*massive spoilers and also, I'm not trolling or trying to flame*
Before certain somebodies start attacking me, I want to tell you all I'm not trolling. Merely looking for rational minds to 'help convince me' that what I'm arguing isn't true. Because you see, I -want- to like Fable 2. But the thing is, I just can't lie to myself. The ending is absolutely -horrible-, and I will explain why, under the following premises:
Edited Premise for Clarification: A game is meant to satisfy you. For example, a game with a 'bad ending' can still be 'satisfying', if executed correctly. There are many games, for example, where the protagonist dies at the end, and I still find myself loving those. In short, a game isn't meant to leave you feeling 'sick or disgusted', wishing that you hadn't played the game in the first place.
So under that premise, I'm practically begging you to challenge me, b/c I'm convinced that Fable 2 has one of the most horrific storylines ever. And please, no immature comments/arguments, I can see straight past those (not meant to be offensive, just matter of fact)
#1. Hammer is a jerk: Throughout the game, I really liked Hammer. She was nice, and one of the few people in Albion with a personality. However, things turned very bad after I beat the game choosing the "Love" ending, which resurrects your dog. She literally says something like "well since you care so little about people (referencing that you didn't save the spire-workers), why didn't you just take the money?!". Seeing that she was a) my good friend b) someone who experienced the loss of a family members, and c) the capability to -even say this-, it makes her a jerk essentially. It's an incredibly callous thing to say, and rendered her as another 'hated' character in Fable 2. I can't believe for the life of me that PM would allow such a horrible line of dialogue to be said..It only supports the notion that the game consistently 'preaches' to you to be 'unrealistically good'.
#2. Reaver is a jerk, and they don't let you kill him/get justice. First off, he turns you old/gray (assuming you choose the moral choice), and secondly, he kills Barnum. Barnum was a loved character that grew up with you since you were a child, and he just killed him in 2 seconds. To make things even worse, he betrays you. After -all- this BS, you can't enact any vengeance on him. This is poorly done, because it means you're just left being po-ed. A good game has resolution, not pent-up unfinished business.
#3. Albion villagers are unlikable at heart. This is something we all know; they insult you taking your weapon out for no reason, and then praise your farting prowess the next. So this leaves you with little incentive to do 'sacrificial' choices. However, PM made it seem like throughout the whole game, he was 'preaching at you'. Like Hammer being rude at the end for no reason. Basically throughout the whole game, being sacrificial/good seemed the only thing the game wanted you to be. There was no incentive to be evil really except being a jerk in general, which is in total contrast to 'evil done right' in games like Fallout 3
#4. My brother said something that hit home with me: Fable 2 has a storyline that leaves you feeling 'sick to your stomach' (literally) after its conclusion (that is, if you -think- about your storylines). It is also, essentially, "Portal if *spoilers* Glados won *end spoilers*"
For those who haven't picked up on this yet, refer to this:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=927246&topic=48565446
Long story short is essentially that Theresa was using you as her 'pawn' the entire game. This leaves you with a nasty/unfinished business aftertaste. To make things worse, PM doesn't give you any sense of closure. None-what-so-ever.
So you were punked. You wasted all your time, and to make matters worse, you furthered the cause of evil. Under my premise, games should never make you 'feel like crap' after you are finished. That just ruins the entire experience. It's like one of those early-time horror movies that kill off all the cast, leaving the villain victorious
#5. There is a massive 'to be continued' label on the game's ending, besides Theresa's betrayal. What are left with? Assuming you were unfortunate enough to choose the sacrificial ending, you are left with a bunch of Albions that still get unreasonably upset with you, and no dog to live a lonely life. If you chose the love-pathway, you get a passive-aggressive Hammer, and yet, still annoying feeling that you were punked by Theresa, dissed by Hammer (the fact that she does this at all also ruins her relationship with you in the 'good ending' because you -know- she 'would've' said that insensitive line anyway, abused by Reaver, and well, everyone else with a likable personality is dead, like Barnum. Lastly (yes there is more), there are storyline threads that end up going nowhere:
So Theresa is evil, but what the heck does she want? Tying things together with the Fable 1 storyline, it is still hard to see what is going on. We have certain clues. Like the burning fire scene with the music box. But the trail still goes cold. Also, what the hell is with that music box. It certainly plays a -huge- role in everything, but is also, sloppily left unexplained.
