Fable 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

To start let me say that I do love this game and it has been a lot of fun so far. The graphics are fantastic and the gameplay is intuitive and fun. As many have said, having the dog is a total bonus to the gameplay and overall feel of the game. It really does seem to deliver on the promise of being able to do whatever you want. There are some issues that I agree with the other posters on. The map/GPS system sucks. You can only access it in the pause menu and there's no zoom or pan function so unless you sit right up with the face on the screen, its pretty much useless. There is not nearly as much free-roaming in the game that you would expect from the back of the box saying roam anywhere. Most noticeably of this is the lack of random baddies to fight on the roads. It really is mission driven it feels like as far as getting to test the combat system.
While it does have its issues, the game still delivers on the fun. While the combat is simplistic, that doesn't change the over fun of combat. It doesn't get old and its still fun to hack and shoot everyone around you. The social interactions are basic and easy to master yet they don't really ever lose their appeal as the game goes on.
What it really boils down to is this: Fable 2 is a great game and a truly enjoyable RPG but its a very simplified format. Its has a lot of fun choices and mechanics in the game, but its not Oblivion in the sense that its not that complicated. Leveling up requires a very easy and simple choice of a few selections. Weapons, items, clothing, buying/selling, all of these aspects are fun and intuitive but none of them are overly complicated. Fable 2 is simply a really fun, immersive and enjoyable RPG that strives to make itself appealing and easy to grasp for all gamers.
If you're expecting an Oblivion-level RPG that adds a lot of detail and micro-manageable character setup, you'll probably be better served by waiting a week and trying Fallout 3. For a fun RPG exp, Fable 2 is your game.

What can I say?

An Incredible Game indeed!

It is a Masterpiece

It is like Beethoven’s Lost Symphony!

Fable 2 has everything that Fable didn't have and then some.

A lot has been added just to name some examples: You can ~ Free Roam, Swim, Buy Everything in the World of Albion: Caves,/Dungeons,/Houses/C- astles/Chapels/Businesses each with its own unique side quest, everything you do has a consequence on the world around you…..literally, the towns/cities/villages/peo- ple will change according to the choices you make.

For example say you come across a small trading settlement somewhere around Albion you can choose to invest in the settlement which will prosper in the years to come leading to a small city or huge city depending on how much you give, or you can take a darker path and slaughter all of the traders in which case the small settlement would later become ruins infested with enemies.

One of the big things you will come across before starting the game is your choice to finally be able to choose between being a Male or Female Hero.

A lot has also changed in the combat system letting you use literally hundreds of weapons from swords to crossbows and even guns. The Magic system is incredible each spell is nicely crafted in its own unique way.

Now to close up this review, Fable 2 is 10x the size of Fable, completely full roam able. It is the greatest RPG game of this Year and hopefully Next Year Also.

I Highly suggest that you Buy this game because you will literally play it for Hours and Hours.

Yes you can choose whatever path and spend hours just working as a blacksmith or woodcutter if you want. Yes you can marry someone and then kill them if they get on your nerves with constant nagging.
BUT, these are almost all the things you could do in Fable 1. I'm a great fan of "if it aint broke dont fix it" so I wont say that copying Fable's trademark stuff doesnt make it a good game. It IS a good game, but here are the things that take the score down:
First off the graphics, while beautiful, seem to suffer with slowdown issues and loading lag.
Secondly the map, they made it so small and non descriptive you can't tell what is where! I'm sorry but I want to KNOW what the stores are or AT LEAST know what they're called "misc stores" doesnt tell me squat!
Another thing which really bugged me was that after spending all this time on character interactions, without signs (in town), taking someone to their "favorite spot" on a date, consists of randomly running around finding a place you THINK is where they like. Some area popup would have been nice.
Also, the menu screen takes a lot of searching to get to things you want.(ex. to use potions, hit start, then items, then potions, then select potion, not TOO bad, but then it closes the menu and you have to do it all again to use another one! Gets a bit annoying when you have 3 will, skill, or strength potions!)
And they've taken away the customizable D-pad, so now you use RB all the time, I dont know why they even included it since half the time its not selecting whats the best thing to do.

These gripes do not mean I dont like the game, I do, but when they've taken so long to bring it out and all the great things in the game were the same the first one had, with so many of the NEW things messed up, I feel like what did they do all that time, tweak the dog?

Bottom line:
Nice graphics, easy to play (controls a little floaty), definite rental, good buy as long as you dont care about the little things reviewed above.

