I missed out on Fable on initial release. I was always a PlayStation or Nintendo kid over Xbox, and decided to dig into some things I'd missed on Xbox as an adult. When I picked up my OG Xbox from a local used game shop, Fable was one of the games I picked up with it. I lived alone, worked a lot of hours and if I'm being honest, didn't spend as much time gaming as I would have liked. I made it about halfway through the game, eventually rescuing Scarlet Robe. I started seeing someone, moved, upgraded my Xbox for an Xbox 360 and a bunch of newer games, and still never finished Fable. I picked up Fable Anniversary on a sale a couple of years ago and immediately cracked into it. At that point, I'd advanced far enough into my career that I didn't work insane amounts of overtime anymore. I rescued Teresa, completed a bunch of side quests, and looked forward to finally finishing the game... and then I had to move, in a hurry. My husband and I bundled up our things in less than an hour and drove across the country, nonstop, with our toddler. I wouldn't unpack my computer again for months, and I ended up being a PlayStation kid again.
Then magic happened. My husband and I got annoyed with sharing a console. I retrieved my PC from storage, and started clearing some of my backlog. A couple of months ago, I landed on Fable Anniversary again. It was like nothing had changed, and the game was just as charming as I remembered.
The story is basic. You're a kid, bandits raid your home, you're pretty sure your parents are dead, and your sister is kidnapped. You're rescued by a local hero and train to become a hero yourself. After finishing your training, you set out to rescue your sister, avenge your family, and do pretty much anything else that will earn you coin and renown through quest cards. It's better than "rescue the princess," but not as interesting as it could be. There are quite a few twists and turns, and your actions impact the world. I like that we're given the choice as players to be good or evil. One of the biggest criticisms of the game was the story, but I just view it as a shorter RPG instead of another 100+ hour epic. I'd like to have seen more content, but I'm also okay with what's there. I wish Fables II and III were on Steam.
Even after 43 hours, I still don't completely have the hang of the controls, but I think that's a me problem, not a design problem. I use a DualShock 4, and I remember some of the same issues on a standard Xbox controller. The D-pad serves as one means of accessing actions, the A/B/X/Y (or the shapes, on my DS4) serves to access primarily combat actions... the full controller is utilized in a way that's different than most other games out there. It's not a bad system! I do have the issue where I'll assign an item to the D-pad, and then it won't work. I'm not sure why the at is. Also, it's easy to accidentally flip away from the spell you're using, and I have the tendency to stick to either melee combat or guile actions as a result.
Mechanically, the level up system lets you play your way (again, melee, guile, or will) and the experience you gain is focused on what you use. The quest card system is neatly focused in an open world; quests only activate once you're in position, with few exceptions (mostly late game). Fast travel is handled by teleporting to cullis gates, which limits where you can zip to but allows for rapid movement across the map.
That brings me to sound... the sounds are great! The scores are wonderfully written and evoke real feeling in the player, the sound effects are great with clashing blades and thundering spells and howling monsters, and the weak part of the soundscape, the voice acting, is still better than many other games that would come even later.
My last item is graphics. I didn't play too many Xbox games, so this is tough for me to describe. They're not realistic, but they're also not cartoony. "Good but not serious" comes to mind, and I think that's a great way to describe the game overall. The achievement art is definitely unique and interesting, and the map, while not very sophisticated, is well-drawn.
Overall, this game is a mix of nostalgic and not at all nostalgic for me. It could certainly be better in a lot of regards, but the taking it for what it is--something unique and charming--makes the game solid and playable. 3.5/5
3.5