Fable II Review

Its hard to define fable into a certain genre, if I was to place it I would place it in the grey area between an action adventure and a role-playing game. Fable 2 draws on both the good elements of these two genres, there’s a good level of action to draw your attention and there’s enough role-playing elements to retain it. As with most games from the revered designer Peter Molyneux you play, how you wish to play be it a worshipped hero or a loathed villain.

Unlike many role-playing games the controls are simple to learn, easy to remember but most importantly responsive. Basic controls are present, with the usual left analog stick to move and the right analog stick to rotate your camera. Accompanying this is your shoulder buttons to target both enemies and friendly, with your XYAB hitting with your melee, shooting with your bow, or casting with your magic.
Gone are the days where I have to wait for my character to turn around to hit the goblin who is attacking me in my blind spots. A quick flick of the analog stick and im facing him with my sword ready to pummel it.

The game play style well this is one of the first generation of games who let the player play how he/she wants to. Your basic game play is run around, smash things, kill prostitute (seriously..), kill skeletons. This takes place in a lush 3D environment, 3rd person camera allowing. The game relies on its story witch is brought to you though _skippable_ npc cut scenes, and _skippable_ FMVs. Watching / reading these your first time though is highly recommended.
If you decide to play as a good hero, your towns will prosper people will worship you. however if you decide to be the devil incarnate, people run in fear, towns degrade. The World itself changes depending on your decisions. The first example of this active world is presented in the first 30 minutes of the game. You start life as a child (obviously) and are given the task of collecting 5 gold. There are different ways of doing this, the good way or the bad way. if you decide to be the hero(good) when you grow to adult hood the town will be clean, people will be happy. However if u choose to do this the evil way. the town becomes a slum. This simple choice at the start of the game sets the scene for the rest of your time there, it does not change, the choices you make, are the choices you live with hence there’s a certain level of role-playing here.

The graphics well wow, at last a 360 game that in my eyes, looks stunning. Lionhead have not tried to push for a realistic feeling but more of a fantasy feeling. The textures look nice, the models are fantastic, the world its self is highly detailed. I myself often sat at marveled at a building, or the monsters trying to eat my face or even at the way the plants move out of the way as you run though them. In all the graphics drive the feeling this is a fantasy game.

XboxLive multiplayer was promised and in all fairness it has been provided. I do love fable2 but this is the area where it has failed. Multiplayer is limited, 2 modes are available to you "Co-op" in witch your friends are limited to pre-built character templates (the are not allowed to use their own heroes). In this mode whilst you can both play though the story you are limited to a SHARED camera, which incidentally neither of you can move or rotate. This can be very annoying especially as you are being attacked by some thing one of you cant see, and yes this did happen. My friend was stood swinging his premade char at what seemed like air, but when asked he replied "the skeletons!!" weather it was a one time bug (i doubt it) or not.
The other mode works though its a simple see your friend in the world, trade, gift, and compare achievements.

In all is fable 2 good game? Yes defiantly however I would not have a clean conscience if I wasn’t to mention the ample problems other people have been having the lionhead studio forums are rife with people having issues, anything from game essential bugged quests to not being able to pick up XP. I Myself however had a very pleasant gaming experience and would recommend fable to everyone (and have been). Unfortunatly though the limited multiplayer is stopping me giving Fable 2 Maximum points, but rest assured no other game has pulled me away from World of Warcraft long enough to review, and that in its self is an achivement.