What is “Fable 2” all about?
Fable II is an action role-playing game for the Xbox 360 developed by Lionhead, published by Microsoft Game Studios.
The game takes place in the fictional world of Albion, five hundred years after Fable’s setting, in a colonial era; guns are still primitive, and large castles and cities have developed 
in the place of towns. Unlike the original, the player may choose to be either male or female. The world in Fable II is fully dynamic, interactive and free roaming with no set quest path to take. Since the game takes place over a hero’s lifetime, many things can change.
Every accessible property (properties that can be entered by the player) in the world is ownable, and ownership often unlocks further quests. In addition to purchasing and renting homes, businesses and stalls are now available for purchase. These businesses produce income for the player every 5 minutes, depending on the quality of the business, the economy level of the town, and the opinion of the shop owner for the player (A shopkeeper with a high opinion will work harder); this happens even while the Xbox 360 is turned off. Rent is also accumulated every 5 minutes. Also, if the player frequents his own shops, the quality of their goods will improve, and improve the quality of the store. Players are able to furnish the houses with furniture and other items available for sale. In addition, titles will be awarded for buying property; if one were to buy every building and piece of land in a town he/she may become the mayor of that town; owning more land leads to higher titles such as king, and eventually Emperor of the entire land of Albion.
“Fable II” Review Summary from Family Oriented Media Sites:
Gameprofamily comments “Fable 2 reflects its grown up approach to story telling and themes that young players may find unsettling. The game hinges around real time combat that is by its nature violent. It also includes adults abusing their power over children, and the implications therein. While these are likely to be negative for youngsters, those a little older (particularly if they can play with a parent) will find an engaging experience that raises many interesting questions.”
Whattheyplay even suggest Fable2 as “extremely rewarding on many different levels for maturing kids - This is a valuable lesson for children of any age to learn, especially from a video game, so some parents may view it as an entertaining, interactive teaching tool of sorts. However the editors from Whattheyplay also advise “This game is all about choices: the player can choose to be as good or as bad as he/she desires to be but does not lead you in one direction or another, as some other, open-ended games are wont to do. You can have unprotected sex with multiple partners if you so desire. (Although it should be noted that nothing is actually seen on screen and purchasing/using condoms is an available option.) You can marry and divorce (as well as commit bigamy, having multiple wives and families “hidden” in different towns) as many times as you can tolerate. You can kill indiscriminately – for profit and/or thrills. You can get drunk until you vomit. You can gamble all your gold away in the Pub, and so on… and so forth. Just as in real life all the actions/choices, both positive and negative, offered in Fable II do have consequences within the game world.”
Common Sense Media calls Fable 2 an enchanting fantasy with clever (and quite humorous) dialogue, expansive locations, and non-repetitive missions that suck the player deep into this mature tale. Reviewer Marc Saltzman also points out that Parents need to know this game is rated “Mature” for good reason. Along with the violence and blood (though nothing out of the ordinary or over-the-top for a role-playing game), players might see things like someone killing your spouse in front of your child, having sex with partners (though no nudity is in the game; the screen fades to black), gay and lesbian marriage, and sexual relations (where unprotected sex between people of the opposite sex causes pregnancy). Some foul language can be heard but nothing overly inappropriate.
“Fable2″ Review Summary from Hardcore Gamer and Gaming Enthusiast Media Sites:
Reviews for the game have been positive as reviews found few complaints to garner about the game. Reviews cited its adherence to the original’s recipe, while praising the changes that redefined the game system. Though some reviews claim that there are “minor issues with popping”. The “bread crumb” trail feature (a feature that shows glowing sparkles in a line in front of the players to guide them back to the current quest. This feature can be turned off at any time in the game) was welcomed by Eurogamer “as leads you ever onwards to your next objective, but even though you can’t get lost it still allows for deep exploration.” OXM lauded the game as a being “probably the most consistent sequel ever made.” Combat was cited as being “great when you’re winning and nothing but irritating when you’re losing” in addition to other flaws.
IGN’s Hilary Goldstein scored Fable II 8.8 out of 10 saying “Fable II has a great combat system, some excellent atmosphere, a smart experience system, and lots to do. It’s only when you start exploring the social aspects that things take a downturn. The expressions system is too goofy for the more serious tone of Fable II and almost every interaction feels artificial. The sandbox elements aren’t nearly as enjoyable as the adventure aspects.”
Similar to IGN, Gamespot also agrees that “It’s hard not to get sucked into Fable II. The world is so charming and your choices so profound, that it’s easy to look past the game’s shortcomings. The punishment for death is pointless and the story carries little weight, but the experience is still immensely rewarding. It’s easy to lose hours to trivial tasks, and discovering all the secrets tucked away creates a truly memorable adventure.”
Despite the overall positive reviews gamer reception has been a lot more critical with comments on the poor magic system. More disappointing than the magic system however is the short story line and lack of large scale boss battles, which were popular in the original Fable game. In Fable 2 the main bosses are “shards” pieces of an evil tower. These shards have often been described simply as “triangles” by many of the online fan community and seem to point toward a lack of imagination on the developer’s part.
Fable 2 Aggregated Review Score:
Fable’s II Aggregated Review Score based on 66 Reviews as of 11.01.08 is “Above Average” at 90 out of 100.
KidConfidence recommends Fable2, but suggests families to be cautious due to the mature content encountered.
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