Fable: The Lost Chapters (Xbox, 2005)

The opening narrative, complete with brilliantly illustrated storyboard sets the scene perfectly for what is easily one of the best games to be released on the Xbox.

A compelling plot with more twists and turns than a helter-skelter will keep you glued to your buttocks, given flavour by the well written NPC's. Some will annoy you, this is certain. But when this occurs, you could simply take their head off with an axe if it suits you.
The graphics are pretty, the load times are not too long and the controls are easy to master. Oh, and the graphics are pretty, VERY pretty! (So much so that I have now said this three times!).

What keeps me playing games is the feeling of being able to free-roam, to do what quests I choose, to have my in-game' choices actually affect the game, to be able to customize my character to give them the look that I want. This game has ALL of these things! (And more) From choosing hairstyles, facial hair and clothing down to you body weight! (Eat too many pies & tofu and you may end up as a rotund podger!)

You can play the game as an archer, a warrior or a pure spell caster (mage), or maybe a mixture of all three as one gains experience relevant to the means by which foes are vanquished! - Gain enough experience in some skills and you will be able to steal items out of shops and eventually be able to pick locks and raid peoples homes and shops at night!

Another nice feature is the title vendor. Buy yourself a nice title such as 'Assassin', 'Ranger', 'Gladiator' or maybe even 'Chicken chaser'!? and people around towns and villages will call out to you in adoration - or flee in sheer terror!

Which brings me nicely to the good/evil feature. Your actions in the game determine how good/evil your character is. Slaughter an entire village, smashing down doors and killing villagers as they climb out of their beds and then hack up the town guard and you will gain some serious 'evil' points. Become evil enough and the darkness within will begin to manifest itself in your outward appearance! (Think red eyes, huge horns, glowing red aura). Or be a 'good' natured character and with enough good points, your character will end up looking something akin to an archangel.

The diversity of the gameplay is ever-present. Even when playing through the game 'quests', one can more often than not choose to partake in a quest that is more suited to their alignment. For example one could take the 'Save the Traders' quest, or the 'Massacre the Traders' quest. Which all add to the feeling of a unique gaming experience each and every time you play through this outstanding game!

Other nice features of the game include a horde of weapons with which to equip your character whether it be the blackened Obsidian-bladed Longsword or the Ebony Longbow. One can also augment ones weaponry with crystals that give the weapon extra benefits such as increased damage or extra lightening damage.
You can own and even lease property, get married, have sex, get divorced or...ahem...Widow yourself...You can go fishing, complete or fulfil special requirements to open secret 'Demon Doors' and collect elusive 'Silver Keys' which allow you to open special treasure chests for some pretty groovy items!

The game possibilities are near-endless and the game environments really draw you into a fantastical world which you will not want to escape from. There are hours and hours of adventuring and exploration to be had here and it's a game t

The first time I played Fable, I was blown away. I had never quite played a game like Fable, especially on the Xbox. The openness of the games world and the morality system made it seem like there were endless possibilities within the game. This isn't the case of course but that was the feeling that I had when I played it.

Years later, I purchased the game again and played back through it. While the game lived up to my expectations, it was not quite the same game that I remembered. Perhaps it has not aged as well as I had expected, perhaps my nostalgia had made the game seem better than it was. Whatever the case, the game has lost something over the years but do not think this means the game is bad. It is far from that. It is also far from perfect but it doesn't have to be perfect to be a great game.

First off, the positives of the game: the game is fun, descent in length and scope, has game mechanics that add to the overall experience of the game (such as the way your character can become good or evil based on their actions and being able to buy houses, get married, etc.), and has a story and ending that make you want to keep you interested enough to keep playing the game. I am just glossing over all of the things the game does well because I believe that my rating of the game does enough to show that the game is great and I feel that if you are taking the time to read this review then chances are, you have heard reasons why the game is good. I am going to go over in more detail the flaws of the game, not because they are more prevalent, but because I feel that the reason of this review is show what isn't apparent from the rating I give it.

Now with the negatives. The game does not have the best voice work. The character voices are not particularly well done and can become annoying and even downright grating at times, especially after hearing the same piece of dialogue while running through a town for the umpteenth time. The graphics are very dated, especially when compared to those you would expect from modern games. The game world is not as grand or as large as I remember it being and there is not a whole lot of variations to the game world (town, wilderness, repeat). The combat system is not the best and the camera could be better but it is hard to tell how many of these problems can be directed at the game and how many are to blame on the limitations of the Xbox. This game falls squarely in that spot of gaming where it is old enough to look significantly dated and old but not old enough to have a retro feel and charm about it.

If you can get past all of the minor drawbacks, I highly recommend this game. I even prefer this game over Fable II (I have not played Fable III yet so I can not say one way or the other which of those I would prefer). So if you like Fable II or like games with action and RPG elements and are looking for an addition to your Xbox or Xbox 360 collection, give this game a try. I doubt you will be disappointed.

This game is amazing. You shape your character with every choice you make. You look evil if you act evil, and vice versa for being saintly. Half and half, and well, you just stay looking pretty clean cut I guess. The weapons are fun to aquire, the magic is always on the cusp of your mind as you learn more, and the quests and monsters make for a real fun experience. RPG lovers, you will love this game. RPG haters, you can still play because the endless menus qualms you always have are a lot less of an issue here. Great game, 5/5.

New to this game is that there is a few more battles with Jack and there is a new place to go. There is also more weapons and clothing. A few new stores have opened up all around the game land. Below is a description of the original Fable.

Fable for xbox is one of the best games for xbox in my mind. To make things even better it is a Action/RPG. In Fable you can do almost anything from killing traders to kicking traders. You can also get married and buy a house to live in. In Fable you also can turn from good to bad and bad to good. What do I mean, I mean that your character changes, by having new abilities and his appearance. The game also has a huge variety of weapons from that includes magic ,melee and ranged weapons. In the story line of Fable you are a child that is separated from his family and story you become a hero and you find your family. Also, in the story there is small quests that can be very fun. And, if you beat the game or you get tired of it just go to a cheat website and find secret passages and weapons. So if you don't have this game buy it.

Not only one, but one of the best RPG's I have ever played. The game is founded upon choices. What is choice as far games are concerned? THere are always limits, but this game allows you as the individual to make more choices that have a direct impact on you. There are a myriad of choices available to the player such as: The player may choose to become good, or choose to become wicked; choose to become expert in magic, or choose to become expert in strength and skill; choose to get married, or choose a life of celibacy. They even go so far as to allow the player to choose ones own sexual orientation. The game offers impressive graphics, outstanding missions and storyline, fantastic sound, and and great gameplay. The overall presentation was also commendable. I recommen this game to any one who loves RPGs. I give it 5 stars; 9.4 out of 10.