Eurogamer Fable II Review

Fable II's generous and forgiving template isn't one that many games choose to follow, but it proves convincingly that if you're clever enough, you can create a consistent challenge without resorting to mindless punishment, and you can craft a sharply told story that still has room for the player to express themselves within. Inclusive and often thought-provoking, this is a daring portrait of a game-world with all the failure cut out, and it's hard not to love a game that loves you so much in return. Fable II will charm you, thrill you, and leave you very, very happy.

[Fishy Fingers]

Great score/review. Poor submission. Why take the final paragraph for your caption? It just posses to confuse people who actually like to read the reviews (like me).

[Volvobug]

Meh. I agree with this.

http://digg.com/xbox/Why_I_...

[bouncybullet]

Well meh, you'll be missing out on a great game.

[kindi_boy]

this game has ton of technical issues and it lacks in certain departments never a 10, 8.5 is about ok. Eurogamer are losers

"god save the queen" lmao

[Legion]

Did anyone else think the author was talking as if he had a cob up his @ss?

Good review but the author was trying to show off his vocabulary.

[3sexty rulzzz]

xbox exclusive. RPG at its finest. an action aventure rpg; can't get no better than that. my xbox will be smiling by years' end.

[yamamoto114]

People will do it anyways, because all people give a sh*t about is that it's on Xbox, and it's against their fanboy ideals to like a game on a rival platform, no matter how good that game may be.

Stupid fanboys.

[Mr PS3]

EuroBoT Strikes Again !!!!

Feeble II

EDIT

Ha Ha The Truth Hurts Dont it kleeneeze
Not as Much as Suffering a RRoD
But it Hurts

This Game Feeble II Sucks !!
And all the Bot site's giving this game good scores aint gonna ghange that Fact

[Keele]

Change Mr Ps3 to Mr Fail.

[360 man]

and thats why mr ps3 you have 1 bubble

[GiantEnemyLobster]

WAY better than Littlefagplanet.

[elshimiablo]

It is averaging at 89%
most websites gave it 8/10

http://www.n4g.com/Xbox360/...

ouch for MS and PETER

[kratos-i-am]

I think Eurogamer might have been a little to excited when reviewing this game as IGN says "Falls short on other Western RPGs like Oblivion, Mass effect..." Where they gave it an 8.8!

[byeGollum]

i knew they wold score it a 10 - oh yeah its eurogamer

[Thomazii]

Eurogamer (almost) always rates games lower than there average. They gave fifa 09 a 8 and some other games that were rated 8-9s they gave it a 6 or 7. Eurogamer rate low

[sackboy says hi]

sackboy says did eurogamer not give me a 10/10 as well (-_-)

pls stop with all this sh1t......fable 2 is good game and its deserve the high score it been getting.

[FOXDIE]

you probably got a 10 but snake did not :( *SOB SOB SOB*

[kindi_boy]

this game never a 10 not with all the technical issues...
"god save the queen"

[sajj316]

Nice .. must buy as I enjoyed the original!

[tehReaper]

Glad I preordered this. Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

[Harry190]

generous. They must have really enjoyed the game. Gears2 > Fable 2, but it will get a lower score from Eurogamer.

[xaviertooth]

gears 2 will be 11 then or even 20!!

and wait, you xbots not invited in the eurogamer party? they just earned 10M dollars more. you should at least have a taste of dirty money :p

[fredrikpedersen]

Worth gettin a 360 for?

[Fishy Fingers]

That's a question only you can answer.

[PirateThom]

Yes, but grab Mass Effect as well.

Edit: 4 disagrees? Really? You, sirs, are and idiot. :-/

[meepmoopmeep]

yeah, Fable 2 is my most want to play on the 360.
can't wait to play it.

[mariusmal]

piratethom u got my agree. anyone who likes mass effect is my friend :D

[kindi_boy]

listen alot of good games are coming/out already on the 360 so i think yo should have both systems.

fable 2, gears of war 2 if it was me i would buy the 360 for those 2. i bought it for gears 1.

