I couldn’t tell you when it happened, exactly. Maybe it was when I overheard a little boy crying out “We need more NPC’s!”, or perhaps the little girl wistfully bemoaning the loss of her beloved “Rosie”… again. Maybe it was emerging from the dour fog of Wraithmarsh into a blinding sunrise coming up over the hill into Bloodstone.  No, if I had to guess- I suppose it was playing fetch with my dog. Conceivably, it was all of these moments, and a vast sum more, that made it happen. A “game” became an “experience”…

For all its pomp and promise, the first Fable was a collection of neat concepts and revolutionary thinking- ultimately restricted by hardware and time. The first installment was but a shadow of Lionhead director Peter Molyneux’s vision of the Fable experience. Its sequel manages to include a vast majority of the original potential, refine what was already established, and include more scope and originality than most titles of this generation. Fable 2 is a stellar piece of gaming- from the colorful vistas, to the excellent characterization, to the staggering amount of things to do and see and explore.

Visually, the game borrows from the classics of the fantasy genre, creating lush environments full of color and depth. The architecture and level design feels complete, conveying the intended scope of a fully-realized world. There are only a scant few invisible walls to be found, a testament to the care taken in polishing every nook and cranny. Draw distance in the larger outdoor areas is considerably well-done, with limited haze to obscure far-off detail. Even the darker environs bleed color, each location seamlessly (from an aesthetic perspective) flowing together into a cohesive whole.

The musical score is phenomenal, incorporating hues from renaissance and celtic themes with the modern stylings of your favorite fantasy blockbuster film. The voice acting is well done, only cheesy when you can tell it’s trying to be. The overall feel of the main story is bleaker than the first Fable, and for the most part, the extended story- that which is told through sidequests, jobs, and conversations with the common folk- keeps to that seriousness, but not always. There’s a fair amount of humor, partially from the expressions your character can perform, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Characters and townspeople react to you based on your goodness, how much you’ve impressed them, and your fame in their corner of Albion.

Which brings us to the much-touted morality system many missions and story points revolve around… There are essentially two sliders measuring your hero’s good/evil and purity/corruption ratios. Choosing to spare a criminal rather than execute him yields “good” points. Choosing to eat fruit and vegetables to heal, rather than tasty meat gives “purity”, because supposedly eating animals is “corrupt”. And on it goes, with each side-quest having either two possible outcomes (good or evil choices), or having a completely separate and opposite mission- for example, sacrificing people to the Temple of Shadows, or making cash donations at the Temple of Light. Becoming “good” doesn’t necessarily mean being “pure” either. The two aspects are completely separate, so even though your character may choose to be a champion of the “light”, they may also be corrupt landlords- charging more than standard amounts in rent from their tenants.

Heroes can purchase and rent out practically every house the game’s world contains- as well as become the owner of food and item stalls, furniture stores, tailor’s shops, the local pub, and even a castle (to name a few). Gold from these investments deposits into the players’ wallet every five minutes, all but eliminating the need for treasure chest hunting. Not to say there aren’t any treasures to be found. Quite the contrary, in fact- some chests containing gift items (which can be sold or given to NPC’s to gain their favor)- some weapons or potions, and yes- some have money. In addition, the player’s faithful canine companion will often bark to indicate he’s on the trail of a buried item to be dug up.

Which brings us to the dog. Throughout the adventure, players will be accompanied by… I was about to type “their pet”, but realize that isn’t the correct moniker… their partner. The hero’s dog will sniff out treasure, growl when enemies approach, pounce on your downed foes, and with some training- accompany your expressions. Players may find themselves verbally asking their canine cohort “who’s a good dog?” in their best baby talk voice (don’t pretend you haven’t). On more than one occasion, I was distracted from a dialogue by my dog’s playful expressions as he bounded around behind whomever my character was speaking to. The dog is animated so well, and incorporated so completely into the experience, on more than one occasion I exacted a bit of overzealous vengeance upon any enemy who happened to injure him. No one hurts my dog and lives. The character is brilliantly done.

But a different type of “character” also comes to play heavily in Fable 2- the kind reflected by the player’s own temperament and integrity. Marriage, sex, divorce, children, crime, lawfulness and lawlessness… all are paths your hero may trod. It’s interesting to see the choices you’ll make as a player based on one’s own personal convictions. When I decided to try the whole marriage and family thing, I noticed my own sense of dread as soon as I gave my chosen gal the ring. It was revealing- in a way I didn’t think a video game could elicit. I went about my travels, returning to town on occasion to see how my virtual betrothed was doing. I felt as if I’d made a mistake, not waiting to find someone completely unique (in a sea of identical NPCs, I know… silly) for so important a decision. It wasn’t until I was passing by and she said to another denizen of the town, “I’m going to be a bride!” that I relented and my character did that whole tying of the proverbial knot. Because my character made her sound so happy. Yes, pathetic as it is- that was my reason. It was peculiar… seeing personal, real-life emotion come to bear in a completely virtual interaction. Same with attachment to the dog, or the pang of guilt at committing a crime, or the sense of panic when accidentally pressing the wrong button and setting your crowd of cheering fans on fire…

