Fable Rant, Defending Fable 2

[LogicNProportion]

NOTE: First, I should warn you that this is going to get long-winded. Second, I know that I am in the minority here. This is going to be a rant, followed by you, the people, giving me your 2 cents. Please no flaming me for this...

Alright, so, I just came straight from the News Thread concerning Fable 3's Peter Molyneux's announcement on how a few changes to the Fable franchise may piss off players. While what he said, was overall, no big deal, I couldn't help but notice that the majority of people on the comments section growling and snarling about not only Mr. Molyneux, but the Fable franchise itself. More specifically, Fable 2.

Now, I loved Fable, and by extension, I treat my copy of Fable: The Lost Chapters, like gold. When Fable 2 was announced, I was ecstatic, because one of my favorite games ever was getting a sequel! With every passing week, I scoped the net for new info on Fable 2. (In all honesty, I do this with Fable 3...and The Old Republic.) Now, of course, we all know Molyneux, like the massive troll he is, practically lied about a lot of the features he said were going to be in Fable 2, for better or for worse. However, at that time, I trusted Molyneux, and bought the game a week after it's release. I would have bought it sooner, but money was unavailable for it at that time.

And I'll say this, I LIKED Fable 2. It was, for me, what I expected for a sequel, if not a bit disappointing that there was no armors to put on, but I had known that for months, so I didn't really care that much.

Now, I read on the aforementioned comments section that people were calling Fable 2 one of the worst games on the 360. No, really, take a look. It was only 2-3 people, but there were others calling it bad, shit, etc. Now while everyone has their opinion, you have to keep in mind how literal that looks. Was Fable 2 REALLY the worst game they could think of for the 360?

Kingdom Under Fire? Two Worlds?? Too Human!? Those effin' Burger King games!?!?

Compared to a lot of the crap we're forced to sift through as gamers, looking at Fable 2 for all of it's features, treasures, and flaws, is Fable 2 really a BAD game? I wouldn't expect anyone to say it's above average, but it is by no means horrible, right? Who cares if Molyneux lied about seeing your wife be pregnant, or your dog keeping track of your stats? Who cares if it turned out to be linear? I see Mass Effect and Bioshock get praised daily on here, that had that same formula, where things were ultimately linear! Come on people! It was entertaining! It had wit! It was pretty! It killed time! It didn't hurt your ears! And so on and so forth! I'm all for hyperbole, as a writer of fiction, but even fiction has to make some kind of coherent sense or people start plugging their ears with their fingers and going "Lalalalalala can't hear you!"

I'm not expecting to sway anyone's opinions, but I'm hoping to at least make people think about what they're saying, even just a little bit.

TLDR; I'd normally say "Fuck you and read you lazy bastards!" but I'm trying to get as much ground and response as I can here, so, basically: "Fable 2 is seen as a bad game, when there are truly turds out there. Is Fable 2 honestly the worst game out there, or even that bad at all?"

Please, tell me what you think about all this, my fellow Escapists. And yes, I do have the flame shield ready. (Except I made mine out of Cold-Iron because I roll like that.)

-LnP

 

[BlumiereBleck]

I liked Fable 2, it was the first one I played.

 

[Benmonkey7]

Well I enjoyed Fable 2, but I didn't pay any attention to the hype or anything so I wasn't disappointed in the least bit.

 

[sharkinz]

I really enjoyed Fable and Fable 2. I don't understand why some people think Fable 2 is so bad, some aspects were kinda disappointing in some regards but it had many redeeming qualities as well.

 

[Radoh]

I'd have preferred if they kept the camera closer to your hero and had the conversations like in the original, the second seemed rather distant, as though I had no connection to the character I was following. But even with that being my most major gripe, I still defend it, it was a fun game.

 

[Zyst]

I agree with you, but you are not really defending it. You are saying it's not the worst out there, on basis of trolls saying it was the worst game on the Xbox 360. If you are taking comments like that literally then I have seen at least a hundred people claim that Halo was the absolutely worst piece of crap that could have befallen the Xbox. So, basically, don't take comments so seriously.

 

[LogicNProportion]

I agree with you, but you are not really defending it. You are saying it's not the worst out there, on basis of trolls saying it was the worst game on the Xbox 360. If you are taking comments like that literally then I have seen at least a hundred people claim that Halo was the absolutely worst piece of crap that could have befallen the Xbox. So, basically, don't take comments so seriously.

It's not that I take comments seriously, and I'm stubborn/loyal enough to stick to my own ideals and feelings about what I believe in.

