Fable 2 is every bit as fun as the original, though technical flaws and incomplete features hamper the experience.
The world of Albion will welcome you at first with open arms along with your sister, as you hope and dream about a life of royalty up in a large and beautiful castle. Your quest begins as a mere tutorial for the game in your childhood, as you explore the streets of Old Town, and discover the basic skills needed to be successful on your quest. Fable 2 is a great game, though in some areas it seems shallow, where players will feel more development time could have created a "Top 5" RPG of the generation thus far.
Gameplay:
As mentioned, your tutorial will be during your childhood, and you will learn the basic concepts of the game. You will hunt down arrest warrants, ruin photos, and squash many beetles in an effort to make your dream come true. Controls are fairly simple, with the face buttons being your primary attacks, magic, melee, and ranged. There is a nice variety of magic here, from shocking your foes with electricity, and sending swords diving right at them. You can also summon the dead to fight for you, which can be fun sometimes.
There are quite a few things to do in this game, from the main story or side quests, to getting married and having a child together. Yes, you can indeed start a family just like in The Sims. You will have actions that can strike fear into the townspeople, or bring joy with the head of a devious criminal. The choice is yours here, hero or villain. There aren't too many differences between the two in my opinion.
Sound:
This game sounds great, from your attacks to the voice acting within the game. Granted your character does not talk in this game at all, everyone else provide great dialogue that can really move the story or action that you are taking. The combat is inferior with the sound, though that is not to say it sounds bad, but more-so dated. I feel like this game sounds as if it could be from the last generation of systems, and at times, had me laughing because of how quarky it is. It isn't bad, just not very great.
Story:
You will find an emotionally charged story here right from the get-go. As mentioned, you start as a child, with a dream to live in a large castle, instead of the steets of Old Town. You discover a magic box from a trader named Murgo, and from there, the story takes flight. To avoid spoilers, I will leave it at that.
Graphics:
This game is colorful and lush. The only thing that looks ugly at times are some of the creatures that you fight, and there are some texture-popping here and there, but nothing we aren't accustomed to seeing in some games these days. The looks definitely go well with the game play, and players will feel like this is a well-balanced game that can last for a long time. The towns are vast and look like the developers really tried to make it feel as lively as possible. The wilderness as well as dungeons look nice too, though feel extremely familiar at times.
Presentation and Conclusion:
Fable II is a great game. It has entertaining combat, and a good story despite the familiarity. It may not be genre defining, or even eye-opening, but there is fun to be had here. Fans of the original will definitely enjoy the game throughout, while first time players in Albion may be turned off by the corny look and feel of the world, as well as its inhabitents. Fable II is a great game with a few shortcomings that still manages to deliver in a variety of ways.
Gameplay Score: 8/10
Sound Score: 8/10
Story Score: 7.5/10
Graphics Score: 7.5/10
Presentation Score: 8.5/10
Overall Score: 8/10
Replay Value: Moderate