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Join the dark side!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 18
Date: June 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fable looks cool. Its rated mature because you can cut off heads. If you are good everyone will love you and you will have an angelic glow. But if you are evil you sprout devil horns and people will flee from your mighty empire. You will have a tan if you are always out at day but if you stay out at night you be as pale as a ghost. You can buy houses and castles and even get married and have kids! This will be the ultimate rpg.

Loved to play it, sad to see it end so soon

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: September 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've read most of the reviews that have been left on this game so far and have decided to put out the points I think are most important on both the pro and the con side of the game.

Pros:
1. This game has fantastic graphics, as I expected for Xbox. I think the graphics add just as much to the enjoyment of playing the game as the actual quests do. I found myself many times using spells and weapons that weren't as effective just because they looked good when I used them.
2. The music is just awesome. The voices are equally good. I find myself listening to the 3 minute intro before starting the game just to hear he music, it's just that good.
3. There is a lot more freedom in this game to do what you want than most RPG's. Everyone around you responds to you based on your looks and reputation, which is only annoying when you're trying to talk to someone who keeps running away from you because you're a little too scary for them.
4. It has a decent storyline, and I liked being able to select when I wanted to start the next mission. That way I was able to run around and do whatever I wanted without worrying about accidentally activating the next mission.
5. I've heard the complaint that there isn't enough armor, but I don't agree. The game focused more on giving you "suits" anyway, not really armor, and each suit had 3 different looks to them (normal, dark, bright) to better fit your personality. The weapons were also well done.
6. When you beat the game you can keep playing, which I like. Sure, there's no real point anymore, but say you haven't broken in to enough homes or married enough people, or maybe your horns aren't quite long enough or your halo isn't bright enough, go back and fix it!

Cons:
1. Okay, my biggest complaint is that the game is just too short. I had a blast playing it, but the end came too soon. I think they really could have made the storyline longer, or added more side quests.
2. I don't like how hard it is to make money. They do a lot of "trading" from one shop to another (you can buy a sack of grain from one store for 40 bucks and sell it to another for 50). I don't like that. I'd rather get my money from killing things like all other RPG's, I'm lazy like that. Personally, I've been resorting to stealing things, which can actually have you lose more money than you make if you can't manage to keep the guards from seeing you and imposing a huge fine.
3. I'm not a fan of the targetting controls...I can't seem to target onto a different enemy very easily. Also, I seem to be really good at targetting friendly characters when I'm trying to target the enemy. There's nothing like losing a quest because you accidentally targetted that poor merchant you're supposed to protect and sliced him to itty-bitty pieces in a flurry of of flamming sword swipes before realizing that the bandit you actually meant to target is standing behind the now decapitated merchant.
4. I think you age too fast and scar too easily. I don't like looking old, and I don't like scars covering up all my nifty tattoos. I have found ways to earn some youth back (donate money to the good god Avo, or sacrifice people to the bad god Skorm), but I haven't had it happen very often, so I'm still 63 years old running around trying to sweep the ladies off their feet.

In the end, I think the pros outweight the cons, and I'll have fun for awhile longer just playing with the freedom the game permits me, even if the story is over. I think my next goal will be finding out how high I can get my fine in a city before I'm either overwhelmed by the guards or kicked out of the city. My current high score is $98,000, but I wasn't really trying very hard. You should have seen the horns I had though, I was proud.

"F" is for "Fantastic"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

To tell the truth, I didn't know what to expect from Fable after all these years of waiting for it to come out. I'd been waiting for it since I first heard about it under the Project Ego "codename" whenever it was mentioned in almost all of the more popular XBOX magazines. Back in that time, they'd advertised that the game would tie itself in with the XBOX system clock to make time pass... well, in real time. And that you'd be able to see the seasons change thusly. But of course, the actual game isn't really like that. Not entirely sure about the seasons part yet, as I've only logged in ten hours on the game, but as far as literal real-time... nada. But in the end, I can't complain about that, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to play a lot, because I'd be annoyed that it was always dark and such. Anyway, to get to the major fields of game play, graphics, audio, and overall.