However, it bothers me to see people saying that as if that IS, in fact, their idea of it, even with added exaggeration.

It's a whole, think before you act, kind of mentality, I suppose...

 

[Irridium]

I liked Fable 2. However there were things that I had some problems with. I'd go into detail but I already did that a year ago [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.126128-For-my-1000th-post-a-Fable-2-Review-Yes-there-will-be-spoilers].

Honestly, what I've learned is to never listen to Peter. Don't follow anything he says. If you do that I can guarantee you'll enjoy Fable. Or at least significantly hate it less.

Its what I did with Fable 1 and 2, and I loved the games.

 

[hittite]

I haven't played Fable 2. Not because I judged it to be crap, but because there's a black hole where my wallet used to be. I played Fable and really liked it. I followed some of the news on Fable 2 and thought it looked good. Besides, everyone knows the worst game on the 360 was MW2, right?

(please note: the last sentence was meant as a feeble attempt at humor and should in no way be taken seriously. please don't hate me.)

 

[linkzeldi]

I loved fable 2, loved it until the end boss. Then I began to feel disappointment. Perhaps it was because I never heard peter Molyneux's false promises.

 

[Internet Kraken]

You are correct in saying that Fable 2, when compared to obscure, crappy games that got little attention, is not really that bad. However, when you take Fable 2 and compare to other games that are popular (say, Bioshock and Fable 2 is suddenly looks much worse. I think when people say Fable 2 is a bad game, they mean that in comparison to the more popular games out there. If we compare all games to cheap little budget titles, then any game made by highly funded projects pushed out by large developers.

So while it may not be a "bad" game, I can understand people when they say it is. Personally I was able to enjoy it somewhat, but I think p[art of that was due to me avoiding the hype surrounding it. Apparently, even if took what Molenux said with a grain of salt, the hype still gave massive false impressions about the game. I heard a few things about it prior to launch, and most of these things were not in the game. Or they were, but in a butchered form compared to what was described.

Also I agree that a linear story is not necessarily a bad one. What makes a game have a bad story is when it has shitty writers. And Fable 2 had really shitty writers. The main plot made no sense, had awful characters, an unsatisfying climax, and forced arbitrary choices on the player that were silly and had no logic. Plus the main plot takes itself way to seriously, and clashes heavily with the otherwise humorous world of Fable 2. Fable 2's sidequests mostly use dark humor and don't take themselves seriously, and are enjoyable. The main story tries to be dark and serious, which doesn't meld at all with the the other (good) parts of the game.

 

[Danpascooch]

SNIP

Fable II had a LOT of problems when compared to the original, the original had many things the second did not

1.) Armor
2.) A story that was interesting
3.) Characters that were interesting (like Whisper)

And Fable II had a lot of mistakes:

1.) No minimap
2.) Broken Multiplayer
3.) An economy that allows you to get experience simply from being a job whore and buying potions rather than DO anything.

That said, Fable II was enjoyable, and to me, probably worth about $30, not $60 like the original.

However, anyone who says it's "bad in general" is just an idiot.

 

[IamSofaKingRaw]

NOTE: First, I should warn you that this is going to get long-winded. Second, I know that I am in the minority here. This is going to be a rant, followed by you, the people, giving me your 2 cents. Please no flaming me for this...

Alright, so, I just came straight from the News Thread concerning Fable 3's Peter Molyneux's announcement on how a few changes to the Fable franchise may piss off players. While what he said, was overall, no big deal, I couldn't help but notice that the majority of people on the comments section growling and snarling about not only Mr. Molyneux, but the Fable franchise itself. More specifically, Fable 2.

Now, I loved Fable, and by extension, I treat my copy of Fable: The Lost Chapters, like gold. When Fable 2 was announced, I was ecstatic, because one of my favorite games ever was getting a sequel! With every passing week, I scoped the net for new info on Fable 2. (In all honesty, I do this with Fable 3...and The Old Republic.) Now, of course, we all know Molyneux, like the massive troll he is, practically lied about a lot of the features he said were going to be in Fable 2, for better or for worse. However, at that time, I trusted Molyneux, and bought the game a week after it's release. I would have bought it sooner, but money was unavailable for it at that time.

And I'll say this, I LIKED Fable 2. It was, for me, what I expected for a sequel, if not a bit disappointing that there was no armors to put on, but I had known that for months, so I didn't really care that much.

