Ok, so how did I manage to miss this game?? I'm a huge Zelda / Metroid / Action RPG freak, but never had the patience for slower, more renowned RPG's like Star Wars: Nights of the Old Republic, Oblivion, or Elder Scrolls. Somehow this game completely slipped past my radar, and I didn't even think about it until I saw the praise that Fable II was getting. Well, shortly after the release of Fable II, XBox Live released (brilliantly) Fable I as a "XBox Classics" download. I figured for the $7 or whatever it works out to be, it would be worth it to see if I liked it. Sorta like buying those pre-played games at Blockbuster for $7.99... P.S. don't bother with the Transformers game, it's horrid; And that's coming from one of the biggest Transformer fans you'll ever meet.

Anyway, back on topic. I started playing Fable, and was a little disoriented at first, but only because 3rd person games have come a long way since 2004. The camera is a little difficult to get used to, the graphics are way under par by todays standards (even though ahead of it's time for 2004!!), and the movement is a little 'sloshy'. I decided to power through it and spend a bit of time to see how I liked it.

Well after about an hour of playing, I was HOOKED. Starting off as a kid, going into the teen years at the Guild Academy, and then into Adulthood as a full-fledged Hero is brilliant. Once you graduate, your time is literally your own! Take quests, don't take quests... get married, do good things, bad things... they all affect your character, who grows over time, changes appearance, etc. It's *very* addicting, and even though I'm only a few hours into the game, I'm totally loving it so far... it's been a long time since I've sat at work and thought "Boy I wish I could just take a 1/2 hour break and play this game!". I literally have that kind of urge right now!

So, for anyone who has XBox Live and hasn't played it, I'd really recommend trying out Fable. It's very immersive, and insanely intricate. I think I first started to really enjoy myself when I noticed my characters appearance was changing due to the way I was playing; Heavy on the magic and ranged weapons, less melee combat. Very cool; Give it a shot! I can't wait to play it through and then move on to Fable II!