Fable II

Last updated

Fable II
Fable II.jpg
Developer(s) Lionhead Studios
Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s) Peter Molyneux
Composer(s) Danny Elfman
Russell Shaw
Series Fable
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Release
Genre(s) Action game, Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Fable II is a 2008 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. The game is the second installment in the Fable game series, and the sequel to 2004's Fable . The story takes place within the fictional land of Albion, 500 years after the first game. Players assume the role of a young hero who is destined to stop a former ruler turned madman from destroying the world. The game features several prominent actors portraying major characters in the game, including Zoë Wanamaker, Ron Glass and Stephen Fry. The game's setting takes inspiration from the historical late colonial era, in terms of architecture, social quality and basic firearms such as flintlock pistols. [4]

Contents

The game made several improvements over its predecessor, updating existing gameplay and offering larger locations to explore. Alongside the main story, players can engage in several side quests and repeatable jobs to earn money and rewards, build up a property empire, and customise their character with various clothing items, hairstyles, tattoos and makeup. Players also can make decisions on how they act, affecting their characters' morality and appearance as a result. New features to the game included the opportunity to choose between playing as a male or female character, a fast-travel system, and a canine companion who can detect treasures and alert the player to nearby enemies.

Fable II was released in October 2008 and achieved critical acclaim, many citing its adherence to the original while praising the changes that redefined the game system. The game later received two downloadable content packs   which introduced new locations, items and quests   which were released in a compilation with the main game, titled Fable II: Game of the Year, in September 2009. The game proved a commercial success, becoming the best selling title on Xbox 360 following its release. A sequel, Fable III , was released in 2010.

Gameplay

The world in Fable II is fully dynamic, interactive and mostly free roaming with no set quest path to take. Since the game takes place over a hero's lifetime, many things can change; Molyneux gave an example of a trade camp that the player could either help or destroy. Trading in such camps would increase their profit, resulting in a small town growing around them.

Additionally, every accessible property (those that can be entered by the player) in the world can be purchased (except for the Tattered Spire), and ownership of unique buildings can unlock further quests. In addition to purchasing and renting homes, businesses and stalls are now available for purchase. These businesses produce income for the player every 5 minutes, depending on the quality of the business, the economy level of the town, and the opinion of the shop owner for the player (a shopkeeper with a high opinion will work harder), and the rent or goods prices set by the player; this happens even while the Xbox 360 is turned off. Rent is also accumulated every 5 minutes. Also, if the player visits his own shops, the quality of their goods will improve, and improve the quality of the shop. Players are able to furnish the houses with furniture and other items available for sale. In addition, titles will be awarded for buying property; if one were to buy every building and piece of land in a town he/she may become the mayor of that town; owning more land leads to higher titles such as king/queen, and eventually Emperor of the entire land of Albion. Players can become more Pure by setting prices and rent low, or more Corrupt by increasing them.

The environment in Fable II features trees with branches and leaves that are individually animated according to their own physics, each tree having roughly 120,000 leaves. There are also around 15 million poppies in Albion. [5] There are both interactive and non-interactive cutscenes in the game. [6] According to Lionhead Studios, the non-interactive cutscenes consume less than five minutes of game time.

In the fully interactive cutscenes a player can use their expressions during the dialogue or even run away from the scene, thus skipping it; afterward the player can return to the cutscene location to start it again. If the player runs away from a cutscene which contains important information, the character will await the player's return.

The player's companion is a dog which the player befriends as a child. This dog follows the player almost all of the time during the game. The dog can learn tricks, fight enemies and find treasure, and lead the way to quest objectives (when required, though this is rare; typically the player is led to objectives via a sparkling gold "bread crumb" trail). It can also aid in combat situations by attacking downed enemies. The dog cannot be killed, but can become injured and ineffective, requiring healing by the player.

The appearance of their dog will also mirror the player's choices and changes colour depending on the player's alignments; if the player is neutral it will remain grey, being good will turn the dog's coat to golden and evil will turn it to black. There are no other animals in the game, save for neutral rabbits and birds, a fact commented on by one NPC who notices the oddness of carriages with no horses.

