Finally the long awaited Project Ego or Fable as it is now called hits Xbox after what seems like an eternity in development hyperspace. Fable was proclaimed as the greatest RPG ever created and hyped to the max by both the developer’s and the gaming press alike. Gamers have been anticipating this game just as much and to some, hold it in as high esteem as the 2nd coming. After a short experience of the game at Lionhead Studios recently, I was extremely eager to get my paws on this game; well that time has come as I embark on a quest not to see whether the game lives up to the hype but more what the game has to offer.

Gameplay:
What is the core root of Fable? As a western released game, Fable sits within the Action/RPG genre (the westerners answer to the more traditional turn based antics of the Japanese). Although this describes Fable on a basic level, there is a whole lot more to comprehend than meets the eye. It is until you spend a little more time with the game that you will begin to realise that there are other game play elements included as well which perhaps propels the game into another genre entirely. From the game’s offset it is clear that the pathway is littered with many choices to make. Rather than being superficial, these choices become far deeper than simply being good, evil or neutral.

My game begins as I was thrust into the small village of Oakvale, the family home where my character lives with his sister and father. Being a child and very un-hero like, I was requested to take on some tasks for my father so I could gain gold to buy a birthday present for my sister. It was clear by wandering around that there were a number of people who needed talking to. Looking at my on screen radar it showed me locations of these people. Having looked around to familiarize myself with the village it was time to grab some gold so as not to disappoint my sister. The tasks available at this point were pretty mundane for someone with my aspirations however I overcame these with ease, opting to keep out of trouble and do what was asked rather than being a disruptive youth constantly getting into trouble..

In a scene setting experience the bright sunshine disappears, the singing birds stop and darkness prevails. The village of Oakvale is plundered by bandits and burnt to the ground. With the villagers murdered, my father included and my sister kidnapped there is little hope for one such as myself all alone in the big bad world. Luckily I am offered a friendly hand by an unknown friend and am taken to the Heroes Guild. From here on in my adventures take on a completely new path, a far cry from the mundane beginnings of buying presents for family members.

The first part of the game that I’ve just described will be pretty much the same for everyone as its purpose is to simply set the scene. With that out of the way the real adventure begins.

Rescued and now a little older the Guild is the perfect place to begin. The Heroes Guild is simply a hub of intelligence for would be hero candidates. With an extensive library which can offer a wealth of information about the world of Albion, training grounds to hone those skills and a place where your hero can level up and take on new quests.

Training shows the player the arts of fighting with melee weapons, bow and arrows and magic use. These play styles are very different from each other and basically can define what class of character you will be. Once training is complete players will be able to wander the nearby lands and perhaps partake on the first of many quests for aspiring heroes. On close inspection of my on screen persona I noticed that I had already accumulated an ugly scar across my face from a heavy blow received during training.

From the early stages of the game it becomes very clear that the developers present a lot of temptations as players need to be aware of law and order (much the same as our own society) and controlling their own feelings. So for an example I was wondering through one of the local towns to an onslaught of remarks from its inhabitants. Some of these were rather hurtful and it was clear that as an unknown entity folks would say what they thought with no regard. Here I had a choice, do I ignore the remarks and carry on my way or do I get annoyed and show them what I really think. Well this time I let them have their fun knowing that one day they would eat those words although my pride was a little dented.

After a little socialising in one of the taverns where I could buy beer and play mini games I opted to undertake my first true quest. Troubles in the picnic area just outside of town, giant wasps have been spotted attacking villagers. With my trusty bow and sword I set off. Running through the countryside I arrived at my destination where I witnessed normal folks fighting wasps. Pulling out my bow I began to shoot eventually killing them all, however this was not over as a queen wasp reared her ugly head. Larger than the drones I opted to stay far away from her deadly sting. With little effort my bow did the job and I could already see that the skills of being a master bowman were being formed. To much applause and praise from those rescued, the feeling of actually being appreciated was great and something unusual all the same. Upon returning to town it seemed that the appreciation didn’t stop as some folk would remark about my antics which made me feel that I’d achieved something for the greater good. Hurrah for me! Well no, because the game actually hurrahs for you.

After a little more exploring I returned to the guild to get my first taste of levelling up my character. Looking at the four stats which are General: a pool of general experience gained. Strength: a pool of strength based experience from swing melee weapons and such. Skill: a pool of experience gained from using ranged attacks and skills and finally Will: a pool of experienced gained from simply using magic. As mentioned before your basic forms of character creation. So for example, use magic only or more than anything else then expect lots of experience in the Will category.

Each of the 3 categories is then broken down into several sub groups where players can develop their character further. It is here where the real character creation comes into play. As many reviews have stated already this open book is based purely on how you wish to play. As they mentioned that by the end of the game you will mostly end up with a well balanced character, proficient in most areas. I say not entirely, as this maybe one way to play the game the choices available means that there are a whole host of other possibilities open to the player as well. Although by the end of the game it’s easy to get reasonable levels for all skills and abilities as with real life you then become a jack of all trades and a hero who could never match someone more specialised. I say this system is up for lots of experimentation and will offer those willing to create multiple characters the chance to experience a different game-play style every time they play.

During my quests and adventuring in general I opted from the offset to be a skilful character, mastering long range and stealth rather than being a melee fighter. I also opted to be a lower level magic user whereby my only real skills were to provide support magic and summoning. So this combination of master archer and lower level summoner meant that I bordered between archer and witch hunter by the games own character class rating system and experienced a game that played differently to say a full magic user or melee fighter. Looking at the stats you could create a multitude of character types such as Warrior, fighter, druid, thief, assassin, murderer you name it as the game offers you the chance to use your imagination.

