Your opinion on Fable...

[quinriva]

Is it just me or did Microcrap/Lionhead's game Fable: The Lost Chapters just suck?

Now I played Fable, and after spending 3 days just getting it to work, so that I could get past the tutorial stage, I felt sorely disappointed having finished the XBox (original) component of the game just 6 hours later. Now there is something to be said for what was attempted in the game, but all the hype that Microsoft but up about how open the game is and how you can do anything and how it affects the world; one just can't help but compare it to Morrowind, GTA:SA and KOTOR 2 (and KOTOR 1). Now GTA:SA has crap graphics, Morrowind's animations are pathetic and KOTOR is well a bit repetitive - but then every game has its flaws. Nope not Fable, the only flaw in fable was its release on the PC. Now granted this isn't Dai Katana (did anyone read FS's review of that game?) but Fable just isn't worth the polycarbonate disk that it's printed on.

Lets start with the fact that it doesn't run. Yep it's incompatible with everything from 6800GT's to Creative Audigy sound Cards to my Keyboard. Yes even my keyboard, you see I'm an Australian whom uses a Dvorak (as opposed to Qwerty) layout. Now sometimes this mean I have to reconfigure key from WASD to <AOE, and I accept this. Top notch games will recognise may layout and rearrange the keys accordingly (UT2004 etc.). But Fable just gives a random Crash to desk top half way through training with no explanation - EVERY SINGLE TIME!

Now the games not quite as buggy as boiling point, but then boiling Point had patches to fix the bugs.

Playing the game was about as challenging as touching my toes - with my othe foot.

I felt like the game was made for an 8 year old who got a kick out of running around in CS with god mode on. Because it's all about how many things you can kill regardless of whether or not they can hurt you. Wow you can be evil. You can either kill the travellers or protect them. So what? What does being evil get you. Can you not wear armour or not use items or casts spells because your too evil? Can you not get healing because your too evil? Will people refuse to sell to you because your evil? NO! Apart from looking evil and having peasants run away from you (unless you try to talk to them, then they suddenly stop caring) being evil in no way affects the game.

And what I about the final scene were you have to kill some guy and you can only hurt him with a bow? Seriously kids, you just made a game where only an archer can win. So I decided to be a Barbarian I have never picked up a bow in my life and suddenly BAM, the game can't be won.

Now admittedly the game is rather pretty and does look pretty cool, but then that's not too hard when the game world is about as big as my backyard and there are only 4 suits of armour to model (and a whopping 3 textures on each). There were more weapons and armour in the first Level of Diablo 1 then the whole Fable game!

Now lets have another look at how challenging the game was. I was never a huge fan of Diablo, and although I did get halfway through Act 2 or the third (highest) level of Diablo 2 LOD before completely bored, I did enjoy the game. It was challenging and there was always the endless Mephisto runs to get that full suit of unique armour. Now Diablo was a very linear hack and slash dungeon crawl - nothing more, nothing less. Fable on the other hand, well 10 seconds after I finish the tutorial I go and get a haircut and a beard; suddenly I maxed out my attractiveness and scariness stats. WTF, I've only just started the game. Now what do I do?

So I saved a bit of money and bought a Master Greatsword - apparently the best weapon in the game (now the weapon you get when you finish the game really isn't any better and what are you going to do with it, you've already finished the game?) Let’s compare how you get good weapons in other games:

Morrowind – generally kill a few hundred Daedra then Soul Trap a Golden Saint in an Ultra-rare Grand soul gem and spend a bazillion gold paying someone to enchant the sword with a spell using your soul gem

KOTOR – Kill big bad Sith to get a light sabre and find various components to add to it throughout the game

GTA – how about a flame thrower or rocket launcher, ok a bit easier but then every time you die (which is far, far more often) you have to go get it again. This generally envolves doing lots of missions to have the guns spawn outside your house or always spending money on them. And they have ammo which needs replenishing!

Diablo 2 – Kill Mephisto or Diablo, over and over and over again.

Q.E.D.!

Now I can overlook the shoddy controls, as they obviously work better on the XBox but I can't target my fireballs at the explosive barrel which all the bad guys are standing next to? What's with that? The auto-target automatically selects monsters and although I can switch between which monster I want to attack I apparently cant target a barrel - a barrel full of gunpowder next to the monsters - and no shooting a fireball at the monster standing next to the barrel does not cause the barrel to explode - but hitting it with a sword does?

Ok fair enough if the game was aimed at kids, but its not. There is profanity, there is a brothel where you can pay for sex, and you can kill innocent people. Fable is not a children’s game.

I bored now. I think I've written about 2000 words on the forum tonight so I'll be back after I get some sleep. Be warned, I have not finished my rant!