IGN Fable 2 Review

US, October 20, 2008 - What kind of hero will you be? This is the central theme of Fable II, Lionhead's follow-up to its popular Xbox title. Will you be a selfish hero who hordes his money and looks for any opportunity to earn more, even if it means others would suffer? Or will you be a noble hero who gives to the poor and would sacrifice everything he owns to protect the innocent? How you answer these questions will affect how the world perceives you and determines the future of Albion...

[Lolliflop Lolliflop]

Flop.

If you feel upset about Fable IIs confirmed flop status,please send me a message and I'll respond in a timely fashion detailing why Fable II flopped and how you can avoid future flop releases from Microsoft

[bouncybullet]

This is a great score.

Add 1 more game to the long list of Great games on Xbox 360.

[heyheyhey]

oh will you please stop being an idiot.... it's a good game

[elshimiablo]

dailygame gave it 7.8 and many websites like Gamereactor/Teamxbox gave it 8 /10

The review average will soon go below 90. Another flop on x360

[Flop of the Year]

How is this possible?

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

Dont worry about it Lolliflop,there are plenty of other flops on the 360 soon.Let the xbots have their first AAA game of the year

[TheNewerGuy]

Did someone say Fable II would outscore MetalGearSolid 4?

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

@The newer Guy

Someone said that? ROFL at the xbots

[White-Sharingan]

Im sorry I love fable but it pisses me off that when a PS3 game recieves a score lower than a 9; its a instant flop

but when a 360 game gets that score; its a good; NO; GREAT SCORE! for the bots

what a sad day :\ Im still buying fable but I thought it would at least be in the 9's+

[Volvobug]

Meh. I agree with this.

http://digg.com/xbox/Why_I_...

[Lolliflop Lolliflop]

Not going to save the failbox 3fixme

[TheNewerGuy]

xbot:bubuubububu-buh-too human will be revolutionary

*scores for Too Human come out*

xbot:bubububub-buh fable II will be revolutionary

*scores for fable II come out*

xbot:bubububub-buh alan wake will be revolutionary

[Marquis_de_Sade]

how on earth did you get those bubbles?

[KingDizzi]

Very nice score but IGN UK giving a higher score than IGN US and same for LBP with both games being made in the UK? We have to stick TOGETHER.

*god save the queen*

Jokes aside a very nice score, Peter delivered

[Pennywise]

eh?

[KingDizzi]

Fable 2 + GeOW 2 + LBP = Happyness

[chaosatom]

not too inflated *cough* EUROGAMER *cough* and not too low *cough* the site that gave it a 7.8 *cough*

[Why o why]

agreed, I said the same thing last week look

http://www.n4g.com/NewsPend...

[andthensum]

IGN gave it:

8.0 for Presentation
8.0 for Graphics
8.5 for Sound
8.5 for Gameplay
8.5 for Lasting appeal

The average of those scores is a 8.3. So where did 8.8 come from?

8.3 is still a good score but why inflate it?

[Lifendz]

your console has the shooters, the action games, and now the RPGs. Heck, I have like no RPGs to play on my PS3 while 360 owners have several to choose from. I still love my PS3 but I have to give MS props for making RPGS a priority and to Peter M for delivering a great game. Wish I could play it.

Is Fallout 3 out yet?

[Sarcasm]

@1.5 IGN doesn't average the score. They even say it in their review matrix.

[Rock Bottom]

IGN states clearly in every review that the final score is not an average of the other scores.

[grilledgorlupa8]

Granted they dont and shouldnt average their scores but its kinda weird to score something a lot higher when none of the categories scored over the overall score. Not saying its right or wrong just pointing it out.

Thats why I hate game review scores you cant really score art imo. Its one thing to have scores in sporting events like diving where their are rules judges looking for specific things and the athlete training to meet those specific things but another to score something that the end result only matters if its good which is an opinion.

[superflyguy]

So close to becoming a AAA title on meta critic...

[ManOnFire]

In regards to the overall score and the average being lower than the final score. I think this is done to reflect a certain tilt or in other words the sum of the whole being greater in the end than the sum of the parts.

