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| PLATFORM: XBOX |
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 here are effectively two schools of thought I’ve heard voiced about Fable. There’s the one side that wanted more of the promised features, felt the game wasn’t long enough, and gosh darnit, they’re ticked off about it. The second perspective somehow manages to ignore these complaints in light of the amazing quality of the actual game, and any shortcomings are absorbed and ameliorated by the immersive world and mythic tale. Thankfully, this new version should please both sides, since it both extends the game and brings it back to life for those timeworn travelers who have already scoured every aspect of the original release. By no means should The Lost Chapters be viewed as either a sequel or an expansion. Instead, the best comparison might be the extended cuts of The Lord of the Rings films that had all us nerds buzzing over the last few years. The Lost Chapters has all the content of the original game, but adds at least a couple of hours of new exploration. Beyond a few new side missions, most of this won’t be available until you complete the original ending. It’s at this point that the real conflict begins, and fans are treated to entirely new lands, characters, and challenges. Ice trolls, Succubus Queens, and frozen mountain peaks await. Beyond the new content, this PC version offers dramatically improved visuals, and any worthwhile rig should offer much shorter load times over the Xbox. The one sticking point for me was the controls, which didn’t feel nearly as natural and functional as they used to. I spent several hours adjusting both my play style and my keyboard map until I felt comfortable. Inevitably, those that were hoping for an entirely new campaign that doubles the size of the original are going to be disappointed. However, taken on its own terms, this edition of Fable offers more of what made the original so unique, and succeeds at making a phenomenal game even greater.
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Fable: The Lost Chapters is great in some ways, and leaves much to be desired in others. On the one hand, I appreciate the fresh look of the game, the significant additional content available, and the vastly shorter load times. On the other, the action itself isn’t nearly as fun due to the clumsiness of keyboard/mouse control. Missions that I totally rocked on the Xbox version required several attempts in this title, and it’s just harder to enjoy hack n’ slash combat when every few seconds I’m cursing my inability to translate what I want to do into onscreen actions. This remains a solid choice for Xbox-impaired gamers who are hoping to get on the Fable boat, but with the exact same game coming out on the ‘Box in a month or two, waiting for that seems the better use of dollar bills. |
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9 |
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| CONCEPT: |
| An improved version of the breathtaking Xbox RPG |
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| GRAPHICS: |
| ox version makes the world even more vibrant than before |
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| SOUND: |
| The impeccably presented dialogue is only rivaled by the sweeping score that accompanies it |
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| PLAYABILITY: |
| The great curse this version suffers under is its controls – a factor that has the potential to seriously detract from the fun until you get used to them |
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| ENTERTAINMENT: |
| While it’s still not the longest RPG, it remains one of the best |
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| Copyright
1991 -
2009
:: Game Informer Magazine
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