Fable 2 - Retrospective Review

[@tylerdauber1175]

Wait until you see the real-estate market in Fable 3

[@Atom523]

Man, who could have guessed that in a game series that is known for being easy to exploit for money that it would be a bad idea to revolve your plot around making money.

[@sitraahra1979]

The truth.

[@khmergodhobbies]

was fable 3 a good game? i own it on steam, but u cant buy it anymore. but don't know if it's good

[@nathanh2664]

Truth and Fable 3 far too easy

[@Atom523]

@khmergodhobbies I found it fun but it is very flawed. A lot of really good ideas but executed poorly.

[@Dog.Dad.Studios]

One of my favorites as a kid! I was just the right age to understand the messed up world, but still play like I was a kid. Good times, I bought a house. Thanks for the content!

[@jesperburns]

The mechanic where you can influence how a region grows/deteriorates is one of my favourites and it's been disappointing how few games have adopted this.

[@adamheeley285]

Do you remember how after you had a family, your kids, wife/husband and the town would run up to you after you completed a quest and returned home? I have also never seen that in any other game.

[@jesperburns]

@@adamheeley285 Yes I 'member

[@hopethishelps91]

Agreed! I dont know why recently RPGs feel like they limit choices to just good ending/bad ending. Like dude let me see how my choices effect the world, the people ect

[@Achilla_PR]

Thinking about the Town crier always makes me chuckle: "Wakey wakey, it's day breakie!" Or in the middle of the night: "The time is...very late".

[@FeinryelRavenclaw]

The one thing I like about Fable 2 more than any other Fable is how dark it got. There was this one moment where you are helping a father find his lost son in a hobbe cave, only for his son, who fully turned into a hobbe kill his own father. Some time after that, there’s a real quest where you have to murder every single person in a village. The consequences of completing that quest are permanent, and ruin any hope of that village ever recovering from your actions.

[@adamheeley285]

Of all the retro games I can't play anymore, I think of Fable 2 the most.

[@fatherofdragons4880]

Same! It has taken a little part of my soul. As did fable 3 but in a different way lol.

[@jakeisblitz9664]

If you got gamepass it's on there

[@eugeneworthington7042]

Can’t believe that I coincidentally came back to Fable 2 last week after seeing it was my first game that I played on my Xbox profile, and that you came back to it at the same time. I personally hope they lean into more of the “Sims”-like mechanics in the reboot.

[@seanmaclean1341]

the colour change for attack types is weird, but I think it was in response to finding out what button positions people preferred for each type, and then having the colours in-game match the button colour (eg, the right-sided button for Magic is the red B button on the controller)

[@Psycorde]

PC player with a black keyboard and mouse be like ???

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

​@@Psycorde Well Fable 2 is an X Box exclusive, as was stated multiple times at the start of this video

[@Sondi]

I wish the other 2 fable games got ports to PC like Fable Anniversary. Would be a smart thing to do before 4 comes out

[@Dermetsu]

Fable 3 is on PC, it's just delisted from storefronts. You can still obtain it from Abandonware sites though.

[@NEJCNAB]

Fable 1 and 3 were always on pc

[@azyrael96]

​​@@NEJCNABfable 3 has not been available to buy for a long time though, so for most intents and purposes, it is not actually available on pc. (and even the version that exists has major crashing issues)

[@BuffaloBills2023]

Good morning Mortismal, I don’t usually ever comment on KZbin videos, but I’ve been wanting to comment on yours for about a month now. I am able to listen to music and Podcasts and KZbin videos and really truly whatever I want while I’m at work all day long, which is awesome. My wife and I have a newborn who is just one month old right now, but he is in the NICU, and he will be there for another two months at least . To say the least, it’s been a very stressful time for us. But I’ve found relief, and a sense of calm without anxiety as I go throughout my workday listening to your videos. I think I’ve watched or listened to nearly every single video that you have on your channel now all the way back to your originals and really truly just give me a sense of patience and calmness and put me in a free state of mind and allow me to be efficient and focused while I’m at work. So, I just want to say thank you for what you do because right now your videos are really helping me get through this tough and stressful time, I just felt like I should let you know how much your channel has helped me and I look forward to every video that you put out. Keep doing what you’re doing. Thank you for being you and providing such great quality content.

