The original Fable may not have lived up to expectations, but then again, that's partly due to media hype. It's kinda tough to live up to the lofty moniker of "greatest RPG ever." Realistically, though, the game was a perfectly solid RPG that indicated a lot of potential for future installments. And now, with the sequel already announced, creator Peter Molyneux has taken the podium once again.

It wasn't suprising that Molyneux gathered a huge crowd at his speech at the London Games Festival, and it also wasn't surprising that attendees had a lot of questions after the Lionhead chief concluded. But it wasn't just about Fable 2; Moleyneux used the opportunity to talk to developers about dynamic environments, citing specific examples from the upcoming RPG sequel on the Xbox 360.

One of the most respected men in the industry launched into a bit of praise for next-gen titles Assassin's Creed and Alan Wake, then moved on to the theme behind Fable 2. Interestingly enough, Molyneux described it as a "buy-anything" world, where the player can purchase just about everything from a single store right up through entire cities. They'll use a form of currency unique to the game, and being an Xbox 360 title, this points towards the possibility of extra items becoming available on the Live Marketplace. Molyneux believes a "lord of the manor" approach to a game will make it that much more involving and immersive.

In addition to being more involving, he also used the word "engaging" in regards to the next generation of games. The ever-ambitious designer will actually attempt to introduce "unconditional love" as a crucial emotional factor, in relation to both family and friends in the game. For example, if you decide to have children, they will view you as a role model regardless of whether you choose to be good or evil, and that will directly impact your child's life. On the romantic tip, your spouse will be seeking a better way of life (pft, women) so you'll be forced to undertake side-quests and alternate missions to bring in a little extra coin.

But while Molyneux wants a completely revolutionary game in the way of interaction, he wishes to adopt a more traditional "Hollywood storytelling technique." This was used in the original Fable to convey the existence of real evil at the start of a young boy's life. Molyneux believes that this sort of great emotional impact is essential to "fuel the player's hatred" for evil, and hinted at a possible disastrous family incident to incite such rage.

To conclude the presentation, Molyneux let slip one last juicy piece of information. Some time early next year, Lionhead plans to show off one of Fable 2's innovative new features, and they're going to allow someone outside the studio to test it. Unfortunately, he didn't get into specifics, so details regarding the exact feature weren't immediately available. All we know is that it's "both new and important."

Hopefully before long, we'll get more good stuff on the game. Until then, get yourself some sleep, and dream about just how involving the next generation could - potentially - be.