A fun game with good charm and style, but held back by weak RPG elements and a black and white moral system.
-Beautiful graphics and art style
-Lot's of charm and funny gameplay
-Good sized world to explore
-Great soundtrack
-Dog/Pet element is very well done
-Co-op is fun
-Great character customization options
Cons:
-Weak RPG elements
-Combat is too easy
-Main story is too short
-Moral system is too black and white
Fable 2 is a game that's heavy on charm, but too light on gameplay. It has plenty of good aspects to it, however it fails to fulfill any of it's ideas fully and it lacks the challenge and depth that other RPG's have. Making Fable 2 a hit-and-miss experience.
The game begins much like it's predecessor, you start off as a child (boy or girl this time) and you make your away around the slums of Bowerstone with your older sister to complete a various number of tasks. Each of these tasks have consequences for your choices, of which you will face later on. However these merely serve as a tutorial of sorts for the main game and simply teach you the basics. Without spoiling anything, a tragedy strikes and you end up being raised by gypsies (seriously, you can't make this stuff up). When you finally reach adult hood the real experience of Fable 2 begins as you set your way out across the large and beautiful world of Albion with your dog.
Visually the game is very pleasing, thanks to good graphics and beautiful art direction, Fable 2 is a feast for the eyes. Sun shines peacefully through autumn forests, lakes and rivers look stunning as the world reflects off of them, mountains and rolling hills in the distance are a sight to see, lonely trail paths through the forest and country side creates a feeling of ease, Fable is an absolutely stunning game as far as visuals go. It also has a wonderful soundtrack to boot.
However when it comes to some of it's gamepaly aspects, you will find it lacking in many areas. Mainly the combat, which in a word, easy. It's too easy to be exact. The combat is similar to the original Fable in the sense that it is a simple hack and slash experience, while you do have more magic options this time around and even a little more stealth elements, for the most part it's exactly the same. The difficulty is almost non existent, at no point does Fable 2 ever provide a challenging experience. Which is a shame as there is a good amount of variety in it's weapons and magic. You will never really die or lose in any aspect of Fable 2 unless you absolutely don't try at all.
This isn't to say that Fable 2 is a bad game, not at all, Fable 2 does have plenty of good aspects to it's gameplay. The social interactions with NPC's is quite engaging and the way you can get involved with their day to day lives is very entertaining. Your pet dog is fun to play fetch with and explore the vast world with him by your side. Plenty of funny body ques are available for you to perform such as dancing, singing, and even farting (yes that's right, I said farting, like I said you can't make this stuff up). Fable 2 delivers on it's charming and stylish gameplay. There is a good amount of variety in it's other gameplay aspects as well, from working in a forge or cutting wood, to buying businesses, raising a family, customizing your character (which is very in-depth) and more.
Fable 2 handles these elements pretty well, though unfortunately the same cannot be said about it's moral system. It's far too black and white and has zero depth to it. None of the choices are hard to make, and they are far too stereotypical. The RPG elements are also lacking, leveling up merely consists of gathering green orbs that fall on the ground after combat or from completing various missions, but never do you feel like you are getting any "stronger" as the combat is so easy. This makes the RPG elements and leveling up merely a slight curiosity and not an engaging fleshed out system like other RPG's. The main quest line for Fable 2 is far too short for it's own good, you can easily fly through it.
Fortunately it does offer a good amount of side content to complete, but it would have been nicer to have gotten a longer main story. You can also play the game with a friend in co-op, either over Xbox Live or locally. It's a nice touch to run around the world with a friend, though it does not offer all of the aspects that the single player does, but you can easily drop in and out of players game's with ease.
Overall Fable 2 is a good game that's worth playing, but it doesn't justify a full price purchase. It provides a memorable experience, but as far as RPG's go, there are better options available.
Fable 2 get's a 7.5/10