Fable

I just purchased the newly released Fable 2 for Xbox 360 and it is definitely one of the better games I have ever played on the console. Fable 2 is an action-RPG. This means that it is a hybrid between a normal real time action game and a role playing game where you evolve your character with stats and armors. It is the sequel to Fable which was released on Xbox and was the number one selling action-rpg on that console.

The graphics are generally amazing. I cannot even begin to describe them, that’s how good they are. Although they are cartoonish, they still show every bump on the log next to the dirt road you are standing on. I read that the designers put approximately 120,000 leaves into every tree. Now that is detail. Plus, there is still no problem with load times even though every object is portrayed in a high resolution. One sight that caught me awestruck so far was standing on a mountain looking over a lake during a sunset. The game showed perfect reflections of the trees on the water, inspiring color schemes, and beautiful clouds. I would buy the game purely for the images you can see every few feet in the game.

The gameplay is also kept extremely simple. Attacks are combined into 3 types; melee, ranged and magic. Each type has a single button on the controller to use it. This allows for quick changes between styles and makes some pretty cool combinations of attacks. To improve your character you use experience collected while fighting to advance levels in 3 areas, strength, skill, and will (magic). Strength advances your physique melee combat skills, and health. Skill advances ranged combat and speed. Will grants you new magic spells to use. This system was taken from the original Fable and still works very well. Also, instead of the mini map you normally have in games. You have a canine companion. Wonder where to go next…? Your dog will show you the way. This saves space on screen so you can further enjoy the games rich visuals. Your dog will also growl when hidden enemies are near, search out treasure, and even attack fiends that have fallen on the ground. The way that Fable 2 has incorporated this lovable companion is awesome.

The customization that you control in the game is also incredible. At the start of the game you choose whether you want a female or male hero. From there you can eventually buy new sets of clothes and armor to protect the adventurer. The main customization of your character revolves around your choices in the game. If you chose the path of good you may gain a halo around your head, while evil will lead to demonic horns on your head and an aura of flames following you. There is also the purity of your character. A character pure of heart will be handsome and stately. A greedy or lazy character will be unattractive. Your food choices also shape your character. Eating fatty meat or pies to heal your character will turn you fat and bloated. Your stats also affect your look. A strong character will have big muscles, a skillful one will be taller, and adept magic users will glow. You can also purchase any real estate in the game. Then, you can even customize the furniture inside to increase the value of homes. I know I forgot things about customization because your ability to is very deep.

There are some downsides in the game though. The enemies are all relatively easy to beat. They also become repetitive as most enemies you fight are hobbe goblins and bandits. There are fun the first couple times around but at the end of the game they are dreadfully disappointing. Also, the game is relatively short. It is possible to beat the story in as little as ten hours, way under par for a RPG. However, to fully explore the world would take approximately one hundred.

The story of the game follows the story of the original Fable. It is five hundred years later, the heroes have been killed off and their guild burnt down. Once again evil threaten the world. You are a child living in poverty in a crime ridden slum of a town. You and your sister are orphans on the street struggling to survive when you eventually learn your destiny is to save the world and that you are descended from the heroes of old. So… how will you save it? Through fear and intimidation and evil, by the path of all that is good, or a path through the middle.