I purchased the title of Ranger, it seemed very fitting to how I played the game and looked like. What were also nice to hear was the townsfolk and villagers who tended to agree with the title as well, referring to my new name. This is what makes Fable so great in my opinion as unlike other games where there is scripted feedback to your actions Fable offers far more individual depth and reward.

As a good character, the feeling of seeing how you are perceived in the world growing is amazing and beautiful all the same. Never before have I cared so much for my on screen character in a game, yet Fable makes you care and whether you are good or bad the reactions are well worth it and plays to your inner ego like a maiden plays a harp. From lowly farm boy to grand champion the way people react is simply unmatched as you stride into town with comments flying all over, some that’ll make you weep and some that will make you laugh.

Fable is a rich a varied world whereby once you start getting into the thick of the game will present to you a plethora of choices which I am sure many of you will have read or heard about before. As a hero, quests from the guild are simply one part of the game however a hero can have a life outside of this. One could become a freelance traveller who offers his services to those who need it or perhaps even a trader. For those of you with darker minds can opt to become bandits, thieves, landlords or murderers and such or even combinations of many. However in the case of murderer rather than simply hack n slash anyone who looks at you wrong or says something you don’t like, Fable offers much more depth of character such as leading your victim into some dark woods and killing them there away from prying eyes. Alternatively you could perhaps follow them after a visit to the pub and cut them down in the street. The choices are vast and allow players the chance to really assume the role.

Combat is suitably engaging as players can lock on or not if they choose although there were some instances where locking on to the nearest foe is a pain. The added challenge as well is avoiding killing those you are trying to rescue by mistake. The enemies can be overwhelming at times and react with a fair amount of intelligence, sometimes. Depending on the location and enemy types I found that being an archer had its merits and pitfalls. Combat can appear to be rather hack and slash but its actually a little deeper if you experiment with building up your combo meter. As far as difficulty is concerned then again this is open ended as players can adopt a number of ways in which to make things tougher for themselves. The game does offer some pointers in this field but more so can be gained by using ones imagination.

On the subject of Love what I found particularly sweet was being able to woo a certain hooded female apprentice from the guild. Although looking similar to many others I was attracted to her because of her voice and the fact that she was a fellow archer. After being absent on my travels and returning I was able to see my sweetheart again and from her reactions she was please to see me as well. Showering her with booze and gifts seemed to do the trick as she became mere putty in my hands especially as my popularity grew. Whether we would marry and have sex is another story and one I’m not going into detail here. However I did enjoy my partnership with summoned werewolf, as we travelled the lands together scaring and fighting all that opposed us. Great stuff!

Graphics:
Fable looks impressive and offers much variety in its architecture and environments. With stunning water effects and lighting Fable is beautiful. For those willing to look deeper there are a number of small details to check out which provide a compelling and believable fantasy world. Weather effects, day/night cycles are all on offer and help create a vibrancy that is both visually pleasing and organic. Combine these with the villagers and townsfolk who all get on with their daily lives makes Albion a wondrous setting.

The villagers and townsfolk all look different from area to area although some repeated models are used especially for the faces. Although saying that there is enough variety in clothing for one not to keep seeing clones all over the place (except at the guild where people are uniformed). The main character is something to behold as he is customisable is many ways including gaining the scars from combat. Clothing, weapons and the overall look can be tailored to suit your needs. Hairstyles, tattoos and beards can be added to your character as well as the noticeable changes from eating or levelling up. I guess if one would wish to see all model types then you could be playing Fable for years.

On a negative note there were a number of instances where the frame rate would dip however this wasn’t that frequent and hardly disrupted the game play. On occasion some of the enemies would randomly appear when there was a fair distance between you and them especially when zooming in with the bow. However this didn’t detract from the game play. The character models aren’t as impressive as the environments but do a good job anyways due to their vocal abilities.

Sound:
Fable boasts some extremely high production values both visually and aurally. With a classical score that could rival Hollywood’s greatest, there is real emotional prowess in the games music as it fits the situation you are in. Ambient sounds are also out in force and provide for an excellent accompaniment to the musical score. All voices in game are handled by voice actors with voices being very British and featuring accents from around the country. With a wide variety of expressions and phrases these voices will accompany you throughout the game whether you choose to or not. A lot of the time you will hear the same comments from different people but there generally is enough for it not to start getting annoying plus its great when you hear new comments all the time which you can do so by purchasing a title from a vendor.

Longevity:
Fable is a role playing game in the truest sense as it offers a lot of freedom to the player. Want to be a murdering tour guide? Then you can if you desire it. It is this diverse and varied nature of the game that requires multiple plays. However I’m not sure how many players will get the point of this and decide to try and do all and see all in one sitting. I think this is perhaps the wrong approach and perhaps the game should be seen as how will my adventures unfold if I was a Loveable rogue or a conceited champion perhaps the village idiot who knows as players have choice as much as their minds allow.

As with all stories there has to be a beginning and an end and although the games story is a part of the game and not the longest by any means, players can create their own stories and paths along the way. This is what gives Fable great replay value as a single player experience. Basically players can play until they tire of the game. For me that will not be for a long time.

Round Up:
Fable is an almighty action adventure RPG that sets a new standard for western released RPG’s. Whilst not offering the same level of depth to characters or story as in Knights of the Old Republic, Fable offers a much more experimentation and rewarding free form game play with a silent yet loveable lead character as a representation of your self.. Fable should appeal to all comers as it offers enough simplicity to keep casual players happy and enough depth for those wishing to go that bit deeper. To say that the game is perfect would be a lie as I’ve outlined the game does have some minor issues. That said Fable is an almighty game and one that should sit proud in ones collection. Not the greatest traditional RPG of all time but perhaps one of the best Western released RPG’s to date.