Fable is the sort of game that demands two ratings: one judging the game against its hype, the other on its own merits. Development of the game began in 2001, and early on its designer, Peter Molyneux of Black & White fame, announced numerous innovative features, including a world that would grow older along with the main character and allowed for hundreds of hours of gameplay.

Over time, reality set in, and features were dropped, but the hype remained. Those who were expecting genre-redefining effort from Fable cannot help but be disappointed by it. Yet those who were ignorant of the hype, or who can put it aside, will find Fable to be an enjoyable RPG with a high degree of customization, some innovative features and a few notable—but not paralyzing—flaws.

Fable's quests are straightforward affairs, but they can be made more challenging by taking "boasts" before beginning them. Boasts are essentially bets on the player's own prowess—those feeling particularly cocky can choose to fight with their bare hands, forswear armor, or refuse to use magic. Other possible boasts appear depending on the quest.

There are numerous customization options. Players can choose from a variety of haircuts, facial hair and tattoos for their character as well as a wide selection of armor and weapons. The character's uniqueness is further supplemented by incidental scars picked up during adventuring, as well as his gradual aging process. Players can interact with the game's inhabitants through a number of different "gestures," such as an evil laugh, a giggle or a glare. This leads to The Sims-like interactions, such as romantic marriage or trembling fear.

Combat isn't particularly complex, but it can be challenging, particularly when trying to get an ever-higher "combat modifier," which only grows when the main character is able to hit opponents without getting hit himself. The higher the modifier, the more experience he gains.

The game looks beautiful, with wondrous lighting and water effects, but unfortunately this comes at a price: With a lot of characters on screen the game can slow down or become jumpy. While they may look expansive, the game's maps are relatively small and linear, leading to short but frequent load times between areas. Fable's good-vs.-evil theme is one of its major claims to fame, but aside from pleasing or terrifying villagers, it doesn't have much impact on the game's missions. Similarly, while at first glance there's a lot of side actions for players to take—such as getting married or buying a house—there's not much to do after this has been done. Players can choose to get "intimate" with their spouse or rent out their houses, but quests and the larger story are unaffected either way.

Some of these shortcomings feel like early objectives that were developed, but then scaled back, and fans that expected them will be disappointed. And yet the game remains a heck of a lot of fun even with these flaws, and folks looking for a laid-back yet still challenging role-playing adventure would do well to check it out.