xbox 360
Did You Just Get Master Chief In My Fable II?
Posted by Michael McWhertor at 8:40 AM on July 10, 2008
Lionhead fan site Loinhead has posted a rather suspicious and alleged Fable II screen shot today, one that it claims originates from an anonymous source. The site cryptically writes "we seem to have found an image in the style of Fable 2 very shortly after the Collector's Edition was announced". Hoax? Semi-clever marketing? Merely intense character customisation?
My usually reliable Photoshop bullshit detector isn't being very helpful, but those who suspect that a Master Chief lookalike in Fable II is simply pixel alchemy are welcome to eyeball a larger version linked below.
Master Chief Rockin' [Loinhead via Lionhead Forums]

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Ashurahori
Posted 9:26 AM 10/7/08
@ariete: It's called English accent. While we're on the subject, I'd like Gandalf to greet people with a "G'day, mate!"
Ashurahori
TeldurUK
Posted 9:24 AM 10/7/08
Love easter eggs and such like in games, so fingers crossed this is in Fable
TeldurUK
kojirodensetsu
Posted 9:23 AM 10/7/08
Will it only be in the collector's edition?
kojirodensetsu
Jambolia
Posted 9:17 AM 10/7/08
@ariete: What less English (West-Country) more awful Calafornian accents? yeah that'd make the game sooo much better......
Jambolia
Pezdispenser
Posted 9:16 AM 10/7/08
Is this what the devs have been doing for the past few months? What a waste of time and or money.
Pezdispenser
ray89
Posted 9:13 AM 10/7/08
Judging from the lighting, it looks fake to me, you can see the shadows of the buildings tilting to the right, but theres a light coming from the doorway in the background, that can easily be photoshopped, but I dunno, I'm indifferent as to if its real or not!
ray89
Winterbringer
Posted 9:13 AM 10/7/08
lol,I love the Medieval lattice in his visor
Winterbringer
Jambolia
Posted 9:12 AM 10/7/08
Christ people, It's real and I can't see why no one gets it...its a parody, a piss take, just a little tongue in cheek, obviously English humour is beyond a lot of people unless it's blindingly obvious.
Jambolia
ariete
Posted 9:11 AM 10/7/08
I hope Master Chief doesn't talk/sing with that awful accent the characters had in Fable 1. Actually, I hope ALL the NPCs will sound more normal and less like Molyneux.
ariete
Valshar
Posted 9:10 AM 10/7/08
Wow, as serious as Molyneux takes himself and his work, this would be another bad omen for me. And by golly, do I wish Fable 2 rocks.
Valshar
SG_Mahonay
Posted 9:01 AM 10/7/08
Looks both real and awful.
SG_Mahonay
Helioz
Posted 8:59 AM 10/7/08
Very interesting, I always thought of Master Chief as a Maraca player myself...
Helioz
shaunomacx
Posted 8:59 AM 10/7/08
master chief has been sucked into Molyneux's fantasy that Fable II will match the hype the same way Halo 3 did (sarcasm)
shaunomacx
thejakeman: visit my site!
Posted 8:59 AM 10/7/08
@chuffhoncho: Its Fablo-ous!
thejakeman: visit my site!
Salen
Posted 8:56 AM 10/7/08
Ok, that's... different.
Salen
Fadakar
Posted 8:55 AM 10/7/08
Definitely legitimate, I'm excited. :D lol
Fadakar
Arsenicberyllium
Posted 8:54 AM 10/7/08
I'm just going to go with Bull on this one so if I'm right, I'll shove it in everybody elses faces, and if I'm wrong, it'll be quietly forgotten.
Arsenicberyllium
Humpski
Posted 8:54 AM 10/7/08
Probably a "Halo'ed up" Hero character making good use of costume parts.
Humpski
Moonshadow101
Posted 8:53 AM 10/7/08
Fable 1 had a red prostitute wig. I don't think a Halo 3ish helm is too outlandish.
Moonshadow101
chuffhoncho
Posted 8:52 AM 10/7/08
Fablo 4: Finish the Fake Renaissance Faire Fight
chuffhoncho
RRRansom
Posted 8:51 AM 10/7/08
Medieval Halo is one of many things on my "want list". It's just below Steampunk Halo.
RRRansom
liquid_kore
Posted 8:50 AM 10/7/08
I would guess it's just an Easter Egg that got out early.
liquid_kore
FryDay
Posted 8:50 AM 10/7/08
Halo 4, now we know it will be a prequel ^^
FryDay
wild homes is being recast!
