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Game Review

Fable 2 Review

This is the first review of a game I’ve ever done, so keep up.
I am reviewing the new XBOX360 game Fable 2. Produced by Peter Molineaux’s team over at Lionhead Studios, this is one of the most expansive games I have ever played.
I was a huge fan of the first Fable game (available on XBOX and through XBOX360’s LIVE section). I loved that everything you did had a bearing on how you turned out by the end of the game. Do bad things, become evil. Do good things, become angelic. Pretty simple.
Well, it was simple until now.

Fable 2 gives you all the fantasy role playing kicks you could ask for. There’s more to do than just killing bad guys (I’m lookin’ at you, World of Warcraft). You can own houses, get married, have children, buy stores, explore the many areas available to you in the game, and of course do the quests, of which there are hundreds. But the brilliance of this game lies in its easy-to-use controls.

There is one button for melee weapons (swords, axes, etc.) and one button for ranged weapons (crossbows, rifles, etc.). There is one button for magic powers. One for each thing. It makes everything a hell of a lot easier than other fighting games I’ve played.

fable 2 attack imageNow, you might think that one button fighting isn’t very interesting. You would be wrong. You would be amazed at what one button could do in this game. The magic button, for example, can cast 10 different spells at varying degrees of power – a very useful thing if you like to be a spellcaster.
But you don’t have to be one thing in this game. Most games of a fantasy nature make you decide whether to be a fighter, or a wizard, or a rogue. Fable 2 gives you everything. You can be all of these things and more; you just have to do the things you want.

Total freedom in a game environment is one of those holy grails of gaming. No one has gotten it completely right yet, but Lionhead are one of the closest by far. If you changed Fable 2 into an online community, it would be the best game ever made. That’s not its only fault, but it is the most prevalent. The online multiplayer element of the game should be more social, like the game, in much the way that World of Warcraft is. Yes there is the fighting and quests, but it could also be used as a good way to meet new people, or hang out with old friends. Especially with the XBOX LIVE community being so large now, turning Fable 2 into a MMORPG would give it the kick that it needs. I think that the XBOX LIVE community needs a truly social game to draw people in and keep them there, just like WoW. Fable would be a great game if it had that element of social interaction.

Sometimes, the pacing is a little slow, especially when you’re waiting around for characters to speak. The multiplayer is weak, and sometimes you get stuck behind doors. Also, the loading times between areas are a little long, but if you upload the game to your XBOX360 hard drive, it shortens quite significantly.
That’s all the bad stuff out of the way; now back to the good.

Fable 2 magicIn this game, you have a dog. Yes, a dog. Nothing special you say? Nothing could be further from the truth. This dog, for all intents and purposes, is a real dog. You can’t control it. It’ll follow you everywhere. You can be nice or mean to it, and it affects how the dog treats you. It helps you find treasure, and will help in your battles too.
Molineaux, by not giving us control of this dog sidekick, has given us something unique in gaming: the unconditional love and support of man’s best friend – only with pixels and programming code. It is a genius move that will probably be the deciding factor in keeping this game in the public consciousness for years to come.
Fable 2 isn’t as easy as the first Fable game either, which is a good thing because some of us found the first game to be way too easy. This has a degree of difficulty that wouldn’t faze the average young adult. But what does nowadays?

The game looks amazing, utilizing all the best elements of what XBOX360 has to offer. Some parts of this game look downright real. Please go on out and get this game if you have an XBOX360. Or do what I did: get an XBOX360 so you can play it. If you like fantasy or not, this is an awesome game. It is the best of all types of games. You have shooting, swords, magic, love, the balance between good and evil, an enormous landscape, a variety of awe inspiring vistas, interesting characters, plenty of things to do… and a dog.
The only thing it doesn’t have is driving. If you want that, you’ll have to go and get GTA4, but that’s a review for another day.

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About The Author

The Vokalist

In a world where opinion means everything, one man can make a difference. Kristopher Wright once lived in relative obscurity. He had a loving fiancee, a house by the sea, and a great job as a DJ. But all that changed when he started writing online reviews. Now his world has turned upside down. For once in his life this man is standing up and shouting his opinions to the world. The only problem is...the world is listening. THIS SUMMER YOU ARE INVITED TO HEAR THE TRUTH (Cool) Shite Presents Kristopher "The Vokalist" Wright in THE OPINIONATOR This time it's personal!

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Article Information

  • Posted: Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
  • Author: The Vokalist
  • Filed Under: Games, Review, XBOX360
Tags: , , , , ,

Comments

6 Responses to “Fable 2 Review”
  1. Scott John Harrison Shaded Spriter says:

    I loved the first game and I been wanting to play this one…unfortunately the disc my brother haves is scratched to it crashes at random during the intro section.

    It is very very annoying…

    February 10, 2009 at 10:27 pm
    • Kristopher Wright The Vokalist says:

      If you ever get a chance to get an unscratched copy of the game, give it a go. It is simple and very easy to play. The vocal system isn’t original, but the game is fun. It’s a good change from games like GTA4, which at times can feel like a job.
      Kris

      February 25, 2009 at 8:49 am
  2. Romain Ballet Romain says:

    Just finished it, awesome game!!!

    February 11, 2009 at 4:41 am
  3. Bruce Moyle Bruce Moyle says:

    I must say as someone who has been around someone else playing a lot of the this game (Tiarne) I found it to be painful. The glitches in game play and the lack of depth to the characters shat me up the wall. The voice acting is my biggest gripe as it seems that they could only afford 6 actors to vocalize the whole game. It may be pretty and somewhat expansive in scope but from an outsiders prospective who saw the game from start to finish without picking up the controls I would gladly snap the disc to never hear any of the vocals again.

    February 11, 2009 at 9:47 am
    • Kristopher Wright The Vokalist says:

      I know how you feel Bruce. My girlfriend loves the game a lot more than I do. I can’t handle watching someone else play it. But I found that it is a lot more fun when you are in control. It is an easy game to play, but most of all, it’s fun. A lot of games start to feel like a job after a while (GTA4, Fallout 3, Viva Pinata). You have to keep chipping away at it and slogging your guts out for very little reward. With Fable 2 you actually get a sense of achievement as you go along. It’s a goofy, silly game, but sometimes that is they type of mindless fun you want in life.
      Kris

      February 25, 2009 at 8:53 am
  4. Romain Ballet Romain says:

    the vocals in french are actually quite good!! :-)

    February 11, 2009 at 7:57 pm

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