Once Upon A Console...
The first Fable was a game I had severely mixed feelings about. Playing the game about three years following its initial release certainly didn't help matters, but just something about it felt very... bleh. I certainly was excited of the eventual culmination of the various choices in the game, but sadly it could not emerce me enough to actually REACH that culmination. I feared it would be the same with Lionhead Studio's sequel, Fable II. Despite my preconceptions and some speed bumps along the way, Fable II is a fantastically fun journey to take for anyone who wants to make their very own legend.
The story in Fable II is somewhat difficult to explain because, for the most part, each person's story will be different. The actual girth of missions that influence your character and the world could easily fill out several fairy tale stories, but they're all tied together by an overarching story of revenge. Betrayed by the cold and ambitious Lord Lucien in your childhood, your budding Hero and his faithful canine companion must travel the fantastic land of Albion in a quest to recruit a band of fellow Heroes to help take down Lucien and his plans to reshape Albion in his own image, gaining redeeming your betrayal in the process. Overall, the narrative is kind of cliche', and the endgame is just a complete joke, but its more about the journey and choices that come to shape your story that make it a worthwhile adventure. As the old saying goes, its about the journey, not the destination.
The gameplay in Fable II is really where its at. From combat to interaction between your Hero and various townsfolk, Fable is the picture of simplicity being the best policy. In battle, you will be using the X button for melee attacks, the Y button for ranged moves, and the B handles magic. Being an action RPG, you'll be gaining new abilities as the game goes on, and coupled with the simple scheme used, combat becomes a fluid practice of stringing the three together. When you get into towns, you'll use simple expressions to interact with their inhabitants. There are no dialogue trees used, keeping it simple to convey what you want your Hero to convey, whether it be adoration, disgust, flirting, or any other manner of being a jerk or casanova that you wish. This can get a bit messy when your character gains more renown, as large crowds following you everywhere make it difficult to single out one person for abuse/love, but its a minor speedbump.
A new aspect of gameplay is your dog. From almost the get-go, your Hero is introduced to a stray pup who takes a liking to him/her. The dog will become your constant companion throughout the game's story and besides being lovable, the dog provides several services for you. Your dog will come to be able to sniff out buried treasures, alert you of danger, and even aid you in combat by mauling downed opponents. It's with your dog that your most basic characteristics of humanity play out, as not only will his appearance change alongside that of your hero's if you do good or ill, but you can praise your dog and play fetch or scold him and force him to suffer his wounded leg when injured. This all helps to add a great slant on gameplay as, even if your character is a rotten murderer, you can always be nice to your dog and still feel loved, making short moments where he is absent seem like eternities of waiting for your best friend. Don't worry, he'll always come back.
On the presentation side, Fable II is lacking a little bit. Although Albion is a richly detailed world with pockets of warm lighting and eerie haze, it doesn't look or sound spectacularly different than its predecessor (which came out for the original Xbox, mind you). The cartoon-y art style may make up for the blocky edge, but there's no denying that characters suffer from a lack of hard detail and animate poorly in many instances. Its not to say they don't get the job done, but with its leap to next-gen consoles, Fable II should definitely look better than it does. Luckily, the sound is fantastic, with a sweeping score that fits in right with the darkly-humorous story and the wacky British voice overs.
Fable II's real impact will lie in the legacy the player decides to make for his/herself. If one coasts through the somewhat dry main storyline, the game is an average ten-hour hack and slash experience worth maybe a weekend's rental. But, if the player allows themselves to be immersed in the richness of the world, drinking in all Albion has to offer, then Fable II is a story worth re-telling over and over again. Pure magic.
