Fable 2 is a very good game that could have been a great one with some more time and care.
So, for a game that absolutely prides itself on the small details, it comes as a rather large shock that it's the little things that, at times, almost cripple Fable 2. The game simply has far too many little tiny glitches and design issues that cause unnecessary frustration. The context sensitive buttons often don't actually do anything unless the character is in exactly the right spot. There's a slightly wonky camera. There are some quests which sometimes don't trigger properly. Clunky controls are apparent which, while they aren't horrible, just feel far too loose and lack any real precision, particularly when navigating tiny spaces. There are even far too many little spaces and gaps in the world where the hero can get stuck and simply not move, forcing a load of the last save point. The list goes on, unfortunately.
One of the more significant little problems with Fable 2 is the menu system. It's horribly clunky – button presses take too long to register, and using items drops the player out of the inventory without remembering what section they last accessed. This means that, if they want to go back and use another item, they have to scroll through it all again – a labourious process which can get incredibly frustrating when wanting to use three or four items in rapid succession. Worse still, there is the occasion where items don't actually work at all, forcing players to go back to the clunky menu and trawl through it all again.
Crucially, there is no on-screen mini map. Normally, this wouldn't be a big issue if there was a decent map that could be accessed through the inventory menu. Unfortunately, the pause map is, quite frankly, terrible. There is no zoom feature, no indication of where the region exits actually go until they are visited, and all stores are indicated with a generic icon, making finding anything specific a nightmare.
These might seem like small details, but when they are added together, the frustration levels begin to build rapidly and it detracts from the otherwise very enjoyable experience that the game provides. But, despite these oh so infuriating details, Fable 2 manages to be a very, very good game.
The most appealing aspect of the game is the sheer freedom on offer. At any given point in time there will be at least four or five different quests to embark on, other than the game's main storyline. Which, given the game's open-ended nature, is hardly the sort of twisting and turning epic you would get from most RPGs. Players take on the role of a child (they choose the gender), who are, predictably, wronged by Lucian, a grieving man lusting for power to avenge his dead wife and child. Fast forward into the future, and the ultimate task is to seek revenge of Lucian and foil his plans. Honestly, it's just not a very interesting story, and at times it's easy to forget why you're running around doing what some old monk tells you to do.
But it doesn't really matter, because players are free, more or less, to do whatever they want in the land of Albion. At any time, players can partake in one of the various quests they have active, which gives the game a great go-at-your-own-pace kind of feel. Like the first game, the world isn't one giant open place. Albion is broken up in to a lot of small chunks, each with various exits that connect to other parts of the world. The land isn't totally free-roaming, either – there are still plenty of those wonderful things known as invisible walls, and an absence of a jump button. Instead, there is a rather twitchy context sensitive 'vault' button for getting down from high areas. Because of this, the world never feels as big or intimidating as the likes of Oblivion, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's a very good thing, as it makes the game more accessible for the casual audience that the game is targeting. The world is also crammed full with little bits and pieces to do. It's all too easy to completely lose track of time exploring the land and interacting with the villagers without actually accomplishing anything of significance.
One of the biggest draw cards of Fable 2 is the ability to choose your own destiny – that is, be a hero upholding all that is good in the world, or a villain who inflicts suffering just because. Sadly, there's no grey area, which is rather unfortunate. If the player opts to be naughty – stealing stuff and murdering poor little villagers, for instance – then they will begin to see the effects on their character's body. Horns will develop, their complexion will change, and they will look rather unpleasant. If they opt to be good, they will get a little halo and become everyone's ray of sunshine. Certain quests will only be available once the player is sufficient good/evil enough, meaning that several playthroughs will be required in order to see everything Fable 2 has to offer. This is a good thing as while the main story isn't particularly long, the amount of extra bits and pieces in Albion will have players coming back for another crack.
Going some way to make up for the rubbish map system in Fable 2 is the glowing trail that points the player to their next objective. This makes it nigh on impossible to get lost, no matter how much of a novice the player is. The active quest where the trail is pointing can be changed in the menu, where the game also allows players to teleport to the required location, providing it has been previously discovered. It's actually a surprisingly efficient system, no doubt targeted at luring in players who might not ordinarily play this sort of game. The trail can be turned off if required – but the lack of other navigation options will rapidly lead to frustration, so it's not advised. Unfortunately, like a lot of things in Fable 2, it's also a bit buggy. Sometimes the trail will disappear, forcing the player to keep tapping the analog stick or select a new quest until it reappears. It also struggles to keep up with the player when they are moving at full speed, forcing the hero to pause their incredibly important quest and wait for it to catch up.
Molyneux spent a lot of time harping on about the emotional connection the game creates in the press, but, to be blunt, it just isn't there. While all characters in the game can be interacted with via a series of expressions (thumps up, down, flirting, threatening, shouting at, and so on), the fact remains that they are all completely shallow halfwits. Townspeople will fall in love with any hero that spends one or two minutes making positive expressions at them, without fail. All the people in the town supposedly have different personalities, but they all come across as slightly different coloured bricks. In addition, the townspeople will completely overreact to the hero, be it positively (constantly following them around cheering, making it rather hard to steal stuff) or negatively (incessant screaming and fleeing), to the point of sheer annoyance. It just feels completely artificial and fake. The player's canine companion though, who is there to dig up treasure and occasionally help in a fight, does a slightly better job at creating an emotional connection, but ultimately, it's hard to care about it.
It's worth remembering that the majority of the issues we have with Fable 2 are relatively minor, and, while at times they can be incredibly frustrating, they don't completely hinder what is otherwise a top notch game. While some more polish would have been nice, if you can look past the little things, then there's a lot to love about Fable 2. Watching your hero develop and change throughout the course of the game is genuinely a fascinating experience – one that will see you coming back to the game to give it a second go, possibly even more. While – again – the ever talkative Peter Molyneux and his team at Lionhead haven't quite managed to fulfill expectations, they have still delivered an incredibly solid product that will engross experienced players and delight newcomers to the gaming scene.