[@Gandwarf213]

Congratulations on your newborn! I hope the best for him. I also have kids, but I've never had a child in the NICU. Though I understand it is a tough stressful time. Best to you and your family. God bless you.

[@MortismalGaming]

That's very kind of you, and I'm glad something I've done is able to help in a time like that. When my son was 1 there was a scare that he might have a brain tumor (turned out to just be a big head lol) and the three weeks it took to get the results back were the worst time of my life so I can only imagine, all the best to you and your family!

[@yxolloxy3273]

intersting; fable 2 is my favorite of the 3

[@callmedd3494]

Same. Loved this game.

[@tuinhoofd1923]

I remember having a lot of fun putting on music/podcasts to this game and doing jobs, especially woodcutting, and playing it as a landlord simulator, don't remember much of the game aside from that, so wasn't all that memorable for me, I did appreciate making my own fun in it though, and I remember really liking Oakfield as a home location

[@kbar4462]

Fun fact FO3 and Fable 2 came out within a week or two of each other. I remember sitting outside the store with my friend deciding who would buy which game and then swap for the other 😂 Loved both games, as they were phenomenal for their time, but Fable 2 had a weird soft lock glitch that would prevent endgame, and it took foreverrrr to fix

[@user-ow1bc4sx2r]

I liked fable 2 a lot. I was let down by the first fable because I bought into the hype too much, but I still enjoyed it for what it was. Fable 2 felt like a good follow-up to that, and i really liked the midgame time jump. It’s a great way to do choice and consequence

[@alexsamurai1230]

The big thing this game did right was the background economics; something so much fun about grinding as a blacksmith all day to fund your gear for nighttime adventures. Then, later it starts the snowball and you turn into captain moneybags. Bad side is the rest, quest and combat is horribly basic and low effort. Still come back to it every now and then just cos the economic stuff is an itch nothing else quite scratches.

[@daniel.holbrook]

I seem to remember that back in the day the "strat" for real estate was to buy a single house at the start of the game and then set your 360's clock forward a couple months while offline.

[@dasphoenixable]

It’s amazing how much your videos dredge up old memories. At the start of the video I was thinking oh yeah I remember fable 2 it was pretty good. Then as the video goes on I realize all of my memories were of 1 and 3.

[@MortismalGaming]

I actually also had misremembered some of the content that is apparently in 3 instead lol

[@shadeitplease7383]

lol I had the same experience. I mixed up 2 and 3

[@NeverduskX]

Funnily enough, I loved the magic system of Fable II the most in the trilogy lol. I remember it being very fun and flexible.

[@hopethishelps91]

Fable 1 was so great, it was the first game i ever played where i felt the world was alive, oblivion was close but fable idk just felt different

[@Gamerznation704]

For sure one of my favorites, When Reaver killed my dog it was ON SIGHT however, just holding the box up to him mos def took me back. I was HEATED the thing that fable as a series did/does better than imo any other games I've played was getting attached to characters. Maybe its because I have sisters so the sister dieing in the beginning really did hit me. So many thoughts I have, ironically fable 2 I had alot more issues in combat being more difficult rather than the other fables. Still it was good to go back memory lane again.

[@mikesb113]

Cheekin chaser, e chases cheekins 😂 I miss Fable sometimes

[@LuiDeca]

My favorite is actually 3. It had a bunch of cool ideas (a virtue in today's market of safe, corporate, formulaic games), it actually tries to do a different story and makes you take advantage of all the $ you get, and the setting (victorian-industrial-steampunkish) is rarely explored. Seriously, the only other game I can think of that uses the same setting is Arcanum - that's it. And that was 20 years ago. The Myst series did it also, kind of - even longer ago (even more niche than Arcanum - and that's saying something).

