Call me old, but 2008 feels like not that long ago and yet it also feels like an eternity has passed. So much has happened in the last 18 years, especially in gaming, as the fact that I’m writing about Fable 2 as though it’s some ancient relic makes it seem like an entirely different lifetime, even though I can still remember playing it for the first time like it was yesterday. Almost two decades ago today, Fable 2 launched on the Xbox 360, and I embarked on what eventually became one of the greatest fantasy RPG experiences I’ve ever had. In fact, to this day, I still consider Fable 2 to be the best fantasy RPG for living another life. Unfortunately, while its great-but-still-inferior predecessor received a remaster, Fable 2 never did—and it should.
Of course, Fable 2, like any game ever released, had its issues. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and if you went back and played it today, you’d probably be able to notice those issues almost immediately. However, what it did well is that it actually improved the iconic formula established by the original Fable, which was already a hit for offering something unique to the RPG space the genre had largely never seen before. And what makes it stand out even more is that its successor, Fable 3, rather than improving what its predecessors had done, actually took the series too far in a different direction and ended up with a divisive reception as a result. So, there stands Fable 2, towering above the rest of the series in all its magnificent glory, only to be stuck in the past without a modern remaster.
Fable 2’s Enduring Legacy Makes It Deserving of a Remaster
The main reason I’ve always considered Fable 2 to be the best fantasy RPG for living another life is that it actually let me do that. Sure, there was a main story to follow and plenty of opportunities to be my own kind of Hero, but what I loved most about the game was how much freedom it gave me to do practically anything else. I could get married, have children, work a job, and eventually own almost every piece of property in Albion if I wanted to. And I did want to, probably a little more than I should have, considering how many hours I spent doing things that had absolutely nothing to do with the main story.
Actually, I remember spending an absurd amount of time just buying houses and furnishing them. I wanted every house I owned to have the best furniture available, even though there was really no reason for me to do that beyond my own personal satisfaction. But that’s what I loved about Fable 2. It gave me opportunities to set my own goals beyond what the story wanted me to accomplish on the main road to heroism, and I could spend hours working toward those goals without feeling like I was missing out on something else. I wasn’t always trying to save Albion. Sometimes, I just wanted to make it a better place to live, and I loved that the game actually let me do that.
There stands Fable 2, towering above the rest of the series in all its magnificent glory, only to be stuck in the past without a modern remaster.
What’s even more impressive to me is how much of that freedom was tied to Fable 2‘s morality system. I could be a generous landlord who kept rent low and made everyone happy, or I could charge ridiculous amounts of money and watch as people gradually grew to hate me. The choices I made could affect my appearance, my relationships, and even the way certain parts of Albion looked. I know plenty of modern RPGs have morality systems, and some of them are arguably much better than Fable 2‘s, but I’ve rarely played one that made those choices feel like such a natural part of everyday life.
But that’s where I’d say Fable 2 was ahead of its time, because it understood that being a hero in a fantasy world could mean more than just saving the world from whatever doom awaited it on the horizon. Sometimes, it meant going home to your family or spending the money you earned on something completely unnecessary. Even the relationship you developed with your dog made the world feel more personal, especially once you reached the end of the story. It’s those little things that made Fable 2 so special to me, and I think they still hold up remarkably well 18 years later.
Fable 2 Deserves Better Than Backward Compatibility
Thankfully, Fable 2 is still playable today through Xbox’s backward compatibility program, so it’s not like Microsoft has completely forgotten about it. However, as much as I appreciate being able to revisit Albion on modern hardware, I still think the game deserves the same kind of treatment the original Fable received with Fable Anniversary. Improved textures and lighting would certainly be welcome, along with a higher frame rate and some adjustments to the game’s more dated mechanics. I wouldn’t want Microsoft to go overboard with the changes, though, because I think there’s still quite a bit about Fable 2 that doesn’t need fixing.
And while we’re at it, I think it’s long past time Fable 2 finally came to PC. It’s still strange to me that the original Fable and Fable 3 both made their way to the platform, while the game I consider to be the best in the trilogy never did. With Playground Games’ Fable reboot bringing the franchise back into the spotlight, now seems like as good a time as any for Microsoft to give Fable 2 another chance.
I’m obviously looking forward to the reboot, and everything I’ve seen of it so far has me feeling pretty confident about its future. But no matter how good it ends up being, I don’t think that should mean Fable 2 gets left behind. I’ve spent countless hours in Albion over the years, and even after all this time, I still haven’t found another fantasy RPG that makes me want to live in its world quite as much. I’d love nothing more than to experience it all over again with a fresh coat of paint, and I can’t imagine I’m the only one who feels that way.
- Released
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October 21, 2008
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Language, Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Engine
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havok