In the downloadable content "See the Future", it is possible to change the dog's breed with potions. The three choices are Dalmatian, Bloodhound and Husky. [7]

Family and relationships

In Fable II, it is possible for the player's character to get married, including same-sex marriage, and have children. Divorce with the player's spouse can occur, and can be initiated by either the spouse or the player themselves. As with a real family, time spent around and interacting with them will keep the bond between them strong and reduce the chance of them leaving. It is possible to become widowed through the death of a partner. It is also possible for the player character's children to die through cot death or disease, or to run away from home to become an adventurer, in which case the player can rescue them from danger.

The relationships, as in the original Fable, are initiated by flirting, gift-giving, and the common expression. By performing a potential mate's favourite expressions, or giving them their preferred gifts, they will become infatuated more easily. Beyond a certain level of interest, or payment in the case of prostitute characters, a character may proposition the player for sex. Unprotected sex may lead to the birth of a child, but can also lead to sexually transmitted disease; this does affect the player, as it may lead to sterilisation. If the player has purchased or found a condom, they will have the option of protected sex. No sex is actually shown; the screen is black when the option is selected.

Character morphing

Fable II enhances the system of morphing one's character based on their actions as introduced in Fable . Character morphing revolves around two major alignment scales: Good and Evil, and Purity and Corruption.

Good players will enable a pleasant-looking Hero, with tanned skin and light hair, while evil players will have a more frightening look, with pale skin and black hair. Pure players will find that their hero will have a clear complexion and a halo, while corrupt players will find their hero with a flawed complexion and horns. These scales are independent of one another, meaning that it is possible to be both good and corrupt simultaneously or any other variation.

Also related to character morphing is the character's slimness or fatness, determined by what foods the player eats; fruits and vegetables (mainly celery), make the player thinner, while alcohol, meat and pies make the player fatter. In addition, fruits and vegetables give the player purity points (because no animals are harmed in their creation/consumption), while meats and alcohol give the player corruption points (because animals were harmed in their creation/consumption and they can cause drunkenness, respectively). This has no effect on gameplay other than attractiveness or the lack thereof in the eyes of NPCs.

Levelling up stats will also alter the player character's appearance. Increasing the Physique level will make the Hero more muscular. Increasing the Skill stat will make the Hero taller. A high level of Will power and spells create glowing blue markings, called Will Lines, all over the body.

Jobs

Unlike Fable, the player does not acquire money through doing quests, but by doing jobs around Albion. These are Blacksmith, Woodcutter, Bartender, Assassin, Civilian Displacement (Slaver), Bounty Hunter, and Merchant. The first three involve correctly pressing the A button during certain times, and the latter three are combat related. Merchant, however, is done by taking advantage of the economies of each town, buying low and selling to richer vendors for a profit. The jobs become available depending on how much renown the player has and story progression. The trade skill jobs can be done over and over again for a certain number of days, but the side quest jobs are single use, requiring the player to wait for another task to become available. The trade skills can be leveled up to five stars via promotions, allowing for more money to be made.

Recreation

Exploration plays a primary role in the game. As in the original Fable, gameplay is very linear; however, main story-advancing missions may be performed whenever the player chooses and there are additional missions that do not affect the storyline. The player may also choose to perform any of the many different jobs, gambling-based mini-games, participating in the arena-style minigame called the Crucible, explore dungeons, tombs, and caves, or roam the countryside. The player may even choose to kill innocents in town. All of these optional diversions can result in rewards for the player in the form of additional wealth, items, experience points, or character-altering attributes. Exploration is essential to discovering much of the game's hidden content, in the form of 50 silver keys, special treasure chests, 9 Demon Doors, and 50 gargoyles that can be destroyed.

Co-operative play

Players are able to drop in and out of other players' games at will. The host player can set certain rules; e.g. how loot gained is split between the players and if friendly fire is active. The joining player cannot load their custom hero; they must select a premade male or female character. This "henchman" cannot buy property or gamble in their friend's world, nor can he/she accept quests. Co-op can be achieved through Xbox Live, System Link, and by playing on a single console. [8]

Fable II did not ship with online cooperative, but a free patch has been available from Xbox Live since the European and American release date which adds this functionality. Without the patch, players cannot play online due to being disconnected from Xbox Live.

