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Review: Fable II is an adventurous choice between good and evil
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When the original Fable dropped a few years ago on the original Xbox, a lot of the promises made were nowhere to be found. Regardless, the game was still fun and had a pretty good story. For Fable 2, creator Peter Molyneux wants to make up for the lost promises by adding a bunch of cool features in the game and a decent story surrounding them.
The game takes place 500 years after the original Fable and you begin the game by choosing a male or female character. You’re then thrust into what seems like a Tim Burton-like Euro city as a child. You and your sister are homeless, orphan children that are roaming around the streets completing different missions for different citizens of Bowerstone. From the start, you’re given the choice of doing a good deed or an evil deed which pretty much sets the tone for the entire game. You learn how to swing a sword and use a ranged weapon as well. After a tragic incident, the game is fast forwarded about a decade when your character is a young man. You then learn how to use your Will (or magic) and then you’re set off on a quest for vengeance.
When you’re on these country roads and paths, it’s just you and your dog. Your dog is your companion through the whole game and if you treat him right, he'll be your best friend. Your dog sniffs out treasure for you, hidden or in the ground; he’ll help you during fights, and will growl when enemies are nearby. You can also get books to train him to make a better treasure hunter and fighter. It’s a great addition especially when you take a break from a quest to explore.
The battle system in the game is pretty easy. You press X to melee, Y to fire a ranged weapon, or B to use magic. Using magic is by far the most fun. There are a variety of spells you can use ranging from fire and electricity to time warp and chaos which drives enemies crazy. Plus you never run out of spells, you can use them as much as you want. The more balanced fighting you use the more experience you get to add abilities to your character. Melee, ranged, and magic experience is gained when you use those in battle and you have general experience that can be put together with any of the other three when adding abilities.
Another huge aspect of the game is the social feature which goes in conjunction with the good and evil choices you have to make. You can approach any character in the game and get them to love you or fear you. You get them to love or fear you by using the “Expressions” on the D-Pad. They range from flirting and dancing to growling and threatening towards people. Characters on the street sometimes have “gifts” that they’ll give you if they have a certain level or fear or love towards you. Some quests require you to make someone fall in love with you, which is pretty easy. Then you can marry them, put them up in a house you own and have children. But besides using them for a mission or getting a gift from someone, you won’t be using them that often.
Speaking of owning a house, almost every piece of property is for sale in the game. You can get a cool little cottage in the countryside, or get a house in the middle of town. The prices vary from house to house, but you can also rent it out to folks if you want to make some extra cash. You can also buy different stands around town and determine the prices of the products. Of course, you got to have even balance where people won’t hate you for expensive items and still be able to make some good money. And even if you don’t want to make money that way, you can just go get a job. Depending on where you are, you can get a job making swords or cutting wood. The jobs consist of a mini-game where your timing is tested and if you do well, you can make quite a bit of cash. Of course you use the cash to buy equipment, clothes, haircuts, and even a name to be spread around the region.
There’s a bunch of stuff to do in the game and that doesn’t even include the co-op multiplayer both off and online. You can share your spoil with friends and go do quests together. So whether you choose to be a good hero or an evil hero, Fable 2 is guaranteed fun. The graphics look great, and there isn’t a whole lot of text to read like most RPGs. And if you choose not to explore the world, Fable 2 does have a decent story, although not too in-depth, that’ll keep you motivated to the end.
Q’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5
EuroGamer: 10 out of 10
Gamespy: 4.5 out of 5
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