Doggone decent.
Molyneux really hammered on about the dog in the pre-release hype, so it seems right to talk about the dog first. Funnily enough, the dog embodies the strength's and weaknesses of Fable 2. See, you do get attached to the dog, but not in the way Molyneux think you have. Sure, I became a bit anxious once or twice when my dog went missing; not because I thought of him as my best pal, but because I thought the game was glitching. The dog is a useful feature, able to find treasure, attack enemies, and win over children. Depending on whether you turn out Good or Evil, Pure or Corrupt, your dog's appearance will change accordingly, the loyal fellow. Anyway, throughout my experience with the game, I felt like I was using the dog though I'm pretty sure Peter wanted me to bond with it.
It's a miscalculation that plagues the entire game. The superficial engagement to the world and its characters really knocks the experience. Socialization feels utterly contrived, as its a matter of bringing up the townspeoples' most beloved social actions and watching their like/dislike meter go up. If you want to bring up the economy of a town, enjoy countless hours of a boring mini-game (is it even a game?) chopping wood. Assuming you haven't been trying to play with nothing but both butt cheeks, you will be filthy rich by the end of the game, own all the most important properties, and have multiple mistresses.
The ease and superficiality of the sim aspect of the game carries over to the action-RPG combat. There's a logical leveling system that sees you gaining combat experience with whatever you're mostly using. If it's the mighty sword, blue orbs will drop from enemies. Red orbs mean you've been using magic. Yellow orbs mean you've dealt damage with a ranged weapon. Green orbs that drop are general experience that you use in conjunction with the speciality ones. The skills you unlock also shape your character around the weapons you're mostly using. Resilience obviously comes from the strength orbs, while the headshot skill will be unlocked with enough yellow orbs. It's fairly simple, streamlined, and commendable, but the problem with it is that you end up becoming fiercely overpowered. You will already be winning most fights with ease once you obtain your first few skills, and by the end of it, the entire game is a cakewalk.
So why is this game good? Two things. The first thing is that everything about Fable 2 is bloody charming. The story is nothing to scoff at: upon invitation to Castle Fairfax, your character Little Sparrow finds out he is one of the last Heroes, only because he/she survived being shot out of a window by Lord Lucien (and that's only after you see your sister get shot). It may not be the ideal childhood experience, but I guess it explains why Little Sparrow is hellbent on getting revenge on Lucien. So the story may be dastardly simple, but in line with the simplicity of everything else I guess its rather welcome. The hammed up British accents are a blast to listen to, and there are some genuinely funny lines to be heard. The art direction is superb, and the setting is rather inspired. The music fits with the general mood of the game, and lulls you into its fairytale fantasy. One thing that honestly pulled my heartstrings in this game is having children. They are probably the only thing in the game that make you feel your true impact on the world. When you go home and they come running out the door or when you take them on an adventure and danger suddenly pops up, don't feel ashamed about that rush you're feeling, as you're not the only one.
The other most important thing is that this game is just fun. Fighting enemies, finding treasure; buying low, selling high, owning properties; being fat, getting married, and making (contrived) choices that could impact the world, it all gives you nuggets of instant gratification. I mean, while it may be piss easy to continuously shoot bandits in the head in rapid succession and accuracy, to see their heads explode and juicy spheres of experience burst out of them is utterly gratifying. Or if you're evil, causing chaos in town and see people scurrying for their homes is pretty funny. Yes, it really is those moments of instant gratification that make a game playable, and Fable 2 is no slouch in doing so.
Where it falters is in the long lasting satisfaction in the game. There are so many missed opportunities in Fable 2, you wonder how they kept up with the production knowing exponential richness was within reach. The chance of having your dog die, or your children turning into a Hobbe would have gone a very long way. In fact, Lionhead seems so afraid of death to anyone important that it makes the game feel too constrained. I remember playing Morrowind and one of the first things I did was kill Caius Cosades. I thought if I could do that, I could do anything in Vvadernfell, and I practically could. I mean, I don't want to kill my sister in Fable 2 (scratch that, I want to try it once), but a little leeway into how I can shape the world, both directly and indirectly would have been nice. Instead, we've been carefully guided through a linear path, and the choice and emotion this game purports to have feels patronizing rather than liberating.
All in all, Fable 2 is another nice effort from Lionhead who have established themselves as connoisseurs of unfortunately gimped Triple-A titles, or lavishly featured budget games. Whatever your pick, you'll have fun farting your way to marriage, breaking down lowly peasants, and teaching kids things their parents never taught them in one of your many playthroughs.