Fable: Eyes-On Impressions

Fable offers a living, breathing world where your actions influence who you become and how others treat you - sounds familiar, right? Here are our impressions.

When a playable build of the Xbox RPG Fable finally took the spotlight at E3, you could actually smell the excitement. Then we realized, this is a game we can sink our teeth into. It's a game, dare we say it, that may live up to the hype.

Known in its former life as Project Ego, Fable is essentially an RPG. But it's not a typical RPG in which you summon a dragon the size of the Chrysler Building, watch a 15-minute pre-rendered cut scene, heal, summon another dragon, heal again, and so on, ad nauseam.

Let's start with Fable's highly touted system of character development. As famed game designer Peter Molyneux put it, "You create your character by how you play. Fable allows you to be good, evil, the hero you want to be."

How does this translate into actual gameplay? Hard-nosed gamers who earn their keep by swinging a two-handed sword the size of a cruise missile will develop Mr. Universe physiques. Crafty gamers who cast spells with abandon will age prematurely and develop a beer-drinker's paunch.

Basically, every action has a corresponding effect, not only on your character, but also on the world and its inhabitants. This was demonstrated to great - and comedic - effect in the demo.

When the hero returned to town after bitch-whipping a pack of bandits, a child yelped in joy and ran to tell the locals that the hero had arrived. Had the hero failed in his quest, the same child might have kicked sand in his face or, even worse, ignored him altogether.

Once in town, the frills of heroism became much more apparent. A rather buxom young woman made a generous offer of "hospitality" that very likely involved the exchange of bodily fluids.

In this PG-rated demo, the hero politely declined the offer and entered the local tavern to doff a mug of fine ale (or something). Here, we saw another one of Fable's calling cards. By watching non-player characters (NPCs), the hero is able to learn new techniques, moves, and even expressions.

In the demo, our esteemed hero watched a bar patron belch, thus allowing him to add the expression to his repertoire. Armed with this technique, the hero could then belch on command, which is invaluable when it comes to bartering ("How about this sword for 50 quid?" "BERAAP!").

Fortunately, the edification of your character is not limited to bodily functions. Details were scarce, but we know for certain that players can learn the art of picking pockets by watching thieves do their handiwork.

Our tongues were practically on the floor as we watched the demo, but Fable's tongue is clearly embedded in its cheek. In the tavern, the hero swiped an NPC's mug of ale, and the entire place erupted into a brawl. Later, when the hero returned home after a long, hard quest, his wife gave him the rough side of her tongue ("Where have you been!? Do you think you can just waltz in here after two months??").

Our hero can buy a gift for his better half to ease the tension - just like real-life, huh? - and a round of drinks for those bar patrons he ticked off. In fact, in Fable you can buy more than just weapons and armor. Everything from houses to entire towns can be acquired for the right price.

If you can't be rich, at least you can look good. There was a time when action games and first person shooters raised the visual bar for video games, but Fable seems to be bucking the trend. It was, quite simply, one of the best-looking games at E3.

The environments are so detailed you can practically see the sap running down tree trunks (though if you actually see it, you probably are a sap), and the textures are vibrant and bump-mapped to perfection. Like the fine folks at Bungie and Smilebit, the team at Lionhead developing this game obviously knows how to make the Xbox hardware run on all cylinders.

The nuts and bolts of the gameplay is still something of a mystery, but a few delectable details have emerged. First, the combat is in real-time. The developer explicitly stated that they want the combat to surpass the mindless button-mashing commonly witnessed in non-linear RPGs *cough* Morrowind *cough*.

It was hard to tell if Fable can back up this boast. In the demo, the hero sliced and diced with a sword, dealing out simple combos and some sexy powers of "will," such as the ability to slow down time. It looked good, but a more thorough critique is pending some hands-on time with the game (and please, god, let it be soon).

Second, Fable permits 4-player cooperative play. A friend can even load a character from his game into your quest for some trusty sidekick action. Molyneux even hinted at Xbox Live features, though we doubt true multiplayer mayhem is in the works (and, frankly, our hearts probably couldn't bear the excitement).

By promising so much, almost more than any game has a realistic chance to deliver, Fable has set itself up for a nasty fall. From what we saw at E3, however, it looks like Fable might be able to live up to its billing.

The only obvious drawback regarding the game is its UFO-like release date: it has been rumored to exist, but no one of any repute knows anything about it. Molyneux said the game is in its final stages - a delicate tweaking and balancing of the gameplay - but would offer no promises regarding the release date.

Tony Scinta
Kikizo Staff Writer