Fable II

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Fable II
Developer(s)	Lionhead Studios
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s)	Peter Molyneux
Composer(s)	Danny Elfman, Russell Shaw
Engine	Proprietary (graphics)[1] Havok (physics)[1] Kynapse (pathfinding)[1] Alienbrain 8 (asset tracking) [1]
Platform(s)	Xbox 360
Release date(s)	NA October 21, 2008[2] EU October 24, 2008[2] AUS October 23, 2008[3]
Genre(s)	Action RPG, Sandbox
Mode(s)	Single player, Cooperative gameplay, Xbox Live
Rating(s)	BBFC: 15 ESRB: M OFLC: M PEGI: 16+
Media	DVD-DL
Input methods	Gamepad

Fable II is an action role-playing game developed by Lionhead and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. The sequel to Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters, it was originally announced in 2006 and released in October 2008.

The game takes place in the fictional world of Albion, five hundred years after Fable's original setting, in a colonial era resembling the time of highwaymen or the Enlightenment; guns are still primitive, and large castles and cities have developed in the place of towns.^[4] Unlike the original, the player may choose to be either male or female.

Creative Director Peter Molyneux played a major role in presenting this game to the public, as he did in the lead up to the release of the original Fable.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Family and relationships 1.2 Character morphing 1.3 Jobs 1.4 Recreation 1.5 Co-operative play 2 Synopsis 2.1 Setting 2.2 Characters 2.3 Plot 3 Marketing 3.1 Tales of Albion 3.2 Online competitions 3.3 Video diaries 3.4 Fable II Pub Games 3.5 Launch trailer 4 Downloadable content 5 Limited Edition 6 Technical Issues 7 Reception 7.1 Awards 8 Sales 9 Sequels 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Gameplay

There are both interactive and non-interactive cutscenes in the game.^[5] According to Lionhead, the non-interactive cutscenes consume less than five minutes of game time.

In the fully interactive cutscenes a player can use their expressions during the dialogue or even run away from the scene, thus skipping it; afterwards the player can return to the cutscene location to start it again. If the player runs away from a cutscene which contained important information, the character will await the player's return.

The player's companion is a dog which the player befriends as a child. This dog follows the player a majority of the time during the game. The dog can learn tricks, fight enemies and find treasure, and lead the way to quest objectives (when required). It can also aid as best it can in combat situations. The appearance of their dog will also mirror the player's choices and changes color depending on the player's alignments; if the player is neutral it will remain grey, being good will turn the player's dog's coat to golden and bad will turn it to black. In the new DLC, "See the Future", it is possible to change the dog's breed with potions. The three choices are dalmatian, bloodhound and husky.^[6]

[edit] Family and relationships

In Fable II, it is possible for the player's character to get married (including same-sex marriage) and have children, and to engage in adultery, group sex, bigamy, and polygamy. Divorce with the player's spouse can occur, and can be initiated by either the spouse or the player themselves. As with a real family, time spent around and interacting with them will keep the bond between them strong and reduce the chance of them leaving. It is also possible to become widowed through the death of a partner.

The relationships, as in the original Fable, are initiated by flirting, gift-giving, and the common expression. By performing a potential mate's favourite expressions, or giving them their preferred gifts, they will become infatuated more easily. Beyond a certain level of interest (or payment, in the case of prostitute characters), a character may proposition the player for sex. Unprotected sex may lead to child birth, but can also lead to sexually transmitted diseases. If the player has purchased or found a condom, they will have the option of protected sex.

[edit] Character morphing

Fable II enhances the system of morphing one's character based on their actions as introduced in Fable. Character morphing revolves around two major alignment scales: Good and Evil and Purity and Corruption.

Good players will find a pleasant look on their hero, with tanned skin and light hair, while evil players will have a scarier look, with pale skin and black hair. Pure players will find that their hero will have a clear complexion and a halo, while corrupt players will find their hero with an ugly complexion with red veins running over their entire body and horns. These scales do not go hand in hand though. It is possible to be good and corrupt or evil yet pure.

Also related to character morphing is the character's slimness or fatness, determined by what foods the player eats; fruits and vegetables (mainly celery), make the player thinner, while alcohol, meat and pies make the hero fatter. In addition, fruits and vegetables give the player purity points (because no animals are harmed in their creation/consumption), whilst meats and alcohol give the player corruption points (because animals were harmed in their creation/consumption and that they can cause drunkenness, respectively).

Leveling up stats also will alter the player's character's appearance. Increasing the Physique level will make them more muscular, increasing the Skill stat will make them taller, and a high level of will power and spells creates glowing blue veins, called Will lines, all over the body.

