Fable II Magazine Review

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Written by BuckGB on October 17th, 2008

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It's said that dogs take on the personality traits of their owners. So it's only fitting that Fable II - a role-playing opus that features a canine as your primary ally - mimics the charming nature of its creator, Lionhead's Peter Molyneux. Affable and well-spoken, Molyneux's likeability transfers directly into Fable II, arguably the finest game in his distinguished career and one that fulfills all of the surface-scratching potential that the original Xbox game showed. In many ways, it exceeds that first game, catapulting Fable II into the upper echelon of both the 360's impressive RPG arsenal and its entire library.
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Right out of the gate, the townsfolk are quick to exhibit examples of Fable II's stellar script and voice acting; their dialogue is equally funny in both its writing and its delivery. Each nails the cheeky British quirkiness to a "T" without being over-the-top, Monthy Python-style hammer. Better still, you're made to feel like a part of Fable II's sprawling, lively world by the way your fellow citizens comment on your appearance.
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Forget the first Fable's fenced-in roads and tiny towns. The opening section in Bowerstone hints at a larger, grander scope for the sequel's version of Albion, and the moment you're set loose as an adult at Bower Lake, you're presented with a magnificent view of a valley that looks like it could contain all of the original game. It is, in fact, an overwhelming sensory event not unlike your first steps above ground in Oblivion or Fallout 3. The sense of scale and wonder never ceases. Towns bustle with vocal citizens who have daily routines; dynamic weather and day/night cycles give the world a pulse. And those pesky fences that leashed you to a path in the first Fable? Now you can easily hope over them.
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Though it's great fun to bash or kick enemies off ledges to their doom, combat is the only overall area where the game notably stumbles. Often, you'll target a foe other than the one you intend, and finishing off downed foes seems to be random even if you're locked onto them. While not frustrating, it is annoying. The rhythm-based button presses do their job just fine, however, allowing to you to heroically chain attacks together. Fortunately, not all of the gameplay is combat. Many of the quests involve interacting with people, and those are in face some of the most memorable.
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Fable II really is everything Molyneux promised the first time around. It's funny, deep, emotional epic, and, yes, wildly charming. We're already eager for a second playthrough, and we're betting a lot of you will have exactly the same reaction.

+ Living, breathing, charming world in which you and your actions matter.
+ Impeccable presentation.
+ The dog's implementation is genius.
? Why aren't there any other pooches in Albion?

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