Fable 2 Updates

Probably my most anticipated game of 2007 is action RPG, Fable 2. Hopefully Fable 2 will not be an Xbox exclusive, and actually appear for PC at some stage like the original did.

Anyway, a few weeks back, some new concept art debuted on the Lionhead Studios website, along with a list of fansites worth checking out. I’m quite excited that the sequel is apparently keeping the original’s unique, borderline-cartoony look.



Also, excellent Fable fansite Ego-Maniacs put up this interview that game creator Peter Molyneux made with Official Xbox Magazine. It sounds great!

Peter Molyneux talks us through Fable 2

In the past, Mr. Molyneux has let his mouth get the better of him. And like any proud dad stating his intentions for their child, which in this case happens to be the latest release from Lionhead Studios, the final product my not reach the heights once imagined in the minds eye. But its just as well the fella like a natter, otherwise this info splurge on Fable 2 from the RPG legend would have been very short.

We caught up with the man in question at X06, this is what he had to say;

With Fable 2 what we have to do is completely shock and surprise people! But first some background – Fable 2 is set in Albion in the same universe as Fable one, full of cities, towns, forests and dungeons. Dungeons incidentally, are far more extensive now and allow travel between regions. You play as a boy or a girl, man or woman, ageing as the game takes place over 50 years. But this time you have dramatic influences over whole regions, something we didn’t deliver in Fable one.

For instance, you may come across some huts in a forest. Leave them and return some years later and the huts have become houses, the houses a small village. But if on your first visit you decided to kill the few inhabitants, on return you’ll find only the forest. The village will never have evolved. In Fable 2 you can plant an acorn and it will eventually grow into an oak tree!

But Fable 2 is no longer so much about good and evil choice. It’s now more about being rich or being poor. You will have the opportunity to buy everything, including castles and dungeons! You can rise to be King of Albion should you gain enough riches by unlocking more quests. You’ll really feel like an owner. Alternatively you can rush through the game without seeking riches, earning renown and experience as a Hero, but not earning so much money. In Fable 2 you will now be able to take jobs! Work as a barman, a farmer, or even a prostitute should you wish, leveling up with experience.

Another amazing new feature is that you can have a family. Marry, get pregnant and have children. You can go out adventuring, come back to your family home and these kids come out and if you’re evil they’ll shout “Daddy, daddy, you’re so evil, you’re so cool, look I’m dressed like you!” It’s fantastic when they come up and say, “You’re fantastic, but we’re so hungry,” because you haven’t provided any food, and I just feel the need to eat in front of them and they will react, saying, “Can I just have a little bit?” And you just carry on eating! It’s funny to be so cruel to these kids.



Fable 2 is set 500 years after Fable one and it’s far more mature in tone. If the characters in Fable one were ‘yokel’, Fable 2’s are ‘highwayman’. You start life in the slums. In fact the opening sequence follows a bird soaring over the land, into your city. And then the bird shits. And the camera follows the shit down, down, and it finally lands on the head of your character, a small child, scum in the city’s gutter. Your character has a wonderful unconditional love for its sister, but she’s taken away from you mysteriously early into the story. It’s here I should also introduce Lucien, as the baddie of the piece. Lucien is engaged in building a 50-mile high tower, which he constructs through the 50-year story. Your character’s quest for a sword will sooner or later bring him into contact with Lucien.

Combat is another feature we’ve really worked on for Fable 2. We soon discovered two things about combat systems – one hit kills didn’t work and constrained combat really did! We’ve got new physics for the weight of the sword and it will now make proper contact with walls. It really feels like you’re holding a weapon now. Moves really change with location. Walking down a tight corridor you can’t swing, only lunge. This makes you long for the open space at the end, where you can really get in some swinging samurai moves. It’s no longer just a button combo or a weapon; it’s where you are and who you fight. It’s also changed how levels are built and even your allies can constrain your combat in interesting ways. Finally I can reveal that there is an online element to Fable 2 that will surprise and this does have a team mechanic!