Review – Fable 2

Hi all!

My oh my, how embarrassing… Do you remember me saying “There will be lots of video game reviews on our blog from now on!” a long time ago in a galaxy far far away? Well, I haven’t really taken the time to write any of those planned reviews, but am about to now!

The game I’m reviewing is Fable 2. I had played Fable 1 on the computer before, but don’t really remember a lot of it. I remember you had to play as a guy though, whereas I prefer to play as a girl. So to me, it’s a big improvement that in Fable 2 you can choose whether you want to play as a guy or a girl. Obviously, the graphics are better than before, but not in a way that makes you go “OMG it’s like I’m actually there!”. That’s not a problem though, because that’s just not the kind of game Fable is. Fable is different from other games, because of the general atmosphere of the game. It can be scary and even sad, but also very funny and fairy-tale like. You’ll never find such green grass in Skyrim, that’s for sure. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is: the fact that the graphics aren’t super realistic is no problem at all, it suits the game.

As usual, you have the typical Fable traits: the importance of your morality, that annoying Theresa with her long non-skippable monologues, funny characters as well as references to other games and movies etc, entertaining side quests, a pretty open world and last but not least, your dog.

I’d like to take a moment to go back to the point where I praised them for their funny references to games and movies etc. In the game, I bumped into this guy called ‘Old Gregg’ and instantly looked him up on google. Turns out he is in fact highly likely based upon The Mighty Boosh’ character of Old Gregg, how great is that? It’s not just a good game, it also includes The Boosh, gotta love it.

Anyway, overall I’m very positive about the game. It’s got a good storyline, many side quests, many different area’s to explore, gameplay which can very much be personalized (based upon the way you play, for instance good or evil), good graphics and so on.

A little downside, for me, is the way your character looks. I guess it’s kind of a girly remark, but I like my character to look nice. And the thing is, it’s not about the hairstyles or the outfits, those are okay. It is however, about your character’s body. If you want to do more damage with melee weapons, you have to upgrade your physique ability. It makes you a lot stronger, but it also makes your appearance look stronger. I guess that’s good in a way, because I’ve always thought it’s kind of ridiculous when a thin princess-like girl waves around a big hammer like it’s nothing special, but still, there’s a difference between being strong and being a lump of wood. My character looked so huge, without any shape at all, just like… Well, a closet or something. So after finishing the game, I downgraded my physique to make my character look better again.

But now back to the positive! Another great thing about the game are the supporting characters. You are (or will become) the ultimate hero, but in order to destroy the evil Lucien, you will need the help of three other heroes: the hero of strength, the hero of will and the hero of skill. Each of them have their very own unique personality, and yes, I admit, sometimes they’re rather annoying (especially Hammer when she doesn’t stop talking to you and your dog), but still, I like the fact that you really get to know some people, and that you aren’t entirely alone in your quest against Lucien.

Anyway, I love the game, always have and always will. Elvi comes over to my place sometimes and then we play this. It’s funny though, because I always use guns, whereas Elvi prefers to use magic. Alas, the result of improving your gun skills includes getting very tall. Magic doesn’t get you that. : p Result: tiny being tall and tall being tiny!

I hope I convinced you to try this game out! I will be doing a Fable 3 review after the exams, but even though this isn’t the most recent game, it’s definitely worth playing Fable 2 before you play Fable 3, because it’s a real good game too. So, enjoy!

xx Jade (Tall tiny with gun)

ps: there is also a Fable for the Kinect (Fable: The Journey) but since you have to follow a certain path, and are not free to run wherever you want to, I don’t really like it. Also, I don’t have a Kinect, haha, silly me.. Also, The Journey should not be confused with Fable 4, which has not yet been officially announced!

I tried to take a photo of my character on the TV, didn’t work too well…

Now go play!!