[@DewtehDew]

I remember the pub game that came out before launch I believe so you can get a head start on gold.

[@HubertTheMad]

Thanks for the vid! Never played Fable 2 myself when I was young, so this was a nice overview of the game in general

[@javiernovoa8756]

Only ever played Fable 2, but loving these reviews to see how the previous games led to three.

[@avatar-kf1ii]

You can resurrect the doggo in Knothole Island which makes that end of game choice even more pointless.

[@Laxboss69]

I spent waaaaaaay too much time playing the blacksmith mini game in this title lol

[@Lilylaina]

I've played all 3 Fable games on Steam Deck, with game pass cloud. It works great, and the initial cloud gaming set up is pretty quick and easy :)

[@UberOcelot]

Charming yet flawed game, the highlights for me was the novel aiming system, the social progress of cities, and just generally the whimsical British folklore humor and themes. Really hoping these unique aspects of the game show up in the new Fable. I struggle to bring myself to revisit the old games, so it will have to be the new one to put me back into Albion.

[@penttikoivuniemi2146]

My first impressions of the magic system were really negative, but it grew on me over time and I actually prefer it to the first game's. Especially the time manipulation spell pairs well with almost everything, and you could really play around with magic quite a lot if you engaged with its quirks. Fable 2 in general was always my favorite of the series, and feels like the one that allows for the most freedom to mess around with the world. The rewards are crap though, especially since becoming The Big Capitalist of the world is so damn easy. Especially since as far as I remember, it keeps ticking the income clock even when you aren't playing, so I would just turn the game on after a couple of days of not playing and instantly get a million out of nowhere.

[@shane1489]

This is one of my favorite games of all time.

[@JustaSmilingHedgehog]

Ah yes Fable 2 the best Real Estate simulator ever made.

[@skeliskull]

I remember liking Fable TLC a bit more than Fable 2 when I was a kid because I liked how Fb1 was ripe with Heroes and a bit more medieval whereas Fable 2 was slightly lower-fantasy with no heroes left (kind of like the Jedi from star wars). However, nowadays in retrospect I believe Fable 2 was the better game. It's world was more fun to explore, it had a better story and deeper systems. One small feature I used to love about the game was if you were connected to xbox live you could see other players orbs in the world. Those truly were the days of social gaming experiences that the Xbox 360 was all about. Even playing a single player game it didn't make you feel like it.

[@PandaStyle07]

This series made me replay Fable 1, and damn, this ip is definitely viewed with pink tinted glasses because all the games are pretty bad, even the first one I don't think is particularly enjoyable or anything, the world is charming enough but I wouldn't consider any of the games to have good story, combat, or even roleplay options. I hope the reboot gives us either better rp or better story (I'd prefer rp personally), and I think better combat and rpg mechanics are a given

[@penttikoivuniemi2146]

Definitely. I don't think I would go as far as to call them bad, but they are nowhere near deserving of the classic status a lot of people ascribe to them. Their big ideas are the whole game kind of being a character creator, where your hero develops and changes throughout the playthrough, and interacting with the NPCs and the world. Both are good aspects and what make the games memorable, but on a whole they range from maybe 6 to 7.5 out of 10 for me.

[@hopethishelps91]

One thing I think both games did great that new games have not touched is the town/world feeling alive and in thr 2nd game changing based on your choices. For example. Fable 1, you go into bowerstone during the day and everyone's working, at sundown shops close and if you go to the tavern everyone in the town goes for drinks then they go to bed. They dont just stand around waiting for you to come and talk to them they wonder around. The second game allows you to control old bowerstone and (bloodridge?). Good choices and the area prospers. Bad choice and it becomes run down. Also the getting married and having a family (as far as I recall) was not done (and still really hasent been done) I know TES oblivion did some of these things but fsble did them well

[@Fanthomas1742]

Really good review. Like that you consider the games age in certain criticisms but not completely holding back on stuff that even then was dated

[@scottlang808]

Awesome stuff! I myself never got to experience Fable 2 or 3. Hopefully, these end up on PC natively someda

[@coconutologist]

Thank you for the video. I don't share your optimism for the reboot, but I'm frequently wrong. Onward to 400k. All glory to the algorithm.

