MY VIEW
Games: 'Fable'

By Paquito Jardinaso Jr.
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: Five THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing Pong.

Console: Xbox

Developer/publisher: Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Game Studios

Genre: Role-playing game

Number of players: 1

ESRB Rating: Mature, for blood, violence, language and sexual themes

The premise: "Fable" takes place in a world that has a "Lord of the Rings" feel, with magical beings and menacing creatures. As you take the journey that is set before you, your childhood is crushed by bandits who raid and destroy your village, killing your father and kidnapping your sister and mother. A group called the "Guild of Heroes" accepts you and trains you to become a warrior while your heart is still set on vengeance. A heroic adventure awaits you, as is the choice between good and evil.

Game play: The game offers several major quests and subquests, and alternate paths of good deeds and evil crimes. You are stuck with a moral dilemma, which changes your character: Everything you do affects the character's abilities, appearance and reputation. You may perform acts of good deeds such as helping villagers by escorting them to other places while protecting them from bandits or other enemies; this gives you a halo above your head. Or you could choose to murder the villagers and take their money, which leads you to an evil route and horns grow on your head.

You are able to own and rent houses, change your appearance, body weight and mass and also learn new skills from your experience in combat.

The good/bad: There were high expectations for this game because of its free-roaming capability. You have the freedom to go from place to place, but your choices do not change the main story line. The game succeeds in providing a detailed role-playing experience. Characters, such as the villagers, react to your appearance and personality, and you can interact with them as well (you can marry characters and divorce them, too). Much attention was paid to the main character's weight control, battle scars, tattoos, clothing and facial expressions.

Tips: During difficult fights with many enemies at once, use the mastered Lightning spell. This gives you a high combat multiplier, and enemies who are being electrocuted cannot move very well, and therefore cannot surround and overwhelm you. Find hints at cheatmasters.com/cheats/11454/Fable.html.

Also, watch all the credits to continue playing the game.

My take: I felt the game could have had more variations on the story line, but it was still detailed and exciting. I liked the fact that you have moral choices to make: You could go through the game again and take alternate paths of good or evil. It's also interesting that you can have relationships and that your body changes by the amount of food you eat or from the skills you learn. This game would always be fun to go back to; you'd never play the same game twice.

Paquito Jardinaso Jr. is a student at Honolulu Community College. Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Upcoming releases
Dates are tentative

Playstation 2

• Monday: "Crash 'N' Burn"; "NCAA March Madness 2005"; "Need For Speed Underground 2"
• Tuesday: "World Championship Poker"; "ESPN College Hoops 2K5"; "Ford Mustang 40th Anniv PS2"; "Capcom Fighting Evolution"; "Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge"; "King of Fighters 02/03"; "King Arthur"; "Call of Duty: Finest Hour"; "Fight Club"; "Growlanser: Generations"; "Growlanser: Generations Deluxe Pack"; "DragonBall Z: Budokai 3"; "DragonBall Z Budokai 3: Collector's Edition"
• Wednesday: "Castle Shikigami 2"; "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater"; "GoldenEye: Rogue Agent"
• Nov. 22: "Atari Anthology"
• Nov. 30: "Prince of Persia: Warrior Within"; "Ghost Recon 2"

Xbox

• Monday: "Crash 'N' Burn"; "NCAA March Madness 2005"; "Need For Speed Underground 2"
• Tuesday: "ESPN College Hoops 2005 XB"; "Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge"; "World Championship Poker"; "Atari Anthology"; "Demon Stone"; "King Arthur"; "Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space"; "Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball"; "Clancy Triple Pack XB "; "Call of Duty: Finest Hour"; "Fight Club"; "Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2"; "Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2 Bundle"
• Wednesday: "GoldenEye: Rogue Agent with Bonus!"
• Nov. 22: "Top Gear RPM Tuning"
• Nov. 23: "Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death"
• Nov. 29: "Dai Senryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics"

Gamecube

• Monday: "Metroid Prime 2: Echoes"; "Need For Speed Underground 2"
• Tuesday: "King Arthur"; "Call of Duty: Finest Hour"; "Baten Kaitos"
• Wednesday: "GoldenEye: Rogue Agent"
• Thursday: "Viewtiful Joe 2"
• Nov. 23: "Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death"; "Cabelas Big Game Hunt 2005 GC"
• Nov. 30: "Prince of Persia: Warrior Within"
• Nov. 30: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"; "Prince of Persia: Warrior Within"; "Ghost Recon 2"

Gameboy Advance

• Monday: "Donkey Kong Country 2"; "Need For Speed Underground 2"
• Tuesday: "Metal Slug Advance";
• "Beyblade GRevolution"; "Fear Factor: Unleashed"
• Thursday: "Racing Gears Advance"
• Nov. 22: "Yu Yu Hakusho Tournament Tactics"
• Nov. 23: "A Sound of Thunder"; "Ice Nine"
• Nov. 29: "Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls"

List provided by Toys n' Joys, with shops in Kaimuki (735-4546) and the Westridge Shopping Center (487-8697) in Pearlridge. See www.toysnjoys.com.