Fable II

[SniptheShadow]

Is Fable II out yet? And if it is, has anyone bought it and played it?

And lastly, if it's out and someone has played it a bit, is it as cool as the TV commercial they made to advertise it?

Just curious since I saw there was a Fallout 3 thread. And I plan on buying that game as soon as funds allow, too.

Thanks

Snip

[Kraldor]

Fable 2 came out on October 21st.

I gotta wait til they port it over to PC.

[Hahr_Jinn]

You.

Fable 2 is definitely fun, but very easy. It's much more an action RPG than an RPG. The interface is very straight-forward and really starts to shine as you become more powerful. The aimed ranged ability and the charging magic is fun.

That said, I've already beaten and traded in Fable2. There really isn't much to do once you beat the main quest, and, enjoyable as the interface is, there's little to no strategy in the battles. It's fun, for a bit, but it's easily beatable w/ most of the achievements in a solid week or two' playing, and there's not much to go back for.

The coop, such as it is, is abysmal, so don't pick it up if that's a deciding factor. The 2nd character joins s a generic henchman w/o any of the really enjoyable abilities. Also, the camera goes from free control to a constant angle that can be re-centered by either party. It really bites. If silly little things like decapitations, buying property, and posing while farting for statues are your cup of tea, this will be a good romp.

As for Fallout 3, I can't say as much as I'm only a few hours and 5 levels (out of 20) in. It is a very different shooter, but very much like Oblivion w/ guns, except for the V.A.T.S. combat system which allows you to pause at times to line up a few attacks.

In complete contrast to Fable, Fallout is very difficult, bringing back a lot of Obl's nuances, like degrading equiptment, an open-ended, sandbox world that can overwelm you in an instant, and an early shortage of useful equiptment; in addition, the ubiquitous and useless real world items that you can sell for a buck (or a bottlecap in this case) are back, making maximizing Fallout a lot of run, retrive to carry weight max, and run back again.

Fallout also starts much more slowly than Fable, so if you want to jump in and kill some stuff, Fable's probably the better choice. Even 5 levels in, you still have to be very careful about encounters in Fallout and approach them methodically, as very few kills give commensuate equiptment or xp. I've found Fallout to be a lot of fun, but certainly not a blast, and have powered down the xbox on a number of occaisions due to how hard it is to maximize your play in an encounter.

Finally, in terms of variety, the games offer a mixed bag in that you'll need to replay Fallout (or buy the guide) to really be decent in most of the skills, whereas it's very simple to be good at Fable's 3 offerings: might, magic, and boomstick. Fable's replay value, though, is nil to me.

Bang for the buck? Fallout, hands down.
Enjoybale romp through a baddy's viscera? Fable (though Fallout is as gratuitously gorey as I've seen). Fallout is just too slow to be called a romp.

I certainly don't sell myself as a master gamer, but Fallout is as tough of an Xbox 360 game as I've played. I'd suggest renting Fable and buying Fallout, though buying Fable and trading it for Fallout is viable as well.

Considering your previous posts on Tool, I'd expect you to enjoy the complexity, irony, and methodical nature of Fallout more than the instant gratification and simple pleasures of Fable.

[Bekki]

I have played and beaten Fable.

And I truly enjoyed it...

The Only real complait I had was the
Rapid Aging of your character...

Don't get me Wrong...

I LOVED the fact that as the game went on your character aged, but
it just seemed that you Aged a little TOO fast...

As to Fallout?

A bit of advice...
(For those that may have never played any of the FALLOUT series...)

And this is cool...

Almost EVERYTHING has a use in the Game!

For instance, in "Fallout" Two.

If you "Spend the Night" With one or two certain characters,

(And that is Whether or Not you play a Male OR female character...)

it can Change the Whole ending of the Game!

And then again; if you have an "Specific" Item in your inventory...

It can prevent that! And Spawn a completely DIFFERENT Ending...

Almost everything in the game of Fallout 3

Likely has a Use, It's figuring out
What they are for that is the fun part!

[Hahr_Jinn]

Another 10 or so hours into Fallout 3 and it's not even close. While Fable 2 is fun, Fallout 3 is amazing. Simply amazing. The combat is rewarding and frenetic, the story interesting, and the development fantastic. You're missing a gem if you skip this.

As to Becki above, um, I think the age issue is Fable 1 (Fable 2 has the same issue, but w/ weight gain), and I'm not sure anyone is considering Fallout 1+2 for anything, considering how dated they are, although good games in their times, they are just too slow, IMO, for modern gaming.

[SniptheShadow]

You.

Fable 2 is definitely fun, but very easy. It's much more an action RPG than an RPG. The interface is very straight-forward and really starts to shine as you become more powerful. The aimed ranged ability and the charging magic is fun.

That said, I've already beaten and traded in Fable2. There really isn't much to do once you beat the main quest, and, enjoyable as the interface is, there's little to no strategy in the battles. It's fun, for a bit, but it's easily beatable w/ most of the achievements in a solid week or two' playing, and there's not much to go back for.

The coop, such as it is, is abysmal, so don't pick it up if that's a deciding factor. The 2nd character joins s a generic henchman w/o any of the really enjoyable abilities. Also, the camera goes from free control to a constant angle that can be re-centered by either party. It really bites. If silly little things like decapitations, buying property, and posing while farting for statues are your cup of tea, this will be a good romp.

As for Fallout 3, I can't say as much as I'm only a few hours and 5 levels (out of 20) in. It is a very different shooter, but very much like Oblivion w/ guns, except for the V.A.T.S. combat system which allows you to pause at times to line up a few attacks.

