View Full Forums : New Games - XBox: Fable (and a HalP! request!)


Stormhaven
09-21-2004, 11:03 AM
Once again, posting in OT cause no one goes to the Games forum... thinking about getting rid of that one, honestly...

Anywho!

I will admit that I was looking forward to Fable for the XBox, but not in a rabid sort of way. I read the reviews, saw the graphics, and was willing to shell out the money to buy the game, that's about the level of excitement - in other words, I wasn't sweating it much and waited for my game to come in the mail, I didn't go out of my way to buy it in a store on the first day.

So far, Fable is much fun. It's pretty and does a pretty decent job of immersing you in its universe. It's nowhere near as in depth as I originally thought (and heard) it was going to be. For the most part, it's a hack-n-slash with moral choices that impact your character's appearance. So, take Baldur's Gate 2, mix in a little Dungeon Siege type skill tree, make it a "over the shoulder" viewpoint, and you've got a good idea of what Fable's like.

The storyline "quests" are very linear, and there's not much free gameplay (this is NOT Morrowind). That being said, the game is actually much fun. The hack-and-slash mentality keeps the game from getting too tedious, and while the story is pretty generic (orphaned kid saves the world), it's presented in a very well thought out format. Plus, all the evil/good, melee/magic options for your character gives the game a lot of replay value. The game is very short - most players have reported about 12hrs worth of total gameplay.

Conclusion - Worth a buy?
Yes, if you're into RPGs and like playing through games to see all the options and possible outcomes.
No if you just like going through a game and seeing the ending. It's not long enough for you.

In reality, you can easily rent this game for a few days, save your game onto the hard drive, and just re-rent it now and again. It will probably reach the Platinum status and come down to $20 within 6mo, or maybe $30 by Christmas (you can get it for $30 on some online stores already).

So, my Halp!! request in spoiler format so anyone who hasn't played doesn't get too spoiled...
Ok, so I'm at the point where I just saved "Mom" (Red Robe? Whatever her name is...) and busted out of the Prison. Mom gave me the schpiel about the "Sword" and how it's linked to the family bloodline, and she goes off to find Theressa.

Now... I'm stuck. In an unfortunate lapse of concentration, I was tending to my puppy (who decided now was a good time to nibble on my shoes) and didn't catch what Mom said I should do next. So, there are no new quests at the Hero's Guild, and all the trainer keeps saying is "Find your way to Bargate prison" (where I just rescued Mom from - I went back there... there's nothing there). The only quest left is an evil one (and I played a goodie-two-shoes the first time around) where you escort bandits and try to rescue their spy.

There are no new Cullis gates and I'm unable to continue the storyline. Because I was bored, I married Lady Gray and pulled out the Sword from the Stone. However, I'd really like to continue on with the story now...

Can anyone offer any tips?

Panamah
09-21-2004, 12:17 PM
Is this going to be out on PC? Thanks for the review!

Stormhaven
09-21-2004, 12:39 PM
I don't believe they have any plans (or public plans) to release it yet. Microsoft paid the big bux to have this as an "exclusive" title, so if Fable does make it to the PC, it'll probably be a while.

oddjob1244
09-21-2004, 04:32 PM
thinking about getting rid of that one, honestly...

Please do, hehe. I keep thinking I should write a review on games I have played but dont really want to spend the time if nobody will read em.

King Burgundy
09-21-2004, 08:24 PM
I haven't made it quite that far yet, sorry.

And yes, I enjoy the game a lot. Very fun for what it is.