Gambling Fable 2
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- Fable 2 Gambling
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- Fable 2 Gambling Cheats
Publisher: Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: October 2008
ESRB Rating: M (for Mature)
Consoles: XBox 360
Genre: Action RPG
My Rating:9.5 – High Praise for an addictive adventure!
MHG: Must Have Game – a Must Have Game is a game that is so good you simply have to play it or have it in your game library. These games are singled out for their content, innovation, entertainment level, or play experience. Fable II has been designated a Must Have Game based on the strength of our experience playing it, and the 100+ emails we have received requesting a Game On! review.
Introduction
Fable II is the highly-anticipated sequel to the wildly successful original that sold more than three million copies, offering even more choices and building on the core gameplay theme of Fable, where your every decision continually defines who you become. Set 500 years after the original, Fable II delivers an epic story and innovative real-time gameplay, including a massive amount of freedom. Fable II is an action role-playing open world video game in the Fable game series developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360.It is the sequel to Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters, it was originally announced in 2006 and released in October 2008.
Fable II is one of the games that appeared in our annual Christmas Video Game Guide (2008) in the paper – and at the time it received a rating of 8.5 – mostly due to some serious game-breaking bugs that impacted play. Those bugs were fixed shortly after the piece went to press, and since that time the creators have added two DLC expansions that increased the entertainment value of the game considerably.
In addition to the DLC, there was also a stand-alone game available on the XBox Live Marketplace – Fable II Pub Games – that had limited interaction with the game, but added to the anticipation of its release by allowing the players to play the gambling games from Fable II months before it was released – and as long as they did not cheat, even allowed the player to transfer their winnings into the game!
Our rating of the game increased by a full point in part due to the above improvements, and in part due to the intensely addictive gaming world presented in Fable II – a world that has not lost any of its pull even after nearly two years of play.
As a sequel Fable II faithfully followed in the footsteps of the original, but thankfully the folks at Lionhead took the time to correct some of the issues that affected the first game, and made some changes that redefined the system of play in positive ways. Unfortunately at release date there were serious issues with the game that impacted nearly a quarter of the players, relating to certain older models of the XBox 360 – and it soon became obvious that Lionhead was aware of these issues and chose to release on the targeted date anyway, planning to correct the problems afterwords by issuing patches online.
That decision caused many reviewers and critics to jump on both the studio and the game, recommending that consumers wait to purchase it until after it was fixed to send a message to the studio – a message that clearly was received. Happily these are no longer issues of concern for the player – the bugs have been fixed, and new content has been released, so if you have yet to experience the fascinating world of Albion, now is a great time to do so!
The Story
The events of Fable II take place in Albion roughly 500 years after the events of the original game, in an era that very much resembles the 1600’s in England – footpads roam the roads, firearms are primitive, and the sword is still the primary weapon for defense. Communities center around larger cities rather than towns, and castles are still the seat of power in most areas. The aristocracy is at the top, and the middle classes are a narrow band within society.
The changes to society in the 500 years since the original adventure include some major differences – the world is a safer place now, and law and order tend to prevail. The Hero’s Guild no longer exists – though vestiges of it can be found in ruins throughout the land – and firearms have a more prominent place in defense. The cities have grown larger, and the population more affluent.
It is partly a result of this that has created the circumstances that now threaten the world – the lack of heroes has allowed a dark force to build in the world, inhabiting some unlikely places, and as the game unfolds your character – themselves a hero – must seek out and recruit the last few remaining heroes in order to build a party that can fight the evil that now threatens Albion. I do not want to say too much or give too many details away, since the threat centers around a major plot-point of the game, and it would be a shame to spoil that for you!
As the game begins, you find yourself working to earn the five coins that you need to buy a curious relic from the traveling merchant, a relic that you are assured by a trusted source may be precisely what the con-man says it is, though he is not aware of this. Once you have acquired this relic, events quickly unfold, thrusting you on to a different path in life than the one you had been on, and changing your life – in many ways for the good – as you grow into adulthood, and begin your grand adventure.
The Changes
Morality plays a major role in the game, with the player’s choices having direct and visible results in the game. For instance a good player will eventually earn a halo-like symbol over their head, and their appearance changes – fair hair, tanned skin, and an over-all healthy glow. Their dog companion also changes – their coat will turn golden as a result of the good alignment of their owner. A bad player will have dark hair and features, and an ugly complexion with red veins running all over their body, and their dog companion’s coat will turn black as a result of their evil ways.
