One of the sad side stories of the 2010s is the fall of Peter Molyneux. Molyneux's legacy in the gaming world was never in question, and he was a key player in many great and influential games, but his 22Cans days (his post-Lionhead studio) were a time when he was in full carnival barker mode, with the studio's games, capabilities, and had excessive expectations about what he could accomplish with them. After a period of general unease about the contrast between hype and reality, followed by the bombshell that the winner of "Curiosity" was getting the cold shoulder from 22Cans, the public turned against Molyneux.

I don't think his reputation has recovered from this travesty and I doubt it ever will. He is a man full of contradictions. At times he appears to be a pure visionary, at other times he appears to be a fraud. And now he and 22Cans are back. But in familiar fashion, he is hyping something without backing it up.

"So in the old days, we used to start talking about the whole game, the whole game design, and why it would be the greatest game in the world," Molyneux told GameReactor in a new interview. 'And people would get very frustrated and angry at it. So I'm not going to do that."

To me, Molyneux is rather off the mark, and things don't seem to be getting much better. 'Having said that, I think we've stumbled. I think we stumbled on a mechanism that wasn't in the game before. I feel like we're taking advantage of mechanisms in a world and environment that is familiar to people. It's a familiar environment, which is probably why it feels more fresh. And a lot of this is very mystical. But I think it will be an experience like "Fable," "Black and White," or "Dungeon Keeper."

Wook." A "game like never before" might be a classic description of Molyneux. The point is to create excitement without showing anything. Who has a sense of déjà vu?

Molyneux goes on to say that unlike many 22Cans titles, the target platforms for this game are consoles and PC. And so on to another of Molyneux's hallmarks: a combination of excitement and a certain feigned hesitation to keep secrets from being divulged.

"Yeah, I mean, the urge to talk about and show the pitch video we're showing ...... But that would be the beginning of the slippery slope of telling everyone," Molyneux said. There is one interesting story, however. It's the first time he's rolled up his sleeves in decades: The only thing I can say is that, first, this is the first game I've coded since 'Black and White. And secondly, this game has been evolving and I've been exploring ideas for almost five years now. So it's a very, very emotional piece. But, you know, that's ridiculous."

Hmm. Because there is no real connection between "Fable" (a humorous action RPG), "Dungeon Keeper" (an isometric base-building game), and "Black & White" (a weird demigod sim), and at best we can say that they are (expressed in very different ways) Because all we can say is that there is a common connection to the fantasy archetype. Rather, it appears that Molyneux is trying to remind us, "Hey, I was involved in some great work, too."

Another interesting point is Molyneux's comments on Playground's new trailer for "Fable," which I loved. Important note: Molyneux was involved with "Fable" from the beginning and directed the original game, but he did not create that world and setting (that would be Dean and Simon Carter).

"I thought the casting of Richard [Ayoade] was perfect. I thought his casting was perfect, and I thought it was typical of 'Fable' to make him obsessed with vegetables. But I loved the scene where the hero throws the fireball. I loved that feeling of shock. I thought it was really promising. Yes, my expectations were high."

"The thing to remember about Fable is that when we were originally designing Fable, I remember sitting down and we all agreed that Fable is funny because the players do it. It's not funny because there are a lot of jokes. In fact, there weren't any jokes, but it really became funny by making the players react in a ridiculous way, and that ridiculousness seemed to be alive and well in the trailer."

So, at least for now, the new "Fable" gets a thumbs up. In fact, I agree. There was a good vibe in that trailer, and I would love to see Playground make something truly worthy of Lionhead's masterpiece ("Fable 2," no, I won't take questions). This series could have a bright future. For more information on who was once at the helm, see ...... Well, everyone deserves a second chance, but Molyneux seems to be making the same mistake for the fourth or fifth time already, saying "I won't make the same mistake again. "I hope 22Cans really does have something decent in the works. No one wants to see a second round of Curiosity-Godus nonsense.