At E3 2008 in July lead designer Peter Molyneux demonstrated 'Albion Orbs'. [9] These orbs show where other players are in their worlds and allows bringing them into their world to co-op with. Only orbs for friends are initially viewable, with all players viewable if an in-game setting is changed. Online chat is automatically enabled between players that can see each other's orbs.

While on the same console, a second player with their own account can drop in and out as a "henchman" to the first player. If the second player on the same console does not have an account of their own, the henchman is made in a brief character-creation screen that pauses the game. Henchmen created this way are not saved into the main player's game. The first player also decides how much bounty the henchman will obtain, e.g. gold and experience. The second player is also able to port any experience, renown and gold to their own Fable II Hero via a memory card if they have imported their character and not created the henchman from scratch. [10] Also, it is possible to use a profile on the Xbox 360 itself to create a henchman, the earned gold and experience being transferred there.

Synopsis

Setting

Fable II takes place within the fictional land of Albion - a large continent consisting of several settlements, the largest being the city of Bowerstone, surrounded by lawless stretches of land, including forests, marshlands, and coastal roads. The story and events take place 500 years after the first game, in which the relative safety and peace brought about by the defeat of Jack of Blades led to Albion's citizens deeming heroes to be corrupt and no longer being needed, effectively leading to many to disappear and the Heroes' Guild being destroyed in a riot. Since then, the land has seen changes to science and philosophy, with new religions replacing the old ones of medieval Albion, and new technologies being developed, including the creation of firearms. In effect, Albion has now evolved into a society resembling that of Earth during the late colonial and early modern period.

The game's story provides further background upon the "Old Kingdom" which existed centuries ago, but was destroyed following the activation of a large structure constructed by its inhabitants to magically grant a single wish to its user. The player's character (nicknamed by default as Sparrow) is a descendant of a hero from a bloodline traced back to the Old Kingdom, and takes place over three separate time periods (much like the first game): childhood, which acts as a prologue and training section of the game; young adulthood; and adulthood.

Plot

During a cold winter in Bowerstone, a young child known as Sparrow lives in poverty within the city's poorer district alongside their older sister Rose. Both dream of one day living in Castle Fairfax, the home of Lord Lucien that towers over the city. One day, the pair witness a travelling seller offering 'magical' wares to people, amongst them a musical box that can grant anyone who uses it a wish. An old woman convinces the pair to acquire the money needed to buy it by doing odd jobs around the district, during which time Sparrow rescues a dog from a local bully. Upon buying the box, Rose uses it to make their dream to come true. That evening, guards arrive to bring the pair to the castle, who are overjoyed that their wish comes true. However, the pair soon discover that Lucien brought them to his home to determine which of them were the three "Heroes" he seeks to fulfil his ambitions. Discovering that one of the pair is the fourth Hero who will stop him, Lucien kills Rose and wounds Sparrow, sending them out onto the city streets.

The old woman soon finds Sparrow with the help of the dog they rescued, and takes them away from the city to recover. Ten years later, now that Sparrow is a young adult, the old woman instructs them to enter a cave system beneath a large lake, which houses the ruins of what was left of the Heroes' Guild. Once inside, the old woman introduces herself as Theresa, a blind seeress, who explains that Sparrow is a descent of the Hero of Oakvale who defeated Jack of Blades. After they prove themselves by defeating a prominent bandit leader in the region, Theresa reveals that they are the only ones who can stop Lucien from destroying the world with an ancient structure known as The Spire - a building that channel magical energy to grant its user any wish they desire. Theresa reveals that Sparrow is destined to defeat Lucien by finding the three heroes he seeks, each defining a specific parameter   strength, will, and skill.