In addition to appearance changes relating to morality, the player’s character appearance also changes as a result of what they eat in the game – food being the alternative to potions for restoring health – as a diet rich in fat will make the character fat, and healthier food choices such as vegetable, fruit, and tofu, will keep the character thin. Improving the character’s stats also impacts their appearance – adding muscles, height, or in the case of magic skill, blue glowing patterns on their skin.
Quests and missions are no longer the method for gaining money in the game, having been replaced with jobs. The player can seek out employment as an Assassin, Bartender, Blacksmith, Bounty Hunter, or Woodcutter, and can also find money in treasure chests and with the aid of their dog, in hidden spots that the dog can detect and dig up as they adventure together. Items found can be sold to merchants in towns, and the player can purchase and rent out property in the game, becoming a landlord. Gambling is also a path to wealth in Fable II, but the games found in pubs can also be a coin sink if the player fails to take the time to learn how they work and what strategies apply best.
Co-operative play is perhaps the most significant change in the game – and once connected to XBox Live, a player can have friends join in their game, dropping in and out at will without this impacting game play. In addition to being able to earn money and obtain items and experience in the game that a player can then bring back to their own game, co-op play allows both players to earn special Achievements that they cannot earn in solo play!
Game Play
Fable II is ideally suited for casual play – with missions and quests that can be completed in bite-sized chunks. The player can choose to play either a male or female hero, and that choice has some interesting influences on the game play experience. Starting the game as a child, the player is exposed to several events that help to form the personality and the outlook of the main character, among them an event in which the player befriends a stray dog who ends up becoming their adventure companion when the main game unfolds.
Gambling Fable 2 Walkthrough
One aspect of the game that has drawn criticism is its relationship structure: in Fable II the player can have relations with other in-game characters, date, and even get married and start a family. The criticism comes mostly from conservative groups, upset by the fact that these relationships can be same-sex, and there are opportunities for bigamy, adultery, and group sex, and polygamy. The game emphasizes the need for safe sex – condoms are readily available in it, and failing to use one can cause the player’s character to contract an STD!
Conflict in the game is a combination of traditional swords and sorcery, and the assistance of a core group of friends who will eventually help you to defeat the evil forces and become the ruler of the Kingdom!
DLC Packs
Knothole Island: The first DLC pack for Fable II was released in January 2009, and includes a new area to explore – Knothole Island – and mysteries to solve! There is a new map, new quests, new items, and new Achievements worth 100 GP! The expansion pack is required for play in the new areas, and costs 800 Microsoft Points on the Live Marketplace. Players wanting to play in the new lands with a friend who has purchased the expansion but that who do not want to buy it can download a free version that allows them to play, but does not award Achievements and certain items to the player.
The first DLC expansion to Fable II was criticized for being too short, and there may be something to that, but casual play and taking the time to enjoy the experience allows you to stretch out the experience and value.
See the Future: The second DLC pack, released in May of 2009, priced at just 560 Microsoft Points, includes an additional 13 Achievements worth 250 Gamer Points. The expansion has some interesting game altering additions – for instance using a set of potions, the player can now change the breed of their dog to either a Bloodhound, a Dalmation, or a Husky!
The main focus of the DLC is a series of quests that relate to three cursed items that you purchase from the traveling merchant. These quests add a very interesting dynamic to the game, and if you are a fan of the Fable series, this is a must-have!
My Take
The version of the game that I played was the original with the two DLC packs added on to it via the Marketplace, but in September of 2009 the folks at Microsoft released a Game of the Year Edition of Fable II that includes both expansion packs in the game CD – and that would be the one I would recommend.
I rated this game a 9.5 which is a strong rating and it deserves it! I also rate this a BUY not Rent, because of the amount of time you will spend playing and the excellent re-play potential present here with or without the expansions. Like Fallout 3, Fable II has a large and open world and a great storyline that engages the player. From an entertainment point-of-view it is one of those rare games in which the price of admission is far less than the value received.
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A Review Copy of this game for the XBox 360 was provided by Microsoft.
Codes for the DLC Packs were provided by Microsoft.
This game has been claimed!
Copyright © 2010 CM Boots-Faubert.
