After years of cooking, Lionhead's latest work is upon us. Fable II has been a highly anticipated title for quite some time, and while it does have its faults and finds inconsistencies - Fable delivers.
Just a quick note; the hype machine was out of control during the month of October promoting Fable II. I was very glad when the game finally released and the foaming had ceased. Overhyping a game only raises standards to unrealistic levels - and very few games can reach expectations once the gaming community expects a "10".
That said, Fable II is an enjoyable journey through the life of a Hero, starting with childhood and slowly developing throughout the game. The storytelling is not always smooth flowing - but it is compelling, and works extremely well given the array of decisions and changes your character makes. In the end, the story ends the same way. It's how you get there that makes Fable II so fun. You can ascend through Albion as a do-gooder willing to make honest and morally pure choices, or you can become a diabolical beast hellbent on revenge. While many people have expressed disappointment that there not being more "choice" as promised in the pre-release hype, Lionhead's attempt to bring a non-linear experience is both refreshing and needed in gaming.
One of the negatives in the story is that the interaction with Albion's citizens tends to be too scripted at times. Walking up to a citizen, you can easily see what they prefer/like in terms of gifts/conversation/action, and you simply go through a canned timing game to perform the action. This can be done to sway opinions, get people to fall in love with you - or even propose marriage. It's entertaining to see the reactions of characters, but I wish the interaction had been more fully developed. Another issue is that the controls for the interactions were confusing at times. When switching between combat and relational controls, I made the mistake several times of attacking someone I was talking to.
Combat is fairly decent. It's easy to pick up and learn, and the combat controls work well. There's a variety of weapons in the game, which can be bought and sold constantly. Pretty enjoyable and satisfying...
Gold is earned by working jobs, completing missions and finding treasure. With gold you can buy an array of items, including property. With all the elements of economy and scale in play, Fable II does a fabulous job of balancing them together.
All in all, the game design is fantastic. Some villager models are blocky at times, but given how many of them are on the screen, it holds up fairly well. The art direction is fantastic. One part of the game can seem eerily foreboding while others are warm and welcoming - yet it all feels like part of the same world...The prerendered CGI scenes are well done, though there are not enough of them to make a huge impact on the story. A big detractor is the lack of incorporating the map into the game. It can be viewed on the Pause screen, but it's small and difficult navigate. This was the one area I felt the design of the game could have been improved.
Last of all, the sound is amazing. The amount of dialogue and villager comments is astounding, and it never comes off as convoluted or miss-timed. The soundtrack is especially powerful, down to the pause screen. It's some of the best I've ever seen in a game.
Overall, Fable II is basically a great improvement on the original. It has less blemishes, although there still are small things to iron out. The controls could be improved, but the combat is satisfying and rewarding. The storyline is compelling, and the sound and visual design is fantastic.
Gameplay: 4/5
Sound: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Design: 4/5