Posted 8:49 AM 10/7/08
It looks real. Personally I hope it's just an example of a robust character creator, because while I'd never make Master Chief in my Fable II-- Halo is totally not my bag, and I think he's a very, very bland character-- I'd love to be able to create something as far from the normal 'fantasy' type as possible. Go Team Molyneux!
wild homes is being recast!
chaos_isnt_here
Posted 8:47 AM 10/7/08
awkward....
chaos_isnt_here
formina
Posted 8:46 AM 10/7/08
I wonder if he'd have rechargeable health/shields.
formina
lenandude
Posted 8:46 AM 10/7/08
I think it might be photoshop because if you look hard enough you can see that his feet are floating of the ground. But I wouldn't be surprised if this was real.
lenandude
chuffhoncho
Posted 8:46 AM 10/7/08
This close to E3, it's anyone's guess whether it's real or not. I wouldn't be surprised if it were though.
chuffhoncho
Heliophage
Posted 8:45 AM 10/7/08
Looks pretty real for an easter egg. I think it fits the world nicely.
Heliophage
DefHamster
Posted 8:44 AM 10/7/08
Looks real to me.
DefHamster
MushroomBoy1022
Posted 8:44 AM 10/7/08
outstanding. hola~!
MushroomBoy1022
bnorman
Posted 8:43 AM 10/7/08
Betrayal!
bnorman
ariete
Posted 9:51 AM 10/7/08
I think it's real. And just like our very own Jambolia said, it's definitely a joke. I don't think that Master Mariachi will be in the actual game.
It would be cool if he did though.
ariete
KeroseneClimax
Posted 9:46 AM 10/7/08
I didn't know the Chief was a spoony bard.
KeroseneClimax
C22DBlueKnightOne
Posted 9:38 AM 10/7/08
It looks pretty authentic to me, although something about his left hand (the one "strumming" the "strings") kinda bothers me. I'm going to call creative use of in-game features on this, but I won't rule out damn good photoshopping either.
C22DBlueKnightOne
peAr nectAr
Posted 9:35 AM 10/7/08
@Jambolia: Yeah, like totally. Hang ten, duder?
peAr nectAr
Winterbringer
Posted 9:30 AM 10/7/08
@Ashurahori: It wasn't just an English accent, it was a heavily exaggerated British southern accent.
Winterbringer
aspasticninja
Posted 10:13 AM 10/7/08
This must be the "additional content" from the Limited Edition!!!
lol
aspasticninja
ariete
Posted 10:06 AM 10/7/08
@chozo_hybrid: I'm pretty sure Fable 2 doesn't need any gimmicks to sell well. Fable (for xbox) sold 2.6 million copies despite being a new franchise.
[vgchartz.com]
ariete
Ahsayuni
Posted 10:00 AM 10/7/08
@Arsenicberyllium: oh don't worry, I'll remember you
Ahsayuni
chozo_hybrid
Posted 9:58 AM 10/7/08
i know this may sound biased but (im not a halo fan)but cant companies making xbox games think of another character/gimmick to sell a game apart from (im a massive starwars fan)having the master chief or starwars characters? i man DOA 4 had i spartan an such an soul caliburs gettin yoda an darth as well as the new apprentice...all im saying is a lil originality could be nice
chozo_hybrid
Strangelove
Posted 9:55 AM 10/7/08
Looks real to me. I hope there's a fair amount of humor like this in the game.
Strangelove
robinandtami
Posted 10:37 AM 10/7/08
@Valshar: Yeah.... all the farting and silly stuff you could do in Fable was Molyneaux taking himself so serisouly......
robinandtami
chozo_hybrid
Posted 10:19 AM 10/7/08
@ariete: i know, ive been waiting for the game too and its going to sell, but i guess im just a bit sick of games like halo that get idolised by everything, when there are so many other good games that could get references now and then. sorry, i could have worded that last post better XD
chozo_hybrid
Tom Clancy's Samuraidino
Posted 11:40 AM 10/7/08
@xyzface: Well their is a tiny dark spot at his feet,and the sun is shining towards the amera so the shadow would be somwhere below the border of the piture,so that really doesnt prove that its PS magic
Tom Clancy's Samuraidino
xyzface
Posted 11:34 AM 10/7/08
i can see no shadow of the character and you can see all of his bottom left foot and a shadow shud be emitting from there somewhere
xyzface
ademu
Posted 11:26 AM 10/7/08
The only thing I don't like is the shadow underneath the Chief himself-- it just looks maybe a little wee bit too soft. Else wise, at least to me, all looks good.
ademu
GorbyGipper
Posted 11:04 AM 10/7/08
I normally pay $60 to have Master Chief over for some Covie blasting.