Sparrow begins with finding the hero of strength from the village of Oakfield. Discovering them to be a female monk known as Sister Hannah, they work to prove themselves to her father the local abbot, before providing her with protection as she undertakes an important ritual. However, Lucien sends men to find her, who kill her father when he refuses to let them to take her. Angered, Hannah kills his murderer before offering her help to Sparrow, renaming herself as Hammer. With her help, Sparrow proceeds with tracking down the hero of will - a scholar known as Garth, who worked with Lucien to rebuild the Spire, but fell out with him over time. Lucien kidnaps him before he can be recruited, and Theresa reveals that he was taken to the Spire as a prisoner. Sparrow and Hammer head to Westcliff where Lucien is recruiting new guards from competitors that survive several harsh rounds at a local arena. Successfully winning a place amongst the latest recruits, Sparrow leaves their possessions and dog with Hammer and travel to the Spire to find Garth.

Made a slave in their new role, Sparrow endures ten years of servitude, making a number of tough decisions in the process. Eventually, Garth creates an opportunity for the pair to escape from the Spire and return to the mainland, where he agrees to help in the battle against Lucien. Hammer soon reveals that during Sparrow's absence, she sought out information on the hero of skill, discovering it to be the pirate lord known as Reaver   a skilled marksman who rules over the pirate town of Bloodstone in the south. With Garth's help, Sparrow uses a cullis gate - a teleportation system used by the Heroes' Guild - to reach the marshlands that border Bloodstone, dealing with the undead in the process. After impressing Reaver with their fame, Sparrow undertakes a request from him, only for him to attempt to betray them to Lucien to claim the bounty on them. However, Reaver is soon double-crossed himself, and finds himself forced to help Sparrow and the other heroes in order to survive.

With the three heroes found, Theresa reveals that all of them need to channel their energy in a ritual to acquire a weapon needed to defeat Lucien. However, the seeress soon goes missing after the ritual is completed, whereupon Lucien arrives and kills Sparrow and their dog before kidnapping the others. Rather than die, Sparrow is taken to a dream-like paradise to reside within as a child, with Rose alive and well. Although the location is peaceful, Sparrow hears the music box playing and seeks it out, against Rose's advice, fighting against the ensuing nightmares to locate it. Upon touching it, Rose reveals it was a test, allowing him to use its power. Finding themselves back in the Spire, Sparrow tracks down Lucien and uses the music box to defeat him, whereupon he dies at their hands or Reaver's.

Theresa soon offers Sparrow a wish from the Spire that they can have as a reward: resurrecting the thousands of people that died building the Spire, and thus becoming a true hero in Albion; resurrecting their sister Rose, their dog, and, if they had one, their spouse and family; or being granted an immense fortune. After making their wish, Theresa then offers to send the others where they wish to go - Garth opts to return to his homeland, with Reaver deciding to join him, while Hammer decides to head north to find some monks to help her avoid further violence. After they leave, Theresa leaves Sparrow to enjoy Albion, but proclaims that the Spire is now hers to own. If the player has downloaded the See the Future pack, Theresa allows them to visit after cleansing two cursed items, to see a glimpse of their future. In this vision they now rule over Albion as monarch, and it is hinted that a child of theirs will become a hero to save Albion after their death, setting the background for Fable III .

Marketing

Tales of Albion

Lionhead Studios released a section on their website entitled "Tales of Albion", [11] which provides a back-story to Fable, Fable: The Lost Chapters, and Fable II. In "Fragments of the Old Kingdom", it details how the Archon came to power in Albion, and how the Heroes' Guild was founded. "Tales" also chronicles the end of the Heroes and ruin of their Guild in "Fall of the Heroes", and "Travels in Today's Albion" (which has been completed since its release) describes where some places are and has a little description of each notable area/artefact.

Online competitions

Just as Lionhead has done with The Movies , online competitions were made available through Lionhead's forums. One such competition was naming a title to be used in the game, similar to the first game wherein a character was addressed by various titles that the character purchased from a "Title Vendor". Lionhead has stated these titles would be bought but they have to be earned first. They are bought from a town crier in Fable II; the winning title was Lionheart, which can be bought for 2000 gold or earned for free by winning in The Crucible. An "insult the hero" competition also took place and the winner wasn't announced. On 30 May, Lionhead held a competition for artwork that would be used in the game; there has been no winner announced to date.

