Fable [Xbox]

We've been looking at this game at various stages of development -- and under at least two different names -- for something like four years now. That kind of development timeframe can be a kiss-of-death for any game, but after attending the most recent showing of Fable, we're happy to report Big Blue Box's baby will be ready for delivery this summer.

On the surface, Fable might look like any number of action-based fantasy role-playing games, but its approach is far more ambitious. Rather than playing as a generic protagonist who moves through a world without being affected by it, players lead a character who not only ages, but bears the marks (and literal scars) of his passage through life in the fanciful realm of Albion. The character starts off as a child, soon achieves adolescence and, finally, wizened maturity.

Fable isn't the first game to give us an aging character. The character here, though, develops in far more ways than those in previous games. Should he be wounded in battle early on, for example, he'll develop visible scars. The other people populating Albion have long memories, and will recall the deeds of the player both fair and foul. Fable is all about what goes into a making a memorable character and legendary hero, and flaws and dubious actions can be just as important to the player's reputation as good and noble deeds. This is where one's renown comes into play.

Mechanically, Fable is a follow-cam game set in a living, breathing world filled with non-player characters with which to interact. Everything you do and every relationship you forge leaves an impression. Repeatedly flirt with and pick up girls in the local tavern, for example, and word will get around... and new potential lady-friends will begin to react accordingly (to the game's credit, this dynamic works both ways: dogged persistence pays off). For more significant, dastardly acts, this plays a bigger part. If your regular actions are worthy of a thief or killer -- behavior that's ignored or even blindly rewarded in many other fantasy RPGs -- you will find increasingly chilly receptions in new townships.

How are you supposed to know what kind of character (and reputation) you are forging? Thankfully, there's an elegant built-in visual indicator. Characters that you can interact with are surrounded with a color-coded aura denoting your standing -- green for a receptive character, yellow for neutral or reserved types, and a don't-touch red for constabularies you've riled, merchants you've ripped off, jealous women, and so forth. Be too much the wild boy in a given town and you'll be hunted by the local law.

As ye live, so shall ye reflect. Your character isn't just a blank emotional slate, and you can choose various modes of expression to adopt. You could walk around with a vapid can-do smile like any generic adventure-hero, but it shows a lot more personality to, for example, don a lascivious grin or a mean-mugging glare. You could be Mr. Polite to the nice young lass in the street, but you could also convey your intentions with lewd gestures or expressions. Lots of cues can be learned during the course of the game, and they'll all affect how other characters react to you.

Even more obvious than the ways you express yourself is the way you look. Your onscreen persona reacts dynamically to the moral path you've chosen. It's an undeniable real-world mystery that there is such a thing as "looking evil" -- windows of the soul, and all that -- and Fable makes things obvious. Live enough of a downward-spiral life of evil and your character will gain budding horns, dirty, ragged clothes and even a visible, buzzing cloud of stink and flies! Is that sulfur and brimstone in your immediate airspace, or are you just unhappy to see everybody? The same holds for all you do-gooders out there: Conduct yourself properly, and there's bright, shiny armor (and possibly even a halo) in your future.

Stuff happens and people change, though. Fable's engine allows for both a player's rep and appearance to "swing back" the other way over time -- it's a nice, unspoken touch that the path from evil to good takes noticeably more consistent effort!

Likewise, the game won't lock players into a pigeonhole "class" (magic-user, trader, warrior, etc.). Just play the way you want to play, and allocate experience toward combat, skills, magic or anything else. If you spent your game-youth maxing out on weapons and then have a change of heart for the mystic arts, you can start all over, even as a seasoned adult.

In terms of combat, it's straight-up do-it-yourself, with real time and real reactions. Its options for combos and optional target lock-on make the combat comparable to that found in the Zelda series.

One neat bit of storytelling and difficulty-adjustment all rolled into one is the concept of bragging. Basically, you can stand before a crowd of NPCs prior to a quest and make claims to your own skill or audacity. Maybe announce that the job can be done without resorting to certain kinds of magic, or without using a shield. Pull it off, and you'll rake in the experience points. Blow it, and you'll look very silly (and probably get hurt).

Patient gamers have waited a long time for this one, and as of our last tour, it looks like their faith has been justified. Not only does Fable look terrific, it promises to be a game that lets players make the ultimate personalized character. The game is scheduled to become reality this summer -- we'll have a reviewer poised to do things both good and terrible, just so you'll have a comprehensive review to read.