The first Fable was quite a break-through in RPG's. Having your character's appearance change based on your actions in the world in genius. It only fell short in the overall length and scope of the game. Fable 2 is a worthy predecessor but still falls short in some small ways, but should not be over looked because of these small short comings.

Pros:
-Same style and feel from the first fable
-Great graphics and character models as well as environments
-Character appearance changing based on your actions
-Good and Evil choices are presented very well and the addition of Pure and Corrupt is welcomed
-Interactive world with NPC's that react to you depending on your deeds
-Solid gameplay that doesn't feel to repetitive
-Addition of the dog is welcomed and used perfectly to accompany your hero
-Coop
-Much larger world to explore
-Real Estate wealth
-Families

Cons:
-Not completely open world like Oblivion or Fallout3
-Loading screens aplenty, zone based
-Somewhat low choice of clothing options
-Single Player still short compared to today's standards
-Bugs

Overall Fable 2 is basically everything the first game promised and didn't deliver on. As with any game that is hyped up, there are bound to be disappointments, but in the end Fable 2 is a well presented and polished game with lots of fun and entertainment to offer and should not be overlooked by anyone who played the first game. It is also very user friendly in the sense that almost anyone can pick it up and start playing relatively easily. If you give it a chance it will suck you in and bring you lots of enjoyment whether you play the good or evil path.

I thought this game was weak. It started out good but ran out of steam very quickly. Combat wasn't very fun. Interacting with the NPCs wasn't very interesting. The graphics and controls weren't up to today's standards. This game doesn't look finished. Looks like a rush job. Not recommended.

I think that this is a fantastic RPG. Although the co-op is a little shabby the rest of it is great. Other RPG's like Fallout 3 and Oblivion have drasticly raised the standard for RPG's , sadly Fable 2 falls a little short. I greatly enjoyed playing the game. I love how EVERY choice you make effects the entire game. You choose between boy and girl, good and evil, and hundreds more. The jobs in the game suck bigtime, they are all the same! It makes you feel like a fctory worker. There are very few flaws in this game, those of which fall in the co-op and the jobs. the storyline is easy to follow and the graphics are incredible. Before you judge this game about how easy it is, remember that this game is NOT meant to challenge you. In this game you are Albions greatest hero and you are out to shape the world in your image. I give fable 2 a 10 out of 10!!!

This game really let me down.Fable 1 was an awesome game I loved it.Sure, it was missing some stuff that was promised but,over all it was a good game.Having said that,I thought for sure fable 2 would improve on Fable 1 and.....I was dead wrong...

The good -

-Amazing Huge world to explore

-Awesome graphics

The bad -

-Way to short of a story..I mean you can beat it in 8-10hrs

-BORRRRRINGGGGGG story.If you wanna call that a story.

-Horrible co-op.Give each player they're own camera.People have said "it's so they don't go around killing everyone in your city".

1.Just keep the safety turned on so they can't kill people(sure they can do rude expressions but it's not that big of a deal)

2.Do like in mercenaries 2.Where you have your OWN camera in co-op and had to be a certain distance away (I forget the distance but it was pretty big).

-Wheres the epic boss fights at?.A Troll,A banshee? darth maul??..really those fights bored me and were WAY to easy???...

-Lack of monsters (what like 5-6 different types?)in the game means you get to fight the same monsters over and over!!

-Horrible menus.Trying to change weapons or learn spells in co-op is a hassle and laggy and makes the other persons game freeze and wait for you to be done.

-Speaking of lag,This game lags bad for no apparent reason in co-op sometimes

-Really glitchy.Who ever the beta testers were need to be fired RIGHT now..

--spoilers below--

The last boss really?.Where was the character development at?..Hi!!!,I killed your sister and I'm trying to take over the world.You'll only see me 3 times in the game.1, at the beginning of the game and 2, at the end...

Just get 3 hero's and I'll appear and not try to develop and story.also,Don't worry about a hard last boss battle,I heard you don't even have to hit him!(which he dies in 1 hit anyways)

---Spoiler end--

overall,a decent game but could of been a classic game or a really good game, if only they actually tried.
I give it a 6 and a 6.5.

All my friends were all about this game and I was reluctant knowing all the short comings in fable 1. Needless to say this game fell short in the same exact ways.

A) The main quest is incredibly short and not challenging at all (I did not die once in the game.)

B) The side quests are all the same with different names, they all consist of running around and killing a troll or a pack of bandits. There are only like four different types of mobs.

C) Very buggy (the most prominent one I can think of is after perfecting the crucible it freezes every time and you have to reboot the xbox with the front button and this isn't just a me problem.)

