Fable II (Platinum Hits Edition) (Xbox 360, 2010)

Albion is a world that's extremely difficult to pull away from once you get tangled up in its charmingly irresistible net. In Fable II's magical land, you'll come across crass gargoyles mocking your foul-smelling breath, nasty trolls erupting from the middle of luscious green pastures, and flirtatious women pleading with the local hero to put a ring on their naked fingers. This is a place that seems to exist whether you're actually playing or not, which makes it all the more compelling when you become one of its virtual citizens. The simple combat and predictable story make the early moments feel slight--as if the whole adventure will lack the depth needed to truly suck you into its spell. But once your initial doubt fades away, you're left with a meticulously crafted world that demands exploration, makes you laugh out loud, and urges you to experience all the incredible details waiting to be discovered. Fable II starts when you're just a small child. Although your childhood doesn't follow the typical RPG path of burned homes and murdered parents, it encompasses a unique tragedy that provides the backbone for the rest of your adventure. Your path is one of vengeance; you'll spend the journey recruiting fellow heroes as you attempt to destroy the ultimate evil threatening Albion. The story is one of the weakest aspects because it focuses on your choices without creating interesting characters of its own, but it does provide a few powerful scenes. There is one section in which your morality will be put to the test, and the severity of your choices is on full dramatic display. During another scene, you're given a glimpse at the main character's fondest dreams, and the simple yearnings combined with the enchanting visuals leave a lasting impression.

The lack of meaningful character interaction and development is the reason the story often falls flat. Key moments are acted out in monologue form, where one character will babble on about your destiny while you silently listen. It's unfortunate that you cannot give your character a voice during the adventure. Your interaction with others is confined to a series of expressions that help you convey your feelings but provide little actual discourse. While it is certainly amusing using these often lewd expressions to get your point across, it decreases your attachment to the rest of the world. It's hard not to laugh when you perform an elaborate hand-puppet display as your wife storms out of your house, but because the citizens of Albion are pretty one dimensional, it's difficult to get really attached to any of them.

Human interaction seems to exist solely to provide laughs, though there is one emotional link to Albion that is quite powerful. You have a loyal dog that will follow you everywhere. His main role is that of a furry metal detector, barking excitedly whenever he spots a treasure. His need to alert you of hidden goods before you have a chance to find them for yourself takes away some of the thrill of discovery, but it's hard to be mad at him when he rolls on his back or chases his tail. You can comfort your dog when something scares him, play fetch using a rubber ball, and even teach him tricks from dog-training books. It may not seem like much, but you’ll definitely miss him and his antics when he’s gone.

Fable II takes place roughly 600 years after the events in the first Fable game. There are some glitches to deal with. You will have citizens, asking for an autograph or wedding ring, and will often times block doorways or alleys. Enemies will also glitch through walls or get stuck after being knocked down, and the “Breadcrumb Trail,” which shows a golden path towards the next objective, will often take time to update, sending the Hero on the wrong path. (A better map could help..) I have been purposed in marriage by a town folk.. You need to play it out as a good person and make him or her happy or she or he will get a divorce. Gay marriage is an option in Fable II, so if you're playing a good character, expect to see both genders chasing after you with hearts over their heads. You can beat this game between 10-12 hours. Magic or pistols, swords or hammers, skills or strength, male or female, good or evil—the choices are yours to make. But no matter how you decide to tackle the challenges ahead, your goal is the same: vengeance. This game is Okay , too bad I have a game ending glitch keeping me from finishing. I had to start the game over once it, Froze in Bright wood. Minor bugs are one thing, but this is unacceptable.
Game Rating: M (Mature)
Blood
Language
Sexual Content
Use of Alcohol
Violence
Critics rate the game based on first impressions and limited play time. In that short amount of time it seems like a great game but soon becomes tedious and uneventful (Especially after beating the short main story line). All in all I give it a 4, Fable fans can expect some fun from it but don't get your hopes up on it beating the first game. Fable 2, an average game more light on content than light hearted. Perhaps the greatest disappointment was the dog, that Peter Molyneaux ( creator of this game) raved about; it turned out to have a simple AI and no significant purpose. Soundtrack was pretty good. But the game has too many glitches and it was to short.. Overall, Fable 2 has the potential to be really great, but it feels soulless. They have released this game to quickly and it was kind of boring. Ho hum...

As far as likes and dislikes go, it would be easiest to list my dislikes and then you can assume everything else is everything you would want in an RPG. I bought the game so I could play co-op with my friend and when you join someone else's game you have to pick a henchman instead of using your own character. The host gets to choose how much gold and experience you will receive and take back to your character when you're done. The camera angles during co-op are not the best and neither player can control the camera as you can in single player. It's still a fun experience though and if you give all of the experience to the host, you can quit and come back in and your henchman will have all of the same abilities as the host. This is great if you don't care about your single player character gaining any experience. It's a really easy way to beat the game as you will both become very strong very quickly.

The single player in my opinion is where this game really shines. It's definately top notch. That's all I have to say about that. Basically, get it if you like RPGs and games that reward you for being good or evil.

