Publisher: Microsoft
Ages: Teens & up
Parental
Advisory:
Blood &
grown-up themes
There have been great roleplay games in the past, but Microsoft's amazing Fable breaks new ground. It's a fantastic roleplay/adventure game that takes into account a player's actions, decisions, appearance and reputation and is a blast to play. It's also the closest thing to taking on the life of a character--something of a "Sims" meets roleplay.
Players create a life story from childhood to death, growing from an inexperienced child into a powerful being. Characters earn and keep scars in battle, gain lines of experience with age, expand their muscles with feats of strength, obtain tattoos and different hair styles and see how other characters react, get fat after eating too much and tan in the sun. Like Newton's law, every action has a reaction and there are moral choices to be made. Every person that is aided and each creature that is slain contribute to a character's reputation and players ultimately choose a path of righteousness or evil.
A large part of the game involves real-time battle using a variety of weapons as well as hunting, harnessing dark arts and carrying out quests. As you would expect in a first rate roleplay game, there are competitive and cooperative heroes; dynamic weather systems; various cultures, creatures, and citizens in the many towns and cities; as well as new abilities and possessions to be found and claimed. And the game relies on well done video sequences to convincingly tell a story.
The game looks fantastic with detailed characters and environments. The controls are logical and easy to learn and use. The game also has replay value as players can make different decisions in a new career and create a tale with different skills, powers, influences, allies and enemies.
From a family standpoint, Fable serves some mature themes that include bedding damsels and graphic violence that depicts, for example, decapitations. While the game is a compelling one that appeals to pre-teens, parents need to be warned of its questionable elements.
Fable is a breakthrough roleplay game that is ambitious, does a fantastic job of telling a story and simulating a life and career, and delivers a truly entertaining experience. Future games that can build on Fable-maintaining its ability to convey a life story, but toning down the violence and mature themes, will eventually make for excellent and thoughtful games for kids.
10/6/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
