Fable: The Lost Chapters
Xbox
Reviewed: 11/09/2005

Packaging

Fable is one of those games that promised so much but didn’t quite deliver. If you ignore the hype and previous expectations set for the game then Fable is a very enjoyable title.

Lionhead Studios makes it up to gamers a little bit with its Lost Chapters update to the original game. New items, new quests, new areas but don’t expect that much added value to the original. At a $20 price tag on the XBOX, it could still be worth venturing into Albion again.

Screen Shot
Look at me, I’m tough!!!

Fables graphics are impressive. The enviroments have alot of detail and are oozing with personality. The character models are decent. Your Hero is the most detailed of them all, changing with the passing of time and from your decisions made. The NPCs that inhabit Albion get a bit stale as you notice the same models being used over and over. The other Heroes in the game look cool but the variety runs stale quickly.

More NPC models have been added to TLC, particularily in the new town of Snowspire. This is appreciated but more could have been done to make the civilians more unique. The same goes for the enemies you will face. More often than not you will be facing clones of enemy hordes you have killed before. Lost Chapters adds several enemies but this area is still lacking. With all that said; the overall look of the game does come together nicely. Some new spell effects are noticeably cool.

Screen Shot
Magic is trendy!

The gameplay of Fable is a mixed bag. Combat is fun at first but does get old less than halfway through your adventure. The plus side is there is multiple ways to go about killing your enemies. If you want to be a badass warrior that slaughters his victims with his hands and metal then you can be. If you choose to be a powerful magic user who never picks up a cumbersome weapon then you can be. If you choose ranged combat/stealth to suprise your victims with the cold hand of death before they know it then you can be. Unfortunately by the time you’ve played for a while you can most likely do it all. Specialization runs out when you get so much experience (and you will). It would have been nice to be forced to specialize. More attributes for Strength, Skill and Will would have been a great addition.

The story of Fable isn’t something to write home about. Your hero is taken through a rather predictable plotline that rarely strays far from its path. It is enjoyable though and the presentation is great. The ability to make a number of choices and play as either good or bad does make progression more interesting. TLC does add more missions but not enough to extend the game much.

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Don’t even try it Thunder.

The music and sound of the game is forgettable. Some tracks are pretty cool but I doubt you’ll be humming any of them on your way to work. The voice acting is the plus side and there is a rather large variety of voices in the game. Your character’s grunts and screams do get annoying however.

Fable The Lost Chapters brings some added value to a game that fell short of the hype but it still doesn’t fulfill the hopes of anyone waiting for what they were promised. Let’s just hope Fable is just a sign of what’s in store for Lionhead Studios. Maybe Fable 2 will realize our dreams.

-Tim Wilson

Score Breakdown
Overall
Great
Out of 10
See our Review Criteria
Gameplay Great
Story Very Good
Graphics Great
Sound/Music Very Good
Replay Value Very Good
The Verdict: 8