The endless, yet linear RPG
Gameplay:
Fable is apparently an adventure RPG. It has a "level up" system so to speak, but all you really do is grow stronger and acquire skills by distributing experince points. The battle system is alright. Hack 'n' slash type fighting, with the occasional crossbow and magic. You can choose to "master" in one of three ways: strength (power), skill (crossbow), or in will (magic). However, strength is the only way to go, reason being: using a crossbow is boring and makes fighting "actionless" so to speak, and using magic doesn't allow you to get more experience by letting the EXP orbs lay on the ground because to use magic, you must hold R and choose a magic, however, holding R absords the EXP orbs. Areas were supposed to be wide and open-ended. Needless to say, the paths are very narrow. On a map, you might be able to travel on one-tenth of it. Also, there was supposed to be so much to do, keeping you busy forever, and you could choose so many paths, yet the game is very linear. Choosing between good and evil is a simple A or B type equation, altering very little in the game. NPC reactions are bland and not creative. If you're good, they cheer, if you're evil, they run. Whoopee... The day to year ratio doesn;t add up either. Only 12 game days passed when I beat it, yet I aged over 25 years. How?
Some of the controls suck also. B is run and flourish attack. So if you have a flourish attack, yet want to run back, you do your flourish attack and get attacked. The lock on system isn't great either.
The way this game was supposed to turn out just didn't happen. The game is very short (story taking about 10 hours to complete) and the extra stuff, like sidequests, getting married, playing cards, is just plain boring. I'm sorry I don't feel like taking farmers to Orchard Farms 12 times. I'm sorry the sidequests are dumb and take at most around 10 minutes to complete. The gameplay is just not what is expected. It's good, but not what Fable...erm, Prject Ego was planned to be.
Graphics:
Graphics are great. The lands and areas are detailed very well. Characters could have been better (along with their animations) but overall, very impressice. The fire graphics are horrid though. It's one triangle of fire repeated hundreds of times. But that's nothing.
Story:
The story blows. It's youre basic, mediocre RPG story. Family get captured, you go save them. Yay! After 5 years in the making, you think it would be impressive, but it isn't. The story is something that drives an RPG, but with it being very plain and short, it hurts to help drive the game at all. It is also very predictable. And characters show up out of nowhere. Example: Near the end, I was fighting some enemies, and some chick arrives and says "You go on ahead, I will teach them not to mess with Briar Rose!"
...who the #^$% is Briar Rose? I've never seen you before! Shut up!
Anyway, if you're looking for a story driven RPG, look somewheres else. Try Star Ocean 3 or something.
Replay:
Well, needless to say, this game is meant to be played at least 2 times. Once through it as good, once through it as evil. However, there are very few differences in the game whether you are good are evil, so it is almost useless to play through it more than once. There are also multiple endings, however *SPOILER* each ending sucks. There are 4 of them, and combined, they don't even add up to be a minute long. Depending on what you choose to do at the very end determines what still picture and one liner ending you get. Wow...no.*END SPOILER* So yeah. If you love this game, you will most likely play through it twice, or just keep playing it since after the credits roll, you can keep playing.
Overall:
I find Fable...ahem..."Fableh" to be a huge let down. It just isn't what it was supposed to be at all. I bet Molyneaux is crying in his bed right now. None of his games come out as planned. Sorry to all you Fable lovers who find this game amazing, but I cannot see what you see. Fable manages to be an above average RPG, and maybe a rent. I bought it...but I wish I would have rented it. It's just, after 5 years in the making, some way better should have come out of this project, and it didn't. Just play this game if you want to, but I don't recommend it because I don't feel you will be missing out on an amazing game.