Fable (2004 Video Game) User Reviews

Compelling fluff with good gameplay

[enkephalin07 · 8/10 · 5 March 2008]

The title says it all, so I can be brief. It's an RPG-lite and an epic with all the depth, and the charm, of a fairy-tale. Decent enough dialog, peppered with light humor, and voice acting that sounds professional but pretty much aimed at children. The gameplay value is stronger than the story, and its as engaging and fun as the story. Replay value is low; you could challenge yourself with various character development types, but that won't significantly change the plot.

IMDb wants no less than 10 lines for a review, but brevity is the soul of something they can't be bothered to look up anyway. Fable is worth owning and playing.

Absolutely excellent

[SimplyMe15 · 9/10 · 11 December 2008]

Fable is excellent.

The sheer number of choices in this game are incredible, hundreds of weapons, items of clothing and spells etc. not to mention Lionhead's much publicised 'morality' system. This morality system gives the gamer the choice to play out the game as a saint saving villages, giving beggars gold and generally being an all round good egg or being a downright scallywag! The game never runs out of nasty little sins you can commit, from beating up children and robbing shops, to kicking chickens all around the towns! This choices system, whilst a little black and white is fantastic, adding a real element of playagainability as you try and find out just a little more about Albion every time you play.

Albion itself is beautiful and while the graphics look a little outdated today, they still function well, with the design of the locations making up for their lack of detail.

However where this game really comes into it's own is in humour. There are hundreds of little easter eggs and fun things you can see and do around time. Sometimes you can just stand round the various settlements and await choice quotes from the townsfolk, I recommend youtube-ing fable one for some hilarious videos from the world of Albion.

So your asking yourself, why only 9 stars? Well, to be honest the story is a little generic and the fight scenes can become a little monotonous, but all in all Fable is, along with KOTOR and Halo, one of the flagships of the Xbox and should be settling in a place within everyones collection. Including yours!

Good fun, a must-have for RPG fans

[metalsonic_chaosking · 9/10 · 13 May 2007]

I haven't really played games like Morrowwind (not even sure if that's how you spell it right), but upon purchasing this game and playing it, I was hooked immediately. Let's get to discussing it!

The good points:

: 1. Enemies don't stay just the same throughout the whole game, they vary, from Balverines to bandits to Trolls. 2. A good range of magic spells in the game, some of which require certain alignments to master (Summon, Drain Life, Turncoat, Heal Life, Physical Shield and Berserk). 3. Jack of Blades, I can say, is without doubt, the most evil thing I have ever seen, or can remember. The name Jack may sound a bit lame, but it really works on this game. 4. A good soundtrack, one that won't make people reach for the mute button every time a certain tune comes on. 5. A good collection of weapons, ranging away from just the sword, which is without doubt the most popular of the older weapons. 6. Character expressions are actually realistic.

THE BAD.

1. Allignment spells should be, on Lost Chapters, Infernal Wrath and Divine Fury. 2. On the original Fable, the Goodies do not get some ultimate weapon, like the original Sword of Aeons. Also, this game seems to give evil-doers the benefits of very strong weapons. (Sword of Aeons, Skorm's Bow). 3. Story is limited. 4. battles are far too easy. Resurrection Phials are only needed, for the newer players, in the Arena, if they are trying to do it the whole way without stopping. 5. If one starts off evil from the very beginning, a glitch may occur, where people, instead of fearing you, hate you instead, where they should actually alternate with a mix, mainly fear but. 6. marriage almost seems to mean nothing, it just... happens.

Don't let those last few points discourage you, try it out!

Neat Game!

[bjo2smo · 9 October 2004]

Fable is one of the better RPG games out there (from someone who's been playing RPGs for 20 years). The storyline, though basic, does allow for a lot of wandering and exploring, as well as side adventures not related to the main quest though entertaining and worth taking. This is one of the first games I have seen that has the amount of interaction between the PC and NPCs. The creatures do become progressively more difficult, and you have to always be ready to try something new to defeat them, but learning and mastering the basic skills are what will keep you alive. If you are looking for a game that has a solid storyline, but gives you relative freedom to explore the world, this is a fun, enjoyable, entertaining game.

this game really SHI- i mean HITS the spot

[Laaris8 · 10/10 · 5 January 2023]

Easily one of the most quotable games ive ever played. Compared to the usual open-world RPG, it doesn't really take itself too seriously which is a nice change of pace - definitely a game you can chill out to whilst playing - yes, there's a fishing mini-game.

It's not what the makers promised it was going to be; the storyline doesn't reeeaaally change from the choices you make and there are the odd glitch and bug (e.g you can get the end-game weapons at the start by wall-clipping)

but the beauty can be found in the droll dialogue, the charming soundtrack and the characters - i found the side-quests and their often humerous npc's the most enjoyable parts of the game, along with mixing up the basic-yet-flexible combat system

If you're looking for an easy-going, short-ish RPG then look no further, farm-boy.