[thereapersson]

IGN US gave it an 8.3 and IGN UK gave it an 8.8

[mikeslemonade]

Fable 2 was always going to get a score like this low 9s and 8s. No suprise here. It was the others who were hyping this game up.

[Lolliflop Lolliflop]

Confirmed:Legend of Zelda-Twilight Princess looks better than Fable II

[bouncybullet]

Where's your mother?

[CR7JUVE1897]

Under my desk.

Hope that answers your question

[Flop of the Year]

FLOP OF THE YEAR™ AM HERE!

[HWG]

Sounds like another PS3 twat fanboy who thinks he knows what he is talking about.

If you read the UK review, which is in fact the more credible reviewer, then you would see how outstanding it is. 9.5/10 and an 8.8/10 is a big gap.

[butterfinger]

I am picking my copy up tonight at midnight, but how is the UK reviewer more credible?

[Marquis_de_Sade]

the UK review will be more credible as the game has a distinctly british style and presentation (sense of humour etc). Im not dissing on the yanks, but perhaps some of the details and intricacies would be missed.

[nonAsianDroid]

HWG is right. no matter what you ps3 tards want to believe

[TheColbertinator]

Excellent score.Very happy with the reviews of Fable 2

[bouncybullet]

This game is going to be solid.

Molyneux had to pull it off or else he would be ridiculed endlessly.

Why couldn't they just round off to the 9?

;)

[gambare]

"Why couldn't they just round off to the 9? "

it's a strange IGN criteria, people were thinking the same about LBP score

[darkdoom3000]

yeah, anyone remember that 9.9 some game got (i think it was either MGS4 or LBP... mabye both) rounding would be so nice.

[SlyGuy]

If it weren't for Microsoft's shi^^y hardware problems, I would have bought a $200.00 system for

Fable 2
GeOW 2
possibly Alan Awake
Mass Effect
and a couple others.

[kindi_boy]

i played the game and finished it
why no mention of all the technical problems with the game
(load times are really really long, A button icon half of the time it does not pop when it should, frame rate problems, the screen freezes whenever poping up the menu, and lots lots more)

this game brought the 360 to its knees, none the less had lots of fun could be more "fun" without those issues.

[Pennywise]

This game is not a flop. Save the word flop for titles that deserve it. Give the xbox its first decent exclusive for the year.

[Lolliflop Lolliflop]

Every single game on the platform is a flop,there's just no denying this obvious fact.

Since Twilight Princess plays and looks better than Fable II,I'll be buying a Wii later on today.

[HWG]

It is ignorant assholes like yourself that ruin the gaming community. Seriously shut the hell up, get on with your life, and stop trolling. No one here wants to hear your garbage, and saying it's a flop is hardly worth a mention - when it's already a game of the year candidate.

Go on and keep ranting.

[bunbun777]

I also like the Mighty Mighty Sony Rangers--

I like interesting dynamic reads- not dudes that act like the Mom Squad chiding players with voices for railing a company that he wants too. Lighten up and if you are going to say something critical- at least try to make us laugh. You are in the open zone bra.

[NaiNaiNai]

hey Lolliflop Lolliflop Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli since your not going to play your early copy of fable II, can i have it, >.> oh wait thats right you havent played it STFU.

picking mine up at the midnight release. gona be awesome. cant wait to kill me some hobs. XD
-nai-
sees what you did there.

[Marquis_de_Sade]

Sorry, but i would hardly class fanboy posts as 'dynamic', if you get kicks out of reading the same recycled nicknames and phrases then good for you, but i for sure don't. I gread to think how these people behave when they are outside, thats if they go outside of course.

[HWG]

Though 8.8 is an excellent score, why such the big gap in the UK to the US? Hillary rated the original a 9.3, and if he says it's bigger and better than the first one - why is the score lower? I have never understood the rating system for IGN. Their US department lost a lot of credibility with GTA4 and MGS4 ratings, they are great games - but definitely not 10/10 games.

[DiabloRising]

I wouldn't put too much, if ANY stock in review SCORES. Read the review for the positives and negatives, and go by that. The same thing happened with MotorStorm 2, it was said to be better in every way than its predecessor, yet scored lower. Review numbers have no criteria or system for existing, they are just arbitrarily made up on the spot.