I give the game a six because it is very fun for the first 6 or 7 hours then you beat the game. Fable 2 has virtually zero replay value because there are like 20 quests and once you have done one you have done them all. There is very little character customization aside from becoming fat/skinny/ripped or male/female and finally good/evil. There is maybe ten different outfits and none of them look very creative. On the hole this just feels like an unfinished game. If you loved the first Fable go for it this game is very close to the same but if you are looking for a challenging game with high replay value this is not the one.

My husband and I cannot put this game down. We've been playing it for a solid month now so, I finally just bought it instead of keeping it through our subscription.

The character development is amazing, the graphics are stunning and the gameplay is addictive. Its tough to write a review for this game without spoilers because there are so many things that are unique and creative about the game that I want to talk about but, I don't want to ruin it!

I am on my second time through the main plot line and I'm still finding new things that I missed the first time around. Make sure you have a few days off and plenty of quick and easy food to nuke. When this arrives at your door, you won't be doing much of anything but playing it!

I really am perplexed here. I was excited to get Fable 2 in the mail from Gamefly.

Then I played it and was let down.

The game is technically polished, but it feels like a Volvo. It works perfectly, a lot of people like it, but it lacks creativity and failed to draw me in. Something that I thought Peter Moleneaux was passionate about. This was his baby. It failed. Where do I start?

First: Character Customization. There is very little, and this I think is paramount. You can be a male or female. You can wear any one of 6 outfits. Maybe you can dye them a slight shade of a different color but you're stuck either looking posh or poor.

Second: Difficulty. There is none. You cannot lose this game. Your dog could win this game. Sure his avatar would end up looking like he'd spent a night in a box with 100 rabid weasels, but since you can't really customize your character and don't get attached to it, why do you care?

Third: Minigames. BOR-RING. So I started blacksmithing and at first I thought, hey this is cool, I could earn my way up and one day be a master smith. The first level of blacksmithing seemed ok. Hit the a button at the exact right time, win gold. Yay. So I got a promotion and with excitement I went back in the game now level 2 expecting a new challenge and I got ... the same exact thing. Except now I was making slightly more gold. Such a let down. In fact every single minigame in this game was along the lines of hit (or release) a when the bar is in the green. WAY TO INNOVATE. None of them are fun. All are repetitive. Which brings me to my final point.

Fourth: Money & Treasure. Its WORTHLESS. Since you can't die anyway you could win the game with your level 1 sword. Who cares if you own all the businesses in the world. All that does is give yu more money which is just a stupid number. There is no incentive to get money unless you are some obsessive compulsive type who wants to unlock everything. I have many more complaints but I've run out of room.

where shall i start?

1.[Main story line] is painfully short. I mean come this so called RPG is easily beaten in a day, if it wasn't for the "annoying conversation scenes" you can't skip past it would be beaten in even less time.

2.[Side Quests] in this game are even more boring than the main quest line not to mention Therese barely any of them! I mean come on the quest lines in Fable 2 are just like they were in the original Fable short simple and repetitive.

3.[Good/Evil] is a joke in Fable 2. How is it that something that is supposed to be the purpose of the game be so useless. I mean theres really no benefit to this good or evil system rather than do you want horns or a halo? and to top that off just like in the first fable becoming evil is not even a challenge since all you basically got to do is kill everyone you see. As far as good goes you will end up just donating gold for good status from the lack of actual quests to get status points.

4.[Difficulty] This game has no difficulty whatsoever. You cant even die in this game so when it comes right down to it you could beat this game with the worst gear it has to offer, it will just be a matter of time before you kill something.

5.[Character Customization] lol this was one of the most disappointing parts of this game. For one theres is like 4 sets of clothes to choose from and your choice of weapons is not impressive either where basically you get to choose bewtween sword,axe,hammer for mele and crossbow,rifle,pistol for range. you may think this sounds cool but theres basically one of each with four damage upgrades whoop de doo!

6.[Skills customization] This disappointed me the most because basically you have to choose between melee, range or magic(Will) theres is no real good combination to the 3. Magic is a joke in this game swapping through spells in combat is most likely to kill you since you only have one button to use for spells. Not that dieing is a big deal since you cant lol.

These issues may change as patches are put out as time goes on but for right now play this game at your own risk. There are a number of game breaking glitches, two of which I encountered. If playing co-op and you already have a char and are joining someone else, DO NOT join while they are in the "childhood" section. You will lose all your exp, money and spells the next time you play your character. The second is if you DL'd the X-Box Arcade Pub Games DO NOT play the gambling games in the main game. You will get stuck in a loop where you keep getting a random pub game reward over and over.

