game to the heavens, but if you think about it and ignore the hype it's still pretty much better than most of the stuff out there."

I respect him for what he wants and is trying to do. Very passionate about his work, even if it doesn't come out the way he says. That man could tell you a story about your shirt and sell it back to you while your still wearing it.

"It's all in the past and Peter Molyneux's designing skills are clearly remarkable no matter whether  he lives up to a claim or not. Who can honestly say Fable 1 was a bad game? You could say it was a let down in comparison to what Peter promised but a maker of bad games? Never.
"

Molyneux is the man

I absolutely love Peter. I could listen to him talk about stuff for hours and hours.

I respect Peter, it's so great to see a guy who loves what he does! Just like Cliff Belinksy.

Peter is one of my favorite designers in the industry. Its just great to listen to him talking.

I really have a lot of respect for Peter Molyneux.

Peter is right up at the top of developers with Cliff Bleszinski, and he's said some really funny stuff. He's actually probably my favourite developer EVER. I'ma go work for Lionhead now. See ya!

The man has my respect just for the fact that he learned from his past mistakes with hyping Fable as the "best game ever" and emphasizes it

i have complete respect for him and all british game developers, coz they all own

Well, if reviews are to be believed, you will start seeing a lot less Molyneux hating.

Molllyneeeuuuuuuux!!!!!! Mollllynnneuuxxxxxx!!!!!!! Where are you Molllyneeeeeuuuxxx!

Molyneux promises too much and delivers too little.  When he was making Black & White, I remember him talking about all the shit you'd be able to do, and half the shit wasn't in there.  Even when he released the expansion, it wasn't there.  The game also, for me at least, held no longevity and had way too many design flaws (like the fact that people would bitch about having too many kids but wouldn't respond to you telling them to stop fucking).

Yeah its quite funny really, everyone was flaming the shit out of him and saying that Fable 2 was going to suck... The thing that i saw with Molyneux was abit of a Dyack (Silicon Knights) syndrome.

It was all hype hype hype hype and the game was a let down.. (btw I still liked Too Human)

And so many people were flaming him for it and called him an idiot, now Fable 2 is around a 90 on metacritic and people are changing their tune about him alot.

Now its all 'WOW MOLYNEUX IS A GENIUS' and 'I LOVED HIM FROM THE START'.

I myself am a fan of Molyneux and Lionhead studio's, their games are all (mostly) innovative and Molyneux has stood by his word and been very honest when it comes to his own games.
 
In the preview that Brad did with Molyneux, Molyneux said that there were things in Fable 2 that wern't polished enough, and were things that he wanted to change. This to me is brutal honesty that will win votes at the end of the day. You don't see this in the gaming industry anymore, all producers/designers/*insert role here* try to make their games come across as perfect, and when they aren't, they don't sell well, because the reviewers come out and slam it.

Fable 2 is the other way around, Molyneux said that there were issues within the game, other people didn't expect the game to be amazing (perhaps because of the negativity surrounding Molyneux), but look how its turned out. One of the Games of the year imo.

I just hate it how people form their opinions over what someone else tells them to beleive and they don't make their own minds up.

I loved Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2.
I loved Black & White. Black and White 2? Well, I didn't love it but it was alright.
The Movies I had a great deal of fun with.
Fable the first was awesome. My only complaint with it was that it was too short. And too easy.
That latter problem was something of a shock to me because I admit it. I suck at games.

I like what the guy does, even if his games never quite live up to the hype.
He makes good games. He has great ideas. And I hope someday he'll be able to actually implement said ideas.
Games aside he's also a joy to listen too. I like his enthusiasm.

"Molyneux promises too much and delivers too little.  When he was making Black & White, I remember him talking about all the shit you'd be able to do, and half the shit wasn't in there.  Even when he released the expansion, it wasn't there.  The game also, for me at least, held no longevity and had way too many design flaws (like the fact that people would bitch about having too many kids but wouldn't respond to you telling them to stop fucking).

Fable was the same way.  Too many promises, not enough delivery.  Even with Lost Chapters, you didn't get much.  To make matters worse, he delivered a game that offered little to the people past the first two initial playthroughs (one for story and one for side shit).  There wasn't a ton of armor choices, you didn't get any real incentive to play through the game for anything other than a couple of dances or emotions that you couldn't show off to anyone in, say, an MMO environment.

B&W 2...total shit.  Again, promises and no delivery.

Fable II...I haven't played it yet, and I'll bet that initially, the game will hold appeal and be great...but will it have longevity?  I honestly don't believe so.

"

You can't hate Peter for making his game sound like what he wants the final product to be. Not everything can come together as intended, and Molyneux while infamous for promising things, also doesn't seem afraid at admitting certain problems with a game when it comes down to it. The Pub games issue was the only thing I found iffy.

"jakob187 said:

"Molyneux promises too much and delivers too little.  When he was making Black & White, I remember him talking about all the shit you'd be able to do, and half the shit wasn't in there.  Even when he released the expansion, it wasn't there.  The game also, for me at least, held no longevity and had way too many design flaws (like the fact that people would bitch about having too many kids but wouldn't respond to you telling them to stop fucking).

Fable was the same way.  Too many promises, not enough delivery.  Even with Lost Chapters, you didn't get much.  To make matters worse, he delivered a game that offered little to the people past the first two initial playthroughs (one for story and one for side shit).  There wasn't a ton of armor choices, you didn't get any real incentive to play through the game for anything other than a couple of dances or emotions that you couldn't show off to anyone in, say, an MMO environment.

B&W 2...total shit.  Again, promises and no delivery.

Fable II...I haven't played it yet, and I'll bet that initially, the game will hold appeal and be great...but will it have longevity?  I honestly don't believe so.

"

What game developer doesn't have a massive vision for a game, Molyneux comes out and says what he wants in a game.
 
If certain things don't make it to a game, sure its a dissapointment. But look at 90% of game producers out there and they promise so much more than what the've actually gone and done.

Molyneux is a extremely passionate person, and i agree that sometimes it gets in the way. But have a look at Denis Dyack as i posted above, the same thing happened with that.

If Gears of War 2 is a massive flop then everyone will put Cliff in the same category as he has hyped his game alot (maybe not as much as Molyneux or Dyack has). Its a vicous circle, but i would rather Molyneux and Dyack in the industry due to the way that they are so passionate about the games that they make, its these people who make the gaming industry."

I personally loved Fable, 85 is just. Yes it was short, yes it had its shortcomings, but at the time it was innovative and fun. Fable 2 has capitalised on this. At the end of the day everyone is entitled to their own opinions about what games should be, what scores the games should be aswell.

jakob187 you are correct in alot of ways about Molyneux, but at the end of the day, i beleive (along with ALOT of other people) that he is a great person in the gaming industry, and we need more people like that.

I tip my hat to you Peter.

"i beleive (along with ALOT of other people) that he is a great person in the gaming industry, and we need more people like that."

I was a huge Fable 1 fan and didn't feel disappointed by it at all, nor did I understand the venom that was spat at Peter Molyneux's direction over his 'tendency' to overhype. He's been pretty restrained over the coverage of Fable 2, but it has leaked out in various places.. I'm always happy when it does, even if it is a marketing ploy (Hey, the games industry is a business after all!), but since I have been looking forward to Fable 2 ever since it was announced, his enthusiasm rubs off on me, it doesn't grate.

I respect him because he is a good game designer and tries to do new things, even if they don't work, and I love the appeal of emotive games and storylines, which he seems pretty passionate about.

I want to hug him because he really does seem to be a sincere and likable chap and genuinely gets overexcited about games :O