Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 64

64: Fable 2 (360)
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Year: 2008

Having just played through this game not that long ago, I must say that it is deserving of a spot on this list for one major reason: total immersion possibilities. For some reason I fell headfirst into this game’s narrative and the choices it constantly allowed you to make. I don’t really know why, per se, but for some reason this game grabbed me and I was in love with it. Let’s look into it a bit more.

One of the primary reasons the game worked so well for me was its simple, easily molded story that could fit the kind of player you wanted to be, the kind of character you wanted to have. You begin the game on a revenge kick, trying to get back at an individual that wronged you in the past. This sets up a blank slate for your character – you can start the game and be as good intentioned or evil as you want to be. And since your character never talks, the interactions and the peoples’ opinion of you changes based only upon your actions and the steps you take on your path to get to that revenge. Of course, the flaw with any narrative is that the game-makers really want you to be the good guy in the end, so – while the end of the game does present you with plenty of choices to make, they’re not any different and only have the meaning you attribute to them. I, for one, played the entire game faithful to the ideals I set up for my character and throughout the game I enjoyed everything that she did. It was awesome, overall.

The game world helped to immerse me, too. It has a cartoonish look and a lot of heart. The effects (simple things like weather, day/night cycles, lighting, spells, etc.) are great and add a ton of extra depth to the game, providing a living, breathing world that feels like it is constantly shifting based on the choices you’ve made. Spend some years away from a certain location and the drastic changes upon your return are easy to notice, but natural in appearance, never seeming like they simply took the old map and placed new shit on it. The ability to constantly customize your character helps keep it fresh and immersive, too, as you can apply any color you want to ANY article of clothing. It helps to create a connection between your avatar in to the world and yourself.

Perhaps the best aspect, though, is the gameplay. At the start, you’re weak as hell and can’t take on that many people. But as you gain experience points you’ll actually feel like your character is getting stronger. New spells, better sword moves, expert gun skills… these things help to make it feel like your character is actually getting better and stronger and able to handle themselves that much better in a world that is seemingly against them. The sword combat is clunky at first, but these moves help make it better as you get better and better at timing, and you gain newer and stronger attacks. Spells are the same way, being barely useful at first, but at their highest level being more than essential in gameplay and survival in the world of Albion.

All in all, Fable 2 is a great game that kept me entertained for hours on end. It has heart and soul, two things not commonly found in player-driven-narrative games. Typically these games are shallow and have very hollow plot lines that leave a lot to be desired. But the connection I had to my character by the end of Fable 2’s primary narrative was strong and memorable. Her actions were my actions and, thus, the world’s final state was based upon my doing and my choices made during my 20+ hour adventure. Very few RPG’s can offer that kind of world-changing gameplay.

Classic Moment:
I don’t know why, but I never got tired of taking whores from the darker parts of the world and sacrificing them to gain points by using a giant “wheel of fortune”-style spinner. Between every mission, every quest, every money-making scheme, my character would return to collect another hooker and gain more points. It was her way of letting of steam, I guess, and it worked for a long time, eventually even giving her annoying wife over to the cause. Why did she marry a whore? Probably to get her into computer classes or something. I dunno.

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Added January 30, 2017
There is no way Fable II would make my list anymore. This was definitely a case of timing for this one. Having said that, I still hold fond memories of the game, they just aren’t as grand as they used to be.