Use the review to inform youself on the pros and cons of the game, don't just go by some number. Fable 2 looks to be an excellent experience for gamers, so who cares what someone ELSE thinks about it? It won't change what is in the box when you buy it man.

[slave2Dcontroller]

and more sites than IGN gave it a 10. GTA4 IMO is a solid 9

[calis]

Though 8.8 is an excellent score, why such the big gap in the UK to the US? Hillary rated the original a 9.3, and if he says it's bigger and better than the first one - why is the score lower? I have never understood the rating system for IGN. Their US department lost a lot of credibility with GTA4 and MGS4 ratings, they are great games - but definitely not 10/10 games.

---------------------

You have to look at it from a timeline perspective.

Fable 2 might be better than the first (which was really incomplete if I recall) but Fable 1 was one of the first of its kind, probably reviewed by someone else on a different console at different times against different games on the system.

It looks to be a good game (Fable 2) and I wish it was on the PS3.

GTAIV - no way near a 10 in my mind.

MGS4 - was worth the high score in my mind.

[dkgshiz]

I dont. I like the original IGN reviews. Not UK reviews.

[HWG]

The UK had their review up first...

[bouncybullet]

What's your problem...?

Whats wrong with people that live in other countries?

You think that they're inferior to US gamers?

It's ignorant people like you that give the US a bad rep.

[HWG]

I don't think he was trying to convey he didn't like the UK, just he believed that the IGN US review team is the original review score.

[die_fiend]

Anyone sensible in this case u bellsprout. The game's made it English, based in a fantasy version of England, has so much recognisible British voice talent that the US wouldn't recognise and a British sense of humour. Also, England invented English if you hadn't realised, so why wouldn't their review be just as useful as the US one? If you think Goldstein's a decent reviewer or good in any way, then ur probably right 2 ignore the better opinion in this case (cos ur a head case)

[Imallvol7]

It's a rental first for me. I just don't know how I will like it. Is it a WRPG like game? Like Fallout with more of a fantasy vibe?

[metallica_one]

this game is a Fantasy WRPG,

I was hopping for around 9.0 on average and it delivers. So I am happy:)

[Imallvol7]

This game looks really cool though. I love Fantasy. However, I hate Oblivion and Fallout. Still worth a try for me?

[Myze]

I haven't played Fable 2 yet, but the first one is absolutely nothing like Oblivion/Fallout3. Well, I shouldn't say nothing like them, as they are all WRPGs. Fable is quirky, somewhat cartoony, funny and more action packed than Oblivion (don't know about Fallout3). It's also in 3rd person (although you can play in 1st person, it's not made for it, kind of like how Oblivion can be played in 3rd person, but it's made for 1st person).

Anyway, if I were you, I would watch some gameplay videos on Fable 2 to see if you like how it looks. I, personally, was bored by Oblivion after a few hours, and I think Fable 2 looks far more entertaining.

[blooodFrenzy92]

dude your so right that guy has multiple accounts and just bashes the 360 all day. How did this game flop??????? since when is a 9.0 meta average bad. wait hang on he commented on the motorstorm reviw when it got a 7 and you quote said thts a good score!

[dkgshiz]

But its not perfect like many said it would be. The first fable was the same way. People thought it was going to be god like, but it wasn't.

[DJ]

Finally, a good title for the Fall. Wish I had a 360 so I could play this and Gears 2.

[GlaDOS]

"and until Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2 and their other AAA titles surface - the PS3 simply does not have a library to keep my interested."

Dude, none, except for LBP maybe, of those games are AAA. LOL!

Killzone 2 is the sequel of a panned by the critics game. Resistance 2 is the sequel of one of the most generic franchises in recent memory. Just wait and see, those 2 games are going to get 7's at best.

PS3 is really in trouble.

[HWG]

I've been following all of the major PS3 releases, and Killzone 2 ( despite all the console-hating BS. ) looks phenomenal, it has some of the most engaging graphics and what looks like some of the best FPS gameplay this way since Call of Duty 4 ( Which isn't saying much to be honest. ). I think what many people have a problem with is the graphical elements. Let me put it to rest, the 360 does have a far superior graphical element, it just does. The PS3 has the equivalent of an nVidia 7600 GT, where as the 360 has an advanced X1900 XTX with a 10mb eDRAM buffer. The PS3 has to use its own memory for the framebuffer, where as the 360 has a small but insanely fast and power framebuffer built onto the daughter-die of the XENOS 360 GPU.