Game play, in the beginning, was one of the more difficult things for me to get the hang of; and I consider myself to be an average gamer. This could've been attributed to many reasons, the more prevalent being that aside from Fable, I've never played many RPGs. Morrowind was an annoyance to me because of the incredibly long load times, and, since it was the only RPG that I've heard of (due to it's high (and in my opinion, ill-founded) hype-factor), I didn't really get any experience in any of them. The controls were hard to wrap my mind around in the beginning (read, I accidentally set a woman on fire when I was trying to flex my pecs in front of her), but after about two hours or so, I had them down pat. The other major aspect of game play, the camera system, really has no major problems that I can address. It took me a while to figure out that when you press forward or backward on the control stick, you zoom out a level; as opposed to zooming in to your exact liking. All in all, I'd give game play a four out of five (remember, this is subjective, as a lot of you will probably get the hang of the controls a lot faster than I did).

Graphics in the game are... well, for lack of a better word, they're beautiful. Exquisite. Awe-inspiring. Everything is smooth, and the lighting and other special effects are just incredibly well done. And aside from a few times where there were small mounds of dirt drawn when in fact there was nothing there, I have yet to encounter a glitch. The textures are beautiful, right down to the English flag on your character's underwear (no, you can't go around the game completely naked, so... sorry). Graphics get a five out of five.

Audio. No real complaints here, either. Except for the environmental effects and other background noise that sometimes prevent me from hearing important details that I really need to hear about. In one case, for example, the other characters start talking in a cave, and I literally scream, "Wait! Shut up so that I can get out into the open!" The reverberation was distorting his speech so much that I almost didn't hear what he had to say. Of course, that's not a big issue, as any objectives you get, they continuously remind you throughout the game. No pressure to fulfill them, though... as you can do what you want, when you want. Sound effects are excellent, and with music composed by Danny Elfman (of Men in Black and Spider-Man fame), I am definitely satisfied. Five outta five.

Overall, Fable is an incredible game... even if you don't play games. It's like a piece of art. The beginning is kind of shaky, and at one point or another, I wanted to kick myself for buying an "interactive movie" (as that's what it felt like), but after you're trained, it's a game through and through. And despite what others may say, I can honestly say that Fable will never lose its replay value. Sure, you can choose to be entirely good or entirely evil, but why not put a twist on the otherwise boring scenario? Like, the hero that goes through life doing good, until he one day snaps, and turns into the embodiment of the devil, or vice versa, etc., and so on? Tons of options, and your character's development is entirely up to you. I completely recommend this game, and guarantee that you'll be satisfied.

And a bit of an update for all those of you that are concerned with the length of the game, and replay value. According to the game's statistics, at roughly the ten and a half hour mark, I beat the game. Which isn't to say the game is over, as there's still tons of side-quests left over, and, if you grabbed the quest cards given to you before the final series of quests, you'll have those to do, as well. And by the way, you'll want to watch the credits to the end (or go do something else while the run through) to officially complete the final quest... otherwise, it won't count.

Replay value is almost, if not completely, infinite. With an almost limiteless amount of choices, and a definite limitless combination of choices to be made, they're not stretching it when they say it's never the same game twice... unless you make it out to be.

Lived up to the hype

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing Fable, a game that a looked forward to for a VERY LONG TIME, for quite a bit.

Graphics
Fable is graphically beautiful. It has real time lighting and shadows. And the people and creatures are very well done and you can see your character change as you play.

Sound
The sound is stunning. When you boot up the game you are treated to a musical score that you will won't find in any other game. Also all the voice overs are well done.When you attack people that don't want to fight they'll be cowering back and asking you to go away. Also when you are fighting people will be grunting and yelling.

Control
The control in Fable is like Halo, accept and RPG. The X and Y and R trigger and L trigger and B you use in combat.The thumbsticks are to move your character or rotate the camera. The Black and White buttons are used to get your weapons out. And the D-Pad and the A button are for interacting with other characters.

Gameplay
Fable is like KOTOR except with realtime combat. So in the story missions you start out as a child and then go to teenager(When you train), and then your an adult. The story is completed through a series of quests you can get buy going to a Hero's Guild. They are very simple, attack an area, defend an area, and escort, well at least what I have played so far. But it is a lot more fun to complete sidequests, interacting with people, or fighting to earn experience and see how people react to your character. One of the greatest parts of Fable is having the choice of being good or evil. Being good or evil can affect how NPCs' interact with you, and his appearence, if your are evil you will get pale and start growing horns, I have only been evil so I do not know how you change when you are good. My character, for example, has small horns on his head and is very pale. When I walk up to NPCs they tell me to leave or cower away from me.

