by: John Olin

October 28, 2005

When Fable released originally last year, it is obvious that compromises were made. What resulted is a game that probably comes up short when stacked against the impossibly high expectations that many people had, but still provides experiences that you just can’t find anywhere else and solid gameplay mechanics to boot. Even in its disappointingly unfinished state, Fable has earned itself a spot among the Xbox’s best, which is quite an accomplishment considering just how many features were cut from the game throughout its long development cycle. Well the game has since sold over 1.6 million, and the team has found the time to make it for PC, and now Xbox for a measly $20 in the form of “The Lost Chapters”. Not only do you get the original game, but also you get 30% more new content. The game is mostly the same from last year, but you will come across some different parts throughout the game, but mostly, all the new stuff is further into the game.

You’ll begin your adventure as a young boy in a rural town called Oakvale. A conversation with your dad reveals your first objective: get your sister a gift for her birthday, which happens to be today. Knowing you’re a young boy with no money, he promises to pay you a gold piece for every good deed you perform around town, and then sets you free to begin exploring and interacting with the many townspeople. His last words echo in your mind: “Stay out of trouble.” That’s easy for him to say. He hasn’t just been turned loose in the huge moral playground that is Fable. This game tempts you every step of the way, and unlike most other games that allow you to choose your moral path, Fable actually delivers consequences and repercussions for your actions, be they good or ill-favored. A helpful mini-map is displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen and shows the location of certain places of interest, from shops and taverns to NPCs that may require your assistance. The map takes any guesswork out of the game by pointing you in the direction of your current objective at all times, as well as giving away the exact position of enemies, which allows you plan your next coarse of action at all times. Encounters that would’ve otherwise been rather difficult are a walk in the park when you know exactly where everyone is, so it would’ve been nice if the number of enemy locations you could see was directly tied to some type of tracking skill. As it is, Fable is a very accessible and forgiving game, which may have been what they were going for. Action-RPG purists may be left wanting more of a challenge, however.

An intuitive targeting system allows you to interact with every NPC and creature in the game in any way you choose. Characters are surrounded by a colored aura that gives away the default actions for interacting with each individual—non-hostiles without specific information appear blue, quest characters and traders are green and hostile creatures glow with a red tint. Pressing and holding the left-trigger can lock on to individuals, which keeps you square to them in a similar way to the recent Legend of Zelda games. The right-thumbstick can then be used to cycle through all available targets, giving you total control over who you’re facing at any given moment and preparing you for combat against whoever you wish. That’s right—in Fable you hold the power of life and death over everyone’s head in the game, from the fairest maidens to young schoolchildren. You may choose to uphold justice and protect the innocent, or you may choose to look out for yourself above all others and prey on the weak. Whatever you choose, know that the game’s inhabitants will react to you accordingly. Peasants will cheer your name and follow you around if word of your heroic deeds has reached their ears, or cower in fear and run from you if you’ve chosen a path of evil. You’ll be able to use a number of different expressions to communicate with them, from flirting and flexing your muscles to passing gas, and you’ll learn many more as you progress. Four useful expressions and items can be mapped to the d-pad at any time, giving you access to them on the fly. In addition, context sensitive icons will appear in their place at times when a specific action is required.