This picture leaves me wanting to pay him $5 to leave me alone and play music for folks at another table.
GorbyGipper
SnakeCL
Posted 10:54 AM 10/7/08
Aside from the helmet. nothing particularly looks MC'ish to me. Looks like a bunch of in-game assets tinted green.
SnakeCL
HALO-32
Posted 10:45 AM 10/7/08
So that was the planet in the background at the end of Halo 3!
HALO-32
B-Minus
Posted 12:00 PM 10/7/08
How is the light from that doorway overlapping the front of Master Chief's hand when the light source is actually behind him? And if a direct beam of light is shooting thru that doorway, why is it not casting on the ground leading out of the doorway? And anyway the sun be can't be low enough to cast such horizontal light because then the shadows from the walls would consume the whole courtyard. The shadows and the magical light beam suggest conflicting positions for the sun...
That faulty light beam could be either a poorly thought-out in-game effect or a poorly thought-out photoshop effect. I dont think the latter necessarily proves shennaningans, tho--they could just be trying to touch-up the screenshot.
Inconclusive.
B-Minus
Guild_Navigator
Posted 11:50 AM 10/7/08
I', actually more excited about being able to play the lute than dressing as master chief. Not that I don't find the humor in it.
Guild_Navigator
TheLAG
Posted 11:50 AM 10/7/08
All he needs is a Sombrero...
Hola~!
TheLAG
Nessman
Posted 12:53 PM 10/7/08
Sure, it's possible it could be photoshopped, but the creator would have to be well versed in some sort of 3D program, and have the intention of making him in a Fable-character-style. I see only two likely options:
1. This is real and it was made as a joke (or maybe as said to help get some more buzz going on the game) by a Lionhead artist
2. Someone got their hands on either Fable 1 or Fable 2 3D models and did some creative editing of their own.
Nessman
Nessman
Posted 12:57 PM 10/7/08
or another option:
[www.xbox360fanboy.com]
Nessman
Pi-face
Posted 2:16 PM 10/7/08
It doesn't really look like Master Chief, though. I'd guess that it's custom models or customization (probably customization, as models would be more like the chief himself)
Pi-face
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
Posted 3:13 PM 10/7/08
That is too funny! Hope it is some Easter egg.
ThatsMrOffDutyNinja
n42
Posted 3:42 PM 10/7/08
This would definitely be great as an Easter egg. Like you find him in some town behind a store sitting down with his acoustic. You can pay him money to play the Halo theme. That would be sweet.
n42
maraxusofk
Posted 4:50 PM 10/7/08
if this is in the colelctor's edition im sorry but i have to get it then.
maraxusofk
GogolGants
Posted 5:30 PM 10/7/08
Kicking ass, taking names and playing lute since 1852.
GogolGants
omfg_its_dally
Posted 5:16 PM 10/7/08
Haha that's cool. I bet its just part of the character customization.
omfg_its_dally
aleams22
Posted 5:07 PM 10/7/08
Now if only this guitar could shoot fire..
aleams22
juscallmeweasel
Posted 7:20 PM 10/7/08
So thats where MC ended up at the end of Halo 3!
Is this bungies upcoming "new project" Halo Fable....cant help thinking it wont be very hard....battle rifle vs pointy sticks..
juscallmeweasel
MasaMuneCyrus
Posted 10:55 PM 10/7/08
Might I note that that is NOT Master Chief -- he is wearing leather boots with buckles, gloves, and what looks to also be a hard leather armor. His helmet is also not Master Chief's helmet.
I'd guess either a real screen of a character made intentionally to look like Master Chief using in-game items, or a minimally photoshopped picture (i.e., they merely photoshopped in the visor).
MasaMuneCyrus
laufingman
Posted 12:03 AM 11/7/08
no its obviously a screen shot for a medieval themed halo 4
laufingman
gencid
Posted 3:40 AM 11/7/08
I think this is most likely real. Sort of like when nobody believed Assassin's Creed costume would show up on Metal Gear Solid 4. Cool for Halo & Fable fans (I am not a fan of either game and I have played them both to boredom).
gencid
CyberSkull
Posted 8:17 AM 11/7/08
I will delight in stabbing him repeatedly when the game comes out.
CyberSkull
--Core--
Posted 9:26 AM 11/7/08
I don't think its real.. MC look alike doesn't seem to have a shadow... and everything else has a shadow.. or maybe its just me?
--Core--
everybest
Posted 10:41 AM 11/7/08
It looks completely photoshopped like they just pasted him in the background and sprayed a bit of light to give it depth. The lighting is off, the shadow is off. No ambient occlusion.
everybest