Gamer’s Guide - Fable II
And we’re back with more game reviews! Is Ce Jaye taking this escapism a little too far? Or is binging simply an aspect of her INFP personality? The answer, as always, is probably a little bit of both.
Our next review involves an Xbox 360 game called Fable. Fable II, specifically.
I’ve been a PlayStation girl since the PS1 my parents bought us for Christmas waaaay back in the 90s. I’d play the occasional Gamecube or Xbox at a friend’s house, but the PlayStation was my golden throne and the scene of many happy childhood memories. So how did I come to possess an Xbox One you might ask. Well, it was on sale. And the CJ had very little money and was ecstatic to save on a black Friday deal. This simple choice led me to the discovery of my favorite gaming genre – stealth.
This review is not about a stealth game.
I say all that to give you plenty of forewarning that this game I’m about to review is an action role-playing game. Much more similar to the games I played as a child, but again not my favorite genre so my subjectivity is going to be skewed towards less enjoyment to begin with. That said let us dive in.
*Please be aware that there will be spoilers and game rants ahead.*
Fable II
Having endured my shrieks and curses over rat-infested cities in the previously reviewed Plague Tale, Gamer naturally suggested I play a few of his old Xbox 360 games. (I have a sneaking suspicion Gamer has developed masochistic tendencies during my stay.) I had meant to do so while house sitting for my parental units, but unfortunately my kidney stones had other ideas.
Still, video games are always better late than never (aka cheaper) so I happily shoved in the disc and began to play...or not. Apparently, old Xbox games require an internet connection and take almost as long as the thousand gigabyte games of today to load. Back in my day, I could just pop Playstation games into the console and go. But I digress.
Likes:
Graphics – For a game made in 2008, its graphics were not bad at all. Then again, I’d gone in with the expectation of someone who played the original Spyro in 1998...
Clothing Customization – Many games have different outfits to change into, usually giving you different effects in the process. Fable, however, allows you to dye the outfits you receive. So if you really want to match a pair of highwayman boots with a fancy mage cloak, you actually have a chance of making it come together as a formidable outfit. This allowed me to stack effects without regret.
Queer Representation – There’s a feature where you can woo characters in the game to receive a list of perks. I was not expecting to see character info sheets citing if some was gay, lesbian, or bi! It made my queer heart happy that I could woo whomever had interest in my particular character gender. Equality for the win!
The Crucible – No button mashing game is complete without a tournament! I loved the Crucible not only because it brought all the different enemies in one convenient place, but also because of the wealth of Will (energies needed to upgrade) for my character. Oh fiends, that first run-through was hard. I had to fight for every scrap of life and my hard-earned coins went to potions and weapons I could barely afford. But I beat it! Now, I can breeze through the eight rounds without breaking a sweat, getting a perfect round each time. Immensely satisfying if I do say so myself.
Dog – My dog, my dearest companion, my mutt and youthful companion. Oh, how I miss thee. Dog was probably the character I felt closest to the entire game, not just because he was with me nearly every step of the way, but also because he helped me find all the treasures I could ever want. (When glitches allowed, of course.) Rest in peace, Caspian.
*An aside about Caspian’s name. I was lamenting to Gamer the choice I’d made at the very end of the game (save your dog or save everyone who’d died at the Spire). I chose not to save Caspian (I’m the worst) nor had I thought to save before the final battle so I could make a second game where I had saved him. As I grieved my lost dog, Gamer had a question for me.
“Did your dog make prints?”
“Prints? Like in the sand? No, was that an extra dlc you could get?”
“No, no...Prints. Prints Caspian.”
Fiends, I nearly threw the controller at him.
Dislikes:
Characters – I didn’t have much interest or bonding with any named characters of this game. The only exception being my dog (and I named him). As an INFP I felt deeply for the plight of the kingdom’s citizens enslaved in the Spire, and gave up quite a few orbs in order to feed them. I also appreciated some of the darker turns of storytelling involving minor characters that unexpectedly hit hard. But as for the main characters...none of them really stuck out to me. Their designs and personalities weren’t problematic so much as I didn’t have enough time to bond with them.
Once I heard I would need a team of three heroes to assist me on my quest, I assumed I would have a team to rely on throughout the game. One I could help craft and go on adventures with a la Kingdom Hearts style. Nope. I could probably count on five fingers the number of times I was actually able to team up with my team! That being said I was a big fan of Hammer and her character design. I simply interacted with her so rarely it didn’t feel as if my character had any sort of bond with her. Merely my out of game self.
False Bishounen Advertising – Let me start off by saying I don’t expect games to create pretty characters. I’m an immense fan of Dishonored and you can find nary a beautiful face among them in the first game. But fiends, the freakin cover of the game had a pretty person! I went in with expectations! And they were ruined!
Families/Romance – This is a complaint which is admittedly very subjective to myself and others on or near to the ace spectrum. Or maybe introverts. Or maybe introverted aces? Anyway, there’s a feature in Fable where you can woo citizens to start families or just have sex. The more renown you gain, the more people will find you attractive. They might give you gifts or discounts at shops. Nice right? No! The they wouldn’t stop talking to me! I’d be chopping wood, trying to earn an honest day’s wage, when love-stricken villagers would enter my screen and harass me for a ring! The only way I’d get some peace and quiet was being out in the middle of the blazing wilderness!
Final Comments:
I found Fable enjoyable, but it definitely won’t reach my top ten games. There’s enough going for it that I’d consider playing it a second time.
Whether or not you plan to play it for yourself, I hope you found my review entertaining. At the very least, it was a nice break from rats eating people!
Until next time.