Regardless, many a time it comes down to developer experience and technical know-how. MGS4 has some 'wow' moments where the graphics and art direction look superb.

[diatom]

Don't bother, your logic can't defeat GlaDOS's fanboy armor.

Shame on him to waste a cool username.

[ID]

Its great to see that you can predict the future.

We shall see alright

Im taking a mental note of your comment

And we will revisit this topic in the next months and we will see just how wrong you are

[Lolliflop Lolliflop]

Oh you can f*cking count on the fact that I will continue:

Now,here's why I believe Fable II failed to achieve AAA status on IGN;

1)Peter Molyneux failed to deliver with Fable 1.He set the expectations too high,and failed to achieve half of what he promised.

2)Peter Molyneux is under the employment of Microsoft.Microsoft have never been known to deliver high quality AAA First party exclusives,which is why they had to enlist the help of an independent 3rd party developer-Epic Games-to deliver Years of Snore 1 and Years of Snore 2.

3)Peter Molyneux reviewed his own game: http://www.computerandvideo...

He tried to cut out the middle man between gamers and his company,that is-The hard working reviewers and game journalists.His decision to do so threatened the employment of multiple personalities in the industry,and this why his game is performing poorly for such a high-profile videogame release.

4)Peter Molyneux opted to release his game exclusively on the xbox 360.This is self-explanatory,the flop nature of the platform renders all exclusive games flopsolete.

5)LittleBigPlanet fever is everywhere.From CNN to IGN,everyone is anticipating Sonys must-have AAAA title of the Year.The Reviewer,being a LBP fan,had to sit through 10 hours playing Fable II while missing out on the action his fellow reviewers were having in LBP.

All in all,what it boils down to is this:Fable II,is another Microsoft flop.

[bunbun777]

I love all of you, but this word clinched it for me:

----flopsolete----

Keep at it- its "a-holes" like you that make reading in the open zone fun and interesting!

[HWG]

Most of your points have no real ethical purpose. None of them constitute a flop. A flop is where a company employs a product and spends more money and development time than the proceeds return. For example, Heavenly Sword was a flop, Too Human - a flop. Those are flops, Fable II will have renown on a global scale - despite your biased PS3 appeal.

[bouncybullet]

You are delusional.

Nice job twisting Molyneux's statement.

He was asked if his vision of the game had been completed.

He said he would say 9/10.
Meaning he didn't feel that everything was complete.

He wasn't reviewing it you c*ckmongler.

QUOTE:
"I'd rate it a 9 out of 10," Molyneux added, when asked if he'd fulfilled his original vision with Fable II.

You need to sit down, and shut the f*ck up.

[butterfinger]

a PS3 loyalist/fanboy in the past, but owning both consoles really opens up your eyes. My PS3 is the media center for my house (I love blu rays), but my 360 is where you'll usually find me playing GAMES now. That being said, I have been excited about Fable II for quite some time now, and the game has garnered wonderful review scores and general praise from the gaming community. Calling a game a flop over and over with moronic "points" to back it up does not make it a flop. I don't know if the game will be a system seller, but I know a lot of people will be buying it. Enough is enough in the open zone sometimes.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

@10.2: Invalid? Try completely full of sh*t!

This guy runs stupidity native at 1080p 60fps!

[TheDeadMetalhead]

Would you rather have me call you GiantEnemyCrab, or GiantEnemyLobster?

[dkgshiz]

Which is the US version of IGN. Most ign reviews usually come from the UK version of IGN first. But the best most honest reviews come from the US version. Oh well. it just got an 8.8 no big deal. Still a good review.