[enjoi187]

score

[CR7JUVE1897]

Should be a great experience. Can't wait. I'm going to be so broke with Fable, Gears, Resistance, LBP

[Big Cojones]

Masterpiece right here, EXCLUSIVE to Xbox 360.

Awesome job Peter for creating the best RPG of the generation so far.

Now THIS is a RPG, not crap like White Knight. Lol

[sephy 9 2 5]

isn't out. =\

Anyway Fable is getting nice reviews. Hopefully Fable and KZ can redeem themselves from last time.

[sajj316]

your comment about White Knight is not necessary ...

[CR7JUVE1897]

We don't know enough about WKC yet to pass judgment, but it is Level 5, so I have the utmost confidence.

Anyway, this isn't about WKC, this is about Fable 2, and let us all enjoy this potential masterpiece, shall we???

[TheTwelve]

Don't dis White Knight yet!

I will be watching these reviews closely...if it turns out that this is truly an RPG that has groundbreaking features not ever found before, I'll actually have my first reason to CONSIDER getting a 360.

I've not been impressed with the mediocre JRPGs on the 360, although it hurts that I don't even have new mediocre ones on the PS3. And with nothing groundbreaking in the horizon on the PS3 (IMO, Valkryie Chronicles will be familiar comfort, not groundbreaking), and with White Knight not coming out in the US until I don't know when....

This game might tip the scales for me. I'm a major Sony fanboy and not ashamed to admit. But RPGs are my favorite genre of games and I'll not suffer just because Sony has decided to put all other time and effort into the more popular genres...

12

[kazuma]

white knight isn't even out...great comparison dude.

"Now THIS is a comment, not crap like yours. Lol" :)

[zethos56]

you all just got trolled

[nice_cuppa]

360 just went super saiyan !!!

next left for dead .........

[tehReaper]

Nice analogy. Bubbles.

[Keele]

I think it's quite amazing how whenever they give a 360 game a good score they're automatically xbots and yet they give Ps3 games good scores.

[The Stuttttterer]

j j j just like You

[Keele]

The Stuttttterer? How bout.. The Rrrrrrretard!

God I love this community.

Anyway, do you have anything to support them being xbots or is that an assumption?

[Kleptic]

you have to look at the skew of the scores...they are giving this a 10/10, when its average now is in the upper 8's...yet they give MGS4 an 8 out of 10/10 when its average was about 9.8...it definitely hurts their credibility...that is all anyone is really pointing out...coincidence?...most likely...but its still enough to not take them seriously...

[xaviertooth]

and fuuuuck you eurogamer! you are the clowns of game journalism just like kotaku and joystiq!

[chrisnick]

but after mgs4 got an 8 and halo got a 10........eurogamer seems to be a little more......."less credible" and "green" to me.

[sackboy says hi]

but this game is not better than me ;-D

[Blink_44]

Your annoying.

[running rampid]

damn game, i want it now!!!!

[Big Cojones]

Now this is what I call a Killer-app.

Not only is getting excellent reviews, but is also going to sell at least 4 million of copies. That's something almost impossible to achieve for a PS3 game. :rofl:

[vloeistof]

nice score

[Beg For Mercy]

sorry eurogamer but im not beleiving this is a 10/10 stop cashing ms checks pleasssssseeeeeeee

[RAF-TECH]

in translation:

"Damn, I can't get over this... I hate my life... Why did Fable get a high score!?!?.. I know!!... I'll just make my own theory to make myself feel better"

[DarthTigra]

Great score picking this up tonight along with LBP my gamestop didnt get the memo :)

[wollie]

I loved the first fable, but I wanna hear more about the fact that you can't die in this one. Granted I haven't played this yet but doesn't taking out the fear of death kind of remove the challenge/reward? No pain, no gain? I will wait till I've played it to pass judgement, but I'm wondering what everyone else thinks about no death, instant rez, just lose some experince thingy. I hope for fable II's sake that this is an awesome machanic and that I'm just "missing" it.

[kingme71]

I think you mentioned an interesting topic. I've thought about this recently as I see games moving away from such harsh penalties of the past for death in some instances.

