Despite some ingenuity and artistry, the carelessness of Fable II's execution is an insult to what it could have been.
The game is set in Albion, some 500 years after Fable. There are plenty of insider moments to appeal to fans of the original, but you are an entirely different character and the world is a very different place. You are a street-urchin-turned-hero seeking vengeance by killing the evil guy whose obligatory thirst for world domination has had a devastating and personal impact on your life. Oh, and of course, you are somehow the one fated to defeat him. The story is unsurprising fantasy fare, but is actually told with ingenuity and care. Some moments are awkwardly executed, but others shine out like finely directed cinematic scenes. While you may not be riveted by the narrative, there is reason enough to stay tuned just to watch it unfold.
If that doesn't interest you, there's a sizable population and a modest expanse of a world to explore. Sadly, this is where the game starts to fall apart. The developers at Lionhead have created a title that is practically begging to be explored in any way you choose. However, the appearance of an open world is just that: an appearance. Do not go into Fable II expecting a truly open environment like what you might find in Grand Theft Auto. Every area has acute limitations and you are intended to remain within them. So, while Albion is yours to explore, you may do so only in the paths designated beforehand.
The limitations continue when you consider the game's so-called branching paths. Much of the promotion for Fable II revolved around the idea that you could choose how to play and that your choices would impact the world. Yet, Fable II fails to live up to expectations when it comes to your character's impact on these elements. In reality, the choices you make all come down to a binary decision: "Yes or no?", "A or B?" Only a couple of decisions really have a big impact and none of them change the main plot of the story. It's a limitation that causes Fable II to lose some of its magic.
While the lack of exploration is a problem, what really plagues Fable II are the devastating, game-ending glitches. The most common bug occurs if you cut short a conversation with one of the NPCs. If you make that simple mistake, it will be impossible to continue the game's main plot. There are other glitches like it; many of them without known causes. The bugs are all the more unforgivable considering the game's archaic save system, which only allows you a single save slot for each character. You cannot even copy your save to a memory card. This is an unfortunate design choice in a game that encourages you to experiment and make hard decisions. But it is absolutely unacceptable in a title that's also full of glitches. If you "activate" a glitch and the auto save kicks in, you have no choice but to start over from scratch.
If you're able to play through the game without incident, you'll find an experience that is riddled with other minor flaws and shortcomings, but is ultimately satisfying. Most of the story and characters are well-written and well-acted. The character models, animations, cut scenes, and environments are all beautifully designed and implemented. The sound is crisp and artistically chosen - with the possible exception of all those nagging townsfolk who ask you for a wedding ring day and night.
As an RPG, there is much to celebrate and much to criticize. The world does manage to seem large, despite your character's inability to truly travel. Many of the dungeons share a common atmosphere, but there's enough variation to keep you interested. Though you're intended to spend time exploring the world, there is surprisingly little variety in the enemies you'll encounter. The excitement comes from using your new skills and abilities to defeat the same enemies you've dispatched an hour ago.
As for the skills and abilities you earn, this is done through a traditional experience and leveling system. The one twist is that you'll gain not just generic XP, but trait-specific XP as well. Skill, strength, and will XP can be combined with generic XP to purchase upgrades to your melee attack, ranged attack, and magic. There are a lot of good abilities to choose from, but there is one noteworthy flaw in the system: once you've purchased an ability, you can no longer check to see how powerful it is. This is just one shortcoming in the uninformative menu system that will likely annoy longtime RPG fans.
The menu system is poorly conceived in other ways as well. Players will delight in the variety of clothing, weapons, and items, but will be left scratching their heads when the shopping interface doesn't have a way to show you your current equipment. The regular inventory screen shows you all of your gear, complete with stats on clothing bonuses, weapon damage, and more. If you talk to a shopkeeper, however, this information vanishes. You can see whether a sword is better or worse than your current sword, but by how much? Is it worth the gold?
Item usage is an even bigger chore. Every time you drink a potion, you're automatically kicked out of the menu. So, drinking multiple potions becomes an exercise in monotony. Books are an even worse offender. You can read books to learn new expressions or teach your dog a new trick, but once you do, all record of it disappears. Go book shopping, and you'll have to rely on memory to know whether you've already found that book before or read it. In the event that you do figure out which books to buy, you'll have to laboriously trudge in and out of the menus as you read each one. The system is neither elegant nor intuitive.
While the inventory system might be cause for alarm, RPG addicts will rejoice in the numerous extraneous activities peppered throughout Albion. If you need some extra cash, you can try your hand at cutting wood, tending bar, or you can get involved in the town's economy. Every house and shop is for sale, and, as the owner, you can charge rent or raise the prices of goods. Keeping the roads clear of bandits or spending money in town will bolster the economy, while keeping prices low will make the townspeople like you. And, of course, there are countless side quests available to improve your reputation as a famous (or infamous) hero. These are the sort of world details that many RPG fans know and love.
After E3, it was very clear that Peter Molyneux was excited about "love" in Fable II. The central character in Molyneux's efforts was your much-heralded pet dog. You can praise him, chide him, or play a game of fetch. In reality, the dog simply isn't that amazing. It's true that there are a variety of actions available, and that praising your dog or giving him a treat can alleviate his fear during battle, but most players likely won't grow too attached to it. This is also true of the "emotional" interactions you might have with the various people of Albion. The expression system you use to talk to your dog or gather an audience of adoring fans is fun if used sparingly, but quickly comes across as shallow and tiresome.
The elements most will enjoy are the rewards that come from these NPCs. Gaining favor with townspeople will earn you better prices at shops and the occasional gift. Keeping your dog happy and by your side will earn you a fellow fighter and companion that seeks out buried items and treasure chests. Even if you're playing as an evil bastard, you can dance a few jigs to get a shop discount or play a little fetch and your faithful companion will go off chasing treasure for you. It's great to have tangible reasons for using these mechanics, even if they do feel intensely artificial.
And then there's the cooperative play to consider, available both locally and online. To be sure, there are some highlights. If you're connected to Xbox Live, you have the option of seeing your friends wander about the world in the form of floating spheres. It gives Fable II an unprecedented MMO atmosphere. Walk up to a friend's sphere and you can begin an interaction. You can gift items and gold or you can jump into your buddy's game. All of this is done well, including the host's ability to modify the percentage of gold and experience points allotted to guests.
However, these strengths are far outweighed by the online mode's weaknesses. Most notably, there is a fixed camera angle, which can only be manually re-centered by the hosting player. The camera does not follow you as organically as it does in the single player mode, nor can it be controlled by the joystick. Instead, you are forced to play with fixed camera angles, which are cause for some disorienting, if not impossible scenarios. Several times during co-op, one player would get stuck behind (or inside) a rock. In such cases, both players were unable to move or see what's going on. This frustration may have been worthwhile had there been an option to bring your own character into friends' games. Instead, you can only bring a generic henchman, who collects gold and XP, but lacks the nuances that make your own character so special. It is issues like this that merely add to the mediocrity of the cooperative play.
When all is said and done, there is a lot of good to be had in Fable II. There's some innovation in the cooperative play and some interesting moments of aesthetics, storytelling, and decision-making; but for a game that plays like an RPG, there is surprisingly little sophistication in the implementation of character development, inventory, and NPC interactions. In addition, the show-stopping bugs present in the game are, quite frankly, unacceptable in a retail title; the prevalence of online access is not an excuse to release broken content and fix it later. Despite some ingenuity and artistry, the carelessness of Fable II's execution is an insult to what it could have been.