The
working title for the first Fable was "Project Ego," and the name still applies to
the sequel, except that the "ego" belongs to the game's auteur, Peter Molyneux. Fable II delivers
a rich fantasy world, and Molyneux wants you to love it as much as he does.
Were you moved by the personal history he gave you? Do you find the people of
Albion charmingly English, or easily subjugated? And what did you think of the
dog, your constant companion in the game and the feature Molyneux is most eager
for you to see? Isn't he cute? Don't you want to take care of him?
Fable
II follows
closely in the action-RPG style of the original Fable, but this time,
accessibility was Molyneux's key goal, which makes Fable II easier and less engaging
than its predecessor. Rather than going from zero to hero, you feel formidable
from the get-go. The tactical decisions that shape your character—do you
invest in your physique, or specialize in magic?—are just a matter of
personal preference, and some challenges from the last game (like wooing a
spouse) are much easier, presumably because Molyneux wants to make sure you try
them.
The
story's core decision points will either haunt you, or feel like an extended
session of "Who would you save from a burning building?" Fable II has a moral compass, but
it doesn't judge good or evil so much as selfishness and sacrifice: How can you
balance your investment in your life, and this world, against your ideals? The
risk Molyneux runs is that players may not feel that invested in the first
place.
Beyond
the game: Fable
II ads
are running everywhere, including political blogs—a nice payback for
Barack Obama's ads in Burnout Paradise.
Worth
playing for: The
easiest honest way to make money is to take a job, performing repetitive, simple
tasks like chopping wood or pulling pints. But getting them right leads to
exponentially greater wages, making this simple mechanic incredibly addictive.
Frustration
sets in when: The
D-Pad offers shortcuts to certain expressions and to the dog treats, but it's
twitchy and unreliable.
Final judgment: Here's a litmus test: If
playing fetch with your virtual dog doesn't move you, the rest of the game
probably won't, either.