Fable: The Lost Chapters

The Good
Fable, the ambitious game formerly known as “Project: Ego” Was leaked to the public in about 2002. From the get go it seemed like one of those games that would never come out. It seemed to be just too big of a project, even for Lionhead Studios, whom have always been known for pushing the envelope. I preordered the game and when it shipped I raced home to play it. In the end it was not as unique as I was led to believe but still a solid RPG. Later Fable: The Lost Chapters came out. Having enjoyed the original version I had to play this one. For 20 bucks I got a more complete Fable, and found myself enjoying it again.

Fable begins with you, as a lad in Oakvale, a sleepy village in Albion. After playing a portion teaching you learn about the morality of the land as well as a few other things. After this tutorial, Oakvale is raided by bandits, you survive, few others do. From here you are taken to the Hero’s Guild. Where you train to become a great hero.

After you graduate it is up to you how you will carve your destiny. You can be a righteous warrior, a seedy assassin, or powerful mage. This is really where Fable shines. The freedom you have in what type of character you play as well as how you play it is excellent. Yes other games have done similar things. But in most of those games you choose these things before you start playing. This game reacts to your actions.

You also have control over the way your warrior looks. That includes haircuts, tattoos, and the weapons and armor you use. NPCS will even react to how you look! Woman and even men will either fall in love with you or be disgusted by you. Your prestige also plays a factor in this. The more popular you are the more people will like even if you are unattractive, kinda like real life.

By completing quests you gain prestige and become more popular. You can also show off any trophies that you have won on quests. You can also be an example to others. If being evil is your goal you can make the populace fear you. This can be achieved by taking evil quests. And by committing crimes and just being rude.

You even have freedom over your class. Drinking habits. And sex life. You can be hetero, homo, or even bi, sexual. You could even opt to be chaste.(But what fun would that be?) However before any of that sort of thing can take place you must marry. You can marry once in every village. For a total of 6 wives. (Why would you want more than one? Insanity?)

There are some discrepancies in the morality system, but more on that later. The plot is simple but enjoyable and to the point, with a few plot twists thrown in for good measure.

The Graphics in Fable are incredible. The detail put into the areas, monsters weapons, armor, and characters are great. The power of the Xbox is shown here in full force. The lighting effects are superb as are spell effects. It is hard to put into words how great this game looks, so I will stop now.

The Music and Sound department excels as well. With the main theme of Fable composed by Danny Elfman, how can you go wrong? The rest of the music is up to snuff as well. The voice acting is quite well done. The similar dialects of the inhabitants of Albion help make the world seem more real. The sound effects are very good. This is often neglected in RPGS not so here. Play it in 5.1 surround sound for maximum effect, if you have the means.

The Bad
The morality system could use some work. For example, killing your spouse only nets about 25 evil points, while getting a divorce gains about 1,000. What? Furthermore the game is designed for those who follow the good path. There should be an “Anti Heroes Guild” or something.

Why would you become evil after witnessing an evil act as a child? What is this a horror movie? Would Batman become evil? This game is short and can be cleared in under 20 hours even with the new content. This is not necessarily a bad thing however. But for most people it is.

The occasional bug kills gameplay. For instance once I was in a village and I was attacked by an assassin. Yet when I went to defend myself I was fined for murder. WTF?

The Bottom Line
Overall Fable: The Lost Chapters is an enjoyable RPG. Now with a $20 price tag, and 15% more Fable, you can at least try it. It may not be Lionhead’s best game but it is certainly worthy of the name of the legendary developer.