Fable II Pub Games (xbox360: 2008): Reviews

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Fable II Pub Games


6.4

based on 26 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 15 votes
Read user comments
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Cheat Code Central

Official Website

[Xbox Live Arcade] Available exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade, you can transfer the gold earned in these casino-style mini-games to the world of Fable II. Play these mini-games and build your Fable II bankroll. The Fable II Pub Games (available as one download) are: Keystone: A combination of Craps and Roulette; Spinnerbox: An updated take on slot machines; Fortune's Tower: A "press your luck" style of game. The download also includes a Shell, which is a tutorial of all three games. [Microsoft]

PUBLISHER:	Microsoft
DEVELOPER:	Lionhead Studios
GENRE(S):	Casino Games
PLAYERS:	1
ESRB RATING:	E (Everyone)
RELEASE DATE:	August 13, 2008

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

VideoGamer

Pub Games does exactly what it's supposed to do and it does it in a fairly charming way. The background music and the graphics are quietly stylish with the occasional flourish - the way the hero cards spring to life in Tower of Fortune is a neat touch - but it's thoughtful design that makes the games worthwhile.

Gamer.nl

Fable 2 Pub Games is a nice little bonus for people planning to play Fable 2. It's free when pre-ordering, so you can start collecting money and items even before Fable 2's out. It's great as a free extra, but you should not buy it for 800 points on Marketplace.

3DJuegos

An exclusive gamble for Fable fans.

WonderwallWeb

Having three gambling games is OK, but when two of them are boring you start to question why this is released now rather than bundled in with the main game.

GameSpot

If you're lukewarm about Fable II or gambling in general, then Pub Games doesn't do anything well enough to warrant your attention.

Worth Playing

For anyone who plans on picking up Fable II, Fable II Pub Games is an easy XBLA title to choose. Those who aren't interested in the game's lineage or continuing story line, or those who aren't fans of board games, will likely pass this one by.

IGN

There's no personality here -- just a trio of games and nothing else. And only two of those games are good. If you've pre-ordered Fable II, then by all means, you should download and enjoy this free game.

Console Monster

The games don’t provide enough entertainment and will bore many players after an hour or two due to the games being luck-based.

Gamer 2.0

The idea of earning cash ahead of time for your pre-created Fable 2 character is a neat idea, but the structure could have been implemented better.

Games Master UK

Little more than a glorified countdown to "Fable 2." [Nov 2008, p.84]

X360 Magazine UK

Obviously, if "Fable II" bores you to tears, steer clear, but if there's a chance you'll chase Molyneux's dream, by all means play on. [Issue#37, p.116]

GamePro

For Fable fans only, games require more luck than skill.

Gamervision

The Fable II Pub Games are sort of a strange case, as they are just barely games and in no way worth the $10 no matter how excited for Fable II you are.

Xbox World Australia

Getting a head start in terms of money and items will appeal to Fable fanatics, but for everyone else, it's not worth the gamble.

Cheat Code Central

Pub Games is really a half-game aimed at those that want to get a jump start on building their Fable II loot. Those looking for a good standalone title are out of luck - far from scoring a jackpot, Pub Games is a complete bust.

Video Game Talk

As a freebie for preordering Fable II, Pub Games is an average bonus and will appeal to the fans of the original Fable on the Xbox. As a standalone game on Xbox Live marketplace, Pub Games certainly isn’t worth the 800 points ($10).

Official Xbox Magazine UK

This is dull. So very, very dull.

MS Xbox World

Had there been more variety of games then it would be a cool game to recommend a purchase. The only reason this game is going to be popular is the interactive element with Fable II as gamers seek a head start when they start playing in October.

Official Xbox Magazine

The 3 mini-games in this Fable II companion are decidedly mixed. [Nov 2008, p.80]

Wired

Anyone who's been waiting for Peter Molyneux's latest epic will no doubt spend hours in front of Pub Games trying to earn cash, whether they like it or not. But on its own, it doesn't offer nearly enough entertainment.

