Fable Near-Final Impressions
We sit down with a near-final version of the epic Xbox RPG.
Xbox-owning RPG fans have been quietly biding their time as Fable, the ambitious and long-awaited role-playing game from UK-based developer Big Blue Box, readies for its release next month. You can count us among the masses trying to keep busy while we anxiously wait for the game to ship. Although we've checked in on the game more than a few times, we still jumped at the chance to get a look at a near-final version. No short demos, no playing with a preloaded save, just us beginning our virtual life as a hero.
The first thing to stand out as our life in Albion began was the very polished look of everything. The cinematic that plays before the start screen is a slickly edited piece that feels like introductory movie credits. The stylish clip features a dynamically moving camera that zips in and out of many of the locales you'll travel through in the world, one of the centerpieces being the Hero's Guild that will serve as your base of operations in the game. You'll also see frescoes of some of the action in the game as well as a small sampling of the possible incarnations of your character. The introduction also offers a tease of Danny Elfman's impressive score.
Before we embarked on our new life, we thought we'd be nitpicky and kick the tires some by checking out the options in the game. While the start screen features three basic options that let you start a new game, continue an existing one, or go into the game's options, there's more to be done if you start poking around. The game options will let you create a profile where you can store tweaks to the visuals, control, audio, and Live Aware status of the game. You'll also be able to try out demos of Xbox games.
When you do get around to playing Fable, you'll be asked to enter your name and then you'll be treated to one of the unique bits of presentation in the game: a massive fresco that the camera will pan over as a narrator fills you in on the story. The introduction talks about a young boy from the village of Albion who dreamed of being a hero. The segment is interrupted as your father snaps you out of your daydream and urges you to go find a birthday present for your sister. To help you get something nice for your sis, your father offers to give you a gold piece for every good deed you do. This level is a tutorial that introduces you to the basics of gameplay and the game's good and evil mechanics. You're sent around the town while performing various tasks. How you go about completing them begins to affect your ranking of good or evil, which will then influence the way the locals will react to you. The one interesting thing to note about your ranking is that an eye icon above your onscreen map will alert you to how many people can see what it is you're doing. This will play a much larger role as you get older, as your character's reputation, or renown, as it's called in the game, will influence locals' reactions to you.
As you complete your tasks, you can earn some bling from your dad. While your father will cough up gold for your good deeds, you can also find alternate means to earn some cash by not being so good. For example, when you catch a man cheating on his wife, you can score some hush money by promising not to narc on him to the missus. Of course, that's not to say you can't take his money and then go narc on him anyway for some extra cash. (What? If you're being bad you may as well go whole hog, especially if there's money involved.)
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- Microsoft Game Studios
- Big Blue Box
- Action Role-Playing
- Release: Sep 14, 2004 »
- ESRB: Mature
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