Overall
Overall Fable is ranked up with Halo, Riddick, Splinter Cell, and Prince of Persia. Fable certainly is not the best RPG of all time, but very very close

Check Your Expectations at the door...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 16
Date: December 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fable is quite possibly the biggest let-down in video game history. A game in development for more than 4 years with monumental goals... that aren't there. What was billed to be the most in-depth RPG ever, turned out to be nothing more than a simplistic hack-and-slash action game with a plot that rivals the depth of Super Mario Brothers.

Perhaps the reason I disliked the game so much was because of what it was supposed to deliver and then failed miserably at doing so. It's very hard to see what in the world took this game so long to produce. The graphics are par for the course for consoles of this generation, the story is so meager and basic that it's practically non-existent, and the gameplay is nothing more than swing your sword to hit an enemy.

Fable was billed to be an epic combination of the Legend of Zelda, Star Wars: KOTOR, and Morrowind. Fable smashes them all together in a viscous mess that embodies the best qualities of none of them. The free-roaming lands of Morrowind are replaced by small maps connected by paths on an extremely tiny world, especially by RPG standards. The good vs. evil gameplay and character development of KOTOR is boiled down to the most basic component here - you can be good and everyone loves you, or you can be bad and everyone hates you, but it doesn't impact ANYTHING in the game. The story, which is just slightly more involved than "save a princess from a castle", doesn't differ whether you choose to be good or evil.

For the most part, the game consists of a very long series of errands and nothing more. You'll find out some yawn-inducing plot points along the way, but you'll have to make sure you deliver a package or pick some apples before anyone will tell you anything. Your character has absolutely no development and never speaks. If this is to add to the realism of putting yourself in his position, it doesn't work, unless you really are a mute with no personality.

This game has so many flaws that I don't have enough room to go into them all. Fable is a victim of its own high expectations, and the end result doesn't live up to them at all. I've heard that the game should be reviewed based on what it IS, not what it was SUPPOSED to be, but that's very hard to do because there was so much hype. If I review it solely on what it is, then I would still be disappointed - as far as sword-slinging action games goes, this breaks no new ground whatsoever and is nothing more than a 3-D Legend of Zelda with less story and none of Link's and Hyrule's charm. If you're looking for a fun and in-depth RPG on the Xbox, play Morrowind and KOTOR instead - they both have flaws, but still succeed at everything that Fable tries to do and fails.

Prince Charming or Prince Alarming:You choose part2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 22
Date: July 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The coolest part however,is the changing procsess.If you eat to much you'll get fat like me,now that's fat:D.You can get tatoos or get in malee battles to get scars.If your in the sun alot you'll get a tan,and if your in the moonlight it'll bleach your skin white(that's Michel Jacksons excuse anyway).And If your good you'll get blond hair,high cheeck bones,sparkeling teeth,and a clear complection.If your a bigger boy scout than Superman(gag me) you'll get a halo and butterflys will follow you around and an angelic glow.Sickening ain't it.If your bad you you'll get red eye's and little bumps on your head.If your the Son of Satan you'll get a fire to burn around you,full on fire eyes and horns,and flies follow you around.Cool huh.
Finally for you goodie goodies who wise up or for you sell out,can't take it weaklings you can always turn on your people.If you were good,had a wife and kids then went off on an adventure and came back bad,well,your wife would leave you and take the kids,but that's alright cause you are know free and on the market.So forget the halo and get the horns.The same goes with evil.You've been out plundering and you accedently help someone,any decent heroic villan would kill the guy and go to the Chaple of Evil to touture some saps and redeam yourself.But this time you enjoyed it.So you go home,no longer dawning horns,now you have blond hair and pearly whites,and of corse you went soft.
So when it all is said and done all that matters is this question:Fable:Who are you?

As good as this game sounds...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 14
Date: September 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When I first heard about Fable, I was amazed and totally stoked for its release. This game sounded very ambitious and pretty cool due to the amount of features that the game was offering.

-Your character evolves throughout the game. You can choose hair styles, tatoos and clothing.
-A do-what-you-want experience. You can choose to be good, evil or somewhere in between.
-A good targeting system and melee, ranged and magic combat.

But despite everything that should have made Fable the RPG all future RPG's would be compared to, there was one flaw, and it's a major one: the plot. The plot is beat you with a stick obvious and predictable. In any game, there is really only 30 seconds of fun that happens over and over. What ties one set of 30 seconds to the next is the plotline. Fable had me crying for more. Not only for a more in depth story, but also a longer one. I believe that an RPG should have at least 20-30 hours of playtime if one only plays through the main quest line. Fable is around 12 hours. I was actually pretty disappointed and felt really let down with the quality of the story. I think the developers spent too much time perfecting the rest of the game, that there wasn't enough time to really nail down the story.