[crygester]

Lasting Appeal
"The main quest is short, but there are numerous other distractions. If you invest yourself in Fable II, you can spend easily spend 30 hours in Albion. If not, you can truck through in under 10 hours"

[funkysolo]

zelda on wii took me 50 hours..I don't get the 8.8 score seems to high if the game is only 10 hours worth of story mode. I guess since it's 1st party 360 it gets an extra point where as a wii or ps3 game it would get a 7.0 for being to short and lastgen graphics

[HWG]

You have to understand that much of the meat a game like Fable II contains is not in the main story. The game encourages you to explore, seek out new places, new people, and make decisions. It is not focusing you on the main story as it did in the predecessor. Read some of the reviews, and while Hillary may say 30 hours - I guarantee he did not spend said hours in Albion. He had to review the game and meet a deadline - he did not experience Fable II, he rushed through it. Give the game a look-see on other website that actually enjoyed the game thoroughly.

[ceedubya9]

yes it is a rental. But if you like to really see all that a game has to offer, and not just breeze through the story, then its a buy.

If anything, this game seems to cater to both groups of gamers. Short if you want the quick fix, and long if you put the time and effort in.

[running rampid]

NOOOO! why did you do that? you just drew Glados a map to the land of no return and -bubbles. :D

[dkgshiz]

yeah, im not saying the US is better. Im just saying the US ign is a much better place to take reviews into consideration. The uk version always seems to over hype a game.

[MAGNUM RAM SUPPORT]

just a brief regular game that has oblivian & fallout 3 to contend with.
Its over now. Let's give it a rest already.

[blooodFrenzy92]

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! your a phsyco

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

Excellent review for a brilliant game.Fable 2 will be the best game 360 will have this year.Lionhead should be pleased that they are the only ones capable of making AAA 360 games.

Microsoft better clean the feet of Molyneux for his excellent game

[running rampid]

WOW!!! you're applauding an xbox 360 game???!! *rubs eyes once more and winks in disbelief*

[diatom]

Why do all the good games this year come out within a three week period? Might as well hire a divorce lawyer now :(

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

Of course.I have been playing Molyneux/Lionhead games for a decade.He was making good games before the xbo...er...I mean 360 fans were born.

[PirateThom]

No point in hating on what is a genuinely good game.

[RemusN7]

Of course it's a good game, Fable was a good game, no reason for this one to be worse.

[cockxxx]

They gave lbp a 9.5 and fable a 8.8? ign is full off sh!T

[diatom]

or have have you played both games?

[butterfinger]

different genres, different platforms... the list of differences goes on and on. You can't really compare the two games.

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

@butterfinger

Absolutely.If you want to play a great platformer with shared content ,go with LBP.If you want to play a good western RPG,I would recommend Fable 2

[RemusN7]

We'll have to wait for Fallout to see who takes the crown of the WRPGs, but Fable is looking pretty good.

[Figboy]

i actually HAVE both LBP and Fable 2, have invested at LEAST 15+ hours in both so far, and LBP is the better game. by FAR.

i've already posted my thoughts on Fable 2 below, and it's a fun game (me and fiance are having a grand time with it), but the scope and scale of LBP is far beyond what Fable 2 is doing.

but you know what, that's ok.

Fable 2 isn't trying to be a "play. create. share" multi-player platformer. it's a co-op action/rpg, and it does what it does well.

if anything, you should compare Fable 2 to Too Human, because they are in the same category (action/rpg). in that comparison, Fable 2 walks ALL OVER Too Human, and makes it it's b*tch.

don't bring LBP into this, because they just aren't comparable, especially since they are in different genres.

here's a handy compare chart for you:

Fable 2 - Too Human - Folklore (and other action/rpgs)

Gears of War 2 - Uncharted - Metal Gear Solid 4 (and other 3rd person shooters)

Halo 3 - Resistance 2 - Killzone 2 (and other FPSes)

Ninja Gaiden 2 - Heavenly Sword - Prince of Persia (and other 3rd person action games, even Ninja Gaiden Sigma)

there. keep it simple, and LEAST compare games in like genres. i mean, would you compare Final Fantasy Tactics with Halo?

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

@RemusN7

Maybe.I will pick up Fable 2 for 360 and Fallout 3 for PC.We'll see which one is better

[Sarcasm]

Fable 2 > Fallout 3.

[Figboy]

i truly hope you were just being your namesake...

lol.

[cockxxx]

this is the same ign dat gaved dead or alive xtreme beach volleyball a 9.2. LOL

[NickIni]

What's a 'gaved'?