Video diaries

2007:

2008:

2009:

Fable II Pub Games

In August 2008, Lionhead Studios released Fable II Pub Games. This includes three of the games that can be played in pubs throughout Albion: Fortune's Tower, Keystone and Spinner Box. For 800 Microsoft Points all three games could be downloaded on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Alternatively, some video game retailers offered a product code when a pre-order for Fable II was made.

Limited edition

Before the game was released, there was a production problem resulting in the Hobbe figurine, special box, and fate cards being removed from the collector's edition package. Due to the loss of these items, the suggested retail price was decreased to the normal game price in some stores. As an apology, Lionhead Studios created a free music album available for download over the Internet (not Xbox Live) that contains several songs from Fable and three songs from Fable II, as well as printable pdf versions of the fate cards to be released. [13] There was another supply chain issue that occurred in North America that caused some Limited Edition games not to have the token card for in-game content. [14]

A Limited Edition was available on its release date with the following extra features:

There was also a 2nd European release of the Limited Edition game which featured the extra features minus the token card code for downloadable content.

Downloadable content

The first downloadable content (DLC), "Knothole Island", includes the ability to resurrect the player's dog by sacrifice. It was released 13 January 2009, [15] and features a new map, with new items and quests. The DLC includes 3 new achievements worth 100 points. [16] A free update allows players who haven't purchased "Knothole Island" to still play online with others who did. "Knothole Island" was available for 800 Microsoft Points. The DLC got positive to average reviews. It holds a score of 66/100 on Metacritic. [17] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer awarded it a score of 6/10 [18] while Tom Orry of VideoGamer.com awarded it a score of 7/10 saying that "Knothole Island is a good effort but far from the standard the full game set". [19]

The second DLC, "See the Future", includes the ability to change the player's dog's breed. It was released 12 May 2009. [20] The DLC includes a quest based around three cursed items from Murgo the Trader. In addition to these new quests and items, one new area is included and players have the ability to change the breed of their dog as well as the ability to get their dog back if players chose not to resurrect their dog at the end of the main storyline. The DLC includes 13 new achievements worth 250 points. [16] It was available for 560 Microsoft Points. [21] [22] The DLC was met with positive criticism: "[See The Future] should be an essential purchase for Fable fans. It doesn't change things enough to win over anyone who didn't enjoy the main game, but as an expansion it extends the game in ways that are certainly worth experiencing". [23]

As of September 2009, the entire Fable II game was available for download through Microsoft's Xbox Live Game Marketplace. When first released, the downloadable version of the game was broken up into 5 game episodes that play identical to the disc version of the game, and the first episode of the game was free to download, while Episodes 2, 3, 4, and 5 could be purchased within the game. Any player who purchased the disc version after the first episode can transfer all save data. Currently, only the entire game can be purchased, and Episode 1 is no longer available as a demo. The downloadable version featured the complete version of the disc-based game, as well as full compatibility with the previously released game add-ons, "Knothole Island" and "See the Future".

A compilation of the Fable II disc with all the downloadable content was made available in Europe, sold as "Fable II - Game of the Year Edition" in September 2009. [24] The "Game of the Year Edition" was made available in North America using the Platinum Hits branding in January 2010. [25]

Reception

Critical reception

Fable II received very positive reviews from both audiences and critics.

Eurogamer welcomed the "bread crumb" trail feature in the game, "as leads you ever onwards to your next objective, but even though you can't get lost it still allows for deep exploration". [39] OXM lauded the game as "probably the most consistent sequel ever made" and suggested combat is "great when you're winning and nothing but irritating when you're losing". [35]

Edge ranked the game #52 on its list of "The 100 Best Games To Play Today", stating that "with a quest that tugs you through to the plot and a bucolic paradise ripe for exploration, never before has so much work been put into making sure the humble player feels special". [40]

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) praised Fable II for its animal-friendly nature, giving it the Proggy Award for the most animal-friendly game of 2008, saying they enjoyed the game's pro-vegetarianism, giving the player purity points for eating non-meat products and corruption points for eating meat. However, there are also achievements encouraging players to hurt particular animals. [16] [41]