If you do rent this game be sure to go online and read up on the known glitches (of which there are many) and how to possibly avoid them.

Play this game with the full knowledge that you could run into a bug that will corrupt your save and you will be unable to continue. And since each character only has one save file that means if it corrupts you have no option but to start all over again.

Good luck.

I'll be short and to the point...

this game may seem great at first but it quickly loses its thrill. While newer than Fable, with better graphics, it still falls in the shadow of Fable 1.
Lionhead made too many unecessary changes that only ruined Fable's unique and "fun" qualities.

i anticipated fable 2 for months. When i first got the game i put it in my xbox exited to play. But as a played, the smile slowly disappeared from my face. This game was not nearly as good as it seemed. Now every time i play if freezes every 5 minutes as well. And i do not have this problem with any other games.

Overall, not nearly what i thought it would be. So much that i regret buying it.

First of all I just wanna say that this game is great. Its like living life with fantasy. you can buy homes, invest in shops, blacksmith your own weapons, talk to women and others townsfolk. The possibilities are endless. The graphics are definitely better. I just wanted to figure out how that guy could compare GTA 4 and Fable. They are two totally different Genres and thus must have different aspects. GTA 4 Had a deep storyline? BS! Saints Row 2 had a More interesting compelling storyline than GTA 4, and So does Fable. Sure GTA graphics are amazing but why would Fable II want superior-real-life like graphics? That would take away from the Fantasy part of the game play.

I liked this game alot played it through and replayed for some choice gear but its not a deep rpg. Pretty simple and very playable this all adds to the fun factor. Some people complain about the map etc but the real let down for me was the multiplayer you cant play as ur built character if ur joining someone cmon whats the point i got this unstopable beast that my friends cant enjoy unless im lead lame... And having everyone be a floating orb in game online also sad the single player game was good but i thought the multiplayer really was awfull.

Great game. It runs smooth and has a lot of the great open world we loved in the first game. The hook of this game is you can be whatever kind of characters you want. This is great for those who hate being forced into a style of gameplay in other games. The controls are similar to playing Fable 1 on the 360 and the transfers from the Pub Games seemed smooth and without a hitch.

The only down side to this game is that the story is so short. If you sat down, you could complete it in a day. However, the endless possibilities within this game keeps you playing over and over and well past the story line.

One thing that I enjoyed about this game was the dog and the fact that you can "teach" it tricks.

Overall this could be Game of the Year and definitely RPG of the year. With Fallout 3 a week away, I guess we will see!

I love the open world it gives to each area, yes there are load screens, but in order to keep the graphics up, the load down, NPCs working, and creature encounters high you need to. The map you do get doesn't do any good, but that's not what you're supposed to use to get around. Any RPG gamer would know that when you have a constantly changing environment you need to pay attention to it to know which way you're going. Besides, there are road signs and the like that tell you where you are. Just slow down and take a look around, even the buildings have their names on them or their deeds.

I've heard complaints about hardly any side-quests. There are a ton of side quests, just slow down and give a look around and you'll run into someone or something that will trigger a side quests. I spent hours alone hunting down all 50 Gargoyles to get their treasure. The same goes for the Archeologist dig sites to finally unlock the dungeon entrance to find the Gender Change potion. There are smaller side quests to do too, and there are all fun.

Good and Evil play a good part in this game too, even in the end of the main Story quest where you have one of three choices you have to choose from. Just like in the first one it is REALLY easy to become evil. Being good is not as easy if you're a shoot first ask questions later kind of player. be careful though, it is VERY Difficult to go from Evil to Good. The same goes for getting fat(you really get fat!) to getting skinny again.

Combat takes a little getting used to with the X Y B mele, will, range attacks having their own button. I sent many fireballs hurling into barkeeps and the like, lol. Once you get the hang of the buttons and figure out the level upgrades you'll be shooting from the hip just before deflecting a mele attack with your sword fallowed up with a swift kick to send a balverene toppling over the edge of a cliff, or sending out a wave of lighting to stun a group of bandits then a quick draw for 5 decapitation

I'd heard about the crashing problems of Fable 2 and thought how bad could it be? Well, it is legendary. The worst crashing problems I have seen in 30+ years of gaming. How can a console game crash so often? Isn't it supposed to be easier to produce stable code for consoles because they're all the same?

Fable 2 crashed on me during the opening animation, again during the first dialog sequence, again during the second dialog sequence, again while waiting for me to accept the very first quest you get. Then it let me play for 5 minutes until it crashed again during another quest giver's speech. After each of these crashes you have to endure the opening dialog sequence (you can skip the opening animation). I never want to see this game again.

