Fable II

The reason I have not gifted this title with the full 5 star treatment falls down to the fact that I am pretty much through my second outing. The first time I played this game I would have awarded it full marks, indeed it is utterly charming and a true sequel in every sense of the word, but it just falls short of the mark and here is why...

The game world of Fable is a truly unique one, and nothing can be really compared to it in terms of outlay, style and humour. Peter Molyneux himself said that this was the one game that truly summed up who he is. In that case then, Peter, you are special arent you?
And yes, Fable 2 is special. It offers the player a fantasy world and, pretty much, an open script of how they want to go about their lives. Now this has been done many times before...the whole open ended gameplay scenario is not new, although it is tried and tested more than enough. The most important thing that developers need to do is balance storyline with playtime and freedom. Fable 2 almost gets it right in one department but falls very short in the other. The storytelling, especially concerning the main quest, is very linear and it has a few holes in it. Compared against the first game ( the story in that game was a bit rugged too) the sequel has not improved itself unfortunately. The main quest story offers the player a sense of destiny but its sooooo obvious that the developers have channeled their energies and creative minds into the other areas of the game, and thus the whole story feels somewhat hollow and unsubstantial...

Negativity aside the true colours of Fable 2 come to shine in every other aspect of the game. Yippee!
The play area of Albion, this time round, is more than double that of the first game. Infact its clocked up to being ten times the size. Now that is a big improvement. Add in a dynamic weather system ( not as good as Oblivion but its there ), seasonal change to the environment (better than Oblivion) and already the atmosphere and immersion are improved.
Everything that was present within the first game is still here, well almost. All of your gestures, combat techniques and character development bits are intact. Although I was slightly dissapointed with the Will powers this time round...they could have been a tinsy winsy bit better, but not too worry as the newly added handgun is a welcome change and it is fun to use.

A friend for life? Peter Molyneux has included a pet for the player this time round and it is none other than a trust canine. He's a good lad is this dog. He'll sniff out treasure for you, alert you to danger and you can teach him tricks to impress the locals.
I dont want to go into too much detail about the dog. It is a welcome addition though and you do grow attached to him. : )

In the first game you had the choice of buying a few select properties around Albion. These places could be used as your own private refuge, a place to seduce the ladies or you could rent them out ( fully furnished ) to some local person to increase your cash supply. The sequel goes two steps better and actually allows you the opportunity to buy any property in the game world. This could be a simple caravan, a hut, a town house or a proper ye oldey world castle. And its all so very simplt to do. Approach a property, check the notice and the game will gladly tell you how much gold it wants for said property. Obviously if players want to get onto the property ladder then this side of the game becomes a game in itself. Everything from your reputation, to the house owner effects the property price. Spending gold in the town where the house/property is located will improve the town economy. This will increase your property prices but on the other hand if you are a worthy hero then you can expect a big discount. I guess it pays to be good?
Also you can invest in any business within Albion too. Thats right, you can have your own chain of merchant stalls if you want and yes of course you get a cut of the profits, aswell as a really excellent discount should you wish to splash out.

You can still get married...but watch out as you may find yourself the father of an unplanned child. Yep, this time round you can have children. It was a feature said to have been in the first game but it didnt make it. Its here now though and is somewhat interesting. Actually I wont spoil anything here...so I'll just say that it takes time and money to make it to the status of full time, commited, parent. : )

All in all, and this has been a quick review, Fable 2 is the best game I have played this year. Those familiar with the series will be extremely pleased, especially if they liked the first game. Also it feels pretty accesible...meaning that anyone could pick this game up and play it. You can never get lost, as the game always points you in the right direction, there are loadsa quests, odd jobs and secrets to uncover so it keeps the balance varied. And like I wrote earlier - the real estate part of the game is a game in itself.
Lets not forget though that this game is as British as you get. The scripting is brilliant and the humour is, for the most of it, laugh out loud. And as the player you are able to interact with anyone and everyone by any means you desire. Do you want to make people laugh? Do you want them to love you? Do you want to scare them? Rob them? You name it and it can be done. The world of Albion will react to you accordingly...and believe me if you want to be an evil assassin, whom sacrifices people to the shadow god...then dont expect a warm welcome when you encounter Albions Citizens.

+ Improves over the original
+ More content and varied scope
+ Charming British humor and dialogue
+ In depth interaction which is unrivalled for a game of its genre

- Storyline is...not up to Molyneux's normal standard
- Player has his/her hand held too much
- Massive game world but still a little linear

A must buy. The game features a Co-Op online mode but I havent bothered with that...as its the single player experience that makes this game what it is.

I bought this game the week after it came out after all my friends had already talked about how brilliant it was and it even better than i ever expected it to be.
Fable II has a lot of aspects that are very similar to the first one, which is absolutely fine for me as i loved the first one too. The story line is fantastic (especially the ending) and the way you can complete it in any way you care to imagine. With the help of your faithful dog, which, sadly, you will grow to love a great deal and Theresa, your sister from fable I (a brilliant add in) you must gather heroes and defeat your enemy.
As it says on the box, fable II is 10 times bigger than the orignal and with the graphics to match, this game completely blew me away.
The only reason i didn't give it a 5 star rating was because of the fact you only get 1 save slot, which means if you want to start again you must delete your old character. I had no problems with the disk, i put it in on the first day and it has been working ever since.
If you enjoyed the first Fable, i would fully recommend that you buy this one too.

Having read the other reviews for this game on here, I would agree with most of them as they share the positive views I have about Fable II and are right to do so. This game is brilliant, almost flawless in its many aspects: the graphics are stunning, the gameplay is addictive, the voice acting is genuine, the plot is deep and engrossing and the absolute freedom of the game is enthralling.

I could go on for many, many words explaining the multitude of options available to the player, but I'm more concerned with the user who decided to give this game a mere one star rating.

I STRONGLY ADVISE YOU not to pay that review heed, as it contains false information. It states that you cannot change character name (there were no character names in the original Fable, only titles that you earned or bought, and Fable II has plenty of them); it states that you cannot change hair colour (barbers sell different coloured dye which you can change hair and clothing colours with); it states that there are no weapon enhancements (a new augment system allows you to buy various additional skills/effects for weapons with augment slots, causing differing enhancements).

Perhaps the biggest falseness in the one star review is the statement that Fable II removed hundreds of freedoms that the first game had. This could not be further from the truth. Think of the original, times it by ten, mix it with elements of The Sims, GTA and an originality that Xbox RPGs have lacked so far and you have this pure gem of a game.

It might not have the longevity of Oblivion (but what else does?), but there are many replay factors involved, the least of which is the ability to play as a male or a female, so if you enjoyed the first game or want an addictive, fun and truly enjoyable gaming experience then buy it right now.

And if you're still reluctant and torn between the views of the positive and negative reviews here, check out the official reviews that the magazines gave it. You won't be disappointed.