Sales

According to NPD, the game attained the status of best-selling title in the United States across all platforms for its debut month of October 2008 with 790,000 copies sold. [42] Such sales volume occurred despite the game's release on 24 October consequently allowing only nine days of sales before the end of the month. The game received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), [43] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom. [44]

Fable II was a success, and, with approximately 3.5 million copies sold as of 11 March 2010, it is a best-selling RPG title for Xbox 360. [45]

Awards

During the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Fable II for "Role-Playing Game of the Year", and outstanding achievement in "Animation", "Game Design", "Gameplay Engineering", "Original Music Composition" and "Original Story". [47]

In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. [48] In 2023, it was listed as the 93rd best video game of all time by a GQ poll which surveyed video game journalists across the industry. [49]

Technical issues

A number of users, writing on the Fable II message board, have experienced technical issues with the game. The most notable were the freezing, [50] progression bugs, [51] and incompatibility with standard-definition television screens.

Sequel

Fable III was released on Xbox 360 in October 2010 and Microsoft Windows in May 2011. [52] [53]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionhead Studios</span> British video game developer, 1997–2016

Lionhead Studios Limited was a British video game developer founded in July 1997 by Peter Molyneux, Mark Webley, Tim Rance, and Steve Jackson. The company is best known for the Black & White and Fable series. Lionhead started as a breakaway from developer Bullfrog Productions, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a god game with elements of artificial life and strategy games. Black & White was published by Electronic Arts in 2001. Lionhead Studios is named after Webley's hamster, which died not long after the naming of the studio, as a result of which the studio was very briefly renamed to Redeye Studios.

<i>Fable</i> (2004 video game) 2004 video game

Fable is an action role-playing video game, the first in the Fable series. It was developed for the Xbox, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X platforms by Big Blue Box Studios, a satellite developer of Lionhead Studios, and was published by Microsoft Studios. The game shipped for the Xbox in September 2004. An extended version of the game, Fable: The Lost Chapters, was released for the Xbox and Windows in September 2005. A port of the game for Mac OS X, created by Robosoft Technologies and published by Feral Interactive, was released in March 2008 after a delay of more than two years due to licensing issues.

<i>Marvel: Ultimate Alliance</i> 2006 video game

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a 2006 action role-playing video game, developed by Raven Software for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360, and published by Activision. The game was ported to the PlayStation Portable and Wii by Vicarious Visions, and to Microsoft Windows by Beenox. A different Game Boy Advance version was developed by Barking Lizards Technologies. A re-release version based on Xbox 360's latest edition was ported by Zoë Mode for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and was released in July 2016.

<i>Guitar Hero II</i> 2006 video game

Guitar Hero II is a music rhythm video game developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 and Activision for the Xbox 360. It is the second main installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to 2005's Guitar Hero. It was first released for the PlayStation 2 in November 2006, and then for the Xbox 360 in April 2007, with additional content not originally in the PlayStation 2 version.

Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain additional revenue from a title after it has been purchased, often using some type of microtransaction system.

<i>Fable II Pub Games</i> 2008 video game

Fable II Pub Games is an Xbox Live Arcade title that includes three pub game-styled minigames called Keystone, Fortune's Tower and Spinnerbox for the Xbox 360, developed by Carbonated Games under the supervision of Lionhead Studios, which all share functionality with Fable II. The games are included in both editions of Fable II. Fable II Pub Games was free for those who pre-ordered Fable II from participating retailers.

<i>Lips</i> (video game) 2008 video game

Lips is a 2008 karaoke video game for the Xbox 360. Lips was developed by iNiS and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game features the use of motion sensitive wireless microphones and supports the use of songs already owned through a Zune or iPod. Lips has spawned three sequels: Lips: Number One Hits, Lips: Party Classics, and Lips: I Love the 80's. Localized versions of the game and sequels have been released in several countries, including Lips: Canta en Español, and Deutsche Partyknaller.