A masterpiece

[chrisglazzard · 10/10 · 14 July 2020]

Even after all these years this game is still a pleasure to play, Fable is one of my all time favourite games and was such a revolutionary game back in it's day.

The anniversary version is a great update with remastered visuals & addition items & quests adding in the Lost chapters which adds an extra 3/4 hours on to the end of the original game tying up loose ends and giving you a proper final bad guy battle

Chicken Chaser? Do You Chase Chickens?

[horrors_R_us · 10/10 · 18 August 2006]

I love Fable! It's one of the better RPG's out there. I also recommend just playing the Lost Chapters and skipping the original game all together. That's what I did.

A really cool thing about this game is that you have the freedom to roam lands and interact with the locals and traders. Buying property and marrying chicks (or guys) are just some of the side things you can do.

Overall, it has really good graphics and sound affects. Great realism as well. It rocks that you be good or evil. I also enjoy the expressions.

This game gets a 10/10 for me! Enjoy your game play!

Who will you be?

Molyneux does it again.

[Littlebitsofgaming · 6/10 · 7 January 2008]

Peter Molyneux can pretty much be credited with creating a whole new genre in games. When he made and released "Populous" in 1989, he changed the way games were made forever.

Shame he has not made any truly great games for a while though. All Mr. Molyneux is famous for now is hyping up games so far that when you do get to play them, you feel "robbed". "Fable" is no exception. I'll go back to when this game was called "Project Ego". We were promised an open world that would be fully explorable. Branching missions that changed the story. An exact quote from then was "If there is a fence in your way, just simply jump over it and keep exploring. We won't restrict the gamer's options."

When the game became "Fable"...it lost around 90% of what was said to make the game unique. There is no open fully explorable world, there are no branching missions that change the story, etc.

Fable is a VERY linear RPG. You walk around confined areas with little to see and do. The towns are small and almost unpopulated with very few buildings to use. The only thing kept from "Project Ego" to "Fable" was the fact you could be good or bad, and that is hardly all that interesting either. Other than having NPCs react to you differently, there is no point in being good or bad at all. Still the same story...just the last seconds at the end of the game will be different.

Now don't get me wrong, "Fable" is not a bad game. It's just not the game we were promised. There is still fun to be had, but it's restrictive fun. Being good or bad is pointless and gets tiresome FAST. The story is cliché ridden with no surprises. The side quests and mini games are tedium defined.

From the dictionary...Fable: an untruth; falsehood. Yup, that pretty much sums up the game perfectly.

Fable 2 is being worked on and looks "good". It seems to have more in common with what "Project Ego" was said to be than what "Fable" became. But knowing Peter Molyneux, don't hold your breath.

Needs Work

[pike145 · 5/10 · 13 May 2006]

First of all i think fable had a good plan but what disappoints me is that you don't ave freedom in this game restriction is to high and the tag line does not deliver you fail a mission (good or bad gold or silver) you restart which is pretty dumb and like many have said you get bad points by killing random people Truly i found very stupid is your character ages quick!! YOU cant even buff him up to the brim or he will be 70!! Whats even more stupid is your 70 and everyone else is young those older are still the same! I think Fable needs a better combat system and as for magic a MUCH MORE BETTER SYSTEM! All and all Fable was OK but NEEDS WORK!

I've played it

[Sprunt3 · 16 September 2004]

OK its just as good as I hoped......AND BETTER MUCH BETTER I mean at first I was thinking of almost Morrowind graphics (not that there bad) but this game excels in every way I have played it for 8 full hours it rocks the story the graphics I am just so fully impressed with this game cant wait to hear more from you all its such a fun game there's so many choices you can do so much and its not confusing at all to get started in I am so impressed I hope to see more from these creators but I just don't know if there will be any way to give it this games same Majesty its just an all around fun game so lets see what everyone else has to say

A VERY SATISFIED CUSTOMER

10/10 in my book

P.s. ITS NOT HALO 2 IF YOU WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION IT IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME PLEASE QUIT COMPARING THEM

Much hype about nothing.

[Grumpypheasant · 1/10 · 5 July 2011]

Let's do this thoroughly, starting with technical aspects:

1. Graphics and animation. Bad, bad, bad. I can fish up an old PSX game and have better graphics. Sure, the old PSX game is pixellated and boxy, but at least characters don't have utterly strange proportions, as is the case here.

Animations fare even worse. If you want to credit it, you could say the characters run and act in more realistic way than in some contemporary games (looking at you, Neverwinter Nights 2), but that's as empty a claim as making a movie with better actors than Paris Hilton. The main character, for instance, seems to think he's a racing motorbike: he visibly leans whenever he's making a turn. Once again, we've taken 10 steps back since the PSX era, here!

2. Sound. The music is downright intrusive and annoying, but once you shut it off, the sound effects are tolerable and the voice-work actually pretty good. The game's strongest point, by far.

