My opinion of Fable II has been in constant fluctuation. I was originally impressed with the game, but my opinion soured somewhat during the week long hiatus I took due to travel. On my return, I jumped back into the game and was again very pleased with what it had to offer I finished it in a few days, a testament to the games drawing power. Unfortunately, after finishing the game, the creeping feeling of disappointment again returned.
The game promises a number of interesting choices for the player to make, choices that supposedly have a very tangible effect on the game world, and on the surface this promise seems fulfilled. NPCs react (mostly) appropriately to actions you take, and in general the game does a good job of giving you responses to the choices you make in the game. Unfortunately, the game does little beyond this rudimentary mechanism of feedback.
Playing Fable II feels a performance. Im on stage doing my act, and the crowd is giving me their feedback, either positive or negative. But beyond very outward signs of approval or disapproval, I dont feel like Im making a personal connection with anyone in the audience.
The NPCs feel more like parallels to real life people than they do actual characters worthy of emotional response. I had a wife and child in the game, but I felt no real connection to them because the entire game mechanic is so shallow. Instead, I felt a connection to the real life people that they represented. This isnt a bad thing, per se, because I actually did have to think about some of my actions in the game (there is a choice late in the game that is particularly tough), but only in the context of my real life.
The game is not bad by any means. The fighting system is rock solid, and the visuals are consistent, though not breath taking, thanks to a cohesive art design. But the unfulfilled potential of the NPC interactions, and the way in which that failure renders the games interesting choices ultimately pointless, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
