Fable Anniversary Review

Fable Anniversary has been eagerly awaited since its announcement many moons ago. Die-hard fans have been waiting for the flagship Xbox game to be released in stunning HD. From the beginning, it is clear that the reboot is going to be all that was expected and more. The story itself is completely unchanged from the original. In releasing it, Lionhead has created a game with a heartfelt story that is a refreshing look at all gaming used to be in the "Glory years." The game has also highlighted the changes that have taken place within the Fable franchise, the decision not to add the glowing trail, which has guided players to the destination, so maturing the game from a childish hero story into a mature and challenging game. Even side quests have been written in such a way that they do not seem as less important as they really are.

Fable Anniversary - Story

The story follows a young boy who loses his family. The main story is focused on the boy finding his family whilst becoming the greatest hero that Albion has ever seen. At times the story can make players give a hearty laugh, but moments later can force them into a sad reflection, a feature missing from too many modern games. There is an eclectic mix of key quests and a range of hilarious and challenging side quests to keep any game enthralled for hours.

There are a few problems in Fable Anniversary, some of which are very similar to the problems that were in the original, which Lionhead and Microsoft have had over a century to fix. Most Fable fans will know that throughout the game, they will face many enemies. Some of these can be tossed aside at ease, but others are too overpowered and do begin to distract players from the game; this has been a problem throughout the series, although the mindless slaughter of irritating Hobbes or the satisfying crunch when smashing a hollow man is exciting it does begin to wear thin after a fifth wave!

Fable Anniversary - Camera 

The third-person camera is at first slow and distracting from the main storyline. Despite a few problems that really should be expected from the era that the game was made, at times, the game falls together perfectly. The voice acting is not what more recent fans of the series will be expecting. The star-studded cast was not considered when the game was originally released in 2004. Although this does not have a great effect on the story, it does take some of the appeals out of the game. The voice actors do an adequate job of creating an enthralling game.

It comes as no surprise that Fable has already shot to number one in the UK Xbox 360 gaming charts and has surprisingly risen to third in the all-formats chart, only being kept in third by FIFA 14 and Call of Duty: Ghosts. The reason for this is a range of loyal Fable fans dying to play the classic in beautiful HD, and a number of new fans attracted by the classic hero story brought to life in a new format to a whole new generation. The game also holds a special place in the British gamer's heart, with huge British celebrities putting their voices to more recent games.

The Verdict

When it is considered that only 15 months were put into making the game, it is very impressive that the once straight-sided world is now in life-like HD. The problems can be overlooked when the time spent on the game and the fact that it was a remake of the original game are considered. This is exactly what the Xbox 360 needed as it reached its twilight years. A must-play for all RPG fans.
 

This review was originally published on 02-20-2014. While care has been taken to update the piece to reflect our modern style guidelines, some of the information may be out of date. We've left pieces like this as they were to reflect the original authors' opinions, and for historical context.