Hot off the press, we just scored an exclusive interview with Cliffy B in which he spils his guts on a lot of subjects. Click the link to open a new window so it is ready to go after you read Fable II.
Impromptu English Quiz! Did you know that Professor Wik E. Pedia defines the term ‘fable’ as a brief, succinct story that tells a moral lesson? You did? Bah! Damn you, and your clever clogs. Alright then, did you know that an author of fables is a ‘fabulist’, and the TRUE meaning of the word ‘fabulous’ is ‘something that pertains to a fable’? At least, it did, until snooty fashion-types got their hands all over the word, now it just means ‘excellent’, ‘outstanding’ (or possibly ‘mantastic’).
This of course begs the question: is this action RPG ‘Fable II’ worthy of the term? Is it a much too brief, succinct story with a punishing moral lesson for both us and its overambitious creators? Or is it something much better than that, something that’ll make us squeal “Excellent! Outstanding!” like giddy little schoolgirls? Let’s find out, shall we…
What does Fable bring to the table?
It’s been four years since the first Fable and avid fabulist Peter Molyneux has finally decided to give us a sequel to the critically acclaimed original. Set in Albion, five centuries after the events of the first game, the deeds of the Oakvale heroes guild are now little more than a myth. At some point in time the residents of Albion turned against and slaughtered their heroic protectors and the bloodline of these chosen few has been scattered to the wind.
Being an unknowing descendant of these bad arses of yore, you begin the game as an orphaned child in the wintery town of Bowerstone. Your sex is selectable this time around and this childhood section serves as a short introductory stepping stone, rather than a long stint. During your time as a ‘shine-yer-shoes-guv’ner’ sprog, the game teaches you the basics of control, offers up some important moral choices, lets you kick the crap out of chickens, and promptly delivers you into the hands of the villain of the piece, Lord Lucien.
Long story short, Lucien is an evil git who seeks to resurrect and control an ancient magical ‘wish granting’ tower in Albion. Using knowledge gleaned from ancient records Lucien has nearly located the tower again, the only foreseeable problem is that the same ancient writings predict that he could be thwarted by an individual (or ‘individuals’) from the supposedly extinct line of Heroes (i.e. you). Without giving too much away, you escape his clutches and bump into a mysterious magician named Theresa. She immediately sees potential in you and trains you for ten years in the way of the hero (without a Rocky montage, disappointingly).After that you’re set on the path to adventure with the following warning: “Beware, even the simplest choice can have far-reaching consequences”. Wooooo…
