Role playing games are like buses, you wait ages for a good one to come along and then two come at once, well that's if the advertising space is to be believed anyway, Fable 2 and Fallout 3 are the big hitters this month, so lets see how the first release measures up. Thankfully Fable 2 delivers everything which you could want from a modern day RPG and it does it with an impeccable sense of style and humour. Before I start this review properly I want to explain that I promised myself that I wouldn't mention Peter Molyneaux unless it was absolutely necessary, so lets see how many words in I can get in without mentioning gaming's best loved public relations nightmare.

The original Fable won plenty of awards and was apparently a really good game, although in the annals of interactive entertainment history. However it is more remembered for a certain individual promoting it so much amongst the gaming media, that when gamers actually sat down to play the damn thing they were crushingly disappointed.  Which was a shame because despite multiple technical and game play issues, it wasn't an awful game, it just wasn't particularly that good. Which brings me to the latest Molyneaux (87 words) creation,  Fable 2, and the high expectations that it will provide the gaming goods.

Fable 2 is different from other games right from the word go, if you've seen the trailers or any of the delightful developer diaries you are aware of the middle England setting of Albion, and the humour related with this creation. It is a world where fantasy mixes with comedy in a very unique way, which is fully realised within the Monty Python-esque framework, its both at times surreal and laugh out loud funny, but the humour involved may not be to everyone's taste. The voice talent chosen also give the title a distinctly English flavour securing both the talents of Stephen Fry, and Dame Judy Dench sound-alike, Zoe Wanamaker. Not only this but the musical score is also haunting enough to give the fantasy atmosphere a sense of menace and oddity, which suites the game perfectly.

If nothing else Fable 2 represents a journey from your characters childhood to his eventual end as saviour or tyrant of Albion, but that's not to say this title is linear, far from it. The things to do in the world of Albion are numerous as they are interesting with side quests and the ability to buy property, marry anyone you meet who takes your fancy, have unprotected sex with prostitutes, hunt local bandits and terrorise villages. The world of Albion is shaped by your choices and the populace is as well, villagers will flock to your every whim and emotion famous through positive deeds, or run away when they see you walking down your street if your known for your more nefarious side.

The combat is fun and surprisingly deep, all of combat stems from one button effectively, one button for close quarters, another button for ranged weapons, and a further button for magic attacks. This leads to some interesting tactical combinations when dealing with the different enemies of Albion and once players progress into the later stages of the game, strategies become essential in dealing with tougher foes. Unlike typical RPG's, combat in Fable is fast and fluid providing immediate gratification and a great sense of power for your character. Especially when that user is proficient in using magic, shocking, propelling, and burning foes into oblivion. Magic, as it rightly should, makes gamers feel god like in its execution and its an absolute joy frying wave of wave of enemy trolls, or shocking enemy bandits to death while they fly five foot into the air. Short range combat is also surprisingly deep adding blocks, charges, and counters into the mix. Its impressive the amount of variation Lionhead have added into a system which effectively restricts the more talented players to just one button. But once involved with the fast pace of combat, you not only understand why the developers went for the method, you grow proficient and begin to enjoy it an incredible amount, especially when you decapitate your first Hollow Man with a hurried head shot.

Albion is a world which welcomes the player into its bosom with open arms, with memorable characters and locales. Its not so much a believable world, but one which embodies such character and comedic finesse that players will relish their time within it. It is the level of interaction which sets Fable apart from its RPG peers, offering interactions with every NPC within its different villages and towns, despite these actions boiling down to glorified emotes its offers the players a sort of freedom which simply isn't offered in other open world games. Players do have an opportunity to change the face of certain areas but these opportunity's aren't a strength of the universe, they seem a bit forced on the player. Even though they enforce the idea of the players impact on the area, they are few and fair between and not the best example of Fables interactive nature. Interactions between NPC and players are exaggerated to their extremes with dialogue being entirely based on character animations, despite its simplistic nature there's nothing quite like charming a love interest by narrowly avoiding soiling yourself after a minute long fart. It's effective enough to give the illusion of a conversation while maintaining the surreal and fun nature of the relationships formed in Fable.

