Yikes, this is a big question. I loved the first game in both its forms, but the second (never played the third) was the biggest disappointment in my life as a gamer. The series went wrong in so many ways...
-Interaction: The game creators beam about interaction in Fable 2, but I do not know why. It's notoriously shallow. You hear many people joking about farting as a legit response in a conversation, but it's more sad than funny because its true. Interaction is shallow (get used to that word), every character is more two dimensional than the last one (even Theresa, who tries to be the game's Kreia and fails miserably.
-combat: How did this magic system get approved? The tier system was abysmal, discouraging the player from mixing up spells. Spamming lightning does not make for an exciting battle. I was OK with the ranged combat. Melee worked well enough as well, though some skills should have been available from the start of the game rather than having to buy them with XP. The biggest problem? It was too damn easy. Being swarmed by Balverines was a big deal in Fable, as was happening upon Troll. Not so in Fable II.
-character customization: Armor, hair, and beards were just way more limited in Fable II. I never came across any clothes that looked even just decent.
-Story: The Hero is witless, just a ragdoll possessed by the player and drug through meandering plot points and encountering characters whose motives are fuzzy at best. Is my noble hero really going to watch some asshole kill off an innocent photographer and then ally with the murdering bastard? Why would I trust this shadowy lady who tells me nothing of herself and speaks in half-truths?
-The humor: People say this game is funny. I just don't see it. Are unending jokes about unseemly smells really so great? This isn't British humor, it's Larry the cable Guy humor.
-Menus: They load slowly and you have to go through between two and four submenus just to use some items or equip weapons or clothes. It's just grating tediousness.
-Jobs: Speaking of tediousness. "But it's a job! It's supposed to be boring!" is the response people give when the jobs were complained about, as if the Fable series is about realism.
Blahh. I'm done. I really don't think Lionhead is ever going to make the game I was hoping for when I first heard Fable II was announced.
And let's dispel a myth:
"If you listen to the hype, you'll be disappointed". I don't need to give a bad game such an excuse. I came in only having heard that there was a sequel to Fable and nothing else. I bought Fable II because I loved the first game and hated it tremendously. How much you listen to Peter Molyneaux will likely have little to no effect on your enjoyment of the game.
-Interaction: The game creators beam about interaction in Fable 2, but I do not know why. It's notoriously shallow. You hear many people joking about farting as a legit response in a conversation, but it's more sad than funny because its true. Interaction is shallow (get used to that word), every character is more two dimensional than the last one (even Theresa, who tries to be the game's Kreia and fails miserably.
-combat: How did this magic system get approved? The tier system was abysmal, discouraging the player from mixing up spells. Spamming lightning does not make for an exciting battle. I was OK with the ranged combat. Melee worked well enough as well, though some skills should have been available from the start of the game rather than having to buy them with XP. The biggest problem? It was too damn easy. Being swarmed by Balverines was a big deal in Fable, as was happening upon Troll. Not so in Fable II.
-character customization: Armor, hair, and beards were just way more limited in Fable II. I never came across any clothes that looked even just decent.
-Story: The Hero is witless, just a ragdoll possessed by the player and drug through meandering plot points and encountering characters whose motives are fuzzy at best. Is my noble hero really going to watch some asshole kill off an innocent photographer and then ally with the murdering bastard? Why would I trust this shadowy lady who tells me nothing of herself and speaks in half-truths?
-The humor: People say this game is funny. I just don't see it. Are unending jokes about unseemly smells really so great? This isn't British humor, it's Larry the cable Guy humor.
-Menus: They load slowly and you have to go through between two and four submenus just to use some items or equip weapons or clothes. It's just grating tediousness.
-Jobs: Speaking of tediousness. "But it's a job! It's supposed to be boring!" is the response people give when the jobs were complained about, as if the Fable series is about realism.
Blahh. I'm done. I really don't think Lionhead is ever going to make the game I was hoping for when I first heard Fable II was announced.
And let's dispel a myth:
"If you listen to the hype, you'll be disappointed". I don't need to give a bad game such an excuse. I came in only having heard that there was a sequel to Fable and nothing else. I bought Fable II because I loved the first game and hated it tremendously. How much you listen to Peter Molyneaux will likely have little to no effect on your enjoyment of the game.
