Fable Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 190 Ratings

  • Summary: In Fable, every action determines your skill, appearance, and reputation. From childhood to death, you'll age and evolve a hero or villain through the actions you choose and the path you follow--be it good, evil, or in between. Your muscles expand with each feat of strength; your body becomes fatter with gluttony; your skin tans with exposure to sunlight; and your battle wounds turn into scars. Competitive and cooperative heroes, deadly creatures, dynamic weather systems, and deformable environments all exist in the ever-changing land of Fable. Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 87
  2. Negative: 1 out of 87
  1. 100
    Just remember, Fable is not "Project Ego." What it is, though, is a redefinition for RPG's. It takes out all the frustrating elements of the genre, and instead puts in a heap of fun options and possibilities. This is why; despite its disappointing conclusion, Fable is one of the most gripping and enjoyable games that has come to grace the console scene.
  2. A well-put-together but standard action adventure, primarily consisting of lots of basic combat and running from point to point. Mind you, this is a decidedly great game, all in all. Its most interesting, riskiest features may lie at the fringes rather than at the core--but they're there.
  3. 73
    By far the largest issue Fable has is its length. Completing at least 50% of the sidequests, marrying, slaughtering an entire village, and buying three houses, I still only ended the game at slightly over eight hours.
  4. For all its advertising about a virtual world governed by cause and effect, Fable is really just a terribly unambitious hack and slash game in a bad marriage with a personality simulator. The hack and slash works fairly well-everything else, not so much.

See all 87 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 96
  2. Negative: 10 out of 96
  1. One of the best game I've ever played. Learning curve is very well balanced, the game bring you in the world of fun and you are then addicted to it. Graphic and voice are all immersive. You cannot miss this experience. Expand
  2. Due to years in development and endless promises from creator Peter Molyneux about reinventing the role playing genre Fable arrived on the Xbox amongst a huge amount of hype and anticipation. In the end the title ended up as a cross between an RPG and an adventure title that removes many of the more complex character levelling elements found in PC titles and instead focuses on creating an open world playground for the player to inhabit. As a result the game is far more accessible to the average gamer.

    That is not to say however that the game completely lacks any of the features associated with RPGs. For example completing quests and defeating enemies provides coloured orbs that help improve your players magic etc and different weapons and armour can be equipped to improve your characters abilities. Plenty of side quests are also provided and the player is free to choose whether they wish to veer towards good or evil when tackling these in the same way that Mass Effect of Star Wars: KOTOR allows.

    While the main quest helps to pull the play along it is the open for exploration world of Albion that is perhaps the games defining feature. Villages, forests and mountains are always full of life and the characters that inhabit these places are full of verve and no shortage of charm. With plenty of mini-games available as well as the option to buy properties, get married and even start a family it is easy to find yourself spending hours just seeing what you can discover.

    While Fable is not exactly the revolution that was promised, it is still one of the best RPGs available on the Xbox and will certainly satisfy those looking for fast paced game with a little more depth and freedom than your average action title.
    Expand
  3. BloikF.
    6
    Not anywhwre near as innovative as folks would have you believe. In fact, there's very little new stuff here. Come to think of it, they borrow so heavily from other titles of the genre it's almost not funny. Is it supposed to frame out like that? Ugh. And what's with the terrible voice acting? Doesn't help with suspension of disbelief at all. Decent, but not great by any stretch of the imagination. Expand
  4. K.F.
    4
    It's poor throughout. A bad game which fails on every level. It's not fun, it's not clever and the story is awful.

See all 96 User Reviews

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