[edit] Jobs

Unlike Fable, the player does not acquire money through doing quests, but by doing jobs around Albion.^[7] These are Blacksmith, Woodcutter, Bartender, Assassin, Civilian Displacement (Slaving) and Bounty Hunting . The first three involve correctly pressing the A button during certain times, and the next three are combat related. The jobs become available depending on how much renown the player has and how far into the story they are, and the trade skills can be leveled up to level five via promotions, allowing for more money to be made.

[edit] Recreation

Exploration plays a primary role in the game. Like the original Fable, game play is non-linear; main story-advancing missions may be performed whenever the player chooses and there are additional missions that do not affect the storyline. The player may also choose to perform any of the many different jobs, explore dungeons, tombs, and caves, or roam the country side. The player may even choose to kill innocents in town. All of these optional diversions can result in rewards for the player in the form of additional wealth, items, experience points, or character altering attributes. Exploration is essential to discovering much of the games hidden content, in the form of 50 silver keys, special treasure chests, and 50 gargoyles that must be destroyed.

[edit] Co-operative play

Players are able to drop in and out of other player's games at will. The host player can set certain rules; eg. how loot gained is split between the players and if friendly fire is active. The joining player cannot load their custom hero; they must select a premade male or female character. This "henchman" cannot buy property or gamble in their friend's world, nor can he/she accept quests. Co-op can be achieved through Xbox Live, System Link, and by playing on a single console.^[8]

Fable II did not ship with online co-op, but a free Xbox Live downloadable patch has been available since the European/American release date which adds this functionality. Without the patch, players cannot play online due to being disconnected from Xbox Live.

On July 14, 2008 at E3 2008 lead designer Peter Molyneux demonstrated 'Albion Orbs'.^[9] These orbs show where other players are in their worlds and allows bringing them into their world to co-op with.

While on the same console, a second player with their own account can drop in and out as a "henchman" to the first player. If the second player on the same console does not have an account of their own, the henchman is made in a brief character-creation screen that pauses the game. Henchmen created this way are not saved into the main player's game. The first player also decides how much bounty the henchman will obtain, e.g. gold and experience. The second player will also be able to port any experience, renown and gold to their own Fable II Hero via a memory card if they have imported their character and not created the henchman from scratch.^[10] Also, it is possible to use a profile on the Xbox 360 itself to create a henchman, the earned gold and experience being transferred there.

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] Setting

Like the first game, Fable II takes place in the world of Albion, about 500 years later in a setting resembling the early modern period. The Heroes Guild no longer exists; after the defeat of Jack of Blades, Albion entered a period of relative safety and stability during which the increasingly corrupt Heroes were no longer needed. Ultimately the people of Albion revolted against the Guild and destroyed it. Firearms of exotic design now dominate the art of war. Cities such as Bowerstone have now greatly expanded, and the old ideas and religions of medieval Albion have since been ousted by modern ideals of science and philosophy.

There are fewer locations than in the first game, however they have been expanded upon greatly. The islands of Witchwood and Hook Coast, as well as the Northern Waste have been rendered inaccessible. There are also many references to the land of Samarkand in the game, though the player never travels there. The locations where a character can travel are described below. At the beginning of the player's adulthood, they start out at an area called Bower Lake. The other regions are widely varied, and among them are;

The world in Fable II is fully dynamic, interactive and mostly free roaming with no set quest path to take. Since the game takes place over a hero's lifetime, many things can change; Molyneux gave an example of a trade camp that the player could either help or destroy. Trading in such camps would increase their profit, resulting in a small town growing around them.

Additionally, every accessible property (properties that can be entered by the player) in the world is ownable, and ownership often unlocks further quests. In addition to purchasing and renting homes, businesses and stalls are now available for purchase. These businesses produce income for the player every 5 minutes, depending on the quality of the business, the economy level of the town, and the opinion of the shop owner for the player (A shopkeeper with a high opinion will work harder); this happens even while the Xbox 360 is turned off. Rent is also accumulated every 5 minutes. Also, if the player frequents his own shops, the quality of their goods will improve, and improve the quality of the store. Players are able to furnish the houses with furniture and other items available for sale. In addition, titles will be awarded for buying property; if one were to buy every building and piece of land in a town he/she may become the mayor of that town; owning more land leads to higher titles such as king/queen, and eventually Emperor of the entire land of Albion.

The environment in Fable II features trees with branches and leaves that are individually animated according to their own physics, each tree having roughly 120,000 leaves. There are also around 15 million poppies in Albion.^[11]

The world of Albion is fully accessible - in the original Fable the player was restricted by fences, this restriction has now been removed. Peter Molyneux has stated that "if it looks like you can go there, you can go there."

