Wake up, sleepy rock-face guy!
Life is all about choices, and the ability to explore just how good or evil you can become through the choices you make is one of the big attractions of Fable: The Lost Chapters. But when later choices don’t change as a result, are there really any consequences?
From the clothing you wear and weapons you buy, to what quests you take on and, more importantly, what good or bad deeds you perform, every choice results in a change to your alignment, which is maintained as a number counter on the game screen. As your alignment changes, so too does your appearance…you might grow horns or find butterflies fluttering around you, for example. Characters within the game react differently to you too—a negative alignment makes traders wary of trading with you, while a positive alignment can result in people cheering and calling out your name as you walk by.
Quests also affect your alignment; each has a certain number of alignment points, positive or negative. However, you’ll always have access to the same quests. The consequences of your actions are how the people of the world react to you, rather than the future choices you’re offered. We wonder, shouldn’t the true consequence of your choices be additional choices (or fewer/less desirable choices) in the future?
Your character’s reputation will impact the number and type of quests you can take on, as well as the kinds of items you can buy, and so on. Reputation is increased by the successful completion of quests and boasts. Boasts are claims you make about a quest, like boasting that you’ll complete it naked. Showing off trophies from successful quests also boosts your reputation. (Who wouldn’t feel some kind of admiration—however twisted—for a half-naked guy boasting about how great he is while swinging a bandit’s head on a stick?)
The game’s graphics are stellar. The characters have a comical nature to them, which might not work for some who prefer games with realistic avatars. But they fit well with the game world, and the colors and textures are fabulous. The music is moody in all of the right places, and the sound effects work well. It was tough to navigate the main screen at times because the context-sensitive menu items change throughout the game, and there’s no quick menu to review.
Finally, you might see a warning telling you that your Mac must use “low-end” video if you only have Tiger (Mac OS 10.4.11) installed, even if your machine matches or exceeds the recommended system requirements. We found, however, that this didn’t seem to impact game performance or graphics.
Fable: The Lost Chapters will satisfy RPG players who demand that choices have consequences, even if those consequences are somewhat less than realistic. And even if you aren’t into consequence-based gaming, you can still have fun watching your character grow horns.
Stellar graphics. Choices made affect character interactions within the game. Boasting adds replayability. Universal binary.
Confusing game screen. Choices made don’t affect future choices. 
