Fable: The Lost Chapters Preview
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Or how about this? Instead of just taking quests in the game, you can also make boasts. Boasts involve things like claiming that you'll complete the quest without using equipment, or that you'll complete it without taking any damage. Boasts are fun because there's an actual boasting platform, and every time you make a boast, the people nearby all clap and cheer, and when you finally leave the platform, they sound disappointed. Plus, boasting is a good way to make a little extra money from quests, because each boast is essentially a money wager that you'll be able to do what you claimed. There are also card games, a fishing mini-game, treasure hunts, silver keys that allow you to open special silver chests, and (demon doors) that ask you to complete some task (or solve a riddle) before they'll allow you to enter. So there is a lot going on in Fable, even beyond the expected combat sequences, and the variety makes it more fun to play.
Fable: The Lost Chapters
So what did Lionhead Studios add for the expansion pack? This is a little more difficult for me to answer, since I didn't play Fable, but according to the press release I received, there's a little more of everything -- more spells, monsters, pieces of equipment, mini-games, fishing spots, demon doors, and places to explore.
About half of the new content is sprinkled throughout Fable's original campaign. For example, when exploring the Darkwood, you'll now find a bordello area, complete with a new demon door. The bordello has a quest-like activity that I couldn't figure out (I'm not sure if it's even working yet), but if you solve the demon door, you'll earn your very own (pimp hat.)
There is also a new (chicken kicking) mini-game that you can play in Oakvale. It works a little like shuffleboard, and if you get a high enough score, you can win a silly chicken hat. There is also a new quest at the school in Bowerstone, where you can turn in the books that you find, and where the teacher there will then give a lesson about the books to his students. This usually generates some funny sequences, since several of the books aren't really intended for toddlers. But if nothing else, it means that there is now a reason to examine every bookcase in every house in every town. If you turn in enough books, you'll win a hat as a reward. (Do you sense the trend yet? I think I found a dozen new objects in The Lost Chapters, and half of them were hats.)
The other half of the new content comes in a short final act for the game, which starts up immediately after the final battle of Fable. However, Microsoft has asked us not to talk about the final act, and so I'll only mention a couple of vague things. First off, all of the voice actors from Fable came back for The Lost Chapters, and so you won't find people sounding strange in the new content. The last act is a pretty seamless extension to the game.
The other thing is that, at least right now, the final act is pretty easy. It has a few boss fights, including a final boss fight, but none of them are as difficult as the ones from Fable. To put it into perspective, in the final boss fight from Fable I ended up using something like 80 potions. For the final battle in The Lost Chapters, despite the opponent looking much fiercer, I only used about 10. But this is probably an area that Lionhead Studios will tweak quite a bit before the final release of the game.
In Conclusion
I found Fable: The Lost Chapters to be an entertaining, enjoyable game. It's not as deep as some role-playing games, but it's fast-paced, it's easy to play, and it has a quirky sense of humor. It also has some adult themes (for example, your character sheet includes a line for how many times you've had sex), but as long as that doesn't bother you, then The Lost Chapters seems well worth the purchase price (estimated at $49.99 for the PC version) -- at least for people who haven't played the game yet. People who have already played Fable will have a tougher decision, and it will probably hinge quite a bit on the Xbox price for the game. The new content is nice, but it could be categorized as (more of the same,) and so you'll have to let your pocketbook be your guide.
