So, I previously posted my professed love for Fable 2, though I’d never played the original game. Man, oh man do I still love me some Fable 2.
So, I was just sitting here watching Korea play Japan in the World Baseball Classic (the bottom of the first inning was one of the most exciting and incendiary half innings I’ve ever seen played in a game) after having watched team USA come from behind in the bottom of the ninth to eliminate Puerto Rico, listening to some Led Zeppelin while surfing the net a bit.
So, I got it, took it home and booted it up – and proceeded not to sleep for about 2 weeks. Within 5 hours of game time, I’d downloaded the expansion to the game, knowing that, even though I was nowhere near done, I needed more, just to know there would be more was ok …
I hadn’t played a fantasy RPG in a very long time, and wasn’t looking forward to an extremely convoluted interface – my roommate started playing Fallout 3 around the same time, and the game just looked so epic in scope – both in gameplay and in mechanics – that I found it to be a bit daunting. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find Fable 2’s mechanics almost too easy to navigate. One button for melee attacks, one for magic, one for ranged weaponry – all color coded to the buttons on the controller. The control scheme worked perfectly, providing easy access for people new to the genre, and plenty of depth for those looking for more.
The story was extremely engaging, to the point where I found myself not even wanting to complete the main quests because there were plenty of character building menial side tasks to undertake. I don’t want to give too much of the story away here – basically, you start as a kid, and this royal jerk tries to kill you. Luckily, he’s too arrogant to make sure you’re dead, and you are nursed back to health by an ancient mystic who reveals to you that you are of heroic heritage. And so, you quest to bring together a group that will help you take revenge on this royal jerk. But … there’s just so much more.
Each town you visit has its own working economy, which you affect with your actions. If you run around stealing things from people, the economy (rents, prices, etc) plummet. If you buy properties and lower rents, and spend money in the shops and bars, the economy shoots skyward. And you will spend money in the bars –
How about this for an achievement list? Get five people drunk in under 3 minutes. Marry one person while already married to another. Participate in an orgy. Kick a chicken a “respectable” distance. Commit an act of public indecency. Actually, that was the first one I got, pretty much – not liking the clothing I started in, I immediately took them all off, and when I went over to a guy and used an expression he found too suggestive … The achievements drove me more than they have in any other game I’ve ever played. I’m not 100% done with them yet, but I’m close and I won’t stop until I’m there.
The visuals in the game were really great. While obviously not overly “realistic” looking, the aesthetic used was a very colorful one (when appropriate – at times it was very dark, but it always seemed to be perfectly what it needed to be). And the inclusion of starting a family, having kids, and having townspeople the entire world over react to your every choice in the game really did something for the feel of travelling around. That, coupled with your faithful dog following you everywhere and showing you where to dig for treasures, and helping attack downed enemies really made the experience of playing through a solo game as one where you weren’t actually alone. I know a lot has been said about Fallout 3, and I’ve only watched (about 30 hours of) it so far and not actually played it, but I do like the feeling in Fable 2 better, than the empty lonely wastelands of post-apocalyptic D.C.
All in all, I truly believe Fable 2 to be one of the better rpg’s I’ve ever played. If I had just gone through the main story quest, the game probably would have only been at most 10 hours long. But as it stands, I’m not done with my first play through yet and I’m over 40 hours in – which is why Sonic, the editor here, is probably mad at Peter Molyneux. I’ve been playing so much that I haven’t been writing enough! I may have gotten a great deal on it, but this game is well worth the money at any price.
Much as I might hate to admit it, I can be a real sucker for advertising. So, I find it a bit odd that it took me so long to jump on the Fable 2 bandwagon. But, I finally did, and though a ton has been said about it just about everywhere else, I thought I’d throw my 2 cents in.
First off, I never played the original Fable. I’d read all about it, with all the things creator Peter Molyneux was promising you’d be able to do in game. Ah, but I’d listened to Molyneux’s promises before, and I’d been burned …
Anyone ever play Black & White on their Dreamcast (notice the release date here)? Anyone else feel let down about BC getting cancelled?
So, I waited on Fable. A game I was stoked on (Black & White) never coming out for the DC, another game that looked all-too interesting (BC) that got cancelled, seemingly for being overly ambitious … And now all these crazy promises about choices between good & evil, and a living world that responded to every choice you made? Sorry, you don’t get my money day 1. I started checking out the reviews, and they were all very similar – the game was exceptional, but didn’t deliver on many of the promises Molyneux had made about it. And so, even though I heard it was very good, I let it slip by.
So, its years later and now Fable 2 is coming out. This time, it apparently delivers on all the previous promises, and more. It wins a slew of awards, even game of the year on G4’s “X-Play’s Best Of 2008” award show. This draws plenty of ire from the gaming public, and when the show’s hosts defend their choice it really makes me listen. Everyone I know who plays the game absolutely loves it. It has a HUGE marketing push behind it. But still I wait.
And then … Circuit City is going out of business! Everything must go! The entire overstock of games is being sold at 10% off! Two weeks later, its 20% off! Another week and its 30% off! That’s when I decided to make my move and grab Fable 2. It occurred to me that I could get the game at a price where, even if I later spent the money on the downloadable expansion for it, I’d be paying less than the msrp for the game. Score!!