In complete contrast to Fable, Fallout is very difficult, bringing back a lot of Obl's nuances, like degrading equiptment, an open-ended, sandbox world that can overwelm you in an instant, and an early shortage of useful equiptment; in addition, the ubiquitous and useless real world items that you can sell for a buck (or a bottlecap in this case) are back, making maximizing Fallout a lot of run, retrive to carry weight max, and run back again.

Fallout also starts much more slowly than Fable, so if you want to jump in and kill some stuff, Fable's probably the better choice. Even 5 levels in, you still have to be very careful about encounters in Fallout and approach them methodically, as very few kills give commensuate equiptment or xp. I've found Fallout to be a lot of fun, but certainly not a blast, and have powered down the xbox on a number of occaisions due to how hard it is to maximize your play in an encounter.

Finally, in terms of variety, the games offer a mixed bag in that you'll need to replay Fallout (or buy the guide) to really be decent in most of the skills, whereas it's very simple to be good at Fable's 3 offerings: might, magic, and boomstick. Fable's replay value, though, is nil to me.

Bang for the buck? Fallout, hands down.
Enjoybale romp through a baddy's viscera? Fable (though Fallout is as gratuitously gorey as I've seen). Fallout is just too slow to be called a romp.

I certainly don't sell myself as a master gamer, but Fallout is as tough of an Xbox 360 game as I've played. I'd suggest renting Fable and buying Fallout, though buying Fable and trading it for Fallout is viable as well.

Considering your previous posts on Tool, I'd expect you to enjoy the complexity, irony, and methodical nature of Fallout more than the instant gratification and simple pleasures of Fable.

Wow!

Thanks for all the info.

I think you're dead on: buy Fallout and rent Fable.

I know I logged plenty of hours playing both Oblivion and Morrowind before that, so it goes to show I get down deep into Bethesda games, and Fallout 3 looks right up my alley. If they ever made an MMO...oh boy!

Anyway, thanks again for the in-depth post. Much appreciated!

Snip

[Memnir]

Fallout 3 is quote simply the best game I've played this year. Or for quite a few prior...
I am playing an evil assassin type character, who rips off nearly everyone and is utterly brutal if I can get in a sneak attack. While my wife is playing a good character, with great medicine and speech abilities. The game is rewarding played both ways - and probably any other way you can try. I'm thinking of making more of a techie on my next go around in the game, (and I'm not even close to being done with my first), and yes there will be a next go around. Right now I'm at level 16, and not close to being done with the main quest.

You can craft weapons, find hidden stat/ability boost items, and try to find different ways to end just about every quest in the game. The game is also approachable for people who have never played a Fallout title before. My wife never has, and she is as hooked as I am. We're at the point of bartering for more time. hehehe

Bethesda simply knocked the ball out of the park on this one. I played about 20 hours of Fable II, as a game-tester for Microsoft. Fallout 3 is superior in almost every aspect.

[Aeneas]

grrr, i had fallout 3 in my hands like an hour ago and put it down to buy crysis (it was like 30 bucks cheaper)


Guess i'll be heading back to the store in a month or two for fallout :/

[GlassCannon]

Fable2 is fun, and Fallout 3 does its best to never get old... there's a lot of replay value in both, moreso in Fallout 3, especially with all the Modding capacity.

Fable and Fable2 are quite different, but use similar templates, so the flow gives a veteran of Fable a comforting sense of familiarity, while presenting a good introduction to one new to the Fable series. Fable ages you in incredible increments for every bit of experience you use, whereas Fable 2 just makes you more Attractive. Fable uses an instant spell system, dependent on levels of XP spent to empower said spells, whereas Fable 2 engages a new concept for spellpower - charging through 5 levels of spells, the speed dependent on the total amount of Will experience spent. Fable uses a multiple-tier Weapon Addon system, with stacking enhancements... Fable2 uses a substantially less powerful, but more user-friendly system of a standard of 1-2 augments per weapon, instead of up to 5(Fable), the effects of which do not stack. Fable literally required the user to employ twitch skill by Dodging and Blocking most of the attacks that came their way in realtime, using a cumbersome and wholly brutish control scheme, whereas Fable 2 is more forgiving and allows for more time to react to things, more time to block, and a more user-friendly control setup. Fable uses a Quest/Guild Teleport system from point A to point B, instantly, whereas Fable 2 employs a Daggerfall-style "Pick a spot and quick-travel for X amount of hours/days" system. The Guild Seal in Fable 2 also functions differently in that a Navi-style Warning Message isn't played every half second(HEY!!! LISTEN!! HEY!! LISTEN!! HEY!! LISTEN!!!) upon injury or expenditure of Mana(which is not used in Fable2). Instead Theresa, a character from Fable1, speaks to you regarding notes of interest, or reminds you every 3 hours or so to do your freaking quest. Fable1 employes a "Buy a Marital Home" function, as a side-quest for the Marriage nonsense. Fable2 changes the system completely, permitting a player to literally purchase every residence and business in Albion, and incur a 5-minute tick of income(This 5 minute system is based on our clocks, not on the game clock... so if you have a Rent income of $100 for every 5 minutes, and leave for a week, expect to see $201,600 deposited upon your person when you log in, as opposed to Fable1, where you have to grab the sack off the ground).

All in all Fable 2 is still great fun for me, especially wiping out entire towns, the reloading and continuing my adventures. Yes, I employ the "DON'T RUN! DON'T RUN!! AAHAHHAHAHAHA!!" tactic when doing this(and Force Push makes for some rather funny ragdoll effects). I find it is a great release... then you turn around and everyone loves you again... so you play the lute for them.

Fallout 3 is another story entirely, and is recommendable if you are into the post-apocalyptic fiction stories... very well put together, and your replies to everyone and everything really do change what happens in the story. I have yet to find all the endings, but then, I am having fun modding the ever loving snot out of it.