Fable 2 is a great game that has been worth the wait. And will be a great addition to your library.
One of the biggest differences and easily the best from fable is that the world is no much more open. In stead of being pretty much caged in to the path from town to town, (a la FFX style), you now have several large open fields between cities and places of interest. The graphics are great in fable 2, while they may not be Oblivion standard, are great with the lighting and rain effects being really amazing; a pan around of the fields of Bowerstone shows just how much they put in fable 2. The magic effects are beautiful and add great color and flash during battles.
The sound in fable 2 is great; you'll find yourself turning up the volume just to hear the world react to your every action. All the townspeople generally have some reaction to you just walking by and will either call out in cheer and ask for autographs, or running in fear leaving just a small puddle behind. The music does a great job of making you feel like you're in Albion.
The story in Fable 2 isn't all that great. To me it seems they just didn't spend enough time working on it. That's not to say the story is bad, it just isn't worth mentioning as a strong point in the game, which is just cruel to for gamers who love getting into the story of the game.
The game play is where fable 2 shines the brightest. Fighting in the game is done with melee, gun, and magic with a button for each. Playing with just one main area does work, however fights are a lot more fun if you combine all 3 skill types. However because the fighting isn't the main aspect of the game the layout for magic isn't that great (but hey no MP so cast as much as you want).As for leveling up say goodbye to having to return to the Hero's guild (cause it's destroyed for 1), you know level up your skills anywhere from your start menu. While the fighting is fun you're not going to get the same challenge you get from games like Ninja Gaiden 2, which is to say you won't throw your controller at the wall….. twice. The quest you receive throughout the game are simple and mostly just a repeat of what you've done before, but what else is new in RPG's. The world around you isn't set either. Your choices can have drastic effects on how the world around you looks. For those who are good your world will be lively with towns flourishing and bandits won't be common in the world. Those that are evil will see rundown towns, full of hookers and bums, and bandits are also very common on the roads. Also it might just be me but it seems to me that it rains and is cloudy when you are evil.
Now a review wouldn't be a review without mention of your dog. You get the dog when you complete the childhood/tutorial portion of the game. Your dog is a great companion and will be finding chests and buried treasure all the time, not to mention kicking some enemy but. Your dog reactions to your character are great, (If you fart or burp your dog will hide its nose.) and your dog will also progress in the good/evil bar with you and will change how he looks.
Overall Fable 2 is a great game the delivers on several fronts and gamers will love it. If you're a Fable fan this is a must because it just expands in all the right places on the first game. Don't be afraid to pick up the game, that is unless you don't want to get sucked in and captured in a game.