<i>Overlord II</i> 2009 video game

Overlord II is a 2009 action role-playing game and sequel to the 2007 video game Overlord and its 2008 expansion pack in the form of Overlord: Raising Hell. It was developed by Triumph Studios and published by Codemasters for Linux, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. All versions were released in North America on 23 June 2009, in Europe on 26 June and Australia on 9 July 2009, alongside two spin-offs; Overlord: Dark Legend and Overlord: Minions for the Wii and the Nintendo DS, respectively. A Linux version was released on 26 July 2016.

<i>Fable III</i> 2010 video game

Fable III is a 2010 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The third game in the Fable series, the story focuses on the player character's struggle to overthrow the King of Albion, the player character's brother, by forming alliances and building support for a revolution. After a successful revolt, the player becomes the monarch and is tasked with attempting to defend Albion from a great evil. The game includes voice acting by Ben Kingsley (Sabine), Stephen Fry (Reaver), Simon Pegg, Naomie Harris (Page), Michael Fassbender (Logan), Zoë Wanamaker (Theresa), Bernard Hill, Nicholas Hoult (Elliot), John Cleese (Jasper), Jonathan Ross, Adjoa Andoh (Kalin), Kellie Bright, and Louis Tamone.

There are five pieces of downloadable content (DLC) for the Bethesda action role-playing video game Fallout 3. Each package of downloadable content adds new missions, new locales to visit, and new items for the player to use. Of the five, Broken Steel has the largest effect on the game, altering the ending, increasing the level cap to 30, and allowing the player to continue playing past the end of the main quest line. The Game of The Year edition of Fallout 3 includes the full game and all five pieces of downloadable content.

<i>Project Milo</i> Video game

Project Milo was a project in development by Lionhead Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. Formerly a secretive project under the early codename "Dimitri", Project Milo was unveiled at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in a demonstration for Kinect, as a "controller-free" entertainment initiative for the Xbox 360 based on depth-sensing and pattern recognition technologies. The project was a tech demo to showcase the capabilities of Kinect and was not released, despite conflicting reports that the project was an actual game.

<i>Fable</i> (video game series) Video game series

Fable is a series of action role-playing video games for Xbox, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. The series was developed by Lionhead Studios until the studio was closed in 2016, and is published by Xbox Game Studios.

<i>Fable: The Journey</i> 2012 video game

Fable: The Journey is an action role-playing on rails video game, the fifth in the Fable series. It was developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360, as a Kinect title. First announced at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the game is a standalone title, separate from the main series. Unlike previous games, Fable: The Journey was developed using Unreal Engine 3.

<i>Fable Heroes</i> 2012 video game

Fable Heroes is a beat 'em up video game in the Fable series, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360. Announced at the 2012 Xbox Spring Showcase, it was released on 2 May that year as part of the Xbox Live Arcade Next Promotion. It is the first "family-friendly" game in the Fable series.

Music of the <i>Fable</i> series

Fable is a series of action role-playing video games developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox, Xbox 360, Windows, and Mac OS X platforms. The music of the Fable series is the soundtrack to all three games.

<i>Fable Legends</i> 2016 video game

Fable Legends is a cancelled cooperative action role-playing video game developed by Lionhead Studios and projected to be published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. Microsoft cancelled the game on 7 March 2016. The servers shut down on 13 April.

<i>Fable Fortune</i> 2018 video game

Fable Fortune was a free-to-play digital collectible card game set in the Fable universe. The game was released for Windows and Xbox One in February 2018, after an initial early access release. It was co-developed by Flaming Fowl Studios and Mediatonic. In late 2019, Flaming Fowl Studios announced their intent to cease work on further updates for the game, citing its lacklustre performance on the market. The support for the game was finally discontinued on 4 March 2020.