[@JohnnyTightIips]

Replayed this recently and loved it like I did when I was a kid, though I'm a much better video game landlord now lol Buying all the items from the Bowerstone blacksmith and selling them in the rich part of town for a markup, getting basically infinite money

[@Orinmaxden]

I love that you mention the "Magic" forever living dog.

[@MortismalGaming]

I mean even with the most generous suspension of disbelief that dog would be over 20 years old by the end lol

[@Orinmaxden]

Oh I know. It was one of my problems with the story. One of so many. In my memory I have this as the worst fable but watching your video reminded me that I played this game to the fullest. I got Every house every weapon every (except the red dragon pistol and I'm still bitter) I did mostly everything. It has a lot of great aspects, just not the story.

[@ray-outlongtalk]

GJ bro. Love F1, didin't have a chance to play F2. F3 is quate bad, but thats is not the point of my post. VERY nice video here, appriciate the effort. Tx!

[@Tomcabator]

So in Fable 2 they changed the color of magic and melee to fit the buttons of the Xbox 360 controller. So you would melee with X (blue), shoot with Y (yellow) and magic with B (red). A bit of a useless change but kinda neat I guess...

[@gamingvyse2376]

I’m here just like everyone else. I have zero memories of the combat, story, or anything else. I remember interacting with citizens, the gifts, and the real estate simulator. Games don’t do those type of shenanigans anymore. I’m praying the new one isn’t just The Witcher 3 in Fable clothes. And keeps the humor and shenanigans of the original trilogy.

[@NecroticRampage]

One of my favourite games from childhood. I remeber a lot of pointless nonsense and annoyance, however, AOE farming guards with magic in town for hours was awesome.

[@AmorVim]

i loved the doggo

[@seb24789]

One thing about the game that played heavily in the marketing back then was the one button combat. As in one button for mellee, one for ranged and one for magic. Which is probably why it feels so limited.

[@FattyMcFox]

I really enjoyed the flexibility of this game. I could fulfill almost every Archetype i could think of, so being a devasting spellblade, weaving in spells between flurries of whirling blades. I also could be the pinnacle of goodness, but have a character who is round bellied and pugnosed, the inverse of an idealized hero. I can just as easily play against a type as i can play into one. it did mean i would have to directly put restrictions on play, instead of just letting a build work its magic, i have to decide to just not use skills.

[@beatnik11]

One of the things I remember about this game was how rushed the ending was. It seemed clear at a certain point of the game the publisher came in and told them to wrap it up and push it out the door because they weren't going to get any more money or delays. So the ending feels like a complete afterthought and a lot of mechanics that seem neat never got fleshed out or balanced.

[@mikelawrence1876]

Loved this game back in the day

[@m3divh]

If you play fable one back to back with fable two, the main stories are stupidly similar. It feels like a carbon copy, with some minor characters and story beats changed.. I still enjoyed it.. though much less on a replay. I also agree with rewards for most activities being useless

[@deetsitmeisterjd]

Peter Molyneux is a gaming developer icon, I loved his unrealistic optimism. Better to have a game HE thinks will do everything, than a game at launch that does nothing.

[@wahahabuh]

I kinda agree. But also, he shouldn't be allowed to do marketing work without a more pragmatic and realistic person holding the leash. Peter Molyneux is the guy who should come up with ideas, and then somebody with common sense should filter out the things that are impossible.

[@MrKrabbs2009]

Oh a 35 minute video on my favorite xbox 360 game, don't mind if I do.

[@alexpfernandes]

Amazing content as always Mort. I been on the fence about this game for a long time, I love the first one. Now I know I should definitely give it a pass.

