[kav]

What's your take on Fable II? Please vote in our poll once you've played enough of the game to judge it, and leave some comments in this thread.

[Jeff]

Best game of the year or me.

[Hillskill]

Taken from my earlier post in the Play and Help thread:

Finally finished the main story late last night. After checking my stats looks as though I have been playing it for 23.5 hours Without going into massive detail the game nearly lost me over the weeked, I was getting bored of the running around and doing mundane things like wood chopping etc. OXM said it perfectly "If you love this game, it will love you back" The deeper I got the more engrossing the story got and the more deep the characters got. I found myself caring that my family had a nice home and my dog was always healthy etc. I cared for the well-being of my favourite town and its residents and enjoyed being a property tycoon (now earn around 15,000 gold every five minutes !)
The thing that really got me though were some of the "Set Pieces". There are 3 or 4 points in the game where you are playing out deep sections of narrative, normally these sorts of points in a story would be done as a cut scenes but Fable treats them as truly interactive scenes, which it manages to pull off perfectly.
I have about 190 odd gamerpoints to get and then I'm all set for Fallout 3 on friday

Since I posted that I have racked up another 12 odd hours of gameplay trying to get the last few achievements. Was stuck on 49(out of 50) Gargoyles for about 4 hours......my advice would be to leave these until the end
You can change the in-game settings so that you can see "everyone"(other Xbox LIVE players) as Orbs in your world. When this works its incredible. Imagine a Market Square with tons of other players (orbs) floating about, trying to beg for gold or weapons or trying to trade hero dolls. I spent an hour just waiting around trying to buy hero dolls off other players, asking how they were doing in the game etc. A mate of mine has just started and asked if I could give him some Gold to get him started. I ended up giving him a cool million which should get his property empire going This is done by select another players Orb and then hittng the left trigger, choose to interact and you can send them anything in your inventory. A save is automatically made to stop everyone cheating and your gift is sent and removed from your inventory ! That for me is genius and and a first for the Xbox AFAIK.
I would also like to point out that the game continues to throw quests at you long after you have finished the main story. For the casual gamer there is enough in this game to keep you busy for months.

Highly recommended but be sure to stick with it till at least the 2nd main quest.

[Hillskill]

As I typed that ^ My buddy is grafting for the 5 star tradesman achievement, all in return for my cash gift to him. I'm literally sitting here watching him do it. When you join other players in a Co Op game (or vice versa) you earn achievements as they do.

[CAS FAN]

I gave it a 9. It's a superb game set in a fantastic game world. On some levels it feels too simplistic, but the whole world really sucks you in and it's amazing the depth beneath the apparent simplicity. It's not quite up there with the likes of Oblivion and Mass Effect for me, but it's not far off at all.

I guess it's just little things like how your movement is restricted to certain areas, which threatens to brake the magic for me. Thankfully though none of the games minor issues ever do damage the experience enough to become serious problems and the sheer beauty and spendour of the world outweighs the bad.

At times though you feel a bit like you're just going through the motions and then you stop and do something else which puts the smile back on your face.

It is an excellent game however and one which I strongly recommend to RPG/Adventure fans. It just misses out on a 10 for me, but is a good solid 9.

[Noggleboggleman]

9 from me too. I've not completed it yet, but I've put about 15 hours into it which is unheard of for me in such a small space of time (it's helps being on holiday this week I suppose!).

A very addictive, fun experience with lovely visuals and quite a deep fighting system that is incredibly easy to use.

The whole game is immensely entertaining with loads to see and do. The quests keep you interested, the characters are funny.

It was a little slow to get going and I wasn't really enjoying it at first, but suddenly it was 2am, which really shows you how much it sucks you in.

It's not really open world (a slight negative for me, but probably a plus for those who couldn't get into Oblivion) and the inability to jump is a bit annoying because there are simple slopes/ rocks that you can't get up. It's also a very easy game, especially once you get some of the higher level spells. These, along with lots of pop up, stops it getting a 10 from me.