[edit] Characters

Fable II includes various characters both new and old to the series. These include;

• Sparrow: The game's protagonist who is destined to bring together the Heroes of Strength, Will and Skill to stop Lucien from using the Spire. At the start of the game, the hero is known as Little Sparrow (Sparrow when the Hero reaches adulthood). Early in the adventure, the hero meets a dog, which will remain loyal for years. It is implied that Sparrow is a descendant of the Hero of Oakvale, the protagonist from the original Fable and the younger brother of Theresa.
• Theresa (Zoë Wanamaker): A blind Seeress whom the player first meets in Old Town in his/her youth, she encourages Rose to buy the magic box. She is the same Theresa from the previous game due to her knowledge of the past of Albion, including the Old Kingdom, her abilities acquired through the Will, her blindness, her casual mention of Oakvale being "Different than when she'd last seen it" when it had been destroyed several hundred years prior to the beginning of the game, and her knowledge of the Oakvale hero. In the game guide, Art Director John McCormack reveals that it is the same Theresa in both games: "We used a few hooks and links to the original Fable in the sequel. One of the main ones was the use of Theresa, who was the Hero's blind sister in Fable 1. She is now a strange, ageless, wandering fortune teller in Albion who acts as the player's guide throughout the game... but there's more to her than a simple tutorial, quest giving device... she has secrets and her motives aren't particularly clear."^[12]
• Rose (Gemma Boyle): An orphan and older sister of the Hero. Barely surviving on the streets of Bowerstone, she holds little faith in anything, and vehemently believes there to be no such thing as magic. However, this changes when Theresa tells her that a musical box may indeed be magic. She is shot and killed by Lord Lucien at the end of the childhood section of the game, and though she had heroic blood, like the player's character, she is not one of the three, although the hero is the Fourth. If the player chooses the "needs of the few" ending, it is implied that Rose is also resurrected along with Sparrow's family and dog, and that she is with a mysterious man whose face she can't see.
• Lord Lucien (Oliver Cotton): The main villain of the story and Lord of Bowerstone. Lucien's wife and daughter died some years prior to the beginning of the game, filling him with fear. His quest to control the Spire is believed by some to be motivated by the desire to resurrect his family. Although he has a huge effect on the plot he is only seen four times in the game. At the end he is killed by either Reaver or the Hero before he can activate the Spire. His madness seems to have been known about by others than the four heroes and Theresa, as there has been a controversial book written about his state of mind, though it is very rare.
• Sister "Hammer" Hannah (Julia Sawalha): The Hero of Strength, she is the daughter of the Abbot at the Temple of Light in Oakfield. Despite being known for her incredible strength, she starts the game as a pacifist, as per the beliefs of her religious order. However, she soon changes when she joins the Hero's quest to stop Lucien after one of his men assassinates her father. Although she is always ready to fight she eventually realizes that it is causing violence which makes her sick. At the end of the game she chooses to leave Albion to go study with the Warrior Monks in the north. She always has the best intentions, and wishes peace for the world.
• Garth (Ron Glass): The Hero of Will, he was previously associated with Lucien, but after learning of Lucien's malicious intentions, violently leaves him to reside in Brightwood. An incredibly powerful will user, he is a scholar in the Old Kingdom, delving into the history and learning much of the will. At the end of the game he returns to Samarkand, an unseen land and his home country.
• Reaver (Stephen Fry): The Hero of Skill and the mayor of Bloodstone; he is vain, selfish, and arrogant, and is only concerned with himself. Having worked his way up the ranks of Bloodstone as a pirate, his excellent skill with a pistol has served him well. He often tricks or coerces others to do his bidding, and has very little patience. In his youth he sold the population of Oakvale to the Shadow Court for eternal youth, being over two-hundred years old by the time the story begins. At the end of the game he goes to Samarkand with Garth, though Garth warns him to keep his distance.

[edit] Plot

The game begins in the city of Bowerstone, where a young child known as Sparrow and his or her older sister, Rose, dream about living in Castle Fairfax, the home of Lord Lucien. Their fantasies are cut short when they hear a commotion down at the market. A man who goes by the name of Mystical Murgo is selling "magical" wares, such as a mirror that makes one beautiful (though only in complete darkness) and a magic box that grants a wish. Rose scoffs at the idea of magic, but an old woman named Theresa tells her otherwise, suggesting it may in fact be magic.

Interested and curious, Rose and her sibling, Sparrow, decide to collect the five coins required for the box, doing odd jobs such as collecting warrants and posing for a photograph. In this time, they discover a dog getting abused by a bully, which they save. When they finally collect the money needed, they buy the box and wish that they could live in Castle Fairfax. The box then disappears in a flash of light, apparently not working. Dismayed, the two go to their hovel and discover the dog waiting for them.