References

  1. Anderson, Luke (29 July 2008). "Molyneux: Three more Fables on the way". Uk.gamespot.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  2. Fable II. "Game Australia". Game.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  3. Bramwell, Tom (8 August 2008). "Fable 2 release date announced". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  4. "IGN: Fable II Trailer, Videos and Movies". Media.xbox360.ign.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  5. "Fable II Feature List". Community.lionhead.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  6. "Xbox.com | E3 2007 - Welcome to the Xbox.com E3 Blog". Xbox.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  7. "More dog breeds with "see the future" dlc". joystiq.com. 29 April 2009. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  8. "Fable II co-op preview". IGN.com. February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 July 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  9. "E3 2008 Live Wire Demo". 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 30 July 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  10. Mitchell, Richard (9 July 2008). "Create-a-Henchman in Fable II". Xbox360fanboy.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  11. "Lionhead Studios "Tales of Albion"". Lionhead.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Lionhead Studios Video Diaries". Lionhead.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  13. "Xbox - Games and Entertainment on All Your Devices". Xbox.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  14. "Microsoft Slightly Addresses Missing Fable II LE Codes - Fable II". Kotaku. 21 October 2008. Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  15. "Release Date of Knothole Island". Fable II Dev Blog. 8 January 2009. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  16. 1 2 3 "List of Unlockables in Fable II (Achievements)". gamefaqs.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  17. "Fable II: Knothole Island reviews on Metacritic". Metacritic . CBS Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  18. Dan Whitehead (14 January 2009). "Fable II: Knothole Island review on Eurogamer". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  19. Tom Orry (15 January 2009). "Fable II: Knothole Island review on VideoGamer.com". VideoGamer.com. Pro-G Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  20. "Lionhead Studios' official website, most famous for the Fable series". Lionhead.com. 30 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 May 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  21. "Release Date of Knothole Island". Fable II Dev Blog. 12 March 2009. Archived from the original on 15 March 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  22. "Official Press Release for Second Game Add-on". Fable II Dev Blog. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
  23. "Crystal Ballin': Fable II DLC Review". Pixel Hunt. 12 May 2009. Archived from the original on 21 September 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  24. "Fable II Game of the Year Edition release information". Gamefaqs.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  25. "Fable II: Game of the Year Edition". Archived from the original on 14 December 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  26. "Fable II for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  27. "Electronic Gaming Monthly, December 2008, Issue 235, pp. 80-81."
  28. Christian Donlan (20 October 2008). "Fable II Review - Page 2 // Xbox 360 /// Eurogamer - Games Reviews, News and More". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  29. "Game Informer Online". Gameinformer.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  30. Lewis, Cameron (21 October 2008). "Review : Review: Fable II (360) [Xbox 360] - from". Gamepro.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  31. "Fable II reviews and news at GameSpot". Gamespot.com. 28 April 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  32. Words: Matthew Castle, Xbox World 360 UK (20 October 2008). "Fable II, Fable II Review, Xbox 360 Reviews". Games Radar.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. "Fable II Video Game | Reviews, Trailers & Interviews". GameTrailers.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  34. Wales, Matt (20 October 2008). "IGN: Fable II Review". Xbox360.ign.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  35. 1 2 "Xbox Review: Fable II - Official Xbox 360 Magazine". Oxm.co.uk. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  36. "Fable II". Oxm Online. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  37. "Fable II Review for Xbox 360". VideoGamer.com. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  38. "Fable II Review Videos". G4tv.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  39. Christian Donlan (20 October 2008). "Fable II Review - Page 1 // Xbox 360 /// Eurogamer - Games Reviews, News and More". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  40. Edge Staff (9 March 2009). "The 100 Best Games To Play Today". Edge Online. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  41. "PETA Loves Fable II". Kotaku.com. 6 January 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  42. Peckham, Matt (13 November 2008). "Washington Post 17 November 2008". Washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  43. "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association . Archived from the original on 15 May 2009.
  44. Caoili, Eric (26 November 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on 18 September 2017.
  45. "Joystiq". Joystiq.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  46. "Games in 2009". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  47. "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Fable II". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  48. Mott, Tony (2010). 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. London: Quintessence Editions Ltd. p. 782. ISBN   978-1-74173-076-0.
  49. "The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by experts". British GQ. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  50. "Fable II Players Experiencing Freezing Issues". 1Up. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  51. "Game-Breaking Fable II Bug Reported". 1Up. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  52. "E3 2008: Peter Molyneux Interview". Game Trailers. 25 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  53. Bramwell, Tom (29 July 2008). "Lionhead has three more Fables planned". EuroGamer. Retrieved 17 November 2008.