by: Noah Hess

November 13, 2008

The original Fable released in 2005 and was an instant hit on the Xbox console. Now that the ‘sequel’ is here it doesn’t feel like much has changed in the game this time around, for better or for worse. Starting up Fable II you immediately feel “Yeah, this is just how Fable is supposed to be”. If you have played the first one you may get all tingly inside. After playing around for a while though you realize that some of the things from the first game just haven’t changed enough; some things for the better, others for the worse.

In Fable II you start out as a young orphan that is trying to get out of the streets and have a better life for you and your sister (sound familiar?). You eventually become an adult and a ‘hero’, granting you the ability to use will (magic). As you progress through the main quest you gain access to other areas and cities and from there you get side quests and other objectives you can do in game such as gambling or working at a job. The jobs are for the most part just pressing the A button at the right time. They are boring but they get you money, money that you don’t really need to get further into the game, but money to spend on things that distract you from the main quest such as a wife, house, owning properties, and of course achievements. The side quests are essential to making this game have any sort of longevity at all, as the main quest can be completed in a just a few short hours.

The gameplay itself is very simple and straight forward. You have three different attacks; melee, ranged, and magic. These are all tied to one button. As you use these attacks more you will gain more experience in that category to level up. For instance after leveling up you might be able to zoom in with your guns or target specific body parts. Though it is extremely simple, it works well for the game. You won’t be playing long enough to even worry about doing complex combos or anything of that nature. The game also has a ‘karma’ system of sorts allowing you to play as an evil, good, or neutral character. This will effect how people react to your character, though it doesn’t really change the gameplay a ton, it’s a nice little addition that will have you just playing around with the game more then you would if you just did the main quests. The one thing that will effect the storyline though is the ability to get married and start a family. You can have as many wives as you want and one child with each of them. They do not really add much to the gameplay itself, just something extra to mess around with. The quests you play are very much a like going from point A to point B and kill bad guys on the way. Most side quests and main quests follow this pattern which can be a real let down when you find out that the game only has a handful of main story quests to participate in.

The game also has co-op play, either locally or on Xbox Live. Unfortunately, the co-op in this game is kind of shallow. The second player is only able to play as a ‘henchmen’ of their choosing and they select their weapons before joining the session. While you can’t play as your main character when you are the second player, you can use the experience and money you get towards one of your saved characters. While that is useful, playing in co-op means that you have no control over the camera and it ends up taking away from the experience of the game. I would suggest maybe doing it after you beat the game or just to try it out, but it will not be something you and your buddy are going to do from beginning to end.

The story in this game is another weak aspect. I loved the first Fable and thought the story was really unique and really made me look forward to the sequel. Fable 2 however has no ties to Fable 1 at all when it comes to story other then a few brief mentions of the hero’s of the old kingdom. That wouldn’t be a problem if the game had a good story of it’s own, but it ends up being a problem because the story in this game is cut short abruptly before you can even get into it. This had to have had the most anti-climactic ending to a game that has been hyped as much as Fable II has. It’s not that it’s just anti-climactic either; it’s that the ending isn’t even something you play. They could have held the game back a few months or even a year if they needed to. The game really needed it when it’s supposed to be such a big RPG title facing off against games like Fallout 3 and Gears of War 2 this Christmas.

The game also has some issues with framerate and loading. At times when you go to play the blacksmithing ‘minigame’ or do one of the other jobs, the bar doesn’t even load until the gameplay has already started. It’s not a big problem, but it is very noticeable and annoying at times. The game also has other bugs with shops not having items in stock at all, ever. This is supposed to be addressed in a patch, but as of now I think they should have worked on the game a little more instead of shipping it unfinished with the idea that they can just patch it later on.

Share this:

8 8 7 8 4 7

Overall I would say that this game is not going to turn many heads. It is a pretty standard game that you will enjoy for a few hours but it’s not going to be something you keep coming back too. If you are a fan of Fable, get it, you will enjoy it somewhat. If you have not played any Fable game yet, get Fable the Lost Chapters on original Xbox and you will likely have a better experience for a fraction of the price.

Discuss this in the forums!