If you're not really concerned about the plot, then you might find this an amazing game. If not, but still want to try this game, rent it for a weekend and decide for yourself. If you are into PC gaming, checkout Gothic 1 and 2 or Neverwinter Nights instead.

Good but flawed

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 14
Date: September 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Excellent graphics and sound. The fighting is fun but sometimes its frustrating with so many buttons to push especially if your fighing a large number of bad guys. Too many loads and the load times are too long, don't care what other games have, I am talking about this game. The map is great for the small view but some times a large strategic map is needed. The instruction manual is not any good. The game has some nice touches, I like the fact you can flirt reminds me of the Sims. So all and all a decent game but not a game you should keep.

Not What I Expected, But An Overall Good Game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: September 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Okay, let me just start by dishing out the worst of the game that I have found so far. First of all, my anticipation was that this would be an extreme free-form game like nothing else introduced. You get to be good or bad, handsome or ugly, and there's tons more interactivity. Something that upset me though(mainly because I had anticipated it so much) was the fact that it wasn't as free form as I thought. There are /still/ systems in this game. Skills and traits are bought and gradually begin to affect your character's model. But what I thought was that you have this character who only goes around talking to people and fighting, creating the ultimate cinematic feel by limiting or restricting number-crunching, exp division, and things like waiting for gauges to fill up. Well, no...You talk to people, with the ability to sometimes gear the conversation toward an alignment, and then you run around and collect things, usually stuff people leave behind that correspond to other things(like 20 keys to open a chest...), and then you fight. Now, when you fight, you usually use one button with melee, different scopes in aiming with ranged(about 2 buttons simultaneously), or you can use magic, in which you hold down the button as you change targets, or as you choose to use your mana. After an enemy falls, you run over and collect their exp gem things, and rush off to the next enemy, all done in real time. You then run to a place to spend experience, in which you can choose to heighten different skills pertaining to different archetypes(strength-based, magic-based, stealth-based) in different categories for different skills. So it's all very complex, and gets even moreso as you level up. Yes, there are even levels.

So, basically, there are systems, numbers, and experience. But what you do with it supposedly changes your overall experience. None of this I find revolutionary, however. The only two outstanding features I could find were the environmental graphics(though some of the character models are a bit off in proportion) and the ability to alter the character model as you play. However, all of the other features aren't the most common either. You can find them in other great games like Knights of the Old Republic and Black and White. Aside from the model rendering ability, the only difference that seems obvious is the genre.

One last thing before I wrap up on a last paragraph, the story. Now, I'm only a few hours into the game, but I know a rushed storyline when I see one. First of all, I can't make any sense out of the FMV before the Start Screen, other than "This could be YOU!!". And as you go along, watching the cutscenes, things are pieced together in somehting of a jumble. No character really seems to get any attention at all. Everyone is just a flat character, even if there is conflict thrown in. The cutscenes go by so fast that within 5 minutes you'll be a little kid watching his hometown burn, you meet a new person who takes you to a guild to raise you as a Hero, you meet another man who wants to teach you how to be a Hero, then your roommate who tells you to wake up, then later seems to head for the evil alignment. And that's all you ever find out about them, seriously. They don't even really stick around. They have short dialogue about what you need to do, and you do it. No side quests, no shortcuts, nothing.

So yeah. Wrapping up, I think it's a rare concept that's still getting its ground in the RPG gaming world. Great replay value, no doubt about it. But everything seems rushed and nothing is /truly/ free form like everyone anticipated. If you buy this game at all, buy it for the fantasy aspect or the new model rendering feature(which only changes by going through exp allocation and division, nothing new). Also, XBox Live is supposed to be the best way to experience the game, because who really wants all that rushed storyline when you can make your own or just play with friends?

4/5 overall for being one of the top gaming experiments that actually play well. Personally I was a little disappointed, though. *runs back to KOTOR*

great but short

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: November 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fable is entertaining and fun but lacks the depth in some ways that would have made it a great game. The game is VERY quick to beat even if you do the various sidequests. It had potential to be one of the best RPGs I have played in a long time, but falls short thanks primarily to a lack of unique weapons and equipment and a very short plot. If you do only the bare minimum the game would probably take only 8-12 hours to beat and maybe 12-18 hours to beat with all side quests...for an RPG that is far too short. I use as my standard maybe 40 hours as a good length for a RPG game. A good renter, but I wouldn't buy it.

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