The Fable 2 Journal: Day 21
There was no way they were killing my ****ing dog.
(Read the first two journal entries here and here)
Well it’s been over two weeks since my last journal entry, where I hastily claimed that I was in fact about to finish the game by sailing on over to the Spire, as the game had told me to get all my affairs in order.
And judging by the fact that I’m just now finishing up the game, you realize that I was in fact mistaken, the Spire quest was more or less the halfway point in the game. I just assumed it was the end due to how short the first game had been, but it’s clear to me now just how much richer Fable 2 is than its predecessor.
Fable 2 is my game of the year, there is absolutely no question in my mind about it. Since my last entry I’ve beaten every quest in the game, started it over with a female character, re-beaten it making opposite choices, and finally downloaded and promptly finished the Knothole island expansion.
It’s been a long time since I found a game so immersive, probably not since Oblivion. But Fable is much more lighthearted than that game, and has the audacity to not take itself too seriously, something incredibly frowned upon in the RPG genre. The length is seriously impressive, and hopefully even more DLC can make the experience last a little longer.
The thing that I found most compelling about the game however was how much I came to care for my character. I was planning on being evil, killing civilians and guards at every turn and sprouting horns. But as I did so, and the village people began to curse me and run away screaming, I began to feel….bad.
Then something happened. As I went to the Spire and began to be ordered to torture prisoners and submit fully to the dark side, I had a virtual change of heart and said a big “**** you” to my evil overlords. I was tortured for my non-compliance, but gained some angel points and after I escaped to the mainland, I was applauded all over the countryside for my bravery. It felt…good. I began trudging back my way towards redemption, freeing slaves and donating to charity. My skin was restored with color and my black lab was slowly turning into a yellow lab, presumably because of good midichlorians or something.
It’s rare for a game to have this kind of emotional impact on you, for it to bind you to your character in that way. The only thing that comes to mind in comparison would be Mass Effect, which is high praise indeed.
And the award for most annoying pseudo-boss goes to…
Now, Fable 2 is not without its faults. The ending is anti-climactic as everyone says, although I did appreciate the sublime “death level” that everyone is ranting and/or raving about. Also the fact that your character slowly changes into an Arian super soldier if you make good decisions was highly suspicious to my non-white roommates, and they might need to think a little harder on the virtue/reward system there.
Also, the end which offers you three choices is bullshit, because as they (spoilers) kill your dog, if you pick any of the other two options that don’t come with his resurrection, you’re SOL when it comes to finding buried treasure from here on out. And it’s just mean to make you grow to love the virtual pup then snatch him away like that. I guarantee 80% of players choose “Family” whether they wanted to or not.
Lastly, the most glaring flaw with the game is that still, it is far too easy. Now that I’ve max leveled myself up, I can stand there for ten minutes as baddies hack away at me and not so much as get a foot cramp. And if my health does dip below 90% on a rare occasion, I have an augment in my cutlass that lets me suck back a full bar of life within a few flighty sword swings.
Also, the “acquire money while away” feature is cool, because it’s always nice to see a return on investment, but I’m at the point where I’m making $16,000 every time I walk from one town to the next, and if I shut my console off for three days? I come back and I have more money than Bill Gates and God combined. After buying every building in the kingdom, what good is the $5 mil I have sitting in the bank? And assuming players are buying Knothole Island after they’ve beaten the game, the offer of $10K as an “evil choice” by the unscrupulous mayor a the end of the quest line is downright laughable. I’d make more money than that by the time I finished an extended fart expression.
But for all its flaws, Fable 2 is unquestionably the most fun I’ve had with video game all year, or possibly even the last few. It’s sucked 60 hours of my life away in what seems like an instant, but I don’t regret a second of it. Peter Molyneaux may be one crazy bastard, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t crank out one hell of a game.
Boobs!
I’ve got to (respectfully) disagree with you on this one. I mean, Fable II had its moments, but it’s story was nowhere near as fun or engaging as the first Fable, short as it may have been.
To me, and other gamers of my ilk, the immersion you tout as being this games biggest feature felt contrived and poorly executed. I never felt attached to my wife, who stayed billed as “Mary The Whore” and kept going to “work” even after I married her.
While the dog had it’s moments, I found myself much more connected to, say, Dogmeat in Fallout 3. The one button combat was boring and as you pointed out, too easy. The game was buggy. I spent three days with the shooting gallery timer in the bottom right of my screen for some reason.
The expressions were goofy, overdone, and over emphasized. There was never really a sense of consequences for your actions. Scare some villagers? That’s ok, just spend five minutes farting and you’re A-OK with them.
If the immersion factor did have one shining point for me, it was oddly having a child. Especially a little girl. Seeing your little tot come running up to you out of a crowd of people was pretty gratifying.
Overall, while Fable II had it’s moments, it never felt anywhere near “real” for me, even less so than the original.
Nick
P.S. If you haven’t played the special extended edition of the first Fable, maybe go back and check it out. It adds a lot of content.
I agree. I loved Fable, and though I didn’t love my husbands, I didn’t feel it necessary. I think it’s my game of the year too. I would’ve wanted to see more from the Dorian Gray guy and the black guy. They were hardcore!
yeah fable 2 was amazing, other than the fact that the spell were vary specific you had now customizing or anything. that would have made it a better experience and they should have made your kid grow up past 10 years old and be able to help you fight.
and what really got me though was that there wasn’t any plate mail that really would have been nice, i know that it was 500 years in the future but there has to be some still around.
finally what the hell was it with Theresa and telling you to “BEGONE” from the spire, that just seems suspicious and that note from your sister, what does it matter if you can’t find her?
Please elaborate anybody.
..]other nice source of tips on this issueis ,unrealitymag.com,..]
Just wanted to tell you Paul Tassi that there is first of all a way of getting all three acheivements for the choices at the end and also bringing back your dog if you don’t choose ‘The Family.’ To get all three achievements, you must save BEFORE killing Lucien. Then go in to kill him. After killing him, choose any of the three choices and you will get the achievement. Then, quit without saving and revert back to your save before the death of Lucien. Repeat this process for the other two achievements. Also, if you want everyone to love you or want lots of money but still want your dog, you need the Knothole Island DLC. After killing Lucien, go to Knothole island. Then get someone to follow you. Make sure it is NOT a shopkeeper because you are about to get them killed. Take the person who’s following you to the small tomb in the graveyard that is to the left of the cheiftain’s office. The tomb will open for you but only because someone is following you. Walk into the door and the person will follow you inside. Then step outside but the person will stay in. Use the lever to the left of the tomb and the person inside will die. But then… your faithful companion will return to you! Just a tip. hope it helps. 😉