Overall, this is easily the most fun game I've played this year and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure games and light RPGs, but don't expect anything on the scale of Oblivion, which is what some people were by the opinions I've seen flying around.

Basically, if you enjoyed the first Fable then you will adore this.

[DrinksInBars]

gave it an eight, i think its a brilliant game but is sort of a flawed gem. Much like the first one its ambitious but hampered by technology. the game has a fair few bugs and glitches which although werent game breakign for me where for many others. The single player is rich and engrossing, with a wonderful cast of british comedy talent lending their voices to the script and this adds a great personalty to the world. The main problem though is the difficulty curve, now i didnt like that in oblivion the creatures levelled as i did, but here the baddies never get that hard to start with, and by the time you have made even some leeway intot he quest its nearly impossible to be challenged. added to that you cant die, i have one scar and it was during the spire and forgot about my health in the final boss battle of that section.

Instead the game ramps difficulty through numbers which doesnt work as with flourish attacks you tend to become immortal, and certain augments bolster that effect. I love the depth of the game though, its great how it mirrors real life, i hadnt seent h family in a while so crawled home drunk one night to hear the wife complain and the boy shout how he wanted to be a hero too, and every time i moved it was "dont leave us again" pleas. Back to the pub i think!

A highly recommended purchas for people on the fencxe, the coop is kind of lacking but the choice and diversity make every playthrough individual.

[gingin]

I voted very good.

i love it very addictive. I did love the original on xbox.

good graphics and the story is good.

b

[Meadsy4742]

Voted as Excellent.

What can I say, I don't actually think I can say any bad points about it. Obviously the few bugs there are will no doubt be fixed in an update. Little things that don't really affect the game are things like small ledges and you can't jump down and have to walk all the way round. I think putting some of the expressions on their website was a bad move, I can't get on the website game to get an expression.

The only thing in my eyes is the co-op, the camera is very annoying, the fact you can't move too far away from each other, can be really annoying when one tries to shoot and the other in melee, the played at range stops the melee player from getting so far away. Needs to made so that each player has their own camera. I have no objection to playing as a henchman when joining another players game, but I would like to show my Hero off somehow.

The storyline is pretty amazing really, I'm currently just finishing off all the loose end quests and jobs, just finding it hard to get my morality back up to 100% Good. All I can find that helps it is Tofu, Gems and Gifts.

[CAS FAN]

I originally voted as Excellent but now feel that I may have underated this title. It just gets better and better and IMO is one of the finest gaming achievements of this generation.

To fully understand Fable 2 you have to look at it from a different viewpoint. Sure the story is good and immersive, but it's more how you mould the world around you. It's kind of like life really in that we can't really affect the main plot of life that much (i.e. the wider world) but our decisions mould how we fit into that plot and how our own world develops. What starts off feeling like a fairly linear (but good) adventure game, soon turns into a superb simulation of life.

My apologies to this poll and that will teach me to vote after just a few hours play . I would now give the game a 10 (Outstanding).

[Kahled]

Agreeing with everything Cas has said in the previous post (well bar the apology for not giving it a 10 ha ha)

My original comments from the Play & Help:

Originally Posted by Kahled

Kept wanting to come on and post my feelings on this game but there has always been 'just do this first...' or 'oh I meant to..' to get in the way.

This year has seen some pretty amazing titles across the various platforms but Fable 2 is not amongst them, it is quite simply in another league again and without doubt my game of the year to date. I simply love this game and it has far exceeded any expectations I had of it even after loving the first one so much. This fantasy world is just so coherent and even such amazing titles as Oblivion have not managed to capture the spirit of a living breathing world so much.

I scarcely believe I am going to say this but damn the combat system works well, I usually find button/combo mashers a far weaker and dumbed down substitute for turn based combat systems (ala FF). The combination of the three combat types (ranged, melee, and ability) is easy to move between with a realistic action... got to love knocking someone back with the sword and then point blank blasting away with the blunderbus.