| Fable II Pub Games | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Carbonated Games[1] Lionhead Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Xbox Live Productions Microsoft Game Studios |
| Series | Fable |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release | August 13, 2008[2] |
| Genre(s) | Pub games |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Fable II Pub Games is an Xbox Live Arcade title that includes three pub game-styled minigames called Keystone, Fortune's Tower and Spinnerbox for the Xbox 360, developed by Carbonated Games under the supervision of Lionhead Studios, which all share functionality with Fable II.[3] The games are included in both editions of Fable II. Fable II Pub Games was free for those who pre-ordered Fable II from participating retailers.[2]
Fable II[edit]
The Pub Games offer players a chance to win money and items for their Fable II character, to be given to them once their character has reached adulthood. For every piece of gold won in the tournament section of Pub Games, a piece of gold is added to the Fable II character's wallet, giving players a chance to have a rich character from the start of the game. Conversely, if the player accumulates debt in the Pub Games, negative consequences will befall their character. Fifteen unique items can also be won in the Pub Games' tournaments, ranging from weapons to clothing or tattoos that can be used by their Fable II character.[4]
Gameplay[edit]
Pub Games consists of three different casino-style games, of which only low-stakes versions can be played from the start. For every piece of gold the player bets on these games, they earn experience points that can be used to unlock higher-stakes versions and Fable II concept art. Tournaments for these games are also unlocked, giving players an opportunity to win items by competing with computer-controlled opponents.[4]
Fortune's Tower[edit]
Fortune's Tower is a card game utilizing a deck with multiples of the number one through seven. After players make an ante of a multiple of fifteen, they are dealt one face down 'Gate' card and two face up cards on top of it. The player can choose to take the sum value of the row of two cards, or be dealt three new cards on top of the other two. The cycle repeats until an eighth row is created, at which point the player automatically receives a payout. If the player chooses to end the game before then the game automatically deals the rest of the cards to see what the outcome would have been. A pay multiplier can be activated if all the cards in a row are the same number (called a 'Set'), which multiplies the bet by the number of cards in the row (a row of two threes causes the bet to double). Multiple Sets are not cumulative - the highest multiplier counts alone.
If a card is dealt atop a card of the same value, a game-ending condition known as 'Misfortune' occurs. There are three 'saves' that may avert a game ending with Misfortune: the Gate card will automatically replace the first Misfortune—if the Gate card is not the same number as the card it replaces, and there are no other Misfortunes in the current row of cards, the game can continue, one of four 'Hero' cards may be dealt during the course of the game, which saves all cards in the row it is dealt to from Misfortune, and a Set will remove any Misfortunes as well.
If the player completes the Tower without using a Gate card, the player receives a Jackpot, which gives him the total of all the rows, which is then multiplied if a Set is present.[2]
Keystone[edit]
Keystone is described by Peter Molyneux as 'a bit of a cross between Roulette and Crappes'.[5] Rather than a spinning wheel, the player throws three six-sided dice, and makes bets prior to the throw on what the outcome will be, as in Roulette, picking the exact total, the range of the score, and so forth. The more uncommon the roll, the higher the payout (i.e. 3 and 18 pay the highest.)
The major departure from Roulette is that the game is based around a stone arch composed of tiles from 3 to 18, with the 3, 10, 11, and 18 tiles being 'Archstones'. When dice are rolled, a tile to its corresponding result removes the tile. If either both the 10 and 11 Keystones or just one of the base (3 or 18) stones are removed, the game ends. The player must initially make an arch-bet (a bet on a Keystone) which remains throughout the game. If the die is rolled a value matching a removed stone, it removes the stone adjacent to it, based on its position (lower if it is 10 or less, higher if it is 11 or higher.) If the first roll of the game is a 3 or 18, it is declared a Jackpot and all arch-bets automatically win; the game still ends.[4]
A variation of the game is 'Bloodstones' which features opposite rules, in which the player is betting against the die rolls.
Spinnerbox[edit]
Fable 2 Gambling Debt
Spinnerbox is a slot machine game, where players bet gold and spin anywhere from three to six different slots. The player wins payouts on 'chains' (symbols connected adjacently), with each themed spinner having its own bonus rules. For example, 'Cow and Corset' features a bonus fourth spinner if the player gets a three of a kind; the fourth spinner pays as if it were a three of a kind for whatever it reveals.[4]
Fable 2 Gambling
Reception[edit]
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References[edit]
- ^Xav de Matos (2008-02-20). 'GDC08: Fable 2 co-op and XBLA tie-in revealed'. Xbox360Fanboy.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
- ^ abcSara Nicholson (2008-08-07). 'Fable II : Pub Games - August 13th'. Gamerscore Blog. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2008-08-13.
- ^Chris Hicks (2008-03-19). 'Three Fable 2-compatible games coming to XBLA'. CVG.
- ^ abcdHilary Goldstein (2008-07-07). 'Pre-E3 2008: Fable II Pub Games Hands-On'. IGN. Archived from the original on 2008-08-17. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^Ludwig Kietzmann (2008-02-20). 'Joystiq live from the Microsoft GDC keynote'. Joystiq. Weblogs.
- ^'Fable II Pub Games for Xbox 360 Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
External links[edit]
Gambling Fable 2 Cheats
- Fable II Pub Games at MobyGames