Fable II

Rating: 4/5

Price: Xbox 360 – 2195 INR

The original Fable title, released back in 2004, firmly established itself as the leading action role playing game exclusively available on the XBox, and Fable 2, once again exclusive to the XBox 360, looks to reaffirm the series’ position at the top of it’s genre.

As we have all come to expect from Lionhead Studios, and in particular Peter Molyneux, Fable 2 had promised so much from the moment it was announced and throughout all of the press releases, development screenshots and trailers through to what we have in front of us today - proper working demo’s and the ability to write about Fable 2 from a hands-on perspective.

In Fable 2, five hundreds years have passed since the days of Fable - which your hero of Oakvale brought an end to the Jack of Blades - but once again the sleepy yet intriguing vicinity of Albion is in dire need of a hero, and believe it or not, that is where you come in once again.

At the beginning you are able to choose between playing as a young boy, or a young girl. Do not let the fact that both characters are young fool you - both will soon develop into highly capable, skilled and experienced adventure characters that you will not be able to help growing attached to as you progress through the world of Fable 2 in their shoes. It will not take you long to realise these kids are tough - tougher than children their age really should be to be honest, but they do not remain kids for long so it does not give the game a sense of absurdity by any means.

As you begin to get into the game you will cross paths with a trader known as Murgo who has all kinds of goods, most of them completely useless, to offer you. However he does have some items that are worth having - notably a music box which is said to grant a wish to whoever comes to have it in their possession, but at a price of five gold coins you will have a little work to do before you can your hands on it and this is ultimately where the game kicks off with any real meaning. To earn the five gold coins that you need to purchase the music box you will need to complete a few quests which you will be given by various people that you come across.

The quests can be a little tedious as they make the beginning of the game drag a little at times, but there is just enough about each quest to keep you going to the end and the rewards of completing them are certainly worth the effort that you put in. Especially seems the music box does not just grant a wish, but according to a mysterious woman named Theresa, it also has magical qualities which makes obtaining the music box too intriguing to resist. One of the first quests you have to complete will charge you with tracking down a number of arrest warrants which have blown away throughout the Bowerstone area of Albion. You may at times find yourself a little lost as the areas in Fable 2 are so vast, but a trail of gold dust will help guide you back to the heart of the action.

Other quests will require you to find a tramps grog which has been stolen, and to clear beetles from a warehouse with a pop gun. If you played Fable, you will know that one of the features of it was the ability to choose whether or not to help people throughout the game, giving your character a unique personality as you progress as you see their presentation and popularity change amongst other civilians of Albion as depending on the choices you make. This feature is again prominent in Fable 2, allowing you to take a path of good or evil in almost every situation that you are faced with.

The storyline, as fans of Fable and role playing games in general would expect is terribly deep and will take all kinds of twists and turns depending on the paths you take and the decisions you make as you progress through the Fable 2 world, but rest assured whatever path you choose in Fable 2 you will find nothing but gripping plots and there is rarely a dull moment to be found. A particularly enjoyable touch to Fable 2 is the choice you are given when caught breaking the law - you can choose to resist arrest, accept a fine or do community service - with resisting arrest being the most fun, accepting a fine being the easy way out, and doing community service facing you with a small but usually simple quest to complete.

The overall presentation of Fable 2 is as close to flawless as you could expect from a game of this type. The graphics are by no means life-like when compared to recent works of art such as Metal Gear Solid 4, but in the world of Fable 2 you would not want things to look ‘real’, so it is certainly not a criticism. The detail level is high, and the animation of the characters is as smooth as anything you will have seen before.

For fans of role playing games Fable 2 will be a relatively short game if you are playing it simply to complete it, and by the admission of developer Peter Molyneux it will only take you around ten hours to do so. However if you want to get as much as you can from the game and to experience all quests and minigames within Fable 2 as well as the multiplayer modes and trading aspects of the title, Fable 2 will give you far more in terms of gameplay hours than most other role playing titles you will get your hands on such is the depth built into the game. You will also want to play through at least twice, if not to play it as both a boy and a girl, then to take the paths of both good and evil.

Fable 2 is a must buy for all role playing game fans, and may even be the excuse some gamers have been waiting for the invest in an XBox 360. For those who do not typically enjoy role playing games, Fable 2 is probably not the best game to introduce you to the series. It has a lot to offer, but may prove too deep if you are a gamer more used to every day fast-paced fun-focussed titles.