The story is not particularly strong in the game and it is not this incessant driving factor that games like Too Human (off to mention that since my character is looking distinctly Too Human oriented at the moment) push you at, what draws you in more than the story is the world and the oh so twee characters there. I'm not sure how far I am through it but been doing a lot of side questing and activities to the side (blacksmithing, tree cutting, gambling, property buying, buying/selling between markets, grinding experience up), so far just managed to free up the second Hero (Will). Just a genuine treat of a game to play where you are not in a rush to finish.

Some of the dialogue is very humorous and it is fun to change your title to see how the comments change, if you have a thin character and choose 'salad dodger' you get comments about being too thin and so on. This is one of the things I love and shows they set out to create this fun exercise in gaming, some of the written comments when loading are also very funny.

This really is something special and has pretty much demolished my entire weekend.

Maybe GoW2 will steal the crown or Fallout 3 will, exciting times ahead, but no doubt at the moment this is a pure 10/10 game and my GotY. I'm actually looking forward to going home and putting more time into it.

I've finished the game now and I stand by just about every comment bar those about Game of the Year as I have now played Fallout 3, Fallout 3 is no threat to this game as my GotY... as much a technical and visual treat as fallout 3 it it falls short of Fable II for me with just being too bleak and downkey (just not fun).

Fable II now holds a singular distinction for me as it struck so much of a chord that it so very nearly reduced me to tears at one point and no game has ever done that before, okay it is probably because of a certain tragedy that befell my family earlier this year but the exit from 'The Perfect World' has to be the singularly most difficult thing I have ever done in all my years of gaming. That a game can affect you to such a degree is equally thrilling as it is scary.

There are still several things to do such as finding the remaining keys and Gargoyles but I'll do that when I want a bit of a lift and rejoin the happy go-lucky folk of Albion.

There have been games with better graphics, games with stronger stories, games with better combat systems, less technical twitches (bugs may be too strong a word) but for all that I have never been so certain of a games deservedness of a 10 rating.

[CAS FAN]

Originally Posted by Kahled

I've finished the game now and I stand by just about every comment bar those about Game of the Year as I have now played Fallout 3, Fallout 3 is no threat to this game as my GotY... as much a technical and visual treat as fallout 3 it it falls short of Fable II for me with just being too bleak and downkey (just not fun).

Fable II now holds a singular distinction for me as it struck so much of a chord that it so very nearly reduced me to tears at one point and no game has ever done that before, okay it is probably because of a certain tragedy that befell my family earlier this year but the exit from 'The Perfect World' has to be the singularly most difficult thing I have ever done in all my years of gaming. That a game can affect you to such a degree is equally thrilling as it is scary.

There are still several things to do such as finding the remaining keys and Gargoyles but I'll do that when I want a bit of a lift and rejoin the happy go-lucky folk of Albion.

There have been games with better graphics, games with stronger stories, games with better combat systems, less technical twitches (bugs may be too strong a word) but for all that I have never been so certain of a games deservedness of a 10 rating.

I would agree with that Kahled. Fallout 3 is an excellent game and i'm really enjoying it, but apart from the VATS system, it does feel like a bit like Oblivion in a post apocalyptic world. I don't want to do Fallout 3 down as I am really enjoying it and it's the sort of game I can play all day long, but (at this stage) it's not my GOTY.

Fable 2 on the other hand is a contender as for me it does something that no other game has done (at least to this effect). It simulates life superbly and you feel really attached to everything within the world. You have the feeling that everything you do can change things and hold that power in your hands. It's astonishing for a game to deliver that feeling, when essentially you know that it's just a game and that it never really matters. PM is a genius and he's produced something very special with this great game.

For me MGS4 still has the upper hand as my GOTY and coincidentally that is also a game that some people get, whilst others just fail to buy into Kojima's vision. It's certainly a tough one as Wipeout HD is also up there for me and we still have Gears 2, LBP and Resistance 2 (to name 3 high profile challengers) to come.

It's been a great year and no matter how the final months pan out, Fable 2 has certainly been one of the highlights of it!