Now, he didn't say there is no penalty for dying. You lose some experience and your character has a physical change (scarring, ugliness, etc).

I applaud Lionhead for trying a new approach. No one wants to die in a game. You want to progress the story. Dying means you failed at the task at hand, but why does every game require the penalty that you go back 10 spaces and try again? It seems like that penalty has just been adopted since the dawn of gaming and rarely challenged. Instead of death, now Fable II just modifies your character somewhat and zaps some experience.

I would like to see games try out new avenues for handling failure. Failure can lead to frustration and frustration is a big reason people put down a game. Maybe if you are battling the boss and have died 17 times the game comes in and says would you like me to make this battle a little easier (Note: I'm not advocating the whole game, but make just this battle easier). This gets you past an obvious stumbling block but at the same time leaves the choice up to you and avoids the frustration you might encounter.

[RAF-TECH]

To me.. this game looks and plays crap..why? cuz it doesnt appeal to me.

But I'm not gonna argue with the score.
they've reviewed it and they should be able to score it.plain and simple.

Off the record: I don't think this game will sell big.

[Beg For Mercy]

translation-i own all 3 consoles so im not a fanboy but after lookin and playing fable its not a 10 simply cause how terriable the graphics are and time tedious it is to earn money to buy your castle and stuff

[eliasg]

Sony trolls trying to convince us not to buy the game of the year...

Go fable 2 Go!!!!

[TheDeadMetalhead]

Queers of Flop 2 was supposed to be GOTY.

[The Stuttttterer]

F F F Fee Fee Feeble !!

[kingme71]

"Fable II will charm you, thrill you, and leave you very, very happy."

Seems like it satisfies the very basic reason we play games.

I'm really looking forward to it. I grabbed Fable: The Lost Chapters the other day and want to play through that first.

[DA_SHREDDER]

But I bought a 360 earlier this year so that I can get this game. Fable 1 was good,, despite everyone talking crap about it. I dont listen to reviwers about games at all,,, people in third world countries like Euro gamer gave Motorstorm 2 a 7.8 or whatever,,,I played that game and thought it was amazing. Also,, Gears 2 is a pretty game,, but its not even close to being better then Fable. Now all you bots, and people who only own a 360 can enjoy a real AAA game on their system. Now all I need is a new Conker and Ill be fine with my ps3 giving me the rest of the exclusives till the new generation of games comes in 2011.

[MvmntInGrn]

Well Eurogamer so -2 so 8/10, thats quite bad. :)

[Lolliflop Lolliflop]

Peter Molyneauxs letter of begging Reviewers for great scores is the reason for this 10

[PimpHandStrong]

its a shame i dont read that rag after they gave MGS4 a 8/10

these dudes are big time 360 lovers and thats alright

i want my 360 gamers to be happy and im sure this game will do just that! I mean really its the first good exclusive since the holidays 2007....

and dont worry

Next holiday season MS will give you a couple more exclusive titles

[Lex Luthor]

Shut up please.

[SuperM]

God...

Eurogamer is so predictable. When they review 360 exclusives they are one of the sites giving the best scores. When they review PS3 exclusive games they are one of the sites giving the worst scores. Fable 2 is probably a great game but i dont trust eurogamer one bit. I bet they would have loved giving LBP an 8, but that would be just a little to obvious.

[TheExecutive]

This is true.

[TheDeadMetalhead]

I even predicted that Eurogamer would give it a 10 beforehand. And here's my proof!

http://forums.n4g.com/m_360...

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Im not suprised to see eurogamer give it a 10/10 they are biased
BUT fable2 probably does deserve a great score
Possibly GOTY for me... But MGS4 wow'd me so much its gonna take somethin special to take it from my top spot

[Zerodin]

Sony droids can't take it that this game is getting such great scores.

[NickIni]

Just like Xbots couldn't take LBP getting such good scores :)

[Lets-Game]

giving all games 10 is getting stupid, i mean why the hell you need 10number scoring system, just use 3: 1 sucks, 2 average, 3 awesome.

there you go.

