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Fable: The Lost Chapters Preview (Page Two) |
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Or how about this? Instead of just taking quests in the game, you can also make boasts. Boasts involve
things like claiming that you’ll complete the quest without using equipment, or that you’ll complete it
without taking any damage. Boasts are fun because there’s an actual boasting platform, and every time
you make a boast, the people nearby all clap and cheer, and when you finally leave the platform, they
sound disappointed. Plus, boasting is a good way to make a little extra money from quests, because
each boast is essentially a money wager that you’ll be able to do what you claimed.
There are also card games, a fishing mini-game, treasure hunts, silver keys that allow you to open
special silver chests, and “demon doors” that ask you to complete some task (or solve a riddle) before
they’ll allow you to enter. So there is a lot going on in Fable, even beyond the expected combat
sequences, and the variety makes it more fun to play.
Fable: The Lost Chapters
So what did Lionhead Studios add for the expansion pack? This is a little more difficult for me to
answer, since I didn’t play Fable, but according to the press release I received, there’s a
little more of everything -- more spells, monsters, pieces of equipment, mini-games, fishing spots,
demon doors, and places to explore.
About half of the new content is sprinkled throughout Fable’s original campaign. For example,
when exploring the Darkwood, you’ll now find a bordello area, complete with a new demon door. The
bordello has a quest-like activity that I couldn’t figure out (I’m not sure if it’s even working yet),
but if you solve the demon door, you’ll earn your very own “pimp hat.”
There is also a new “chicken kicking” mini-game that you can play in Oakvale. It works a little like
shuffleboard, and if you get a high enough score, you can win a silly chicken hat. There is also a new
quest at the school in Bowerstone, where you can turn in the books that you find, and where the teacher
there will then give a lesson about the books to his students. This usually generates some funny
sequences, since several of the books aren’t really intended for toddlers. But if nothing else, it
means that there is now a reason to examine every bookcase in every house in every town. If you
turn in enough books, you’ll win a hat as a reward. (Do you sense the trend yet? I think I found
a dozen new objects in The Lost Chapters, and half of them were hats.)
The other half of the new content comes in a short final act for the game, which starts up immediately
after the final battle of Fable. However, Microsoft has asked us not to talk about the final
act, and so I’ll only mention a couple of vague things. First off, all of the voice actors from
Fable came back for The Lost Chapters, and so you won’t find people sounding strange in
the new content. The last act is a pretty seamless extension to the game.
The other thing is that, at least right now, the final act is pretty easy. It has a few boss fights,
including a final boss fight, but none of them are as difficult as the ones from Fable. To put
it into perspective, in the final boss fight from Fable I ended up using something like 80
potions. For the final battle in The Lost Chapters, despite the opponent looking much fiercer,
I only used about 10. But this is probably an area that Lionhead Studios will tweak quite a bit before
the final release of the game.
In Conclusion
I found Fable: The Lost Chapters to be an entertaining, enjoyable game. It’s not as deep as some
role-playing games, but it’s fast-paced, it’s easy to play, and it has a quirky sense of humor. It also
has some adult themes (for example, your character sheet includes a line for how many times you’ve had
sex), but as long as that doesn’t bother you, then The Lost Chapters seems well worth the
purchase price (estimated at $49.99 for the PC version) -- at least for people who haven’t played the
game yet. People who have already played Fable will have a tougher decision, and it will
probably hinge quite a bit on the Xbox price for the game. The new content is nice, but it could be
categorized as “more of the same,” and so you’ll have to let your pocketbook be your guide.
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| Article Details |
| Previewer Steven Carter
Previewed Fable: Lost Chapters
Published 07/22/05 |
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