[drskhaled]

8/10 for me. If i'd voted in the first few hours of play it wouldve been a 9/10 but by the second half of the game it started to feel like a chore. I dont think i grinded levels or anything but by the second half of the game i was so overpowered fighting was a breeze (with swords, guns or magic). Also the menu system really irritates. its slow and counter intuitive (just try to eat several celleries to lose weight and you'll see what i mean). I'm not too bothered by graphical glithches personally.

Still a very good game but just like the original destined for a trade in as i have no intention of playing it again.

[Razor]

My first ever RPG and my game of the year for the 360.

I cant believe how addictive this game is and how many hours I have spent on it. Most games are over and done with in a 5 hours, not this one. There is loads to do and see.

Superb

[kopchoir]

One of the most enjoyable games i ahve played i dont really go for rpg games i thought the story was excellent and the whole game was a polished gem

[jonnydynamite]

Ok, this mught be a slightly skizophrenic review as my feelings on the game vary quite a lot. I never played the first Fable and my RPG history consists of KOTOR, Jade Empire, Oblivion and Mass Effect so these are my reference points. I've finished the main questline and a large proportion of the side quests and own just about every building in Albion so I've seen most of what the game has to offer.

First the positives.

The art style and sense of humour in the game are spot on. The game looks great in a lot of places and the comments of some of the characters and little easter eggs in books etc were genuinely funny. Not many games pull off humour this well.

Technically the game ran really well for me. There were a few glitches in graphics occassionally and I got to one town to find the character models hadn't loaded properly and a load of floating hearts etc were walking around talking to me. The breadcrumb trail couldn't keep up some of the time and it was annoying to have it keep switching about sometimes as if it couldn't make up its mind where to go. While marginally annoying they aren't too obtrusive and on the whole the world stands up pretty well.

The combat mechanics were much better than I imagined from previews and the careful changing between melee, ranged and magic worked very well. I'll come onto a negative with the combat later.

I did enjoy some of the interactions with NPCs and also being a bit of a b**tard to some of them (after all, it's always more fun to be evil). Some of the dialogue did get a bit old by the end but that's almost to be expected. Murdering my wife in the Temple of Shadows was a highlight but this could also be an indictment of how little connection I felt with her.


Now the negatives.

Now in my opinion RPGs are primarily defined by a solid main plotline. Some may disagree and talk about the freedom to do what you want and to an extent this is an important element, but for me I like to be taken on a fun ride and see where it finishes. Unfortunately this is a failing with Fable 2 in my eyes. I never really felt like I was a part of Albion and the main storyline was largely unengaging. By the end of the story I felt little invested in my character, possibly because they are mute, and no connection to my dog or families. The main quest felt like a series of set piece fetch quests on the whole though some sections, like the Crucible and The Spire, I really enjoyed as being something a little different. The ending was a thorough disappointment and fell very flat. Just as I was expecting a climactic final battle I felt cheated out of it and the music box was a poor sort of McGuffin.

For all the promise of freedom and cause and effect it really only felt like a veneer above a fairly linear game. The promise of my decisions affecting how the world played out only really happens in a couple of key places in the story and are very obvious how they're going to pan out. NPC's opinions about me scarcely seemed to matter as a couple of well places farts and I'd be right back up in their estimation.

My families were more annoying than anything and when I tried to manufacture some sort on confrontation between two of my wives by leading one to the other absolutely nothing happened and they both just followed me round dutifully while I tried to get them involved in a catfight.

As I said above I actually really enjoyed the combat mechanics in the game but unfortunately the way you level up during the game mean that after about halfway through the main quest the combat became a trivial chore and sections like the bandit coast became an excercise in patience rather than tension. If only the enemies could have levelled up with me more or some of the higher level spells didn't make things so easy it would have been much more engaging. I fitted a ghoul augment in my master axe and then barely used a health potion after that as a bit of button mashing and killing a few foes would top my health bar back up.

The sense of scale of the world is comepletely ruined by the fast travel options and I never once felt like I was part of a huge world, more a small collection of limited locations in some sort of arbitrary game world. There ought to be a much better global map or something which gives me a sense of scale to better relate these places to each other. I'm not saying a want an Oblivion style open expansive world but games like Mass Effect which are broadly similar in terms of a disparate series of areas managed to convey a sense of the broader size of the world much better (though that could just be because you were in a whole galaxy!).

