Fable 2: A Review

At the behest of my brother, I decided to pick up a copy of Fable 2 this past weekend. Having really heard nothing about it before and my brother's usual taste in games, I was skeptical of finding anything of value in this thing. Boy was I wrong. So here is my halfway through the game review.

Gameplay:
I was a bit surprised by the ease of playability of this game right out of the box. Unlike games such as Mass Effect, it assumed you had no idea how any of the controls worked and had a guiding voice to help you along the way in the early parts of the game. The use of lock-on aiming as well as free aim shooting removes unneeded frustration from those of us who are used to the point and click FPS games on the PC, one thing Mass Effect significantly lacked. I found the controls to be easily understandable within minutes. I realize this section may have turned into a Mass Effect bashing, but to be fair I was really disappointed in that game which seemed to be hyped up a lot more than Fable II.

Graphics:
Simply amazing. If you have the means to play this game in 1080p you will not be disappointed. This is virtually no static background scenery at all. The dynamic world constantly changes around you. Almost all buildings are able to be entered either peacefully or otherwise. I am really not sure how else I can put how awesome the graphics are for this game.

Story:
The story line is relatively simple, in a good way. Basically if you enjoyed how Zelda: Ocarina of Time unfolded for the Nintendo 64, you will enjoy this game. There are many side quests for you to go on along the way. And, from what I'm told, the game doesn't end when the story line does enabling you to continue to explore the world.

Other:
This game is unique (for me at least) in the sense that every action you take has either a positive or negative effect on not only you, but the people you interact with. Kill a store owner and you will become more evil and the town will suffer. Bring a bunch of warrants for criminals back to the sheriff and you will get a discount at local stores while the city prospers. Another thing to keep in mind is that this game is rated M for mature, and for good reason. It allows you to not only marry someone, it allows you to marry ANYONE, if you get my drift. Multiple partners of both genders. You can also have either protected or unprotected intercourse with them. With that in mind, this is definitely a game that should be played by adults only.

Although I have not yet completed the game, I can safely say it is one of the better titles for the Xbox 360, again, unlike Mass Effect. A must have for a person who enjoys the RPG model of gaming will surely not be disappointed.