Try to get your combat multiplier even higher!
Graphics:
The thing that'll probably strike you first is how detailed and rich the world of Fable is, and just walking around exploring the world is a joy as there are always NPCs doing interesting stuff on their own. The nature, houses and backgrounds look astonishing. The magic also looks good and the lightning and water effects are top-notch. The artistic side of things is also very interesting with special cards (for tattoos, beard & mustache, haircut etc) which you can take to different people (usually called traders) and change the way your character looks. This has all been done before, but in Fable it's not only a cosmetic feature, as these things affect your attractiveness, scariness and so on, so it actually indirectly affects gameplay as well. The different locations are very cool and there's a different atmosphere to each place and the last-century-painting-style stills used in the story-telling look very esthetic and cool. The animations and level design are also way above average. This is just a beautiful game which looks amazing.
95%
Gameplay:
This game is very story-driven and you'll meet many interesting characters during your adventure. One of the most interesting things in my opinion is the "every choice has a consequence" concept, which basically lets you be good or evil. Granted, this has been done before, especially with Lord British's Ultima series of games, and were also included in other computer role-playing games, but never to this extent. The world in Fable is very vibrant and alive, and even the way people talk around you and react to you changes accordingly. What I miss though, is maybe a different story line for being good or evil. As it is now, it kind of suits the good side, but it feels a bit strange if you play as evil, but that is just the story and Fable is about so much more than just playing through the story-line, but more on that later. You start Fable as a kid, and gradually grow into and out of your teens into adulthood and so on. The combat is in real-time and you perform combos by mashing X. There's also a more powerful attack available and you can attack foes from a distance by archery and magic.
There are many spells which you can learn and later upgrade when you level up. There are spells that slow down time, generate a magic shield, fire magic attacks and heal you. The graphical effects when you cast spells are also cool and it's very enjoyable to use all these different spells and soon enough, you'll have your favorite spells to combine with your melee skills in combat. The melee can get tedious sometimes, but the environments, stylish and varied enemies and magic system make you want to keep hacking. There are many side-quests and other things to do outside the main-quest. The controls are pretty solid, except for the magic system which feels clunky at first before you get used to it. Personally, I find Fable a tad tedious, mostly because of the fact that you're going back and forth to the "heroes guild" to get a quest (the game will tell you when you have new quests available) perform the task, repeat. The gameplay is actually pretty repetitive, but it's enshrouded in atmosphere, experimentation, exploring and customizing that adds a unique depth to the game. There are also tons of mini-games that are normally found in taverns. These are very easy and basic games but are a nice break from the normal hack 'n slash gameplay.
89%
Sound:
The sound is 100% situation triggered and the world of Albion comes alive through conversations which you can eavesdrop and sounds of nature and/or a busy street or a rowdy tavern. The music also follows the situations and the classical-soundtrack like music becomes more and less intense, without you even noticing it. It just flows so easily with the game and helps create that special atmosphere that only Fable has, but personally I could've used some cooler and more intense battle-sounds AND some memorable music.
The voice-acting is really good. That should be mentioned.
"Try to get your combat multiplier even higher" resound through the whole game for me. Maybe there is something I'm missing, but it becomes really annoying after a while.
80%
Lastability:
The strong story, witty humor and cool characters will get you hooked from the start to finish, and I think that's the reason all people who play this game starts out by rushing through the game's story line in 9 hours and later return for side-quests and the whole virtual ant-farm aspect of the game. There are just so many ways to customize your character and many weird things to do, like dating and getting married (you can even marry another dude) you can make a demon-door swear etc. You can even get into the estate business and buy and sell houses (there's a glitch in the game here which lets you earn infinite amount of money) and if you're a dishonest and evil guy, you can break into houses and steal stuff. If you are into sandbox/virtual dollhouse role-playing games set in a medieval-style, animated and interesting worlds then you'll enjoy Fable for a very, very long time. It is also good fun to level up your character and develop skills as you can become very powerful fairly quickly. However, the experience-cost of the skills and spells you level up are set in a way that encourages players to purchase and upgrade more generally and equally in all three major stats (will, strength and skill) and makes it tiresome to specialize in one area.
90%
Overall:
Fable is a very good action RPG with some unique features and memorable scenes which plays and looks beautifully. If you've got an Xbox you NEED Fable.
92%