The economic portion of the game is fairly broken in my opinion. Some people might argue that it's a conscious design decision but it irks that in the early part of the game I spent ages plugging away at boring minigames trying to earn enough cash to buy a few bits and pieces and a house and by the end the game is throwing money at me. The same goes for experience which is hard to come by early on and then is thrown at you in its thousand towards the end. Surely there must be a more balanced way to sort these things out.


Conclusion

I know the negatives section goes on a bit but on the whole experience of the game is one that I enjoyed. The style of the game is excellent and although I found the main quest story a bit un-involving it is better than many and it is worth playing through to its conclusion. A few questionable design decisions have reduced its mark for me.

Ultimately a slight disappointment for me but this is probably as much a mark of how much Lionhead hyped up the game and then didn't quite deliver on some of their promises.

8/10

[shagaboopon]

Originally Posted by jonnydynamite

Ultimately a slight disappointment for me but this is probably as much a mark of how much Lionhead hyped up the game and then didn't quite deliver on some of their promises.

8/10

A very good review apart from the quoted. Lionhead really didn't hype the game this time, it got a lot of preview coverage but it wasn't pushed out there like the first Fable. Any hype came from the media not Lionhead this time...

[shrimp3r]

Just completed the main quest, can't really be bothered doing many of the side quests - haven't got the motivation. That kinda sums up how I feel about this game, I voted good - not the 10/10 game as raved about on Eurogamer. I think my main problem was that it was too easy. Once you start levelling up the battles are pretty easy, using not much beyond button mashing. Not much is the way of decent puzzle's, so pretty much the game comprised of: follow the trail > win a few easy battle repeat > watch cut scene > repeat. Now maybe I should do more side-quests, maybe I shouldn't have steamed thru the main quest so quickly - but at the end of the day the game didn't motivate me to do much more than this. Lastly, the different regions felt quite unconnected and didn't really convince me that this was a single coherent world I was playing in. Off it goes back to Lovefilm tomorrow.

Mark Mac

[jonnydynamite]

Originally Posted by shagaboopon

A very good review apart from the quoted. Lionhead really didn't hype the game this time, it got a lot of preview coverage but it wasn't pushed out there like the first Fable. Any hype came from the media not Lionhead this time...

Cheers.

I was thinking about the developer commentaries when I wrote that bit with the promises of cause and effect within the world which I didn't feel like they delivered on. While I agree that the gaming press does have most to answer for when it comes to overhyping games developers do just as much to try and talk up their product as it's obviously in their interests to seel as many copies as possible.

[shagaboopon]

I really want to give this game a 10 right now but having not got more than a few hours in I'm forcing myself to hang fire just in case it disappoints later on. Either way its a 9 minimum so far.

[RenaultSport]

Really loved this - such a nice change for the usual shooter I usually go for. In fact the first rpg thats held my interest.

Question is - which rpg would be a good move on from here?

[Anodyne]

Originally Posted by RenaultSport

Question is - which rpg would be a good move on from here?

At the moment probably Fallout 3, but Oblivion is still worth checking out and should be inexpensive now.

[chrislad]

I voted 'Good'

To be honest, I'm really disappointed. This was the one game I was really looking forward to. I played the original Fable through at least twice, and then I purchased the Lost Chapters and I played through it again, and I loved it. So believe me, when I say, that Fable 2 was THE game I was dying to get at. I didn't read previews, watch trailers or anything, so I came into this game expecting Fable, but prettier and better.

We didn't get off to the best start. I had constant freezing that didn't right itself until I reset the HD and waited for the NXE so I could install it to the HD. That worked a treat and I didn't have any technical issues are that.

I'm not going to ramble on, as it's quite late, so I'll just bullet point my good and bad experiences

Good

* Voice Acting Improved
* Graphics are excellent at times
* Quite funny
* Varied quests, most of which are very fun
* Fun to play
* Some aspects (esp property) much better and fleshed out. I bought all of Oakdale in Fable 1, even though there was little point in doing so
* Dog was a great addition. I really wish I picked Love!