3. Story. Generic as it gets, with the bonus of starting in the most unengaging way possible. It all unfolds in an even more linear way than any Final Fantasy, but hopes to hide that fact behind a veneer of childish manichaneism: every action you do is either "good" or "evil" and earns you points towards those characteristics. Does a worldview get any more naïve than that?

4. Gameplay. The real meat of any game... and this is where one realises this game has been mislabelled. It's no RPG. It's a mash-up of all kinds of games: imagine the worst possible Devil May Cry clone and you've got something approaching the combat in Fable... but your imagination probably summoned up a better system than the Fable devs could achieve. Some poorly-made MGSing sequences are thrown in, there are a few customization choices to be made (of course, you want to pick "the right ones", not those you like), to try to adhere to the RPG label they've randomly applied to the resulting monstrosity, but when all is said and done, it's poor in all respects.

Frankly, it seems more attention has been payed to the emotes (ATTN 8 year olds: you can fart at people! Greatest game EVAR!) than the actual gameplay.

For every bad choice...the game reloads.

[daemonicsatanicus · 1 December 2004]

Do not take this the wrong way. I'm not really disappointed at the game. I believe it performs well as evidenced by the excellent graphics, the musical score, the voice-overs and yes, story (short and childish as it may be.)What did you expect? Its called Fable.

The advantages overcome the cons only by a hair. However, the game fails to deliver when it comes to fulfilling its tag line

"For every choice a consequence."

yeah, Right. To say that this game gives you freedom is an exaggeration. I've seen better freedom in games like Fallouts 1&2 and Morrowind. There is rarely a chance to do great evil in the game (like chopping off the head of someone you were supposed to rescue and showing it to the person whos looking for them, now thats evil.) Instead evil is gained by randomly killing innocents which is kinda boring. And i got the feeling that it doesn't really reward evil that much. I'm sorry but Fable is just too short and limiting when it comes to quests and side-quests.

However, this game almost seems like a breath of fresh air from other RPGs out there today and it deserves a pat in the back.

this game gets 8 outta 10 quest cards for me.

Not that good

[Thorofasgard13 · 25 September 2004]

First off, I have beat this game and have already tried different types of characters, and truthfully the game is not that good. First it is way too restricting ( as a great fan of Morrowind) this game is just way too limiting. Second the graphics are not that bad But I would have expected better, It is reminiscent of Sudeki. Third, the story isn't bad but very simplistic and childlike even though the game is made for older players. Finally, the game is too short and has very little replay value, I beat it and I really don't want to play it anymore! This is Not the great game i was expecting or that it was being packaged as , Four years of development for a slightly souped up version of the old style Linear RPG, platform game.

A great romp...or is it?

[rising_phoenixdave · 28 September 2004]

So, Fable.

Fable is a surprisingly innovative game in a genre that many have long said lacks innovation. But at the same time, Fable just isn't what it claims to be.

Graphically, Fable is pretty impressive. Certainly not the most polished graphics ever, but still visually very pleasing. Audioly, the music, sound effects, and voices are pretty good. I would imagine some people (like me) would get tired of the pseudo-cockney accent that the world seems to have. Fable is a very beautiful game and, with the right sound system, very pleasing to the ear as well.

It's the rest of the game that falls apart.

Combat, the biggest part of the game (arguably), is little more than mash-the-buttons. One button attacks, and you'll be pushing it constantly. One button dodges and blocks, and you'll use it every so often. That's pretty much it. Sure, there's magic spells as well, but magic can only do so much to curb the monotony of the button mashing.

Although the game has a much touted "evolution" system, there's really not much to it. Either your character gets buff...or he doesn't. There's definitely in-betweens, but who cares? Are you going to go for the semi-buff guy? Not likely. You're going to stay scrawny or go with massive muscles.

As for the replayability of the game, yes, I will admit there's some replayability. However, there are only two endings to the game, good and evil, and once you see both of those, your reason to play the game over again will rapidly evaporate.

There are many quests for your character to accomplish in the game, but with few exceptions, all the quests consist of either beating something down, or, well, beating something down. After a while you don't even care why you're beating something down, you just are.

There's also a definite lack of free will in the game. In every area of the game (and there are many), you are restricted to certain paths. No wandering off the path, no searching for treasure. It's all on your map, and that's all you get. Also, there's no chance to be evil in the quests you take, unless the quest is evil to begin with. For example, in one mission, you have to rescue a boy from the caves and get him back to his grandmother. Killing the boy or letting him die results in mission failure and you have to start over again. Why can't you kill the boy and deliver his head to the grandmother? It would certainly be an interesting and thoroughly evil thing to do.

Fable is a good game, don't get me wrong. I played through it three times in less than a week. However, the game is, at best, incomplete, and lacks the features that would raise it to the level it aspires to. This is definitely a game you should try before you buy.

Final score 6/10