[Blink_44]

they gaved dead or alive beach volleball a 9.2 cuz they like bo0bz.
lolz.

[Greysturm]

But not the second coming of rpgs as most fanboys considered.

Fable 1 had the open/linear world line wat too much to the linear side, this one seems more balanced on previews. I still stay by the fact that it will probably sell at best as much as its predecesor which is the treatment 90% of great Wrpgs get, which is not shabby at all (about a million). I personally wont play it because the first fable storyline was really blah to me and the combat wasnt enough to redeem it but for those that liked the first one i am pretty sure youll be delighted with this one.

Now on a more fanboyish term that is inevitable here on n4g. This not being the second coming of rpgs leave the 360 with a pretty downer exclusive lineup. Gears will probably sell more than anygame during the holidays but it alone will not have the positive effect of the variety of ps3´s lineup for their bottomline. If the pricecut bonus is temporary (as most pricecuts boosts are) then i still expect the ps3 to outsell the 360 worldwide (As in europe and japan ps3 lead combined will beat xboxs lead on NA) this holidays not to mention yearly which is pretty much a certainty at this point.

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

Your right,it isn't the second coming.More work on the graphics and a longer storyline would have helped.However its a good game still

[Figboy]

i'm a big fan of the first Fable, so i feel right at home with this one. i can't see how fans of the first will be disappointed with the second, except maybe the "more of the same" feeling the game has. but it's an improved more of the same (with a few issues, but nothing game-breaking).

[TheNewerGuy]

It's a flop,period.

[bunbun777]

And yes before you all jump in and tell me what I already know about IGN's score NOT being an average....but

The highest marks it gets is a 8.5, 3 times, and 2 8's. Thus we have a 8.8-

Don't know when the last time I've seen this is...

[PS3Diablo]

I admit the gameplay looks great, the story should be great also but the graphics seem outdated for an 360 game, I wonder if this game was intended for the original xbox and later transferred to 360, the characters especially are missing details and polygons. Oh well, can't have everything...

[Figboy]

i'd give the game an 8.5/10 however.

reasons being:

Controls: Often times, you have to be in the EXACT RIGHT SPOT in order to pull off a context sensitive maneuver like "Dive," "Read," "Search," etc.

In battle, you will often highlight and target the guy WAAAAY off in the distance, instead of the immediate threat that's about to whack you with their attack.

Graphics: For a fourth generation Xbox 360 games, the graphics aren't really as impressive as i was expecting. sunsets look amazing, but water effects are this side of Oblivion, and textures are really muddy when viewed up close. character models are also pretty poor, but consistent with the style of the Fable series so far. i'm playing the game on a 40" 720p Samsung, and while it's certainly not an ugly game, i expect more from games later on in a system's life (especially when FIRST generation PS3 games like Ratchet and Clank and Uncharted looked PHENOMENAL). it's not a game to scoff at, visually, but it certainly shouldn't be winning any awards.

Gameplay: Combat is basically button mashing. the "X" button is your melee, "Y" is your firearm, and "B" is your magic. there's not much variety to combat. you basically press the attack button over and over again until the bad guy dies. with that said, it reminds me of every other hack n' slash, Dark Alliance style action/rpg, and i don't have a problem with the system if it works. the only problem i have is what i mentioned above about not locking on to the appropriate target.

also, the firearms can be a bit of a crutch. you can just shoot most enemies to death, and that eliminates a bit of potential strategy. currently, i'm trying to be nothing BUT a physical character, so i try not to use my firearms at all.

Overall: i really like Fable 2. it was one of my most anticipated games, and it has met my expectations. in my opinion, it feels more like an expansion pack to the first Fable (it really should have just been called "Fable HD"), because there really isn't much that it has done over the first. it improved some gameplay mechanics; i really like the new dog system, social system (it's a LOT easier to get people to love or hate you now, and the interface in which you interact is MUCH improved thanks to the bumper buttons), and the bread crumb system.

the story is ok, but it's more secondary to just roaming around, exploring, finding silver keys, shooting gargoyles, and sleeping with lots and lots of people (my fiance knocked up her wife; my character is a hot lesbian with pigtails and goth clothes; i got the "goth" achievement for that. lol).

the game is a lot of fun co-op, but the camera can be a nuisance, since all the control you have over it is to re-center it behind your character. both player one and two can do this, so you have to be coordinated. i don't like that you're forced to choose a minion to play as, instead of your character, but since all the experience and money you earn with your partner is transferred to your actual character, this is a minor complaint. me and my fiance have already sunk countless hours into the game, both together and separately (i don't know how many hours exactly, but we've had the game since friday, and have been switching between Fable 2 and Little Big Planet all weekend; to not burn out the PS3 OR 360. lol. this is the most the 360 has been played in months. lol. i would wager we've invested a good 15 hours each already, and aren't close to seeing the end of the game yet).