Arguably the biggest difference between the original Fable and Fable 2 is the addition of your honourable canine friend, this may seem like a small feature but as soon as you see the little guy leaping on screen you will immediately change your mind. The game play is completely modified with your dog leading you to treasure chests, barking to alert you where to dig, growling when enemies are near and generally being cute. Now usually I am a heartless bastard when push comes to shove in video games, I was happy to cheat on my multiple wives and yes, kick a chicken off a cliff edge, but this dog immediately made me feel all mushy inside. Travelling between quest locations is so much more fun when there is a constant promise of loot being sniffed out, and enemies would immediately taste my wrath if they went any where near my dearest four legged Poppy. This feeling never subsided throughout the entire campaign and when the inevitable time came when she, I decided it was female, had to be left behind for certain quests I genuinely missed her company and help. This canine represents a significant achievement for the developers at Lionhead and it is something that should be experienced by every gamer, if only for a game of fetch or two.

Time jumps as you progress through the main story, not progressively but in several strides. Locales will change, you spouse will age and your children will grow up, its a nice touch adding relevance and consequence to your actions while giving the illusion of time. It would have been nice if the leap was a little less sudden and foreboding, but one can understand why the developers would have avoiding anything resembling real time, even if it was drastically sped up. As a result your character is constantly choosing the future of the world over the needs of his family and loved ones, no matter how much you spend time with your family, buying them gifts, improving their home, you will inevitably have to fight evil and secure their futures. Its a shame that such a sacrifice has to be made, but this is the biggest strength of Fable. The main story and quest line is perhaps the most disappointing and clichéd aspect of this otherwise dazzling game. It goes exactly where you expect it to and in a game which is packed with such well executed original concepts, the main story feels like a missed opportunity. But you can always punctuate this often boring main story, with some original side quests such as revenge of a jilted ghost left at the alter being a particular highlight.

Villagers react to your actions constantly during your time in Fable 2, if your good they will idolise you and many will follow you around town constantly asking for autographs, talking about your greatest victories or even propositioning you in the street, both men and women. But if your bad they run from you in fear, talk about your most nefarious deeds whilst maintaining their distance. This isn't new to RPG's but it is in the shades of grey that Fable 2 is often so successful, for example in my game I killed a villager who wouldn't stop following me around, my purity rating was high and it was a blemish on an otherwise disciple like existence. Despite the fact I got away with it and that the villager didn't have a family, yes I thought it through, villagers kept talking about the unsolved murder. Despite the fact I got away with it, I still felt legitimately guilty about my crime, its these sorts of stories which enabled me to fall in love with this game, unlike most other RPG's where there is a definitive space of right and wrong Fable can be uncompromising with some of the grey area scenarios it throws at you. Times when you are put in impossible situations which you, yourself, have thrown yourself into, know specifics will be mentioned because when they come up within the story they are not only perplexing but delightful.

Co-op in Fable 2 has become another example of Molyneaux over selling a much demanded concept in the current crop of gaming. Despite this being achieved with two players being able to play both locally and on-line, there are multiple issues which soil an otherwise polished experience. Players don't bring in there own characters, instead generic henchmen are the avatars for the second player, the camera often floats between two players and at times can become a real hassle. Its unfortunate that these issues occur but still its not a game breaker, just a minor annoyance. Well it would have been a minor annoyance, but so much was made of the co-op experience by Lionhead's public relations that I can understand gamers dismay that they can't take their own character into a friends game. Fable 2 is a game which enables such attachments to a character that certain individuals feel wronged about a restrictive co-op experience, but this is a testament to the emotional attachment within him or her for their character that they want to bring them everywhere. Not the fault of Lionhead for including an addition which, to be frank, works really well.

Along with your dog, many lovers and children, Fable 2 can be a really personal experience and provides a great template to mould a characters story around. Not only this but Albion is a universe that is always entertaining, surreal and determined to make you laugh as much as possible, enabling the player to experience the freedom to create any character he wants. My inner chicken kicking, cross dressing, bigamist was fully unleashed on to an unsuspecting world and in how many games can you say that?

Andy Griffiths

3 Comments

JDLOKI October 29, 2008 Votes: +0	A really good review, captures the essence of the game fully and its nice to know there is another cross dresser out there, and yes I mean in the game... report abuse vote down vote up
deniswalsh October 29, 2008 Votes: +0	My guy is so horny. report abuse vote down vote up
Ciancr November 01, 2008 Votes: +1	Great Review. Hopefully they will do a patch for the co-op. report abuse vote down vote up