Bad

* Weapons sucks. There was no majesty to them. Nothing of the type of the Sword of Aeons or the Sword in the Stone. Nothing that made me feel like a Hero, to be blunt.
* Will system. Utterly pointless. Would have been a much better option to not have to charge spells, and have a mana gauge or something. Would have made it practical to be a will user. I just maxed Inferno and left the rest.
* No sense of epic. I really felt as if I was going from A to B to get to C. Even the travelling between towns was a matter of them adding hours onto the time. The game isn't so big that it was impossible for an Oblivion style map, where you could actually travel or chose to use, you know, the CULLIS GATES!
* Boss Fights. Where were they? I fought a giant tooth? Right then. I had fond memories of the final battle with Jack of Blades and killing the turncoat, Mace. There was none of that here. Even the Collisseum was watered down, and was just not fun.
* Lock On system. Very poorly done. I hated the new trolls. Shoot the squirmy things until they die? Again, much better done in the original when you had to duck and weave.

The game was Good, but I was just disappointed with it. They improved on a lot of things, but I never really felt that I had any impact in the world, more that the world would plod on along without me. The way I look at it - I finished Fable 1 as a good guy. I immediated started a new game and was evil. I finished Fable 2 as a good guy. I traded it in.

Chances are I will rent it out for the DLC, but overall, the biggest disappointment this year. Which I am devastated about

[CAS FAN]

I guess that's often the danger when you've previously loved a previous game in the series and then really look forward to a sequel. We have seen similar with games like Gears 2 and GTAIV this year. Both of those games are very good, but people hyped them up so much that they were always going to disappoint to an extent.

I never played the original Fable, but liked the sound of this one and I thought it was great. It's easily my fave 360 exclusive of the year and had the PS3 not had such a strong year it would have been a strong contender for my GOTY.

Personally Chris, I didn't see many of the negative points that you picked up on. The weapons and combat worked well IMO and I loved my journeys between places and was constantly impressed by the wonderful landscapes on my journey. I guess that there's no need to build up other spells if you don't want to but the game lets you play it how you want to and it's one of those games where you get out what you put in. You can fast travel, just max out one or two spells and skill areas and get through the game quickly, or explore everywhere, experiement with different spells and weapons, take your time and just get moreout of the game. It's one of those games where the fun and enjoyment comes from the playing of it, rather than the completing of it.

It's interesting to read your views though and I can certainly understand your disappointment from reading your post. It is really hard to avoid disappointment in a sequel like this, when you loved the original so much.

[chrislad]

Originally Posted by CAS FAN

I guess that's often the danger when you've previously loved a previous game in the series and then really look forward to a sequel. We have seen similar with games like Gears 2 and GTAIV this year. Both of those games are very good, but people hyped them up so much that they were always going to disappoint to an extent.

I never played the original Fable, but liked the sound of this one and I thought it was great. It's easily my fave 360 exclusive of the year and had the PS3 not had such a strong year it would have been a strong contender for my GOTY.

Personally Chris, I didn't see many of the negative points that you picked up on. The weapons and combat worked well IMO and I loved my journeys between places and was constantly impressed by the wonderful landscapes on my journey. I guess that there's no need to build up other spells if you don't want to but the game lets you play it how you want to and it's one of those games where you get out what you put in. You can fast travel, just max out one or two spells and skill areas and get through the game quickly, or explore everywhere, experiement with different spells and weapons, take your time and just get moreout of the game. It's one of those games where the fun and enjoyment comes from the playing of it, rather than the completing of it.

It's interesting to read your views though and I can certainly understand your disappointment from reading your post. It is really hard to avoid disappointment in a sequel like this, when you loved the original so much.

I didn't have a problem with the fighting. That was done well, though it was easily exploited by doing nothing but holding X to flourish. My issue was that the weapons sucked. As in there was nothing cool looking like the first one. As you didn't play the first, you didn't know that when you choose the bad ending you get a massive sword that really looks cool and kicks ass. If you go the good path, you can pull a sword from a stone when you're strong enough. I got a Master Katana when I was in the Crucible, and nothing that I found after that was any stronger, bar the axes/cleavers.

