Fable II (Limited Edition) (Xbox 360, 2008)

Fable II is an excellent digital RPG (role-playing game). It covers all of the basic expectations for a fantasy-based game including magic, renaissance-style weapons, customizable period clothing, mysterious entities, and many NPCs (non-player characters) to interact with. Overall, I rate Fable II a 4.5 / 5.0 for the following reasons:

-Pros-
Fable II has an easy-to-follow storyline that contains many ties to the original Fable but is incredibly playable without ever having played the original Fable (this one takes place 500 years after the conclusion of the first Fable game). The graphics are impressive for a real-time RPG and the musical / sound content is clean, crisp, and well presented with the events in the game.

Fable II is not inherently dependant upon economics, such as the original Fable or many other RPGs. A new player can build up the necessary funds to purchase adventuring equipment fairly quickly--without spending to much time with hack 'n slash tactics of acquiring funds.

There are some refreshing economic elements such as owning homes & businesses which can be rented out for cash or the player can adjust their prices--higher or lower prices affect a town's overall economy and attraction to the player, which in turn affects the player's purity, corruption, and pocketbook. There are many elements in Fable II which can be adjusted by the player that, over time, have far reaching affects on parts of the Fable world.

The combat and spell system are straightforward but also contain a few elements that take some skill to master--it is an excellent combination for players who do not want to spend hours mastering simple fighting tactics but do enjoy a few advanced combat options.

The player's in-game avatar is greatly affected by the types of accomplishments, skills, food, and drinks that the character utilizes. Greater focus on magic causes the character to slowly gain glowing runes on the avatar's body, higher focus in strength generates a more muscular character, and poor food choices will yield an obese figure. Clothing can be slightly customized with a large array of dyes while facial features (including hair styles) can be changed at various barber shops.

-Cons-
The main quest line in Fable II is rather short lived. If you are looking for a RPG that will soak up many days or weeks of playtime, on the primary quest, this is definitely not the game to purchase. Additionally, the side quests are not incredibly plentiful (as they are in Oblivion, for example), but they are entertaining and enjoyable.

There is no armor to speak of in Fable II. Combat is based solely on hit points and weapons / spells / tactics. This detracts from the possibility of building a balance between speed & defense, which is a traditional feature in many RPGs.

Fable II is filled with software bugs. These can range from simple, annoying problems, to (sadly) permanent game-affecting issues. For example, there are only two furniture dealers in the world of Fable II--in one of my personal games, the first store never has furniture available to sell and the second store eventually got the same bug...so it is impossible for me to purchase furniture to upgrade my properties.

-Overall-
Fable II is scheduled to have an update / mini-expansion available for download in early 2009, which supposedly will remedy some of its drawbacks & bugs. This is a light RPG that is fun, engaging, and enjoyable.