The only feeling you are left with is dissatisfaction. A putrid aftertaste that you cannot justify at all. Right now I'm not merely disappointed; I feel a sense of aversion towards the game... (recall my original premise)
Excuse: "But there will be a Fable 3 to solve all this"
I want to let you know I don't fancy this response in the least, because it doesn't solve the issue at hand. Fable 2's ending makes me sick in a way that makes me question if it was ever worth playing at all. And I say for any game, this is surely a tragedy. I wanted to rate it a 8.5 starting, then a 9.0 mid-late game, and then an 8.0-8.5 after beating it the first time. Now after the 2nd playthrough (with Hammer's reaction via the 'love-path'), I just want to stick in the 7-8 region. The battle system was fun, and the story seemed good up to the point where everything fell apart, but that doesn't fix anything as a whole package. Sadly, I was really enjoying it until the end, that is, when everything ultimately fell into the disturbing and unsatisfying mess that it was meant to be.
I don't enjoy Horror Movies that toy with my heart-strings like that, and I certainly do not respect Fable 2 for doing this either. Left with no closure, a big slap in the face, and a hook to buy yet another installment, I'm just left feeling sick and betrayed (since the original fable was so good). Fable2 is just unbelievably 'unfair' with how it treats you, and PM is much too preachy and cruel.
I hope people don't take this as an assault, I am merely explaining my true feelings. I'm also calling out the elites to please prove me wrong. I need someone who 'really' knows who he's/she's talking about. What happened in all this mess? Where can I find closure? Why do you think the story is good; can you make sense out of anything besides the whole "fable 3 is coming" approach. Or did anyone else feel the way I did? And what the heck is going on with that music box, it's the only thing I haven't figured out yet (I've figured out Lucian, Theresa, etc. etc.)
Thanks
Before certain somebodies start attacking me, I want to tell you all I'm not trolling. Merely looking for rational minds to 'help convince me' that what I'm arguing isn't true. Because you see, I -want- to like Fable 2. But the thing is, I just can't lie to myself. The ending is absolutely -horrible-, and I will explain why, under the following premises:
Edited Premise for Clarification: A game is meant to satisfy you. For example, a game with a 'bad ending' can still be 'satisfying', if executed correctly. There are many games, for example, where the protagonist dies at the end, and I still find myself loving those. In short, a game isn't meant to leave you feeling 'sick or disgusted', wishing that you hadn't played the game in the first place.
So under that premise, I'm practically begging you to challenge me, b/c I'm convinced that Fable 2 has one of the most horrific storylines ever. And please, no immature comments/arguments, I can see straight past those (not meant to be offensive, just matter of fact)
#1. Hammer is a jerk: Throughout the game, I really liked Hammer. She was nice, and one of the few people in Albion with a personality. However, things turned very bad after I beat the game choosing the "Love" ending, which resurrects your dog. She literally says something like "well since you care so little about people (referencing that you didn't save the spire-workers), why didn't you just take the money?!". Seeing that she was a) my good friend b) someone who experienced the loss of a family members, and c) the capability to -even say this-, it makes her a jerk essentially. It's an incredibly callous thing to say, and rendered her as another 'hated' character in Fable 2. I can't believe for the life of me that PM would allow such a horrible line of dialogue to be said..It only supports the notion that the game consistently 'preaches' to you to be 'unrealistically good'.
#2. Reaver is a jerk, and they don't let you kill him/get justice. First off, he turns you old/gray (assuming you choose the moral choice), and secondly, he kills Barnum. Barnum was a loved character that grew up with you since you were a child, and he just killed him in 2 seconds. To make things even worse, he betrays you. After -all- this BS, you can't enact any vengeance on him. This is poorly done, because it means you're just left being po-ed. A good game has resolution, not pent-up unfinished business.
