Fable 2
Preview
An Action RPG that is not to be missed
by Liquid306
previewed on X360
Fable’s History
Lionhead Studios is best known for their work on the original Fable for the Xbox and PC. Released in 2004, Fable was very well received by critics and gamers alike. The unique multi-branching good vs evil story line was a new take on the RPG genre back then. Not only was it an outstanding game, it was also one of the few RPG’s to be released on the Xbox. Now, years later, Peter Molyneux and his team at Lionhead Studios are gearing up for a sequel to this now established RPG brand.
Love
As some of you know, Peter likes to promise the world for his games but it sometimes doesn’t all come together in the end. Fable for the Xbox was a game that had some key features missing out because Mr. Molyneux promised ideas, rather than features that were in the schedule. He obviously cares about his projects and this game is no different.
Love is the central root of Fable 2. After you play this game, Peter wants you to feel love or being loved. The way this is going to be conveyed is by three angles, the first of which is: Family. You can either play as a boy or girl and when they grow up you can have a relationship and even get married. After you get married you can have protected or unprotected sex. This creates the potential of you being able to have a baby, if you are a female character your adventuring may have a slight pause seeing as how you have become pregnant. The child will eventually grow up and look and act similarly to what you are doing in the game.
The second angle is: Being Appreciated. The way this is supposed to be accomplished is that the world will respond to your actions. If you have slain a dragon that has been terrorizing the town, the people in the town will stop you on the street and acknowledge what you have done with a gift or nice gesture. This will overlap into other cities and give your hero a reputation. Same goes if you're evil - if you're bad in one place, other places will know of your evil doing.
The third angle of this love theme is: A Dog. This dog will follow you around wherever you go. He will fight with you and it will help you in any way possible. The dog also changes as you do; if you're evil the dog will get very muscular and show his teeth to people and perhaps bite them. If you're a good person the dog will love to mingle with the people you meet. He will become very shaggy and have his tongue sticking out of his mouth. The Dog also serves another purpose and that is to scout for you. He will explore the areas ahead of you, pointing out anything of interest whether it be enemies, treasure or a new item. He will not engage into a fight or retrieve the item unless you trigger him to. Even if he gets hurt in combat and cannot keep up, he will track you down eventually, bruised and battered, and keep on doing his tasks.
One Button Combat
Combat in any RPG is a big deal, it’s going to be the bulk of the gameplay and it would better be good. The folks at Lionhead are very focused on this and they went with a one button approach. This makes the combat very accessible for first timers while also providing some depth for experienced players out there. The goal is to get the person to pick up the controller and start playing it immediately and becoming comfortable with the controls.
