as promised, i've been banging away at fable since friday (about 6 hours into the game now) and i'm pretty hooked. so far, there hasn't been a deluge of quests to choose from at the hero's guild, as most of the missions i've done are from the story core, but i'm really enjoying myself if that means anything.
my favorite parts of fable right now is definitely character customization stuff. you don't spend a lot of time fretting over every personal detail of course, but after each mission, when you've got a ton of experience points and money, it's really fun to deck out your guy with new hairdos, tattoos, clothes, facial hair, etc.
also fun is interacting with all the NPCs... whether it's gesturing to them in the form of sneers, flirts, farts, belching, laughter, etc. or running around town trying to impress them with your war trophies (which is an innovative mini-game in and of itself). it's an interesting world dripping with character and soul.
combat is a love/hate thing. i love it because you really do feel bad ass and it's ultimately a FUN action RPG. the gameplay can get pretty tense when you're surrounded by enemies. the hate stems from the fact that the controls/UI is cumbersome in the heat of combat. trying to juggle combos (to sustain your combat multiplier for more exp. rewards), block, roll, and cast spells all with the 4 face and 2 shoulder buttons is definitely an acquired skill -- and one that doesn't come easy. but combat here is deeper than your standard 3D zelda affair... if only because you can do so much more than just lock-on, throw stuff, and slash.
i wonder if i'll finish the game by this weekend.
not if my wife could help it, i guess.
edit: oh, i forgot to mention, the first two hours of the game is -shit- ... one of the most boring tutorials ever. once they let you loose into the world, however, the game picks up immensely. also, my character specializes in melee AND magic... like i said, this game IS kind of an ego trip.