In the middle of the night, they are awakened by a guard, who escorts them to Castle Fairfax on Lord Lucien's order. Overjoyed that their wish came true, the two follow eagerly. After meeting Lord Lucien and telling him of the box, he asks them to step in a circle on the floor. A blue light emits from the edge of the circle, and to Lucien's anger turns red upon his touch. Proclaiming that they are not any of the three, and one of them is the fourth, he shoots Rose, and afterwards shoots Sparrow out of the window.

Upon waking up, Sparrow learns that he had survived the fall due to his heroic line, and was rescued by Theresa and the dog. Ten years later, Lucien has been rebuilding the Tattered Spire, which grants the user enormous power. Sparrow is told by the elderly woman that they are the descendant of a great hero, and destined to bring Lucien's downfall. However, Sparrow must first find three heroes in order to defeat Lucien with their combined powers. Given the quest to stop Lucien's plans, the Hero begins his great journey.

[edit] Marketing

[edit] Tales of Albion

Lionhead Studios released a section on their website entitled "Tales of Albion",^[13] which provides a back-story to Fable, Fable: The Lost Chapters, and Fable II. In "Fragments of the Old Kingdom", it details how the Archon came to power in Albion, and how the Heroes' Guild was founded. "Tales" also chronicles the end of the Heroes and ruin of their Guild in "Fall of the Heroes", and "Travels in Today's Albion" (which has been completed since its release) describes where some places are and has a little description of each notable area/artifact.

[edit] Online competitions

Just as Lionhead has done with The Movies, online competitions were made available through Lionhead's forums. One such competition was naming a title to be used in the game, similar to the first game wherein a character was addressed by various titles that the character purchased from a "Title Vendor" Lionhead has stated these titles will be bought but they have to be earned first. They are bought from a town crier in Fable II; the winning title was Lionheart. An "insult the hero" competition is also taking place and the winner is yet to be announced.^{[citation needed]} On May 30, Lionhead held a competition for artwork that would be used in the game; there has been no winner announced to date.

[edit] Video diaries

• On May 24, 2007, episode one of The Lionhead Diaries, examining the love and emotion aspect of Fable II was released.^[14]

• On July 30, 2007, episode two was released, highlighting the one-button combat system, and featured the Lionhead staff playing a game of football against fellow Microsoft satellite Rare and winning. It also included a professional combat specialist instructing the animation staff.^[14]

• On October 8, 2007, episode three was released, going in depth about the Central Technology Group, and featured Lionhead's 10 year Anniversary.^[14]

• On January 11, 2008, episode four was released, focusing on how the graphics department made the world of Albion.^[14]

• On March 19, 2008, episode five was released, looking at magic, GDC 2008 and co-op.^[14]

• On June 24, 2008, episode six "Art and the Hero" was released, looking at the artwork of the Hero, Albion, and many different characters in Fable II.^[14]

• On October 2, 2008, episode seven "Music and Audio" was released, showing how and where the main scores were made, where the voice overs were recorded [1] and taking a brief glimpse at the various voice talents for the game.^[14]

• On January 8, 2009, episode eight "Finishing Fable II & Creating Knothole Island" was released, detailing the Lionhead Team's euphoria over having finally completed Fable II, and giving a brief look at how Knothole Island was made, and why it didn't ship out in December 2008.^[14]

• On May 2009 episode nine "See the Future"^[14]

[edit] Fable II Pub Games

In August 2008 Lionhead Studios released Fable II Pub Games. This includes three of the games that can be played in pubs through out Albion; Fortune's Tower, Keystone and Spinner Box. For 800 Microsoft Points all three games can be downloaded on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Alternatively, some video game retailers offered a product code when a pre-order for Fable II was made.

After release, a glitch was found which allowed players to make limitless amount of cash, it is unknown if this affects the in-game character. (Some user reports^[who?] have said that a certain amount of corruption points will be added into the hero's stats after the pub games have been added over. These numbers are unverified but are said to increase with the amount of money gained from this "corrupt" method)^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Launch trailer

On October 17, 2008 Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead Studios released the launch trailer for Fable II on the Xbox Live Marketplace, Xbox.com, and Lionhead.com. The trailer asks 'Who will you become?', while showing the double nature of the world of Albion.