Fable 2 is a good time, with genuine humor, and enjoyable gameplay, despite a few flaws. i'm hoping Fable 3 will be more of a leap however. this is a worthy addition to any 360 fans library.

my overall score would be an 8.5/10

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

Good review though long lol.

I have no doubts in Lionhead and they exceeded the expectations well

[Figboy]

i actually could have gone longer, but i was trying to keep it as short as possible! lol.

[Skyreno]

FLOP ^^

[Horny]

god damn it stop turning every thread into a ps3 vs 360 thread.

Anyways, the individual scores dont match the final one, just wanted to point it out, and since it is much of an improvement over the first they might as well gave it a 9. Regardless this game is solid and a must have for anybody who owns a 360. I will definitely pick this up within a month.

[LTC]

LOL
FLOP

[Pika-pie]

I expected a higher score for this game. Will probebly pick this game up sometime next year once im done with Dead space, Resistance, Fallout and Little Big Planet (no time soon then :)

[mariusmal]

the only review that i care is always from ign. anyway 8 plus is always a good score for the ign crew and it even had a editor's choice award. others places just gives 9's and 10's very easily...

[^_^]

||this is a big flop||

[Xi]

Ign is as pro sony as gamespot is pro microsoft.

[m23]

I loved the first Fable and I will probably love this one as well. Can't wait to play it!

[xg-ei8ht]

the rsx is a 7950gt.

With half mem and half bandwidth..

Already been proven.

The way cell is designed with spu's and rsx means that the spu's crunch through data, taking strain off rsx.

Xenos takes the strain, and 10mb only works with low res or tiling.

No AAA for fable 2 then.

[PoorDelayedFlop]

hahahaaahah he scored the game low because he doesn't like the facial expressions you can make??? really?? LOL.

poooor IGN...

"It’s only when you start exploring the social aspects that things take a downturn. The expressions system is too goofy for the more serious tone of Fable II"

hahAHAHAHAHahahahaahaAAA WHAT A DUMBASS YOU KNOW WHAT HILLARY JEWSTIEN LOL LOL

[heroman711]

8.8? every1 else said its at least a 9/10. o well that is one review and it wont change my mind about this game

[Thatlalala]

IGN lost there credibility with me way back. It's well known that they take ad money from certain publisher's, then turn around and give that publisher's game a good review. Good chunk of there reviews are super harsh, and they overrate overhyped games.

[MAGNUM RAM SUPPORT]

2 flops down : (

[Asane]

It's a nice review that I believe is real honest to the score. Heck, I think they were even generous since none of the criteria like graphics topped 8.8.

Still, this takes Fable 2 out of contender for GOTY.
But, I can't wait to get this still as it seems like a really fun game and I've been looking for a good RPG.

I'm impressed IGN gave it this score considering the hype. Now what will be interesting is what they score Fallout 3 and Gears of War.

Oh and for the guys saying, they should just inflate the score to 9, then I say they should inflate the score of LBP to a 9.7 .or 9.8. Fair is fair right?

[Miraak82]

Alright I'm a pro sony person but 8.8 is a good score. so my fellow pro sony people need to give it a rest on this game. never played the first game but i saw my little brother play it and it intrigued me. let the bots have this game to enjoy and stop being lowly pathetic fanboys.

[Firstkn1ghT]

Sony fans have to be silliest people in the world. This game has been racking up a lot of 10's and 9's and now IGN's 8.8 is considered the better score???? If this was a Sony game I bet most of you would be crying foul and calling it biased. Give it a rest already.

AAA Title Confirmed!