GameDaily

Unfortunately, none of them are fun because of horrible odds that suck your gold dry.

Gameplanet

It's not bad as a bundled freebie, but it struggles to justify its 800 Points (approx. $13) price separately. There is very little game here to keep you occupied.

EuroGamer

The marriage of XBLA and boxed game is a nice idea, but the Pub Games themselves are lightweight and boring, and the potential benefits for Fable 2 players are the sorts of things typically bundled on Collector's Edition bonus disks in the first place - and typically overlooked by the majority of players who can think of better ways to spend the extra money.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Without that little marketing ploy, this is a boring and ill-conceived collection of ‘games’ that just aren’t worth your time of day.

Giant Bomb

It's slightly less offensive as a Fable II preorder bonus, but it comes nowhere near justifying its 800 point ($10) asking price.

Totally360

A promotional toy that would've been better offered as a freebie, levelling the playing field for Fable 2 anticipators.

The average user rating for this game is 6.4 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Khristian R. gave it a7:
They're good games and its nice to see slight new ideas developed. But I wouldn't buy them, when in a few weeks, the Limited Edition has bonus Material including all the Pub Games. Why waste the money downloading the games. For everyone waiting for Fable II, just hold on...only 3 weeks left to go. SCORE : 70%

Chris H. gave it a5:
Fable II Pub Games offers little outside of giving players an opportunity to get a headstart on their Fable II characters, but that is exactly the purpose of the game and it serves that purpose well enough. Through playing three games, players can earn gold and fifteen items for their characters, as well as the standard 200 achievement points. Out of the three games, two offer some level of interactivity, while the third, based on slot machines, only requires the repeated tapping of the A button. This quickly becomes tiresome, but players will have to play the game in five seperate tournaments to earn the five items tied into it. If you preorder Fable II, you receive the game for free and its worth spending some time playing it, but its certainly not amongst the best Xbox Live Arcade games. Its not worth the 800 Microsoft Points if you have no intention of playing Fable II. It delivers on its purpose, but does nothing to dazzle. 5/10.

Collin L. gave it a6:
Just like real gambling it takes alot of luck and patience for the reward. Fun for awhile but soon gets tedious resulting in wanting to play a richer experience (like fable 2).

Kate O. gave it a3:
As an incentive to pre-order Fable 2 this works beautifully, being able to transfer the loot you earn in the pub games to your Fable char is great. Of course unless you like casino games you'll be bored to tears while doing it. No way should anyone dish out actual money for this.

Reb K. gave it a9:
If you pre-order Fable II, you can get this game for free. It appears that some (not all) of these reviews ignore that fact. As a FREE game, Pub Games is well worth a drive to your local gamestop, if you plan on purchasing Fable II. The game itself is a lot of fun, if a bit challenging, but a simple search can give you hints on how to overcome the odds. If you use these tricks to load up your pouch with gold, you can really enjoy the game without worrying about indebtedness. The music and sound is indeed charming, it easily conveys the atmosphere of Albion. It's stylish, colorful and well-conceived in my opinion. There are three games, and I enjoyed all three equally. Scoring a jackpot is quite satisfying, if a bit rare. The bonus items to be gained in your inventory appear to be useful and worth the effort. Plus, you can quickly and easily gain wealth that can be transferred to your Fable character. I wouldn't pay 400 points for this game as a standalone, let alone 800 if I wasn't planning on buying Fable. But, if you are, you should definitely go preorder the game and get this as an added bonus. I honestly believe that was what Lionhead was aiming for.

Ian B. gave it a9:
this game is great, the only thing that could be changed a little are the tournaments for the spinnerbox game. you should be able to change your wager so it has a little more strategy to it rather than just depending on getting lucky to win.

Jason D. gave it a7:
It's hard to justify the cost of the download unless you got the Fable II pre-order deal, but the charm of two of these three games is hard to ignore. Fortune's Tower and Keystone are games that would transplant well into Vegas, though Spinnerbox is simply a poor slot machine clone.