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Fable 2 (October 21)

The Scoop: Fable 2; Genre: action/role-playing; By: Lionhead; From: Microsoft; For: Xbox 360; Rating: Mature

Info: Explore a colonial-era fantasy realm, having sex (safe or not), getting married, raising children, training pet dogs, battling eldritch creatures, following bread-crumb trails if you're ever lost, and (based on whether you're naughty or nice) developing "good" or "evil" physical features.

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Matt: Here we go again with promises of genre-bending game play and lofty claims like "the world changes based on your actions." The difference this time? Design guru (and OBE recipient) Peter Molyneux pulled his bullet points together out of the gate instead of six weeks prior to shipping. The scuttlebutt on this title is that Lionhead isn't hyping, and that Fable 2 actually delivers a dynamic world that you can radically alter over time. Apparently you can buy anything you set eyes on, and depending on what you do for (or to) others, you can revisit spots a dozen years later to find dilapidated hovels or bustling villages.

Darren: The original Fable was big on promises. While it was good, the designers seemed to cut corners at the end. Fortunately, this version looks closer to the virtual life I've always wanted to lead. I've already been playing at the virtual casinos of Xbox Live's Fable II Pub Games. At least in Fable's world, I can afford to buy a house (no word on Frodo Mac mortgage issues in fantasyland) and settle down with a digital damsel--who will nag me to death in-game. (Kidding, honey! Love you!)