The thing that was supposed to be primary in the game was to play it how you like. That's why I felt the will system didn't work. For later enemies, level 1 to 3 on Inferno wasn't sufficent, you had to charge it up fully which was 15 seconds on your taking damage. The way Fable worked with fighting was that you got scars for actually taking hits, not by being knocked down, so there was more focus on blocking rather than just fight, die, get up, fight, die, get up. Granted, I didn't die that often, as it's not a difficult game. The lock on system was also very poor, and didn't seem to lock on properly.

Again, the scenery was great looking, but my issue is that getting to the edge of Bowerstone going to whereever shouldn't be 'Travel to Whereever. 43 hours'. It would have been ideal to have forests, lakes, rivers and basically areas of nothingness between areas of population. Fast travel is great and handy, but just being able to roam, and pick off bandits etc would have been nice.

Anyways, I did enjoy the game. Good isn't a bad review. They added a lot but equally took away a lot of things that I loved about the original. But hey, I'm still looking forward to the inevitable Fable 3!

[nicklone86]

Having just finished the game after clocking up a nice 19 hours I must say this game did live up to my expectations (which were low after the first game). I tried to avoid finding out too much about the game, as I hoped I would enjoy it more. Gladly I must say I did.

I enjoyed the story and felt compelled to finish it, which is a very rare thing for me to do. (I normally get bored half way through). I love the world in which the game is set in and the presentation is truly ground breaking. In my opinion this is probably the single most beautiful game ever created, and I put this down to the direction of the art. I found the social interaction both fun and interesting and enjoyed experimenting wit the NPC's. I played through the game as a good guy and felt a real attatchment to my dog and my family. There are many facets of this game that are executed brilliantly, such as the economy of the world and the ease of play. i.e the contorls are well thought out and easy to use.

On the other hand though there are things that really bugged me about the game. I didn't particularly enjoy the battle system and often found it to be quite a chore. It's certainly better than the original but it's still a pain to encounter enemies. I'm also torn on how quickly you can move around the world. on the one hand I appreciated it because it meant I could quickly move on to the next task by skipping out the travelling. As someone who doesn't get a huge amount of gaming time I appreciated this and I believe it helped me finish the game. However, it really takes away the scale of the game. I did not feel as though it was as "epic" as it should have been, instead a collection of small locales to warp between.

Don't get me wrong though I had a tremendous amount of fun with the game and I am eager to play through again as an evil bastard! I just don't feel as though it stands up as strongly as other titles of a similar nature. Some of the side quests can feel quite pointless, the speech, while humourous gets very repetitive. These aspects detract from the experience as a whole and before today I was tempted to give it a 9. However this morning I encountered a huge bug that took my progress 4-5 hours back (I have no idea why!!??). From a technical standpoint I find this inexcusable and therefore have decided to drop my score by a further point to an 8.

All in all though a great game, one of the best I've played all year but there are just too many imperfections and a lack of technical polish that I tile such as Zelda would recieve means its a flawed experience. Pick it up though, you wont regret it!

[TheFreeJaffa]

Barely into it, but.......Best. Game. Ever. The level of detail packed into this is amazing.

[meweavy]

Originally Posted by RenaultSport

Really loved this - such a nice change for the usual shooter I usually go for. In fact the first rpg thats held my interest.

Question is - which rpg would be a good move on from here?

fallout..is a brilliant game..its kind of rpg with fps thrown in..definately game of the year for me.

[shrimp3r]

Originally Posted by meweavy

fallout..is a brilliant game..its kind of rpg with fps thrown in..definately game of the year for me.

+1 for Fallout 3. I found Fable 2 a bit meh but I love Fallout. Available for 20 quid from Gamestation website.

Mark Mac

[formatc]

Very enjoyable game. Interaction with the NPCs is much improved over other RPGs, such as Oblivion. Love the wacky British humour too!