Fable 2 is a near carbon copy of Fable 1. And it seems that most reviews don't mention the myriad of bugs and glitches in the game, which I guess isn't surprising since Microsoft put their hands on it. There have been times where NPCs were only half drawn, meaning a floating torso and no legs. Other times they were completely invisible. Load times are incredibly long, and the refresh and draw rates are a crawl. You have to wait several seconds for either an NPC to draw, or your emotion icons to draw. This happens more so than not and gets a bit annoying. The game isn't graphically fabulous, it's more cartoonish which isn't a bad thing at all, so draw and refresh issues shouldn't be a problem. The game feels like a semi-RPG rather than a full, open ended world to explore. I fail to see why the hero of the lands can't jump. I found myself getting stuck on stupid things like a small rock, or a chair, or crate. True exploration would allow me to jump over rocks, climb ledges, etc. Fable 2's exploration factor is very limited, mostly along small trails, roads, and paths. There are spots that would look like you can easily walk up but can't. Character developement is too plain. You build up your Will, Strength, or Ranged attacks. Once you get to level 4 of these catagories, you have to spend a ridculous amount of XP to get to level 5. You can buy property and rent it out, but the rent vs cost makes no sense. You can spend 75,000 gold on a house, only to get like 100 in rent, so it takes a VERY long time to make back any money you spend on houses and shops. NPCs get very irritating too, once you get mildly famous they flock to you like the paparazzi, sometimes pinning you in a doorway or corner unable to move unless you start killing them in a fit of rage.

THE GOOD
Graphics
Colorful NPC dialog.
Lots of quests.

THE BAD
Carbon copy of Fable 1
Long load times.
Irritating NPCs

THE UGLY
Too many bugs and glitches

Crapping ending, no ending, sucked. No end boss just ending handed to you. Way too easy. Pathetic ending again. I'm glad i rented it. THANK YOU GAMEFLY.

Probably most hyped and then disappoint yet.

I actually bucked up and bought Fable 2 and my work has struggled because of it. I have been up till 3 or 4 AM the last 2 nights playing. Everything about the game is awesome but the fighting is kinda weak and that is some serious nitpicking by me. The fact that people who pre-ordered it were able to use the pub games glitch may make it a lot easier than the rest of us is 1 bad side but who cares. There are so many little unique jobs inside all the game. The adding of wives (yes wives you can have multiple ones) and children was genius. Fable 2 is a total gem and is a game you can play 2 or 3 times upon completing it the 1st time. I fully intend on replaying the game as an evil man and as a down the middle man after I finish my saint character. This is a must get for any RPG fan.

Joe

Fable 2 is undoubtly one of the best RPGs ever. It has a unique way of levelling you up where as you distribute experience into Will, melee, and range.
Although a significant amount of the content is similar to the original Fable, it has enough new stuff to make it seem more like what the original Fable should have been.

Graphics: 10/10
Physics: 8/10: Sometimes I wonder why enemies ragdoll so much but it's still awesome
Audio: 9/10: Revised old music with some new stuff. No repeated lines
Gameplay: 9/10
Replayability: 8/10

I finally got to try Fable 2 and mind you, I played Fable & Fable: Lost Chapters for the original beastly-sized Xbox. This time around, there is even more in-depth storyline, the involvement with literally everything you can do. You can be the town hero, the menace/rebel to society. It's a true art form of what outcome You as the individual make every step of the way.

The graphics are beautiful, dazzling, jaw-dropping beautiful. It's the series and games such as Fable that bring to light of what games truly can be made of. It is and you can see the amount of time, effort, hard working people put into this game coming into development.

There was much controversy over this game for younger parents, I heard different stories just going to the local Target, Toys R Us or Gamestop for that matter. This game isn't for Young Audiences! I cannot stress that fact enough. Many games this day & age are Mature or Teen rated on average. This game is for more mature gamers & adults for that matter.

If you like games such as Tales of Vesperia, Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, games such as those, I would recommend going out and buying a copy of Fable 2 for yourself or as a gift to someone else as well who you know would love to have it!

For more casual gamers & gamers alike, I strongly recommend renting this game & giving it some serious devoted time. It won't disappoint holding your time & attention. I hope you enjoyed my review & as always, thank you for reading. Enjoy Gamers!

I have been looking at this game for almost two years. I loved the First game and could not wait for this. I went to the store at midnight just to get it, and it was well worth it. The game has all the loved features form the first game and then more. They took they make your own path idea and made it fully come alive. I don't think this will be getting old any time soon.