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Fable II Pub Games Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Fable II Pub Games Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Don’t Bet on This One

Fable II may not come out till the end of October, but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft and Lionhead Studios from flexing some marketing muscle. Fable II Pub Games – a collection of gambling mini-games – can be thought of as more of a promotional tool than a traditional game. And that’s ultimately its problem; the game lacks depth and when coupled with the $10 price tag (800 Microsoft Points), the investment to payoff ratio is highly skewed in the direction of the former rather than the latter.

Fable II Pub Games screenshot

To enroll in the gambling festivities at the local pub, you select from one of six stock character cards. Once Fable II comes out, you’ll be able import your character, but as of now, you’re stuck with generic gamblers. However, choice really doesn’t matter. None of the characters have any unique stats to speak of – you’re swapping one drawing and name for another. The three things that you monitor for your gambler are gambling level, gold, and debt. The gambling level is a star rating that increases based on point increments. Every time you bet in a game your point level goes up. For example, if you bet 10 chips your gambling level goes up by 10 points. Gold is your stock of available funds and debt is how much you owe the bank. The curious thing about debt is that it doesn’t really affect your character – you can borrow all you want and not suffer any consequences in Pub Games. The game does warn you that debt carries over to Fable II, but you can simply erase a character and presto! no debt.

Obviously, the big draw of Pub Games is its future interaction with Fable II. Any gold and prizes you win can be transferred over to Fable II. Prizes include items like distinct hairstyles, tattoos, potions, weapons, clothes, gifts, and furniture. Should you not like a particular prize, you can sell it in Fable II’s Albion market and get gold in return.

Fable II Pub Games screenshot

The three games that will occupy your time are Fortune’s Tower, Keystone, and Spinnerbox. The developers must have put Fortune’s Tower first because it’s the best of the lot. The easiest way to think of the game is by visualizing a tower of cards. The first (top) card is called the Gate. Each row after the gate adds one card, so row two has two cards, row three has three, etc. Since the Gate card is placed face down, you never know what number value it has. Scoring works by you making an initial bet (always in multiples of 15) and the computer totaling the score of cards in a row. After giving you a total, the computer will ask if you want it to keep dealing. For example, you might have in your third row a seven, six, and five, giving you a total of 18. You can cash out on 18 or keep going. While more cards in a row might mean more of a payout, it can also spell disaster. If a pair ever lines up in a diagonal pattern (for example, you might have a six in your current row and in the previous one), then the cards burn and the round is over.

Now, if Fortune’s Tower ended there it would be a decent, but quickly forgettable card game. What makes it above average is the inclusion of multipliers and specialty cards. You get a multiplier that applies to your total score whenever all the cards in a row match. If you have all fours in the third row you get a multiplier of three (since it’s the third row). The Gate card – mentioned earlier – has two functions. The first is that it can save you from a burn by replacing a card in a pair. However, if the Gate card happens to be the same number as your troubled pair (for example, you have a pair of twos and the Gate is also a two) then you still get burned. Also, if you never use the Gate card and make it through all eight rows, you get a jackpot. Beside numbered cards, there are also Hero cards stuffed in decks. Each hero card can reverse the effects of a pair burn, effectively protecting you and keeping you in the game. It’s these specialty touches that make Fortune’s Tower a fun little game.

Fable II Pub Games screenshot

Unfortunately, the other two games don’t fare as well. Keystone features an arch made up of 16 stones. During each turn, you roll three dice and bet on game particulars such as whether you’ll role a number that corresponds to a black or red space or get a pair. Holding the left trigger displays odds and betting on very specific rolls – such as a sequence of numbers like two, three, and four – nets a bigger win. You have to be careful though, each roll corresponds to a stone that is removed. So, if you roll an 11, stone 11 is removed. Should you roll the same number twice, then the next stone in the arch is removed. If you lose either stone 3, 18, or 10 and 11, then the arch collapses and the game ends. To mix things up, there’s a variation of the game called Bloodstone where you bet on where the die won’t land. However, the inclusion of this new rule doesn’t really spruce up the game. Keystone is really just a remix of craps and you spend the majority of your time placing bets.

The final game is Spinnerbox, essentially a glorified version of slots. You bet, symbols spin, and if you match a pair of symbols, you get a payout. However, the inclusion of symbols instead of numbers is strange. If numbers were used, you could quickly tell when you had a matching pair and the payout. For example, a pair of twos would have a payout of four; simple, right? But, since the game uses strange symbols, you constantly have to bring up a menu to figure out payouts. The first time you see two houses you would never guess it equals a payout of twenty. Numbers must have been disregarded in favor of symbols for graphical variety, but it ends up being counterintuitive.

Fable II Pub Games screenshot

All three games can be played in single play or tournament mode. Single play allows you to build points and increase your gambling level, unlocking games with bigger payoffs. Tournament mode throws you into games against computer-controlled opponents, but most of them are too difficult and time consuming. For example, a Spinnerbox tournament requires 100 spins before it’s over, and since most of it is based on simply betting and spinning (hitting the A button), it’s really just a luck affair and not much fun to play. Trying to defeat the computer in the other games is also hard. There always seems to be one A.I. opponent who never loses a hand, meaning you have to play flawlessly. The tough-as-nails A.I. could be offset by Xbox LIVE play with friends, but Pub Games is missing this vital component. It seems like a strange thing to omit; surely a card game doesn’t have issues with lag? Playing any of the games over-and-over again unlocks new “games,” but they aren’t really new. Instead, they add new rules to the current three, such as increasing the minimum bet or the number of spinners in Spinnerbox.

Presentation isn’t Pub Games’ strong suit. The music selection is a looping track that seems like it was taken from the first Fable game, and the only sound effects you’ll hear are the roll of the die, cards shuffling, and the occasional cheer of a crowd after a good game. The graphics don’t fare much better. There are no 3D models of the gamblers, instead you just see a name next to a stack of chips.

Pub Games is really a half-game aimed at those that want to get a jump start on building their Fable II loot. Those looking for a good standalone title are out of luck – far from scoring a jackpot, Pub Games is a complete bust.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.5 Graphics
For what the developers have to work with (playing cards and chips) they did an admirable job. Nothing really stands out as excellent, but the overall presentation is above average. 3.0 Control
The controls work as they should (you mainly hit A and move the left analog stick), but it feels like the developer could have done more to make the actual playing of the games a little more engaging. 2.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
It’s pretty bare bones. Aside from ambient bar noise and cheers from an off-camera crowd, there’s just one track that loops in the background. 2.0 Play Value
For those with Fable II pre-orders there’s some incentive here, but as a standalone title, Pub Games under-delivers. 2.6 Overall Rating – Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Gold transfer to Fable II: Earn gold playing the Pub Games weeks before the Fable II release, and then transfer the gold into the world of Albion for a head start.
  • In-game unlockables: The Pub Games allow you to unlock game variants based on the amount your play regardless of wins or losses.
  • Bust out options: You have several options when you bust out. Participate in free tournaments (paying off gold for time mirroring FII jobs), or utilize the credit system based on meta game’s star rating.
  • Tournaments: Win 15 unique Fable II items in the Pub Games via tournaments. You can even unlock new Fable II concept art, a first taste of Fable II for the hardcore.
  • Screen Resolution: Up to 1080p (Full HDTV, Widescreen).

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