Fable II

[iknowgungfu]

True...I think I used the wrong word.  The main problem I have with Oblivion is that it is always a pain in the arse to start to get somewhere in a quest.  I like the immediacy of Fable 2...and as you say the ramifications.

The only thing that pisses me off about the game is there is no actual map where you can set you waypoints from.  You either have to follow the golden trail, fast travel or look out for the signs.  I would like to be able to have a look on a map and say...right I am going to go there.  You can do that in Fable2 but I have no idea of the lay of the land.

[Meerman]

I really liked Fable back in the day, but never played it again after finishing it. fable 2 looks gorgeous, but I won't be getting it. GoW2's out soon!

[iknowgungfu]

Meerman..I have been really enjoying fable 2.  It will be the perfect companion peice to Gears when all that locust killing gets to you ;0

[azazel]

I'm utterly underwhelmed by Fable II despite really enjoying the original. There's something missing I can't quite put my finger on. It might be something to do with the reduced difficulty and lenient combat, but I get no sense of accomplishment from anything I do. I own half of the houses and businesses in Albion, I've married and had children, I'm crucible champion, I have a sword which produces gold with every kill... and I just don't care. I can't understand where these sky high scores have come from - to my mind it is inferior to the first game.

I picked up Fallout 3 yesterday which has blown me away, so I don't think I'll be revisiting Albion for a while. I may even trade Fable II in for LBP on Wednesday.

[AdamGS]

I'm loving this. Unlike Fallout 3 I actually feel like I want to do the side missions as opposed to just doing it for the money and items. A lovely world to inhabit as well, although the cockney geezers and brummies are starting to grate.

So Raith, when can I come and shag meet your wife?

[raithrover]

Which one?

Sometime next week I suspect.

[raithrover]

Past the spire thing, my kids are growing up fast. Now taking the opportunity to do some of the quests I missed and also checking out Knothole Island.

[AdamGS]

Completed the main quest yesterday. The most disappointing final boss ever. I don't think you can even call it a boss really. You don't actually do anything.

At least it throws you back into the world and lets you carry on with some quests. For those who completed it what choice did you make at the end? [SPOILER!!!]I chose love, because I missed my doggy. [SPOILER!!!!!]

[AdamGS]

New DLC called See The Future came out today for a reasonable 560 points:

Murgo, trader of highly unusual and magical items, has returned to Bowerstone, and he has brought with him objects that will transport you to worlds and quests no Hero has ever faced before. Bring colour back to the world, dress up in creature costumes, compete in a new combat arena and find out what awaits you in Albion’s distant future.

Only played a bit so far, but it seems to be better and more interesting than Knothole Island. Cheaper too! I even turned my dog into a husky.

[AdamGS]

Just completed the new DLC. Much better than Knothole Island, and the glimpse at your future is certainly interesting. Hope they do that in a future DLC. The only letdown was the Colliseum, which is exactly the same as the arena section in the main game.

[tubaros]

Good idea - Ive been wanting to play this, and this might be just the bite sized way of doing it. If it works out more expensive though, then Ill just get it preowned.

Fable II is to be released as episodic downloads on Xbox Live, Peter Molyneux revealed at his press conference this morning.

The five instalments of Fable II: Game Episodes - covering the entirety of the original disc release of Fable II - will appear on September 29th, and episode one will be free to download.

When you get to the end of one episode, you can decide whether to buy the next one, or commit to buying the whole game online (although the latter option will only be available in some regions). You'll also be able to buy the regular game on disc and continue your save from where you left off, if you prefer.

All the Achievements are in there, as well as the co-op play, and the Game Episodes version of Fable II will be fully compatible with the existing DLC releases Knothole Island and See the Future.

It's an interesting new twist on the just-launched Games on Demand service, and Microsoft couldn't be trying it with a better game - not according to our 10/10 review, anyway.

Molyneux also revealed that a sequel is in production and due out next year. Read our exclusive Fable III preview for more

[Sprite Machine]

If it works out more expensive though, then Ill just get it preowned.

They wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't more expensive on the whole. You can get the game new for a about £12 at the moment.

[Sprite Machine]

Or, indeed, £8, used, which I have done.

I finished the free first episode, which is little more than an extended demo, and decided I'd give the full game a try. Although I wasn't totally won over by the 'Oblivion-meets-Zelda-lite' gameplay and styling, I started to warm to it when I could learn magic spells. I have decided to be an evil, evil, bastard, thus I shall raise great armies of the dead to be my minions in battle, with my hellish hound by my side.

EDIT: Currently, everyone just thinks I'm a bit of a prick.

[Sprite Machine]

Heh, people fear me now! I have earned the name Fearmonger. My raise dead spell is at level 2 and I am of a thoroughly evil disposition - with horns and everything (although my corruption level is still middling; I'm not sure how to affect that yet). The question is, will the town guards keep bothering me? I've kept them all at bay so far, resisiting arest every time and setting my zombies on them, which in turn has made me even eviller. Murder = bad, m'kay!

And pleasingly, I don't lose out entirely by being a bastard to people; they will give you gifts through fear as well as love. And I can use 'extort' now too, although that's illegal.

My dog has red eyes.

I have rented out a gipsy house by the lake, so I should get a regular income now. I'll build up some cash and put it towards a bigger house, then rinse and repeat.

My main complaint at the moment is that I don't have a clue where everything is. I can't see a proper map that connects places to each other and I just seem to wander between areas, hoping to find things, or following the trail. It's very disjointed. "27 hours to Bowerstone"... really, they could be next door for all I can tell.

[Monty]

My main complaint at the moment is that I don't have a clue where everything is. I can't see a proper map that connects places to each other and I just seem to wander between areas, hoping to find things, or following the trail. It's very disjointed. "27 hours to Bowerstone"... really, they could be next door for all I can tell.

This was my biggest problem with the game and the reason I ended up getting bored of it.

[iknowgungfu]

Me too.  I think I got to the end stages but just couldn't be arsed.  Unlike Aprite I was a paragon of shiny goodness.  I am so wet, I can't even be evil in a computer game....

[Sprite Machine]

Aaaaand... I'm done. Officially bored with this now.

Main problem is being evil isn't all that fun. I keep getting hounded by the fuzz, and any relationship is just impossible. I don't feel so much like I'm building this character freely, more like I'm going through the motions on one of the paths set out for me. Plus I still keep wandering around from place to place without a clue where I am. And everything is so fiddly and laborious. And I couldn't care less about the 'main quest'.

So, not good. Shame. I was almost enjoying it, but the fun drained from it very quickly, and life's too short for that.

[iknowgungfu]

Think it is quite good fun to start with...but geez.  The blacksmith minigame got old fast.

[Monty]

I think it lost a lot of what made the first game so much fun.

[coxy]

Fable III is set for a Christmas 2010 release. Here's some screens: