This Week in Xbox: Oct. 22-29, 2008
At A Glance
- Denny Atkin takes a look at this week in Xbox news.
This week sees the release of Lionhead's highly anticipated Fable® II. As you avenge a terrible wrong done to your family, Fable II offers you two paths: one of virtue, and one of unabashed evil. My Insider Moves co-host, Ryan, and I decided it would be fun to try taking opposite paths through the game and seeing how differently things turned out. His character is all shiny good (they were calling him "Dog Lover" for a while, he was so nice to his companion pooch), while mine is disgustingly evil. We're talking "slaughter an entire village just for the fame involved" evil.
After the tragedy that affects your family, it's not hard to justify playing as "evil."
I've always loved Peter Molyneux's work, from his big hits to his more niche-but-fun titles. But Fable II is his most addictive, sublime game since the original Populous on the Amiga, way back in 1989. It's what we call a "quarter to three" game—that is, one of those games where you look up and it's somehow 2:45 A.M. already. (I'm not exaggerating. You should have seen the disapproving look I got from my wife the other night when she walked in around 2 A.M. to find me battling hobbes in the Crucible.)
This is one of those games that just gets so much right. The land of Albion is beautifully rendered, the story unfolds in unexpected directions, there's some absolutely brilliant humor, and the way your character's appearance and opportunities change as you decide whether to take the good or evil paths is bound to encourage replay. The evil decisions are so vile at times that you might be hesitant to act them out, but there's enough British tongue-in-cheek humor throughout to make the dark deeds enjoyable even for those of us who tend more towards "lawful good" in real life.
This is an example of an attractive, good character. My bad, evil scourge of Albion? She has horns, scars, and glowing blue cracked skin.
Fable II is also fun with a friend, offering both local co-op as well as co-op play over Xbox LIVE®. Because it would be odd to bring your character into a different part of the unfolding story than the one you're experiencing in your own game, during co-op you're essentially a henchman assisting the main player, bringing back any gold or experience you gather during play to your own game. Be careful who you invite to play with you, though. Your henchman might not just slaughter balverines—they could also take down your own family if they're evil enough.
Even though I'm definitely a cat guy in real life, my favorite Fable II innovation has to be the dog. If real dogs not only alerted you to nearby bad guys, but also had a habit of noticing nearby treasure, buried or not, I'd be tempted to put up with their high-maintenance ways.
Your trusty dog will alert you to nearby monsters and treasures.
Whether you love the fantasy world of The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™, the freeform gameplay wrapped around an overarching story of Crackdown™, or the character customization of The Sims™ 2, I think I'm safe in saying you'll dig Fable II.
Wrapping Up
If you want to see Ryan's and my good and evil Fable II characters, be sure to tune into Insider Moves on Inside Xbox this weekend. And drop by the Insider Moves topic to let us know what you'd like to see in future episodes.
Article by Denny Atkin