[ThaGeNeCySt]

Won't work... there are above average games that are not AWESOME and there are below average games that do not SUCK

[Aquanox]

I usually respect high profile publications reviews and hate those guys always calling "fanboy" to those guys that review a game with lower scores than excpected but with all these fantastic reviews for Fable II, I'm really starting to put the credibility in judgement of that IGN US (even IGN UK gave it 9.5 :S ) reviewer for this game. Seems like every single publication is loving this game, including some of the hardest reviewers like EDGE and Eurogamer.

Triple A Confirmed.

[TheDeadMetalhead]

Don't trust EDGE or Eurogamer. :/

[TheDeadMetalhead]

Never fails.

[mentalboy11]

Come to PC so i can play you already

[mt]

guys just wait for after game released reviews and see the different .

[NickIni]

Seriously though, if other reviews are giving it 8s, and some even lower, how can it really be given a 10 without raising the question of bias?

Hasn't stopped my interest in the game, and I still want it, but Eurogamer, in my eye's at least, are not review site to be trusted.

[Figboy]

now, i've already posted my opinions on Fable 2 in detail in the ign thread, but i'll reiterate briefly here.

me and my fiance have been playing the game since Friday afternoon, and have both sunk about 15 hours each into the game (we're far from completing it).

the good:

humor. knocking people up. the dog (though he can be a bit daft more often than not). facial expressions. being an @sshole to people. not as painfully linear or short as the first.

things that could be improved:

one button combat is kind of a cop-out this day and age. "X" is melee, "Y" is firearm, and "B" is magic. i've seen PS3 games get ripped to shreds for "repetitive combat," and Fable 2 is the epitome of repetitive button mashing. HOWEVER, having enjoyed the first Fable immensely, as well as games like Balder's Gate: Dark Alliance, and Champions of Norrath, this type of combat isn't that big of a deal, but after the combat of the first Fable, this feels like a bit of a step back in some ways.

context sensitive triggers need work, as you often have to be in the EXACT RIGHT SPOT to do things like open chests, dive off of cliffs, and interact with other gameplay objects and characters.

the lock on system for targeting enemies needs work too. i'll often lock onto some shmoe way off in the distance, instead of the immediate threat bearing down on me.

the visuals are disappointing for a 4th generation 360 game. the water effects are ok, the textures are pretty poor, and character models are low detail. the sunsets, however, are very nice, and i can see why most PR for Fable 2 were scenes of the game doing sunrise or sunset.

the story is so-so, and won't win any awards. it's, at it's core, a revenge tale, which i enjoy, but there's not much to it here. i wouldn't describe the story being told in Fable 2 as epic. but considering how open the game is supposed to be, a heavier emphasis on the narrative would rob the player of some of their freedom. i've barely done many story quests, and have instead opted to do side quests, get married, and roam around.

i'm enjoying the game immensely, but i'd give it an 8.5. a 10/10 is reaching. REALLY reaching. a game has to gel in so many ways in order to be a 10/10 for ME, personally (graphics, gameplay, story, sound, MGS4 is more of a 10/10 game, though i'd give it a 9.5. Bioshock is a 9.5/10 game also. Uncharted too. Mass Effect is also a 9.5/10 game. Little Big Planet is a 9.5/10 game. Fable 2 fumbles too much to, in good conscience, be a 10/10 game).

i highly recommend it, though, and it deserves to be in an Xbox 360 owner's library. the game is very reminiscent to the first, with some improvements. i can't see how fans of the first wouldn't enjoy the second (i'm a big fan of the first Fable).

of course, this is Eurogamer, and i don't pay much mind to their reviews after they gave Dark Sector and 8.5, and MGS4 an 8. that's just wrong on so many levels. it's obvious that me and Eurogamer's opinions differ too much for me to take much stock in their reviews.

[CliffordM Bleszinski]

+ bubbles for good and unbiased comment. i cant believe you got a disagree.