Immersion in such a deep gaming experience can be profoundly satisfying… but potentially dangerous as well. Sex is handled with a black screen and some suggestive moaning, and is not that difficult to achieve with any of the myriad townsfolk. It’s too easy and cheap of an option, and some of the game’s achievements require bigamy or multiple partners in a single sexual encounter. Spamming a few expressions can raise the townsfolk’s “like” slider easily, making your character an instant celebrity to at least some of them. Using that affection to your hero’s advantage becomes a relatively simple temptation to succumb to, if a player is prone to such digital play-acting. Sacrificing people at the Temple of Shadows is equally villainous, wrapped in dark humor to try and make more palatable. Achieve enough fame, and multiple unsuspecting townspeople can be asked to follow you into a circle in the clichéd Temple, where upon the pull of a lever, a Wheel of Fortune-style device rotates, and either transforms, beheads, or impales your hapless victims. Extra points are granted for sacrificing your character’s spouse or the bland ‘priests’ from the Temple of Light. Speaking of spouses… multiple sexual orientations are exhibited as completely normal- going so far as one side mission having your hero playing gay matchmaker. Upon entering any town where my renown is high, there will inevitably be dozens of swooning ladies, asking my character to propose (which is normal- he’s a stunning specimen after all)… but also a few men, reminding me that I obviously don’t love them enough to get them a ring. No, sir, I’m afraid I don’t.

The only obvious religious portrayals are the monks of the Temples of Light and Shadow. The Light monks are bland as they come, bemoaned by one of the main characters as being narrow-minded and basically useless, as long as they ‘blindly follow’ ancient texts that have no relevance to the current state of Fable’s world. Upon taking the first mission at the Light temple, the ‘priests’ are hesitant to allow your character’s involvement until your fame reaches a certain level, and during the initial interaction, one of them maliciously spits the word “Heathen” at you. Joining the Shadows, conversely, only requires the rather humorous (and crunchy) eating of a few baby chickens. After that, the darkly silly Shadow monks are completely welcoming- although with the expected tint of… well, evil. Supporting the Light temple means giving large gold donations, rather than sacrificing lives… You get the point. The portrayal of the spiritually “good” and “evil” are exactly as one might expect the world to paint them. “Evil is funny, Good is insipid. Evil is welcoming, Good is spiteful and ostracizing and money-grubbing.” Such portrayals are not unexpected… but no less unfortunate.

Players’ chosen good/evil orientation doesn’t necessitate any continued involvement with either Temple, though. Choices presented at basically every turn will give a chance to align either direction. Intimidation or friendship, courtesy or rudeness… either way is presented as a valid avenue. As your hero’s placement on the sliders changes, so does their appearance. Evil characters grow horns and darken in appearance, Good ones develop a glowing halo to adorn their nearly whitening hair… and even the dog alters appearance with the shift to one end or the other. Eat fatty foods, and pounds will be put on, requiring a lot of celery to regain the physique. Beef up magic skills and see glowing blue veins begin to shine through the skin. The visual detail representing stats is remarkably well done. Since there’s no armor to worry about upgrading, players are free to dress their heroes as they like, taking only attractiveness boosts and such into consideration. Every item can be dyed a different color as well, with the exception of hair and weapons.

Weapons and combat are made simple, but elegant in that simplicity. Two varieties of weapons- melee and ranged. One button for swords and axes and such, one for guns and crossbows, and one for magic. Might seem like its too simple, and wouldn’t offer any strategic depth to battle. Not so- as players spend experience to upgrade each variety of skill, new options become available, such as zooming into an over-the-shoulder target view for firearms, or countering with a melee weapon. Magic comes in several flavors, all of which can be assigned individually to progressive slots which take longer to unleash as you go. The longer the button is held, the more powerful the magic, as long as that level has been invested in. Without magic points or ammunition to conserve, combat becomes more about variety and combination. Slow time down to give yourself time to charge a powerful vortex to toss enemies around in the air and as they fly helplessly about, line up a headshot with your rife, and combo that into a charged melee… You get the idea. Battle is made simple, and remarkably- fun.

And everything I’ve just relayed is barely scratching the surface. Fable 2 is filled to the brim with surprises, secrets, hidden treasures, and more to explore and experience than I’ve had time to properly digest. I doubt I’ll find or do every single thing the game has to offer, and even as I’m writing this sentence, I’ve thought of eight or nine more… Seeing your friends online as glowing orbs, and jumping in for some co-op, taking a job chopping wood at a farm, the family interactions with the children, the storyline itself… There’s just too much to go over in detail.

Final thoughts- Fable 2 isn’t perfection, but it’s closer than any similar title has dared to aspire to. There is a pervasive worldliness to the content, which may not come as a shock to anyone taking the time to read the rating. Make no mistake- this is not a children’s game. I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it based purely on the sexually and morally depraved actions persistently available at every juncture. It’s rather sad that so many visionary, exceptional games have such content. Without it, Fable 2 would be a must-purchase-right-now-what-are-you-waiting-for title. Regardless, it’s an epic adventure, well worth the time of any gamer discerning enough to not be affected by the unfortunate stains upon it’s contents.