NEVER have I had to wonder about the consequences of the choices I make in a game.
However, with Fable II, every decision must be weighed because every action begets a consequence.
Maybe the more careful approach comes from knowing that the game responds differently to my actions - whether I steal, ignore pleas or choose to be defiant.
I must make a moral choice - good or evil - from the get-go. Should I play a male or female? Be a hero or thief? Remain faithful or sleep around? Get married and have children? Or endless permutations of these?
The tale is straightforward though. You play the protagonist, Sparrow, who sees his sister killed by villain Lucien.
After which the seer Theresa takes you under her wings, guiding you in all areas in your formative years.
Except your choice of revenge - that path is yours alone to make: you could be a hero of the people or an oppressor looking to usurp Lucien.
You have a lifetime to put those choices into action.
Choose to fight and take on quests that will lead you to Lucien, or have some fun around the land of Albion, the game's environment.
Deciding on battles and quests lead to experience points, which increase your skills and spells, be it casting fire or throwing blades.
There are over a dozen locations to visit, each with its own underground caves and hidden trails filled with vermin and monsters.
With side quests galore, Sparrow can work as a woodcutter, blacksmith or bounty hunter to earn gold pieces. He can then use the money to buy property and businesses from a pub to a farm, and effectively play a game of economics.
As in the original Fable, creator Peter Molyneux is looking at providing an experience that goes beyond the linear concept of good versus evil in this sequel.
So, he created scenarios to test players.
In a recent visit to Singapore, he told Digital Life that the choices in this game are harder to make, as choosing to do good can inflict personal harm.
In one scenario, Sparrow has to choose between feeding a prisoner or starving him. Feeding the guy will grant renown to Sparrow but it will also remove a huge amount of experience points, which dictates another two hours of play just to recover the lost points.
Time is really what you need here because the game is crafted in such a way that you cannot ignore the secondary objectives of interacting with people while living and working.
In fact, a chunk of gameplay lacks action as you can be buying a home or finding a mate, which means running all over Albion to find the right one.
Visually, Fable II is no different from the original, in that the basic movements are still rather static, even though the models are more refined and vibrant.
Everyone smiles and runs in the same manner, but the voice acting of the townspeople gets repetitive. Imagine serving beer only to have the same voice praise you with the singular praise, "That's a good pint" constantly.
Thankfully, the game itself is anything but.
Fable II Action RPG
$61.90; $71.90 for the limited edition
Available now
This article was first published in Digital Life, The Straits Times on Oct 22, 2008.