I was a little bit giddy when unwrapping my copy of Fable 2 for the Xbox 360. This is the follow up to the insanely ambitious fantasy action adventure role-playing game Fable for the Xbox. This game is set five hundred years after the world of Fable and the fantasy European world of Albion has evolved in complexity and detail in every measure of the word.

If you ignore the previous game and look at Fable 2 on it's own you will see an wholly successful action adventure game that can stand on it's own merits. This builds on and expands on the conventions of Fable crafted by Lionhead games. That is a phrase that really applied to Fable 2; handcrafted. You can tell that this game was a labor of love by Sir Peter Molyneux. You know it is going to be good when it is a game designed by a knight of both England and France. The first game is not a prerequisite but if you liked the first game than you are going to eat this game up. It is going to be yummy.

The world of Fable 2 comes off incredibly European but better than a trip to the renaissance faire while it manages to be medieval but not a not wholly Tolkien rip-off.

The game is structured around the concept of choices and consequences. You are quietly presented with choices of morality that are not quite so clear and how you choose affects the total outcome of your standing in the world. Unlike Grand Theft Auto that is willing to dispense forgiveness by a simple trip to the Pay-N-Spray the moral choices you make in Fable 2 have lasting serious consequences. Choices of right and wrong are balanced with the quest for power and fame. Sure this game is rated M for Mature but since it presents moral consequences for your actions I would have no problem having the kids that I know enjoy this game.

This game is not just about going on quests and little bad guys but a simulation of social human interactions is a central concept of the game. This is as much The Sims as it is Lord of the Rings. Unlike the first Fable game you can choose either a male or female hero and over the course of the game you can engage in straight or queer romantic relationships. You can get married, buy property, have children along side your quest to save the world.



The graphics are evidence that they had a small army of well trained graphical artists and animators at Lionhead who spent years to develop a rich breathing world that is just as alive as the fake New York of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The gameplay controls are designed around the concept of context sensitivity. That means that the functions of the buttons will change given the situation that you are in and once you pick up the game interacting with the rich world should be second nature. It really is intuitive way to cram a bunch of controls possibilities on to a standard video game controller. The combat nearly approaches a single button game play control placing timing and context over shear button-mashing or complex combos. This game advanced the implementation of magical spells and introduced firearms and crossbows instead of the bow archery of the first game.





I sort of thought that there was too much hype made around the Fable 2 Pub Games XBLA game but then again I never liked gambling and would rather earn treasure by going on quests and killing goblins than rolling the bones.

The work that was invested in the audio of this game really comes across. The musical score and sound effects help to build a fantasy world without g

Fable II is an excellent digital RPG (role-playing game). It covers all of the basic expectations for a fantasy-based game including magic, renaissance-style weapons, customizable period clothing, mysterious entities, and many NPCs (non-player characters) to interact with. Overall, I rate Fable II a 4.5 / 5.0 for the following reasons:

-Pros-
Fable II has an easy-to-follow storyline that contains many ties to the original Fable but is incredibly playable without ever having played the original Fable (this one takes place 500 years after the conclusion of the first Fable game). The graphics are impressive for a real-time RPG and the musical / sound content is clean, crisp, and well presented with the events in the game.

Fable II is not inherently dependant upon economics, such as the original Fable or many other RPGs. A new player can build up the necessary funds to purchase adventuring equipment fairly quickly--without spending to much time with hack 'n slash tactics of acquiring funds.

There are some refreshing economic elements such as owning homes & businesses which can be rented out for cash or the player can adjust their prices--higher or lower prices affect a town's overall economy and attraction to the player, which in turn affects the player's purity, corruption, and pocketbook. There are many elements in Fable II which can be adjusted by the player that, over time, have far reaching affects on parts of the Fable world.

The combat and spell system are straightforward but also contain a few elements that take some skill to master--it is an excellent combination for players who do not want to spend hours mastering simple fighting tactics but do enjoy a few advanced combat options.

The player's in-game avatar is greatly affected by the types of accomplishments, skills, food, and drinks that the character utilizes. Greater focus on magic causes the character to slowly gain glowing runes on the avatar's body, higher focus in strength generates a more muscular character, and poor food choices will yield an obese figure. Clothing can be slightly customized with a large array of dyes while facial features (including hair styles) can be changed at various barber shops.

-Cons-
The main quest line in Fable II is rather short lived. If you are looking for a RPG that will soak up many days or weeks of playtime, on the primary quest, this is definitely not the game to purchase. Additionally, the side quests are not incredibly plentiful (as they are in Oblivion, for example), but they are entertaining and enjoyable.

There is no armor to speak of in Fable II. Combat is based solely on hit points and weapons / spells / tactics. This detracts from the possibility of building a balance between speed & defense, which is a traditional feature in many RPGs.

Fable II is filled with software bugs. These can range from simple, annoying problems, to (sadly) permanent game-affecting issues. For example, there are only two furniture dealers in the world of Fable II--in one of my personal games, the first store never has furniture available to sell and the second store eventually got the same bug...so it is impossible for me to purchase furniture to upgrade my properties.

-Overall-
Fable II is scheduled to have an update / mini-expansion available for download in early 2009, which supposedly will remedy some of its drawbacks & bugs. This is a light RPG that is fun, engaging, and enjoyable.