[Figboy]

thanks.

i guess they either disagreed that i enjoyed Fable 2

disagreed that it's an 8.5/10 game,

or disagreed that i don't think it's s 10/10.

there's always one, i suppose. to be honest, i expected more disagrees. lol.

i'm liking the game a lot though. it's most certainly my 360 pick of the week. of course, my other pick of the week is Dead Space to those that haven't picked it up. my roommate rented it, and i haven't been this scared of a game since the original Silent Hill.

[bouncybullet]

You just admitted that you're far from the end and only played for around 15 hours.

How can you judge it?

You've probably only touched 30% of the game.

There are so many things in the game that you probably don't know exist.

[Figboy]

what other gameplay mechanics do you think are going to be introduced from this point on?

is combat suddenly going to change from having poor lock on, a dodgy camera, a not so bright dog companion, and repetition?

are the visuals suddenly going to vastly improve from what i've seen for the first 15 hours?

yes, i'm assuming i'm far from the end, because i've only done a handful of story quests, and i've purposely chosen to take my time with the title.

with the 15 hours i've spent with the game, alone and with my fiance over the past 3 days, i'm enjoying myself. i still think it's an 8.5/10 game on a GAMEPLAY LEVEL.

i don't think a single game has suddenly changed gameplay mechanics in the latter half, as opposed to the former half. Mass Effect and Bioshock, great games, still, at their core, had the same gameplay, both positive and negative, from the start of the game to the end. yes, you level up, and gain new skills, which is good, but it still plays out the same way. other great games like Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank Future, and MGS4, ALSO didn't shake up the gameplay formula at the end, even though the story events AROUND them did change.

Fable 2 will be no different. while the story will develop and grow, i'll still be pressing the "X" button for melee, the "Y" button for my firearm, the "B" button for magic. i'll still be dealing with the camera, the sometimes dumb dog, the enjoyable social system, and rather bland job quests (i'm referring specifically to the wood-chopping and sword-making jobs, not other jobs like Bounty Hunter and Assassin) it's a good game, but i don't think it's a 10/10. it's MY OPINION, so you don't have to get all pissy about it.

how much of the game have YOU played? or are you basing your opinion off of this paid "reviewer," instead of your own?

[Barca_V_V]

amazing comment, at least honest....

"i'm enjoying the game immensely, but i'd give it an 8.5. a 10/10 is reaching. REALLY reaching. a game has to gel in so many ways in order to be a 10/10 for ME, personally (graphics, gameplay, story, sound, MGS4 is more of a 10/10 game, though i'd give it a 9.5. Bioshock is a 9.5/10 game also. Uncharted too. Mass Effect is also a 9.5/10 game. Little Big Planet is a 9.5/10 game. Fable 2 fumbles too much to, in good conscience, be a 10/10 game). "

anywayss, what i wanted to say is that i noticed something a bit funny , u seem to be afraid of the number 10, so whenever u play a game that u think is perfect and enjoy way more than the rest of the games, u score it a 9.5

[Figboy]

either now or back then.

i think the reason why i don't isn't because i don't think MGS4 is a 10/10 game, but because the psychology behind a 10/10 score is perceived as the game being "perfect."

i'd gladly give MGS4 a 10/10, as well as games like Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank Future, Bioshock,and Little Big Planet, but then people will just b*tch and moan about no game being perfect, which isn't what, in my mind, a 10/10 is trying to say. i think a 10/10 score, overall, is saying that this game simply excels at ALL areas of game design, from visuals, to story, to controls, to atmosphere, to level design, to gameplay, etc, etc.

in that respect, games like the ones i mentioned above ARE 10/10. but even they are not perfect, so to save me the drama of having to fight off the fanboys that say, "omfg! 'X' game isn't a 10/10!!!NEWB!!" i simply give it a 9.5, which is a bit more palatable and fair to high quality games. i have my own internal rating system, honestly, since the gaming media's review system is broken (as illustrated by the generous handing out of 9/10 games for nearly EVERY 360 game with some merit since 2005; i mean, seriously, PREY gets a 9/10? and KAMEO? REALLY??).

to me, games like MGS4, Uncharted, Bioshock, and LBP are 9.5/10, GOTY games. MUST HAVES.

