The Fable II effect

Weird how expectations can have such an affect on experience. For instance, I was gagging for Mirror's Edge. But I really didn't get on with it. I simply didn't enjoy playing it, despite the style and fantastic premise. Far Cry 2, too, I had huge expectations for. But those checkpoints! And the population's uncontrollable lust for killing me. And the guns that break. Dreadful. And I won't begin on Prince of Persia. Add EndWar to that and Ubisoft had a shit Q4. Oh, and let's not forget LittleBigPlanet. Tonnes of character, delightful in so many ways, but a SHIT platformer. And for me, that's the main determining point for a platform game. Fail.

But then came Fable II. The game simply wasn't on my radar until a copy came my way at work. Well, it came my ex-editor's way. But he was fucking off so I had it off him. Anyway, gave it a go and adored it. Absolutely loved it. I even completed the main story - a rare event for me, relatively.

Which is all in stark contrast to Fallout 3. Again, Bethesda's latest was a firm feature on my radar. But I just can't get on with it. It seems so sterile. Not in a Mass Effect kind of way. That universe successfully evoked atmosphere, but the locations were all so lifeless. Fallout 3 has an interesting world, but the inhabitants bore me to tears. And my brain doesn't understand the map.

One of the things I loved about Fable was the fact it allowed you to go as deep as you wanted or to skim everything. And it was great either way. It accommodated me no matter my mood. It held my hand when I wanted. It left me alone when I didn't. Fallout consistently asks more of me. And I've become a lazy gamer over the years. I'm sure it's magnificent. Much like Metal Gear Solid 4. But I can't stand that either.

I'm not giving up on it, however. Five hours in and it's not happened yet, but still, I'm determined to like it. Though maybe that's the problem.