Lookin' Good, Fable-style

Fable® is currently wowing Xbox® gamers who love RPGs. From birth to death, you develop and evolve your character according to the choices you make in the game. Who you fight, who you marry, how you earn your cash, what guild you join—these all affect the way your on-screen representative looks.

You're not the only interesting thing to look at, of course, as Fable includes plenty of gorgeous scenery and freaky monsters to keep your eyes interested. Here are just a few of the sights your intrepid hero (or villain) sees when they start doing the things that minstrels sing about.

The last thing a Balverine sees.

Here we have the main character in combat. Though you can't see the White Balverine he's fighting, rest assured that the werewolf pack leader is just off-screen, waiting to pounce in for a few quick shots before pouncing out again. You can tackle them up close, which is truly a challenge, or you can weaken them from afar with your bow and arrow (since he's a werewolf-type creature, invest in the Silver upgrade for your arrows for maximum impact). In either case, you should invoke your Berserk spell as shown here to do splash damage to anyone close by. You'll temporarily become a killing machine that even werewolves will fear.

Come sail away.

This shot, taken outside Oakdale, shows some of the swift and elegant boats that sail across the seas of Fable. You can't actually climb aboard, but they are very pretty. In the game, you'll note that the sky above changes color as time passes, reflecting the rising and setting of the sun.

Nice horns, evil boy.

This image shows just how nasty things can get if you don't listen to your conscience. In fact, you can't get this creepy just by being bad—you really have to work at it. Note the Howl tattoo, the full set of evil horns, the glowing eyes, and the Dark Chain armor. You don't get a mug like this just from thinking bad thoughts; you have to act on them and then advertise. Heck, he's even in mid-sneer, and he's chosen facial hair and a haircut that maximize his Scary rating. And, while Scare does not translate directly into Evil, you just have to look at the way his horns have grown into his tattoos to see that his physical transformation to the dark side is complete. You can bet that even if this fellow's nickname is Piemaster, no one is eager to mock him for it.

Moon over Albion.

As the moon rises in the sky over Albion, we see a local warrior getting some mileage out of his Battle Yell expression. From the main character to the water to the sky above, Fable is packed with striking imagery. The fact that you get to control where you go, what you do, and how you look doing it just makes the visual appeal of this game stronger. Toss in the monsters and magic that show up in every part of the game, and you have a feast for RPG-lovers and graphics fans alike.

Article by Pete Hutter