games like Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Fable 2, Folklore, Heavenly Sword, etc, are 8.5/10 games; great fun, but not GOTY contenders. worth owning.

games like Haze, Lair, Too Human, etc, are 7-7.5/10 games; games that have some good stuff, but marred by poor design choices, and somewhat uninspired gameplay. at least worth a rental.

games like Frontlines, Turok, Kane and Lynch, Viking, Area 51, etc, are 5/10 games; games that just don't try to be anything more than the status quo, and aren't even worth a rental, as it's like "game design as dictated by the PR department and current trends." there are much better games worth your time, so why bother with these?

i don't even have a ratings system for 4/10 and below games. i can't bring myself to care. they are games that just fail at every level of game design, from visuals, to controls, to gameplay, to story, to level design, etc (think of the Superman games on the N64, or most other licensed games).

i don't go by any other review scores buy my own, so other folk's standards WILL vary from mine, but that's just what i myself use when i'm deciding the quality of the games i play.

[PoorDelayedFlop]

pooooooor, sad, pathetic, moronic, idiotic, n00b, casual gaymer, retarded, scum sucking, putrid, rotten, piss drinking droids :(

[Dual Shock 3]

8/10 like the rest of the competent unbiased sites gave it.

[PoorDelayedFlop]

guess what. IGN also gave DeadSpace an 8, and guess what, that game is a 10. So much for what a few straggler reviewers think.

poor droid :(

[NickIni]

You think it's a 10. The professional reviewers at IGN don't. I think they can review a game better than you.

[Rama26285]

Am I wrong in presuming that this is the only review to be a perfect 10 out of 10? And coming from a usually tough to please site that infamously gives lower than average scores?

[Ryo-Hazuki]

I been hearing for awhile now that eurogamer is a xbox fanboy website.....mgs4 gets a 8...LBP gets a 9 but fable 2 gets a 10 hmmmmm

[Firstkn1ghT]

HAHA, and the excuses continue....*

[pumpkinpunker]

*gasp* They liked Fable 2 more than both those games. Oh, the horror!

[peowpeow]

I thought LPB got a 10 from them

[Ryo-Hazuki]

it got a 9

[Ryo-Hazuki]

the ign review of fable 2 seems to be on point

[Xtremist]

Great news for Rpg gamers. The game is averaging 93.1 so far in gamerankings = AAA

[Firstkn1ghT]

This game is sure racking up a lot of 10's and 9's. :)

[reckoner]

Don't forget that 8.8 from IGN. :P

All fanboyism aside, this looks awesome. I was a big fan of the first Fable.

[infamous_27]

how did this get a 10/10 but LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4 get a lower score? deffinitly Xbox fanboys..

[bouncybullet]

Not everyone likes a game that is more cutscene than gameplay.

And also promotes smoking.

And has to install every level over and over again.

[djroberts]

Wow, have they no shame? I'm excited about buying this game but a 10? Give me a break...

Note to self, ignore all things from crap magazine "Eurogamer".

[EnforcerOfTheTruth]

LOL Eurogames gives F2 a 10 while others give 7's and 8's. It's the same site that gave LBP a 9, MGS4 an 8 and MS2 a 7. What a coincidence NOT
Billyboy must be paying good.

[Chuk5]

Eurogamer is picky, real picky so for it to get a 10/10 is impressive.Even mgs4 (which admittedly deserved at least a 9)got a 8.Even edge rated it high by their picky standards(9).This has to be a sign of how amazing this game is.

[James Vanderbeek]

fanboy..

eurogamer is the biggest fanboy site..

MGS4 8
LBP 9
FABLE 10
HALO 3 10

LOL.. Give me a break... Fable 2 is going to suck just like fable 1.

[FailStation3]

Or maybe they just prefer games to movies?

[shawnsl65]

nah they just prefer games they can PIRATE off of :)

[NickIni]

Wait, is LBP a movie?

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I wish more people could drop fanboyism and just get both systems cause this holiday is for sure going to be one, that if you don't own both... you're truely going to miss out on some amazing gaming action!