[djroberts]

Historically 360 games of simular quality get higher scores. In fact, look at XBLA reviews compared to PSN reviews. Many of the PSN games are far better and get lower scores.

I own both, do you?

[Firstkn1ghT]

Oh brother, do you really believe that? Please stop the excuses. Just amazing. And why are you bring up LBP in your next comment? What does that game have to do with this? HA! Just amazing!

[djroberts]

Why is that so hard to believe? LBP is ground breaking in many ways. Fable II is just a bigger, better Fable I. Personally I'm excited to get both.

[0LDSCH00L]

Yea, but.. your comment makes u look more silly though LOL!

"And I own over 25 PS3 titles, and the rest of the 360's library I can get on the PC. Don't generalize, it just makes you look a tad silly" <-------- How old r u? guess he hurt your feelings eh? using the childish, "I dont need ta buy a 360 cause i can play it on the PC" arguement! ***MS STILL GETS YER MONEY EITHER WAY*** so hate on!

[MvmntInGrn]

I always tend to agree with IGN and I do here. So far alot of Fable 2s high scores have been a bit overpraised.

Good though. Still a must but for 360 owners.

[EnforcerOfTheTruth]

No 9? Poor xbots

[bamyrick226]

ok, interesting concept. but it ends there for me. movment seems clunky, graphics are decent at best. story line might be cool, but the game just looks boring. i passed on toohuman, ill pass on this. i guess my 350 will see only gears2 for the rest of the year.

[0LDSCH00L]

How can u agree wit a review of a game u never played! Fanboy much? oh yea, sh*t.. forgot, this is News4Gamers! LOL!

[Narutone66]

a lot of PS3 fans are expecting it to flop. I wish fanboys will stop trading crap and just play games.

[0LDSCH00L]

Provide the links from creditable non bias sources ta prove yer point, or yer full of sh*t like the rest of the.. "PS3 Only Everything Else Sucks" sickening population here at News4Gamers.

[josh3rdegree]

if you don't get it by now you must be gone this sit was made to be the way it is yes its stupid at times but really dude i am not trying to be a d'ck if you don't like it leave go to ign or gametrailers it makes not sense in trying to say your wrong yes i love ps3 they love 360 oh well.

gammer check sit was ment to be site

[Obama]

While I think the 360 is a flaming turd, I do think fable 2 is a good game judging from the gameplay. Not extraordinary but nonetheless good.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I feel this is a bit low for both titles. I think I will enjoy both games than these reviewers have come to enjoy them...

[Bill Gates]

If you're going to be a fanboy, at least be hardcore about it. ....AHHHAHHAHAHHAHAHHHAHHA

Dark side all the way......AAHAHAHHAHAHAHHHHA

[joeynox]

I am not disagreeing with the review But I have this gameand its Great.

[snipermk0]

Its not like LBP didn't get a score below 9. How much of sony ballz are you guys sucking?

[Asane]

LBP didn't get any scores so far that are below 9's. They are at or over 9.

[Final_Rpg]

This was not the review I was expecting...

[TechnicalBS]

I got the game two days ago and its a lot of fun. I like it better than Mass Effect and I think it deserves a higher rating simply because it's a lot of fun. It'll probably be a lot more fun when they finally allow people to play co op.

[die_fiend]

Hilary is just a bellend. The first time I heard that he was slating 360 when he works for the 360 part of IGN I knew he was a nobber. And then I saw him in a video and knew that it was true. He thinks far too highly of himself. I think the difference in scores is because the UK reviewer can relate to the game better because it's English. Hilary gave GTA4 a 10/10 which it didn't really deserve even tho it's an amazing game. Hilarious made a big deal of some small gameplay issues and also went completely against what a lot of reviewers had said. I think he needs 2 realise that he isn't very good at reviewing and should hand the baton over to some1 who has a clue. He should get back to bigging himself up

[SCFreelancer]

I am going to try this game for sure. Like the concept, like the game :)

[KieranS]

Awesome, us Brits sure can make great games ;) Shall be playing this tonight :)

[poeo]

glad to see Fable 2 didnt flop, i think Molyneux is very likable and obviously he wanted to make a game that isnt just the same old. good for him and fans of the game.

still not a reason for me to get a 360 though.