Now, I read on the aforementioned comments section that people were calling Fable 2 one of the worst games on the 360. No, really, take a look. It was only 2-3 people, but there were others calling it bad, shit, etc. Now while everyone has their opinion, you have to keep in mind how literal that looks. Was Fable 2 REALLY the worst game they could think of for the 360?

Kingdom Under Fire? Two Worlds?? Too Human!? Those effin' Burger King games!?!?

Compared to a lot of the crap we're forced to sift through as gamers, looking at Fable 2 for all of it's features, treasures, and flaws, is Fable 2 really a BAD game? I wouldn't expect anyone to say it's above average, but it is by no means horrible, right? Who cares if Molyneux lied about seeing your wife be pregnant, or your dog keeping track of your stats? Who cares if it turned out to be linear? I see Mass Effect and Bioshock get praised daily on here, that had that same formula, where things were ultimately linear! Come on people! It was entertaining! It had wit! It was pretty! It killed time! It didn't hurt your ears! And so on and so forth! I'm all for hyperbole, as a writer of fiction, but even fiction has to make some kind of coherent sense or people start plugging their ears with their fingers and going "Lalalalalala can't hear you!"

I'm not expecting to sway anyone's opinions, but I'm hoping to at least make people think about what they're saying, even just a little bit.

TLDR; I'd normally say "Fuck you and read you lazy bastards!" but I'm trying to get as much ground and response as I can here, so, basically: "Fable 2 is seen as a bad game, when there are truly turds out there. Is Fable 2 honestly the worst game out there, or even that bad at all?"

Please, tell me what you think about all this, my fellow Escapists. And yes, I do have the flame shield ready. (Except I made mine out of Cold-Iron because I roll like that.)

-LnP

Fable 2 is the worst 360 game I've played. See what I did there? I know there are worse games available but seriously compared to TLC (which I played literally a few days before I played Fable 2) the game is a steaming pile of shit.

EDIT: I finally got around to reading the rest of your post lol and the reason why both Mass Effect and Bioshocks sequels got high praise was b/c they are better than the first. Even you admitted it, Fable TLC is waaaayy better than Fable 2 and it came out on the original Xbox.

 

[Altorin]

Yes, Fable 2 is very very bad, IMO.

 

[AnOriginalConcept]

Fable 2 is terrible.

Any game which has an area of effect spell stuns all enemies in its radius is broken.

By the time I was half way through, I was earning millions whenever I turned on the console. I only leveled up two things- my stamina and my lightning spell. I was rolling in useless money and experience even after I bought up all the property and health potions in the area.

Fable 2 has nothing "good" from RPGs. Broken combat, no good loot, no good characters, no good story. I can't see why others can stand it.

 

[Dejanus]

Fable and Fable 2 are two of my all-time favorite Xbox games. Yes, Molyneux embellishes,but I see nothing sinister in it and its to be expected by anyone who has ever followed Lionhead.

The games have flaws, major ones, but that does not make them bad, I would in fact call them great.

 

[Blue Musician]

No offense, but I didn't really enjoy any of the Fable games. It is on my top list of most disappointing games that I have played. But some people love it, and I cannot blame them.
I just prefer to stick with Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines and System Shock 2.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

The Fable series in general is kinda like Fallout 3: Fun and entertaining, but has a poorly written and nonsensical plot.

 

[Gunsang]

I'm surprised that there is hate for it. I thought it was a fun and enjoyable game. I never saw or heard any of the hype though, so that might have helped.

 

[Necromancer1991]

People take what developers say too seriously, just cause Peter Molyneux say there will be ninja dragons in his games after it is announced doesn't mean that it will make it into the game! As far as quality goes I liked Fable 2(dare I say adored?), people who flamed it had their expectations too high or something along those lines (I will admit that the female characters were HIDEOUS in the game). I will admit that it doesn't function like "traditional" RPGs which sit fine with me. Yes the game was linear for an RPG but it beat the hallways of the original Fable, secondly there's just so much stuff to do and collect that the game will last you a while. Sure the story in Fable 2 wasn't groundbreaking but I've seen dozens of other games with the same plot fail spectacularly. The combat was fun (albeit simple), some games have had worse combat and are still held in high regard by the gaming community. The dog was enjoyable and one of the best characters in the game, he seriously had more personality than the entire population of Bowerstone COMBINED! Fable 3 will be a great game (in MY opinion), the weapons will be self-customizing FFS, you got to admit that is awesome. But really all this boils down to is your opinion and personally I liked the game, if you don't like it....

Besides, everyone knows the worst game on the 360 was MW2, right?

I second that, at least with the multiplayer anyway.