[@jounalehtio2317]

Ahh, Fable 2 was my first let-down sequel. Fable: TLC (on PC) was and still is one of my favorite games. I was sooo disappointed that it was an XBOX360 exclusive and when I finally got a chance to play it, it felt like a downgrade in every way...

[@nathanh2664]

Fable 2 is one of my favorite action rpgs

[@erikarmstrong7474]

Man when I learned that experience was duplicated when you played coop I became god. It blew my mind that such an exploit could exist.

[@CornOnDeCobb]

Love this game despite its faults

[@xsvrrx]

Thanks wait waiting for this review because I also remembered this game much bettter then it was

[@TheRetroPerspective]

I just started playing this too. Never really played Xbox before but I started with Crackdown and thought it was incredibly dated, now on to this and getting the same vibe. Especially the visuals and controls. Everything is insanely blurry and it feels like the character is always ice skating!

[@user-ow1bc4sx2r]

Re: crackdown, I’m sort of convinced that the people who think of it fondly just didn’t play any games by radical entertainment. Hulk ultimate destruction and prototype bookend crackdown (and still hold up pretty well imo) and the only thing that crackdown does that they don’t is have more of a focus on vehicles. Then a few years later saints row the third even did that better.

[@TheRetroPerspective]

@@user-ow1bc4sx2r I agree about Prototype for sure, thought that was even more fun than Infamous too tbh, which most people would probably disagree with.

[@JohnnyStrelok]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="421">7:01</a> My sleep deprived ass: "Wait, the hero of strength will what? What does that mean?"

[@user-rz9bd4zd9d]

I think you will be loving Mount and Blade

[@drtymead]

Dang might have to give this a shot👊

[@EastyyBlogspot]

Did you ever play the Black and white games ?

[@DrasticSkuba]

What I would give for re-releases of Black & White 2 and The Movies

[@CyberJunk2049]

I complete Black & White yearly, different experience everytime

[@MortismalGaming]

Not in any substantial way

[@mikelawrence1876]

Main memory, searching for shit talking gargoyles. Lol

[@funkyd3321]

This game taught me the true meaning of disappointment.

[@MortismalGaming]

It taught me the meaning of bigamy

[@madarchmage1151]

I like this. Thank you

[@hellasketch6523]

Before I even start the video, I'm just going to say.....this game is an absolute banger. Idc what anybody says lol

[@BrooklynSquirrel]

Were you able to get the reward for the arena? I remember struggling to get that lol also kinda love this game and I've been thinking of just buying an Xbox 360 to play it

[@CyberJunk2049]

Tough to finish off the rock troll in 2.50

[@MortismalGaming]

The base game or the DLC?

[@BrooklynSquirrel]

@@MortismalGaming sorry it's called the crucible you get an axe called the chopper

[@eliottdewitt893]

My favorite part of fable 3 is the weapon collecting, I love it as much as I hate it :/

[@firstswordcorvus7368]

I enjoyed this game as a kid, but I can agree with some of the systems. But I haven't played the first game yet, I want to when I can get it though. My most ridiculous playthrough of Fable 2 is where I had 7 wives, 12 kids, and 56 STDs 😂. Apparently marrying prostitutes is ok cause they won't divorce you for cheating. They'll be mad temporarily and go back to their "work". One of my wives was Lady Grey and she says the weirdest stuff when you sleep with her 😂

[@Mako2401]

I always wanted to play this game but never did because it was an XBox exclusive.

[@kaidorade1317]

I wanted to subscribe to Mort a second time, but doing that turned out to be a…Fable 2!

[@bryanc8847]

Are you playing Traitor's Keep for Fable III? I think it's probably the best part but requires work.

[@MortismalGaming]

Yeah, Ive got it all sorted out and working, it'll be a part of that review

[@Thisisjohn2184]

Its criminal this isn't on PC

[@shadeitplease7383]

A game like fable benefits from the power fantasy possible with so many of these broken systems lol.

