Fable II Reviews

Three more favorable reviews of Lionhead's Fable sequel hit the web over the past few days. Gaming Nexus gives it an "A-":
Peter Molyneux has earned a standing ovation for realizing his magnum opus, with Fable II serving as the pinnacle of his body of work, and a high-water mark for player-concocted storytelling in a role-playing game.

XboxZone gives it an 8.5/10:
There is so much to do and see in Albion that if you just followed the main quest you could finish it in a little over 12 hours but that would be a waste of what was on offer as there so many more sidequests and activities to invest your time into. Such as securing properties, have kids, engage in some threesomes, get fat, get skinny again, murder some townsfolk, donate to the Temple of Light, beat the record at the Crucible, get target practice, gamble away your life savings, find all 50 Gargoyles and Silver Keys, find the Legendary Weapons, marry an undead wife, open the Demon Doors, buy Castle Fairfax.Anyway, you get my point. Once the main quest finishes you can still continue on your journey as the Hero and complete many of the sidequests or do activities you missed. For the completionists out there, you have plenty of longevity here to find and buy everything and eventually becoming Emperor of the land of Albion. Or start with a new Hero and take a totally different alignment path. The more you put into Fable II the more it rewards you with its dynamic world and alignment choices. If you can overlook the overly simple and sometimes out of place interaction mechanic and clunky inventory system then there is a great adventure to be had and plenty of smiles along the way. At the very least, you will learn that beef pies corrupt your soul and eating carrots will make you more attractive to the opposite sex.

And GameCell gives it an 8/10:
Imagine visiting the home of a friend, and being introduced to a younger relative of theirs. A small boy. Let's call him '˜Petey Molyneux'. Molyneux is an extremely bright, polite and friendly lad, who spends the evening bringing you his toys. All evening... One at a time... "Look at this! It's a train set!" "This is Optimus Prime! He's a Transformer! Watch this! He's transforming...!"

This is what Fable 2 feels like. As a player you are shown lots of fun things, but ultimately it feels hard to engage. You're being shown Molyneux's toys. They are cool, but they are not yours.