March 2020 Playthrough - Fable II

[Mr_Stubbes]

So I started playing last weekend and I used the suggestion Shawn gave in the most recent Playcast and invested a lot into houses and shops. I have a pretty good gold flow coming in which should prove useful towards the end of the game. I'm about to start the Crucible segment after I get a little more renown. While I am enjoying this playthrough, there is definitely some changes from the first game that I'm not the biggest fan of. I'll talk about these more after I finish my playthrough though.   

[ReddMcKnight]

So I started playing last weekend and I used the suggestion Shawn gave in the most recent Playcast and invested a lot into houses and shops. I have a pretty good gold flow coming in which should prove useful towards the end of the game. I'm about to start the Crucible segment after I get a little more renown. While I am enjoying this playthrough, there is definitely some changes from the first game that I'm not the biggest fan of. I'll talk about these more after I finish my playthrough though.   

I'm not in on this Playthrough as I beat this recently, but I definitely want to hear what you have to say about the changes.

[Mr_Stubbes]

So I finished the game this morning and overall my experience was a good one. I’ll try not to spoil anything for those still playing but I really enjoyed the story up until the end. I feel like the final battle could have been more exciting especially when you compare it to the endings of the first game. Both Stories were similar in the sense that the entire game leads up to a point of redemption/revenge for the player.

In Fable II there were a few changes (for better or worse) from the first game. For starters there is no more armor. Instead the clothing is basically cosmetic and does not provide any defensive qualities. Instead your clothing choice can change the way the world perceives the player. Depending on your wardrobe you can make yourself scarier or funnier looking as well as uglier or more attractive. While this was present in the first game, Fable II made it more fleshed out and made it a bigger part of the game. Depending on how a person, or even a community, perceives the hero can have social effects, like being flirted with or having them run away in fear or disgust. It also has economical effects that can cause you to pay more for things if you’re hated or pay less if you’re liked/loved. Overall I liked this change.

There were also changes to the weapon options as well as the combat and power up system. Most of the melee weapons make a return, but the biggest change to melee combat is the upgrade system. By upgrading your brutal styles you can gain abilities like block, flourish and counter. There were some big changes to the range weapons too, gone are bows and arrows and in there place are a arsenal of firearms. Included are flintlock pistols, blunderbusses, clockwork rifles, turret riffles and heavy and light crossbows. Considering Fable II takes place in a time before an Industrial Age, this is a nice addition. For the most part I liked these changes to the combat system. However, I did not care for the changes to Will combat. There is no longer a will energy bar and all spells require a charge up to deal more damage. I feel like the charge up slows down combat and just turns your character into a punching bag while you charge a spell. It would have been better if they left some spells that could just be cast while utilizing a will power bar, and I’m not going to lie it was fun running around Fable I shooting lightning bolts from my fingertips like a Sith Lord!

Another change was how some enemies had to be fought. In the first games enemies could just be hacked and slashed to death. In Fable II some enemies like the banshee and troll which can only be attacked during a specific point in battle. While the banshee fights are fun, the troll fights can get a little annoying waiting for the grubs to appear to shoot, but usually the fight doesn’t take too long though.

The last big change is the introduction of a dog companion. Your dog can help you sniff out treasures both buried and in chests. Your furry little friend can also assist in combat by attacking and killing downed enemies. While overall he is useful I found that too often he would just get hurt in combat and didn’t provide much help. This isn’t a big problem considering it makes since that a dog would be hurt easily while fighting hordes of hollow men and trolls.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Fable II and will be playing the third one in the next few days.

[Disposed Hero]

I'm probably going to bow out of this playthrough. My gaming time has been much more limited lately, and the hour or so that I've spent with the game hasn't really clicked with me so far. I remember really enjoying this game back in 2008, but now it feels pretty dated and sluggish to me. Maybe it would have clicked again if I spent some more time with it, but I don't have it in me right now. I plan on going ahead and getting a big headstart with Control instead.

[GrayGhost81]

I've been playing this game when I can and want to, but it hasn't really been the distraction I was hoping for. I loved this game the first time a played it a few years ago, and I'm still enjoying it, but currently it only holds my interest for about 45 minutes at a time.

I love how the game feels quaint and cheeky. The wholesome sense of humor is just great.

The dog is awesome, even if his ai is pretty rickety.

Actually, all the ai is rickety. Enemies, friendlies, the dog, they're all just kind of moving, the pausing, then walking, then running, then turning, etc etc. It's weird.

I'm hoping to finish this game, but I'm not going to be too upset if I don't this time around.

[Mr_Stubbes]

I've been playing this game when I can and want to, but it hasn't really been the distraction I was hoping for. I loved this game the first time a played it a few years ago, and I'm still enjoying it, but currently it only holds my interest for about 45 minutes at a time.

I love how the game feels quaint and cheeky. The wholesome sense of humor is just great.

The dog is awesome, even if his ai is pretty rickety.

Actually, all the ai is rickety. Enemies, friendlies, the dog, they're all just kind of moving, the pausing, then walking, then running, then turning, etc etc. It's weird.

I'm hoping to finish this game, but I'm not going to be too upset if I don't this time around.

Yeah, the AI is very weird in Fable II. However, while playing through Fable III, I noticed that it was a little bit better. Not necessarily good, but better. Another thing that bugs me about Fable II is how grotesque your character becomes with leveling up might, skill and magic. By the end of the game you look like a barrel chested meatball with glowing blue stripes, but the townsfolk will still say how attractive/sexy you look

I'm playing Fable III now and without spoiling the story for those who have not played it yet, I've reached the point where you need to make a lot of money fast. While its not part of the playthrough for this month, I felt like I needed to play this one as well considering I've finished the other two games. Overall I'm enjoying it more than F2. If I had to rank them it would probably go the first game, the third, and then the second.

[douglie007]

Will I got sucked into sidequests and didnt finish it.  I think I'm close, I am about to get the thief guy.  Getting my fame up is time consuming, it feels like it was a way to pad the game.

[singlebanana]

Will I got sucked into sidequests and didnt finish it.  I think I'm close, I am about to get the thief guy.  Getting my fame up is time consuming, it feels like it was a way to pad the game.

Yeah, if you are about to get the thief, you are less than 30 mins away from beating it

[douglie007]

Will I got sucked into sidequests and didnt finish it.  I think I'm close, I am about to get the thief guy.  Getting my fame up is time consuming, it feels like it was a way to pad the game.

Yeah, if you are about to get the thief, you are less than 30 mins away from beating it

If I get time I will finish! I've been playing way too much of Ultima 4 and Animal Crossing so just started Control today lol

[douglie007]

I got it done! That is still a good game. The moral choices are blatantly obvious, wish they had more depth to them.