|
 Game Review - Fable
by Rich
I’m an unabashed fan of the video game RPG in all of it’s incarnations, starting at an early age with Final Fantasy III and Zelda for NES through Diablo and Dungeon Siege, the Ultimas (IX didn’t completely suck), and the delightful Baldur’s gate titles. I wasn’t so keen on Tales of Azurik for X-box, but KOTOR completely rocked my world. I really like Fable.
The main advertising hook for Fable goes something like “For every action, a consequence”. Well surprisingly enough, that’s almost partially correct. In fable, the object is to become a hero, by working on the two components (in this game’s world at least) of heroism: Renown, and Alignment. You can win the game by being a saint or a sinner, as long as you do it in style. So the main element of the gameplay is the consequence system. Let’s take the example of killing a bandit. Bandits are bad, so killing one will net you two ”halo” points, and two renown points. The undead are universally disliked, so killing them nets you only renown, while killing a villager will net you a whopping ten “horn” points.
The effects of your alignment are all around you. As you wander through town, you receive accolades from the villagers. Children cavort around you, women call out your name and fall in love with you. Commit enough crimes and the guards will hunt you down. Pay them off, and they’ll look the other way. On the other hand, you can essentially buy “halo” or “horn” points at the appropriate temple, so even if you go on a murderous rampage large enough to catch the attention of the UN, it’s still possible to end up as a good guy.
Combat is pretty straightforward and intuitive. I had a bit of misfortune at the beginning with the magic / targeting system and a few innocent passers-by, but I quickly got that sorted out. I had no such issues with the melee combat system.
There’s a formalized quest system you can partake in at the Guild Hall (your home base) which will award renown, alignment, and gold for successful quest completion. NPCs can also assign quests, so there’s more to be done if you’re willing to explore, but overall, there’s something like 40 quests total, with about 15 on the main path to game completion.
So that’s one of the biggest downsides to Fable: it’s short. I had won the game as a good guy within about 12 hours of gameplay. That said, I crossed the 20-hour mark this weekend after spending time to wander about, find items, open chests and max out my character.
The upshot to the apparent shortness of the game is that you can continue playing after the credits roll and the main storyline is completed. Tertiary quests are still in play at this point, and you can still explore the world to your heart’s content. Surprisingly enough, there’s a lot to do after the game ends. If you’re into real-estate, buildings in each town can be purchased if the owners “disappear”. Local commerce can be augmented or interdicted by breaking the boxes of the guys on their morning supply runs. You can have a wife in each town, and they need constant attention (if you pay them enough attention, they give you sweet weaponry).
The world of fable isn’t as expansive as Morrowind - in fact, it’s a series of interconnected boards (think: Baldur’s gate). Each level has entrances and exits, and spaces in the middle to explore. The world however is beautiful. Plants and water effects are well done, and I only occasionally step around a corner before the rendering engine can keep up. It’s distracting momentarily, but not too bad. Night and day cast different effects on the landscape and village life changes accordingly. Some quests can only be completed at night, or at other specific times of day. It’s the subtle touches that make this game enjoyable.
So what’s the final word? Well if what I’ve described herein sounds to you like a great time, go now and purchase this game. If you’re at all on the fence, or you’re the sort who doesn’t really like spending lots of time finding every last secret, go now and rent this game to try it for yourself. Either way, I think you’ll enjoy it.
|
