Fable 2 Review- Return to Albion

[HTA!]

Walking down a moonlit path with your trusty dog by your side, you freeze as you hear a click in the bushes. Bullets wiz past your head as you fumble with your flintlock rifle, no time for hesitation. You quickly drop the gun and focus as the bandits close in. Flames stream from your hands as you ward of the marauders, your dog finishing off any survivors. You pick up your pistol and arbitrarily eradicate the lone bandit still moaning on the ground, and you continue down the road as if nothing had happened. But soon after, a lonesome trader wanders up and thanks you for your deed, for he would have been killed had you not taken care of them. The man tells the villagers of a nearby town of your daring fight, and before you know it you have children clamoring for your autograph. Ah, the life of a hero!

Fable 2

As we return to Albion once more at first glance it may seem like not much has changed since your last adventure. Sure the bows of old have been replaced with guns and magic all but forgotten, but in general its the same premise right? Well, yes and no. On the outside it may seem like the formula hasn't been changed much, but its the rich wealth of details that make Fable 2 a stunning improvement over its precursor.

Lets dive right in.

Game play and Story-

Theme:

The theme of Fable, and Lionhead Studios in general, is that of choice. Your decisions effect the world around in spectacular ways. As for the last game, really this did not seem to work very well. The choices were shallow and the effects not noticeable enough to really care how you played the game. But this time, its strikingly different. As you progress, your choices will do anything form alter the look of an entire city to get yourself a sometimes unwanted title from the local townsfolk. There are literally hundreds of choices you can make in the game, and however minuscule they may be its amazing the repercussions that can happen.

For example, lets say I ask someone to follow me down to the docks to show them something. However, its night time and no one seems to be around. The man gets visibly nervous, and as I pull out my pistol he barely gets in his final scream of fright. Unknowingly, my wife turn the corner just as the man's body falls into the river, and she runs away screaming for me not to shoot. Of course, this attracts attention and as more people come to see the commotion a man alerts the guards as he spots blood on the wall next to me. Now, as I walk through town the next day people whisper "Murderer" under their breath and children who once asked for my autograph now run in fear.

The whole game is like this, where your every action can cause a chain of events you never expected. There's always something new to do or experience, and that is something few games can claim to have.

Story:

Is it cliched? Yes. Is it run of the mill? No. Although the actual "story" of the game is nothing to shout about, the appeal is once again the choices you make. You create the story, its all up to you. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but here's the gist. You, being of heroic blood, must travel from being a simple street orphan to once of the most powerful figures in the world. Be you pure or evil is all up to your choices/ You are sent on a quest to stop a madman from taking over the world, and along the way meet friends and companions that will help you along the way.

Speaking of, lets address the dog thing shall we? Truly, this is the biggest improvement of the game from Fable. He finds treasure for you, follows you wherever you go, and can even help out in the heat of battle. You will really get attached to your dog, and personally this was my favorite addition. However, there are a few problems. Although your dog follows you around, he can get hurt and in the heat of battle running and leaving your dog behind is a real pain, especially finding him again. Also, his Treasure and Dig features are a little buggy and he can get stuck in the environment.

Combat:

I actually enjoy Fable 2's combat more than Fable 1, especially the new ranged weapon arrangement. Not only can you zoom much easier, it is also more forgiving (and truthfully a fix for the sometimes buggy aiming) for those with bad aim by way of its sticky reticule feature.

Magic got a complete overhaul, with a new charging system substituted for the old spell wheel. It works well for the base level spells, since a single tap of the circle button performs base level spells with great ease. And you on;t even have a limit on magic, as long as you have time to cast your good to go. But that's the problem. In the heat of battle its hard to charge the upper level spells since you must stay still the entire time, and bandits don't just sit idly by as you charge up a vortex that will spell their doom.

Melee is great fun as always, with weapons seeming more realistic this time around and with plenty of veriety to keep you interested.
There are even special sequences where charged attack can slow down time and zoom in the camera  zooms in for a close up view of your opponents skull getting crushed.

But overall, the main problem turn out to be the camera. In tight spaces it can be a little clunky when your getting hammered from all sides, and in some places you are presented with a overhead view that really is impossible to work with. Taking the good with the bad, combat still works well, but its not as if these problems don;t exist.

Visuals-

Environments:

Lionhead did a great job with the graphics here. Although they aren't up to par with some other games, the effects and sheer detail that some of the locales have is enough to make up for the small shortcoming. Besides, the art style works great anyway and they should really be complimented on this note. Some places do get kind of crowded,m and maneuvering can become quite frustrating in the middle of a heated fight, but really its a small trifle in the overall look and fell of the game.

Character Models:

The characters look great. And that about the end of it. Clothing is very detailed, facial movements when talking work well, and even though the same character model may be repeated quite often it really doesn't get old. Walking animations do seem to suffer some kind of graphical anomaly, and its surprisingly they didn't fix this aspect.

Sounds-

Music:

The music is well placed, and the scores seem to match the locales in just the right way to give you that feel of coherence that really makes this game shine. There really isn't much to say here, other than music plays a second hand role to all of the conversations you'll be hearing in the course of your heroic adventure.

Voice:

I feel Fable 2 shines in the voice acting department. Dialogue is very funny and even though some of it may seem slightly out of place and overly scripted the conversations of nearby villagers can always draw a laugh. Main character voice acting is done well and as you walk along different characters there will never be a time when they don;t have something interesting or downright hilarious to say.

Wrap Up-

I can't go into much more depth because my mind is running blank and my neck getting sore, but needless to say I would recommend this game to anyone and everyone who is in need of a good adventure.

The game play is solid, visuals engrossing, and audio right on the mark. So really, why are you still reading? Go out and get your copy today, the world of Albion is waiting.

|Rating|

Game play- 9/10
Visuals- 8/10
Sound- 8.5/10
Overall- 8.5