[edit] Downloadable content

Knothole Pack

• Release Date: January 13, 2009 ^[15]
• Premium Content Package: 800 Microsoft Points
• Features: New map, new quests, new items
• Achievements: The DLC includes 3 new achievements worth 100 points.^[16]
• Free Update: Allows users to play with those who have the downloaded the new content. Additionally, extra items, leaderboards, and clothing are available.
• Review: The DLC has received average reviews by critics, who praised the overall quality of the new items, and the production values of the Island itself, but have criticized the shortness of the quest.

See the Future

• Release Date: May 12, 2009 ^[17]
• Premium Content Package: 560 Points ^[18][19]
• Achievements: The DLC includes 13 new achievements worth 250 points.^[16]
• Features: The DLC includes a quest based around three cursed items from Murgo the Trader. In addition to these new quests and items, one new area is included and players have the ability to change the breed of their dog.
• Review: "Fable 2: See The Future should be an essential purchase for Fable fans. It doesn't change things enough to win over anyone who didn't enjoy the main game, but as an expansion it extends the game in ways that are certainly worth experiencing." ^[20]

[edit] Limited Edition

A Limited Edition was available on release date with the following extra features:

• 1 token card for in-game content (downloadable over Xbox Live)
• Bonus disc containing the "Making of Fable II"

[edit] Technical Issues

A number of users, writing on the Fable II message board, have experienced technical issues with the game. The most notable were the freezing,^[21] progression bugs,^[22] and savegame corruption. Many users also experience spouses disappearing, rendering a final quest in the game uncompletable. A complete list of game-breaking problems and other bugs can be found on the Lionhead message board. According to digitalbattle.com, Lionhead is reported to have issued a statement about the bugs, "Some things slip through the net during development, especially when a game is the size and scope of Fable II. Again, we can only apologize for this issue, but we are doing our best."^[23] These issues have not been explicitly mentioned in the Title Update 2 patch notes.

[edit] Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score Edge 9/10 Eurogamer 10/10[24] Game Informer 9.25/10[25] GamePro 5/5[26] GameSpot 8.5/10[27] GameTrailers 8.6/10[28] IGN 8.8/10[29] Official Xbox Magazine 9.5/10[30] Official Xbox Magazine (UK) 8/10[31] VideoGamer.com 9/10[32] X-Play 5/5[33]

Reception for the game has been positive. Reviews cited its adherence to the original's recipe, while praising the changes that redefined the game system, though some reviews claim that there are "minor issues with popping".^{[citation needed]} As of Thursday November 6, 2008, Fable II has received an overall score of 89% on review aggregate website Metacritic,^[34] and 88.7% on Game Rankings.^[34]

^[35]

The "bread crumb" trail feature in the game was welcomed by Eurogamer "as leads you ever onwards to your next objective, but even though you can't get lost it still allows for deep exploration."^[36] OXM lauded the game as a being "probably the most consistent sequel ever made." Combat was cited as being "great when you're winning and nothing but irritating when you're losing" in addition to other flaws.^[31] The game also won X-play's Game of the Year award but has received some criticism from viewers and Kevin Pereira, host of G4's Attack of the Show, who said that either Fallout 3, LittleBIGPlanet, or Left 4 Dead deserved the award more.

PETA praised Fable II for its animal-friendly nature, giving it the Proggy Award for being the most animal-friendly game of 2008, saying that they enjoyed that the game was pro-vegetarianism, giving the player purity points for eating non-meat products and corruption points for eating meat; although there are achievements to encourage players to hurt particular animals.^[16][37]

[edit] Awards

• IGN Best of 2008:
  • Best Original Score (Xbox 360)
• X-play's Best Game of 2008 award
• Joystiq's Best Game of 2008 award
• Best Action and Adventure Game of 2008, British Academy Video Games Awards

[edit] Sales

According to NPD the game gained best selling title in the US across all platforms with 790,000 copies sold ^[38] in its debut month, despite that it was released October 21 which means it was only 9 days sale figure.The game was a successful hit and the best selling RPG title for Xbox 360 as of March 13, 2009 with 2.6 million copies sold.^[39]

[edit] Sequels

Peter Molyneux stated, "We've got plans for Fable III, IV and V actually," and also said "It's a big story arc and if you play Fable II you'll recognize things from Fable I.". No official dates have been announced. ^[40][41]

Following the BAFTA games awards in March 2009, British presenter Jonathan Ross revealed on his Twitter page that he had been offered a voice part in Fable III.^[42] He also went on to say that comedian Charlie Brooker was to lend his voice to the game as well.^[42]

New York Times also inadvently revealed the existence of Fable III by stating the following:

Mr. Atkins, 34, is the lead game designer for Fable III, a video game series produced by Lionhead Studios in Guildford, England. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official UK Website
• Official US Website
• Developer Website
• Video Diary Site
• The Fable Wiki, an external wiki

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