[@NekotTheBrave]

I've never played the game before because it was on console. But I feel like I've played through the whole game already, but I guess that might be from watching too many speed runs on gdq lol. Could have sworn this was the story of the 3rd game lol.

[@jvshotta8845]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1178">19:38</a> - I didn't know Mort was such a ladies' man. 😆

[@garchomowner]

Is this the first game you reviewed fully with controller?

[@MortismalGaming]

Yeah

[@Falcon0BR]

First thing about fable 3, you can't lose.

[@TerminallyNerdy]

I recall enjoying Fable 2. But that was mostly being a real estate mogul XD

[@psychosytheXmediaXco]

You can do a dickshot-only run and for that it's a classic to me.

[@TheGronkus]

Gronk!

[@clifcorcoran9917]

Fable KZbin Jazz 🎶

[@Hpalhazred]

Fable II was fun and beautiful with great atrmosphere...16 years ago.

[@Lux_Ferox]

There's a series reboot coming? Oh no.

[@KamalSingh-cu5ie]

Will you review Two World 1 and 2 sometime?

[@MortismalGaming]

At some point

[@MSaint]

Of course I would revive my dog companion.

[@cardassa]

I am on the same boat. I did not like Fable series beyond the first game. The story in Fable 2 and 3 were just not interesting enough and I got bored of the gameplay pretty quickly once i maxxed out my character stats. The different ways you can interact with NPCs and settlements were interesting but they are largely mild distractions that don't really serve much of a purpose beyond allure of having the option. The sequels were largely inferior copies of the first game with diminishing returns.

[@alex-uw4mm]

i remember cheesing the game by pumping the rent sky high and than change the xbox 360's date... easy exploit

[@CyberJunk2049]

Try getting 175 in the shooting range

[@onatgz]

free comment.

[@qwefg3]

This game is an odd one for me. I enjoyed the first game the most (classic jack is best Jack of blades.) The third game had a lot of promise and a very bad payout as there is such a build up to being the ruler of the realms... and little done with it. The second game? It has the worst main story in, my opinion... but I enjoyed the side stories and game more than the third one. Rewards are a mess in this game and the end game boss, story, and rewards are all flops. Yes Fable 1 was ultra sword or your sister (nothing to use it on unless you get DLC)... But that is better than worthless gold (I had more gold than the wish offered), a statue... or getting your dog to ensure your not locked out of content. Also magic was absurd with press and hold to win. Especially when combined with slow time to really cheese, it

[@Zero_Zone.]

Comment for Al Gore Rhythm.

[@kingofnamek]

All I remember of this game is having a dog and advancing my Xbox's clock to cash in my real estate

[@JO-ih7uc]

Goodbye sleeep

[@warmcoffee69]

By the time you finish the 3rd game you will likely be frustrated by the hypothetical perfect Fable game that was never made. Fable 1 > Fable 2 > Fable 3. Both sequels improved certain things while downgrading others.

[@graysonguice5956]

Heavily disagree, Fable 2 is a masterpiece and one of the most relaxing games ever

[@timmyburch6501]

❤❤

[@inkwell60]

Fable 2 was the first game I had gone from loving it to instantly hating it when I got to the "final boss." After such a cool fight against Jack of Blades, idk why they thought pushing an old man off a tower would even compare...

[@tenbeat]

I recently played this series for the first time, Fable Anniversary on PC, then buying an Xbox Series X (yes really) to play Fable 2 (and of course some other games but Fable 2 was the initiating purchase) and man... what a disappointment this game was lol. The first game had its issues for sure but all around was such a comfy experience, and 3 of course has issues too but 2 is just by far the weakest game in the trilogy, to the point where I agree with you in saying that if you have not played the game before and are looking for a nostalgia hit, it's better to just experience the game vicariously through videos such as this rather than playing it yourself because it is really just not worth the time you put into it.

[@Jeustful]

Fable 2 is fun, but it's also pretty flawed, particularly in story and characters which are bland in general. Reaver, voiced by Stephen Fry, is the highlight of the story. And rewards are normally weak and boring.