Fable II - Initial Thoughts

Buying Fable II was an esential purchase in our household, much in the same way other, saner households have a kitty for milk, or bread, or other essentials, we have a kitty for Fable II. Well, that's a bit of a lie, but considering how much my best friend cum housemate and I had enjoyed the original Fable, Fable II was very much anticipated for several weeks.

And on a brief sidenote here, is it just me, or does time drip by slower the less time one has to wait for something? When waiting for a game/book/chicken release, months can pss by like nothing, but as the release date comes up to being only weeks, or days away, time......... just......... seeeeeeeeeeeeeps........ along..........

.......Anyway, on to the game. If readers are familiar with Fable, it will come as no surprise that the second installment is in Albion.... five hundred years after the events of the first game. We're now in a time loosely based on the 1600s, with guns and cities. The Heroes Guild appears to be no more (so none of that uppity Guildmaster trying to boss me round anymore, booyah!), and magic is almost unknown.

The plot so far sticks comfortably to the formula established in the first game; A seemingly run-of-the-mill child (with your choice of gender this time), is singled out by fate, has bad things happen to their loved ones, and sacrifices their entire childhood/adolescence to training to avenge their family. It may be a bit overused, but it's comfortably familiar, and probably a very plausible reason to train for Hero-hood (I wouldn't know. No one has killed my loved ones, and even if they did, there are leglities in place that frown upon Fable-style vengeance).

But wht I've been enjoying the most so far is the vastly expanded upon social system. Now, when you talk to villagers, you can find out their personality traits (for example, flirty, or aggresseive), their sexuality, and their likes/dislikes. Which makes buying gifts and flirting much easier! I've already gotten my character engaged, and I've only been playing for about 3 hours. Unfortunately for me, I chose an aristocratic mate, and have to provide for them in the manner to which they are accustomed. Sigh. An added bonus is being able to butter up the shopkeepers, which can give you, the player, mad discounts on their wares.

In reference to money, in the absence of the Heroes Guild and an establihed I-quest-then-you-give-me-money system, the best way to make some dosh in modern Albion is to get a job. That's right you lazy layabouts, contribute to society! The "jobs" are comprised of mini games, in the "Hit this button at that time" style, and are quite enjoyable (I spent a lot of time uncomplainingly blacksmithing to earn money to buy a house, but these sorts of mini games tend to suck me in). You can also get promoted in these jobs, which means you get more money, which is desirable when one has lots of stuff to buy.

Considering that so far I've only really played the "job" mini game, and explored the new social features, I don't have too much to say. To sum up so far however, I'm very impressed, and look forward to writing a follow up to this initial thoughts post; if I can wrestle the controller back from my housemate!