#3. Albion villagers are unlikable at heart. This is something we all know; they insult you taking your weapon out for no reason, and then praise your farting prowess the next. So this leaves you with little incentive to do 'sacrificial' choices. However, PM made it seem like throughout the whole game, he was 'preaching at you'. Like Hammer being rude at the end for no reason. Basically throughout the whole game, being sacrificial/good seemed the only thing the game wanted you to be. There was no incentive to be evil really except being a jerk in general, which is in total contrast to 'evil done right' in games like Fallout 3
#4. My brother said something that hit home with me: Fable 2 has a storyline that leaves you feeling 'sick to your stomach' (literally) after its conclusion (that is, if you -think- about your storylines). It is also, essentially, "Portal if *spoilers* Glados won *end spoilers*"
For those who haven't picked up on this yet, refer to this:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=927246&topic=48565446
Long story short is essentially that Theresa was using you as her 'pawn' the entire game. This leaves you with a nasty/unfinished business aftertaste. To make things worse, PM doesn't give you any sense of closure. None-what-so-ever.
So you were punked. You wasted all your time, and to make matters worse, you furthered the cause of evil. Under my premise, games should never make you 'feel like crap' after you are finished. That just ruins the entire experience. It's like one of those early-time horror movies that kill off all the cast, leaving the villain victorious
#5. There is a massive 'to be continued' label on the game's ending, besides Theresa's betrayal. What are left with? Assuming you were unfortunate enough to choose the sacrificial ending, you are left with a bunch of Albions that still get unreasonably upset with you, and no dog to live a lonely life. If you chose the love-pathway, you get a passive-aggressive Hammer, and yet, still annoying feeling that you were punked by Theresa, dissed by Hammer (the fact that she does this at all also ruins her relationship with you in the 'good ending' because you -know- she 'would've' said that insensitive line anyway, abused by Reaver, and well, everyone else with a likable personality is dead, like Barnum. Lastly (yes there is more), there are storyline threads that end up going nowhere:
So Theresa is evil, but what the heck does she want? Tying things together with the Fable 1 storyline, it is still hard to see what is going on. We have certain clues. Like the burning fire scene with the music box. But the trail still goes cold. Also, what the hell is with that music box. It certainly plays a -huge- role in everything, but is also, sloppily left unexplained.
The only feeling you are left with is dissatisfaction. A putrid aftertaste that you cannot justify at all. Right now I'm not merely disappointed; I feel a sense of aversion towards the game... (recall my original premise)
Excuse: "But there will be a Fable 3 to solve all this"
I want to let you know I don't fancy this response in the least, because it doesn't solve the issue at hand. Fable 2's ending makes me sick in a way that makes me question if it was ever worth playing at all. And I say for any game, this is surely a tragedy. I wanted to rate it a 8.5 starting, then a 9.0 mid-late game, and then an 8.0-8.5 after beating it the first time. Now after the 2nd playthrough (with Hammer's reaction via the 'love-path'), I just want to stick in the 7-8 region. The battle system was fun, and the story seemed good up to the point where everything fell apart, but that doesn't fix anything as a whole package. Sadly, I was really enjoying it until the end, that is, when everything ultimately fell into the disturbing and unsatisfying mess that it was meant to be.
I don't enjoy Horror Movies that toy with my heart-strings like that, and I certainly do not respect Fable 2 for doing this either. Left with no closure, a big slap in the face, and a hook to buy yet another installment, I'm just left feeling sick and betrayed (since the original fable was so good). Fable2 is just unbelievably 'unfair' with how it treats you, and PM is much too preachy and cruel.
I hope people don't take this as an assault, I am merely explaining my true feelings. I'm also calling out the elites to please prove me wrong. I need someone who 'really' knows who he's/she's talking about. What happened in all this mess? Where can I find closure? Why do you think the story is good; can you make sense out of anything besides the whole "fable 3 is coming" approach. Or did anyone else feel the way I did? And what the heck is going on with that music box, it's the only thing I haven't figured out yet (I've figured out Lucian, Theresa, etc. etc.)
Thanks
