Fable II

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Nychold
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Fable II

Post by Nychold »

Review of Fable II
It's like crack. Addicting, but no substance.

Story: 3/10
Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Fun: 10/10

Nearly 600 years after the Hero of Oakvale defeated Jack of Blades, the world is in turmoil again, this time from the man who tried to kill you. That's really about as deep as the storyline goes, unfortunately. There are still tough decisions, moral quandaries, and awkward moments, but in the end, the story is merely a "follow the yellow brick road and kill the wicked witch of the west." But, if you're playing Fable II just for the story, you're missing out on the game.

Imagine a world where the tiniest change you make can have serious repercussions in the future. Don't help that farmer deal with his bandit problem? The farmer gets killed, and the land grows cold. Defeat those bandits, and the farm flourishes. These might seem like small, programmatic changes, but in the end, these changes can serious affect your income for the worse. The farm, if it prospers, can be purchased later in the game, giving you a never ending stream of gold from the profits, and free range to take random items...even gold from the till. Leave it to rot, and it's worth nothing.

And let's not forget the furry friend. At the beginning of the game, you're given a dog who can be trained to hunt down treasure and attack fallen bad guys you left to die. The first is really a blessing, since random items are scarce in the game. The second is a bit of a nuisance. Sure it's fun to knock a bandit down, watch your puppy run over, and hear a delightful rip and scream, followed by an explosion of "experience orbs", but as you get more powerful (and indeed, your dog gets more powerful) these moments happen less and less, replaced instead by the heartbreaking whimper of your dog, injured again. Fortunately, you never run out of healing potions for your dog, but it is a hassle to heal him after every third or fourth battle.

Money making is much more difficult in this game, since killing bandits and creatures never nets you items or gold. That's sort of a shock, considering that the original Fable had an occasional random item drop. In this game, you earn money by finding it, selling the items you find, by working, or buying your first property. If you buy a house and rent it out, or buy a shop of some kind, you'll receive a share of the profits. Every few minutes, you'll see a little bit of gold added to your coffers. Not enough? Just wait, buy another house or shop, and the money increases. After purchasing just a few of these homes and shops, you can easily make 10k-15k gold every time you start the game up.

Oh didn't I mention? The game computes the time you've spent away from the game, and gives you the amount of gold you'd earn by just letting it sit idle. Pretty cool, huh?

The biggest drawbacks to the game are the "food punishments", the lack of camera control, and the travel inconsistencies. Every bit of food in the game gives you the benefit of health points. Some give you experience or skill. Others give you magical powers. Most also give you fatness. Fatness that never goes away. Fatness that accumulates, despite running for miles and starving yourself for months. In fact, the only way to lose way in the game is to eat celery. And eating one pie is almost disastrous on your appearance scale.

The lack of camera control is another big disadvantage to the game. You can invert the y-axis, but only after the prelude to the game is completed (and can't be skipped). You can't invert the x-axis, which for me, is nearly traumatic. There is no zoom to speak of, so in order to see what that new haircut looks like on you, you need to find a wall with a torch, and force the camera to zoom in on you. But don't get too close, or your character will become transparent.

The last major drawback to the game are the travel inconsistencies. Say you're spelunking in a cave, that requires a 500ft+ dive into icy waters. Sure, no problem. The game is even prepared for that, and allows you to do it. Now, flash to a forest path. See those Hobbes coming to attack you? See that 2 foot retaining wall between you and them? Yeah, you're not getting over that. Find a way around. :roll:

Peasant control can also be troubling. Go down a dead end alley, and you can find yourself hemmed in by peasants, all wanting your autograph, wedding rings, or just a triple-X throwdown. The only way out? Use your map and 'fast-travel' somewhere else in that section of town, or scare the living daylights out of them with magic.

Sex is now possible without being married, though it seems a bit easier to initiate when you're married. The recent invention of the condom allows you to have protected and unprotected sex, the latter of which can result in an STD or even a child (supposedly even pregnancy for female heroes, though I've not seen it yet.) Which brings me to another mild annoyance in the game. Your ratty little rug rats are annoying. The second you walk into the section of Albion where they live, they flock to you, cling to you, and never go home. I've shown up in town at 2 in the morning, and they're awake! *sigh* Whatever is a parent who saved the world to do?

In short, the storyline is very weak and very short. But the rest of the game is surprisingly quite large. Lots of legendary magical items are waiting to be unearthed, towns are ready for purchase, and gargoyles are begging to be shot. The game is highly addicting, both in what you can do and what you can't do. I would recommend this game to anyone wanting to kill lots of bad guys and make lots of money, but if you want a story, read a book. This game is just lacking in the department.
Watercolor: I'm a grade A bone sucker!
Me: :shock: :) :D :twisted:
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