Why 'Fable II' is the game of the year
I may be going out on a limb here considering Little Big Planet, Far Cry 2, and countless other titles will be hitting store shelves over the the next few months, but I don't care. After playing through the world of Fable II and considering the impression it made on me, I can say, without a doubt, that Fable II is 2008's game of the year.
Now, I know that CNET's Dan Ackerman told us all last week that Dead Space should top the list for this year's best game, but I have to disagree.
But then again, Fable II is an acquired taste. It's not the kind of game that will make the world rejoice, but it's the kind of game that any person who enjoys a fantastic storyline, even better gameplay, and a living, breathing world, will enjoy. In other words, the Wii gamer--someone who only enjoys playing Wii Sports or Wii Fit--will probably look at Fable II as a relic of the past that holds little merit. But for the rest of us--those that love gaming and enjoy varying styles of gameplay--Fable II will sit atop our lists as one of the best games we've ever played.
Trust me. It's that good.
I won't review everything about Fable II here (you'll have to wait for this Friday's Digital Home Video show for that), but the game's storyline is second to none. That said, it's extremely difficult to describe it without giving away too many details.
So, let me just say that you can play as a man or woman in Albion 500 years after the conclusion of the original Fable. Much like the first game, you're forced to make a series of tough decisions each step of the way as you progress through the game and every single choice you make will have a lasting impact on your notoriety, the way villagers think of you, and whether or not you'll be able to progress through the story. Some decisions are easy: do you want to help the villagers or kill them? Others are far more difficult: do you want to sacrifice someone for the good of your mission or help them and forgo the job you were sent to perform? For better or worse, the choice is yours.
But it's that choice that makes Fable II such a compelling title. Maybe you'll decide to get married and buy a house for your spouse. Some houses (usually those that are cheaper) won't appeal to your upper-class wife, so you'll need to go find a job to make enough money to buy the nicer home. Or maybe you just lost 100 Gold in a game and you're sick and tired of losing so you decide to kill the person running the game. When that happens, you get confronted by the Sheriff and his henchmen and maybe you decide to kill them instead of paying a fine to stay out of jail. Or maybe you decide to pay for your crime and perform some community service. It's all up to you.
Unlike the first Fable game, which suffered from a somewhat dull world, the new Albion is much bigger and far more entertaining. Regardless of where you are, what you've done, or who you've become, Albion is a living, breathing world that won't stop for you or anyone else. If you decide to be evil, villagers will react to you and run as soon as they see your ugly face. If you decide to be a good person that never does wrong, villagers will offer you gifts and become attracted to your dashing looks. And all the while, you can enjoy having praise heaped upon you, marry two women in 10 minutes and put them up in houses across the street from each other to make them fight, or spend some time working for the Bowerstone Market blacksmith. Every one of those decisions will change the way people look at you.
But it's the main story and solid fighting mechanics that sets Fable II apart from the rest of the games released so far this year. Without giving too much away, the story is superb. It's a tale of revenge, deceit, retribution, and patience. It's a story that will rival any RPG ever released and will make you actually care what happens.
Much like the story, fighting in Fable II is fantastic. You can wield crossbows, melee weapons, swords, cast spells, or shoot guns at enemies and along the way, you'll be happy to know that you can target any enemy you want and attacking has never been easier. On some levels, Fable II's fighting mechanics remind me of the God of War's, but I think the latter's is slightly better.
For as great as Fable II is, it should be noted that it's an easy game. You don't really "die." Instead, you get "knocked out" and lose all experience points that you didn't collect during a fight. Once you wake up, you're back into the fight where you left off and will stay there until you kill all the enemies. In one difficult area in the game, I died three times during a fight and wasn't forced to start over or face more enemies. That may be a problem to the RPG faithful out there, but I think it made the game more enjoyable.
So why is Fable II the game of the year? Two reasons: I don't see too many candidates out there now that would be deserving of such a title and the game's storyline, consequence engine, fighting, and lively, graphically gorgeous world make it almost perfect. And that's before I even mention the fact that Xbox Live will play an important role in extending this game beyond your home and that a dog accompanies you throughout the game to help you in your quest.
Most games today fail to impress me on too many fronts. Some titles are boring, others have poor control schemes, and still others lack in gameplay. But Fable II is different. It's a game that not only impressed me, it made me wonder why more companies aren't willing to go the extra mile to create a living, breathing environment that will have a direct impact on you as a person.
Once you play Fable II, you won't want to put it down. Trust me, it's that good.
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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
I think this game has the potential to keep me satisfied for quite some time. Game makers are cutting their RPG production because of the time and energy it takes to make them. Epics are always worth of the Oscar... I think this game is no exception.
ONE GAME has been released, it's known as the biggest disappointment of all time.
I don't plan on formulating an opinion until I actually play the game, but if there's any more of this only being able to walk on certain paths I'll be kind of miffed.
When will october 28th come?!
About roughly 70% of MGS is cutscenes, not gameplay.
But Fallout 3 is a contender. Along with Gears 2 and Fable2 and a bunch load of other games.
In regards to the game, I was a huge fan of the first Fable. I'm not much of a gamer outside of the big hits (Halo, Warcraft,....bejewele...er...never mind), but I can honestly say the first Fable drew me in, and I'd like to contribute that to the stellar design of the game. A lot has been said about the environment being a letdown, but I found that it was quite pleasent and fun to look at for someone that has never been one to notice those kinds of things while playing. Conclusively, I'm looking forward to more of the same, if not better, in Fable II.
If I were to flip the coin and try to find an obvious downside, it would be to say that Molyneaux promised a definitive "non-linear" game and failed to deliver. The original Fable, though widely explorable with non-linear storyline, still suffered from a very linear gameplay mechanic (ie - you WILL level, you WILL be good or evil, you WILL eventually have to complete this quest, etc. etc.).
That being said, these things look to be more rectified in Fable II, and I'm looking forward to continuing the saga, if for no other reason than because the first game was extremely enjoyable for me and my "non-gamer" personality.
I didn't like Fable 1 because there was so much hype about "truely non-linear gameplay" ... then it turned out to be bunk! That game was nothing but linear gameplay. Sure you could explore a bit, and make a few choices, but in the end there were baicslly two paths to follow ... two LINEAR paths to follow.
Oh well, you're entitled to your opinion Im guess. IF that is your opinion and this isn't just a big advertisement somehow.
In the beta alone I found some user created levels that were amazing given these people had less than 3 weeks to build the stuff. A basic level can be made in less than 10 minutes with great levels taking a few hours to a day to a day to make. I firmly believe Little Big Planet is Game of the year. Why? I want it, my brother wants it, all my friends want it, my nephews and nieces want it and despite all this it is the ONLY GAME WE ALL WANT. How can anyone claim a genera specific game like Fable 2 can possibly beat that?
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/921/921508p4.html
This is Hilary Goldstein's review on Fable II, and he noted under Presentation, that the story was nothing special, something that Reisinger raves about. Hilary has reviewed the good and bad games, and he knows what he's talking about. Then again he gave GTA4 a 10... but hey.
sorry cnet, but you suck!
Then recently a new game came to my attention, Fallout 3, and everything about it appeals to me
- by bush_turkey2 October 21, 2008 5:47 PM PDT
- i personally agree i think fable 2 is pretty good, im more of an oblivion man meself but i like the versatility of the game buying stuff, wifes, condoms lol its lots of fun but it does lack in difficulty i mean theres no penalty for dieing ... ***? but yea besides that its good
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