"Fable" is a real time 3rd person action/rpg with a fundamental sword and sorcery theme.
There are some very unique aspects to the game despite close similarities to "Sudeki." The movement is quite easy, yet the controls allow for some pretty complex fights coupled with magic and special "Flourish" attacks. The spellsword fighter has it made, as there are so many things that compliment close-in fighting, and casting a spell and swinging a sword are but one button apart.
Every now and then you might whip out your bow when you mean to cast a fireball, but by and large, insane combinations can make an otherwise unfair fight turn quickly to your advantage.
Leveling up is about as boundless as it gets. "Dungeon Siege" presented a cool idea with leveling up in whatever weapon you happen to favor the most, making specialization a practical matter. But if you wanted a character to do well in magic that swung a sword the whole time, you were starting from scratch.
In "Fable." though, you can acquire far more general experience than just in strength, skill or magic. You can spend that experience anywhere, so while you may have cast spells the whole time, you can still level up in strength or stealth. Don't want to use a bow until you've increased your dexterity? No problem, spend the general experience.
I offer one distinct caveat, however: You have to go through the entire youth training sequence before you can save. Who knows why the makers did this. I happened upon some rather scathing blogs by frustrated gamers who spent the better part of three hours playing the training sequence, and then once they turned off the game after a "Hero Save," they discovered nothing was saved apart from the character attributes.
My advice: Just leave it on and play at your leisure until you can do what's called a "World Save" once you're an adult. This way, you won't feel so pressured to rush through training and you can enjoy the side missions. But don't worry, you can save anywhere thereafter -- even in the middle of combat, as it should be.
With all of the detail in the game, it also helps to have a big screen television. I have a rather puny model that still has those big silver dials, so a lot of the detail was lost on me and often I missed some finer points, such as the green aura surrounding whatever object you're focused on. So despite wanting to break a barrel, I might talk to someone or read a sign. With a bigger screen and better picture quality, this shouldn't be a problem.
The game play is challenging enough without being impossible. There are plenty of ways to increase your health--from drinking a potion to chowing down on tofu--but if you're not careful enemies will quickly surround you, so it's not too easy, either. Each mission has the option to "boast," which increases the difficulty and the amount of money you receive for it. This could mean telling everyone that you'll fight without armor or with likened limitations.
Travel couldn't be easier. You end up spending some time walking around in the beginning, but once you find the teleportation points you can use them consistently, like "Diablo II" but from anywhere to anywhere (and it doesn't cost anything).
There are plenty of social interests to keep any "Sims" fans happy. You can marry, create an impressive fan base, or have entire villages cower at your presence. The best part is that alignment is never set. Unlike in "Baldur's Gate," where you frag one villager and you'll be atoning for it for months, it's not as permanent in "Fable."
You can choose evil and easily atone later, or play the do-gooder just long enough to seize power. One decisive move won't affect your personality to the point of forcing you to restart. Everything from the haircut you sport to the spells you cast determines your alignment, plus it invariably adds to the overall texture of the character. There are so many factors deciding type that no two characters are likely to turn out the same.
All of your stats are intricately recorded, too, so it looks much like a "GTA III" readout--everything from how many wives you have to how many times you've drank to the point of vomiting.
As for the storyline, it begins with the neigh-too-original premise of being the lone survivor of a raided village (essentially the embarking storyline of every "Final Fantasy"). It becomes far more interesting once training is over -- when you can actually do something about it. It isn't by any means limiting to what you can do while exploring/fighting in the region called Albion, but it also doesn't leave you without some means of exploring your shady past and the force behind your village's ruination, either. It looms somewhere between the alienation of "Marrowwind" and the slave-to-the-plotline action of "Prince of Persia."
The sound is good. It changes tone when enemies are near, but effectively maintains more of a background hum during the rest of the game and doesn't force players to turn it down. Voices are lifelike, though your character is mute (except for crying like a little girl at one point).
Spell sounds are rather noteworthy, however. From lightning to fireball, they add an air of authenticity to the action. A good surround sound system would flush it out further, but it's more treble than bass, so don't worry too much about it.
All in all, I found "Fable" well suited for X-Box. The engine, movement and overall experience pushes the controller's ability, but doesn't make it too complex to enjoy. It's X-Box Live enabled, of course, promising further character maturation after the missions are over. Despite its immediate popularity, I think "Halo 2's" arrival will quickly force "Fable" into a lower price bracket, as well.
"Fable" is bound to provide many hours of dynamic combat and intriguing character development. Despite its minor gaming faux pas, it's well worth the time and money, and has staying power and firm replay potential.
Darren Todd is an English literature graduate student. Reach him at Lawrence.todd@asu.edu.
