Fable II

 

A word of warning, Fable II well deserves its Mature rating. Many games with a Mature rating have very limited adult content that most kids won’t have the sophistication or interest to find.  I don't generally think it's a big deal for teens to play most Mature rated games, but I'm not sure that's the case with Fable II. The adult content is central to game play, and is difficult if not impossible to avoid. While there’s no nudity, and much of the game looks and feels like a fairytale, understand that it is a raunchy fairytale; exploring themes of prostitution, polygamy, infidelity, STDs, sexual orientation, cross-dressing, kink, cannibalism and slavery. In short, much of the content is not appropriate for children, but all that stuff can be great fun for adults. Content warnings addressed, let’s delve into the many varied elements of Fable II. 

 

The storytelling borders on exceptional. The central plotline and main characters draw you in early and keep you interested throughout the game. There are a few touching moments, and humor sprinkled throughout. I laughed; I cried; I explored Reaver’s Rear Passage. While the side quests are somewhat underdeveloped for an FRPG, they serve their purpose well enough. One thing that the game does uniquely well is managing the tempo between the central story-line and side activities – giving you several clear breaks in the main thread during which you can pursue other interests without feeling like you’re “breaking character”.  This has long been a pet peeve of mine from countless other RPGs, so I’m pleased by that.

 

On the other hand, one thing that grated my nerves throughout the storytelling was the in-your-face moralizing; this is a disturbing trend in RPGs generally that Fable II simply embraces with passion. There was a time when RPGs taught moral lessons that were limited to universally accepted values – don’t murder innocents, protect the defenseless, help those in need, etc. Fable II takes this moralizing to a whole new level of ridiculousness: eating vegetables increases your “purity” (because no animals were harmed in the making of this food), charging a higher than “normal” rent increases your “corruption”, and there’s a quest where you need to find a gay farm boy a date in the big city.  Now I get the fable/moral connection; I really do. However, these aren’t the time honored lessons of Aesop or the Brothers Grimm; these are the trendy whims of metrosexual game designers. I’d as soon seek enlightenment from the back panel of my breakfast cereal. Spare me. 

 

Combat in the game starts out a bit too simplistic, but as you acquire more abilities actually becomes quite fun. There’s not much twitchiness to combat – meaning that character skills, abilities and equipment will determine the outcome of fights much more so than player skill at manipulating the controller. When using advanced moves, the game will often zoom-in and go into slow-motion. This feature creates some of the most awesome cinematic effects I’ve ever seen in a game. The weapon selection is somewhat meager and the magic system lacks depth. Again, all of this simplicity is part of the fairytale flavor of Fable II.

 

As mentioned previously, Fable II has no classes and there are relatively few abilities: three physical and three skill related. Due to the exponential increase in cost for additional levels in each ability area, it seems cost effective to buy a little of everything rather than to specialize (which also happens to fit well with the plotline.) There are eight spell areas and costs also rise exponentially for additional levels here, but there is really minimal benefit to buying more than a couple spells. The net affect of all this is that characters will tend to have remarkably similar capabilities, with spell selection being the major differentiation. However, the game has numerous mechanics that make characters LOOK different, and this lends to the illusion that characters ARE different. Your purity, age, weight, experience, scarring, gender, tattooing, grooming, and clothing all make for wide and interesting variation in character appearance.   

 

Despite hype to the contrary, the run-of-the-mill NPC in Fable II is extremely two-dimensional – more so than in typical RPGs. While Lionhead is moving in the right direction by using a parameterized AI rather than scripted activity for generic NPCs, the current system just isn’t sophisticated enough; there are few differences in the way people act. While each NPC has preferences and aversions for certain social behaviors that are meant to be the basis of differentiation, in practice these preferences don’t wind up making much difference.  It’s far too easy – almost unavoidable – to convert entire towns into throngs of adoring groupies. The resulting entourage of men, women and children following you through town begging for attention can become quite annoying. Main characters and quest related conversations are of course scripted, so there’s no problem there.

 

Another element of Fable II that differs from traditional RPGs is the breadth of the economic model. Most players will make far more money through investing and working than through adventuring. Just about every home and business in the game can be purchased and will yield a somewhat excessive return. Buy early and buy often, and you’ll never want for cash. Also, an extraordinary amount of gold can be earned rather quickly through Fable IIs professional mini-games: blacksmithing, woodcutting and bar tending. These mini-games can get a little repetitive and boring, but they provide an easy way to get your Fable II business empire off the ground quickly.

 

Fable II is a bit overhyped, and it’s not nearly as groundbreaking as some seem to want us to believe. A brief trip to Eurogamer, for example, proves that some critics are more skilled at expressing an opinion than at forming one.  That’s some of the best writing I’ve ever seen…and it also happens to be complete bullshit. To quote: "Fable II explores what happens when a game does away with most forms of punishment, and does nothing but reward its players from start to finish. The results are astonishing.” Wow. I didn’t play that game. In the game I played, I got fat from eating too much, got a half dozen STDs by screwing too much, got huge scars across my face by dying too much, had four wives leave me, had one wife killed by Hobbes, and my five children taken away by Child Protective Services. I wound up a lonely, fat old man…and I played a paragon of virtue. In truth, Fable II introduces more creative and varied “punishments” than any FRPG, and the save game mechanic is specifically designed to force you to live with any negative consequences you incur (they limit your ability to reload and take another path). 

 

While it’s not fair to say the game provides a world without consequences, it is accurate to say that you can’t really fail meaningfully. You need no tips or hints unless you go OCD solving the demon doors or finding the gargoyles. Strategic and tactical nuances mean almost nothing in Fable II – as an optimized solution yields trivial net benefit over “just winging it.”  This is the first RPG I’ve ever played where I was not once tempted to look for a solution or strategy online. While some people will undoubtedly appreciate that, I suspect that this fact will make the game very short lived.  People will play it, most will enjoy it, and then they’ll quickly move on. It’s light adult fantasy role playing in an era of immediate gratification, scoreless soccer games, corporate bailouts and other assorted politically correct nonsense.  This is your world, enjoy it while it lasts.

 

I’ve debated back and forth with myself for a week on whether to give Fable II an overall score of 3 or 4. My decision came down to the dog. I love dogs in real life but usually hate pets in games. In Fable II, however, your canine companion is so useful, so likable and so “not annoying”, that it just demands positive recognition. Therefore, I’m settling on a tepid 4. Ring the cow bells.