The original Fable was something of an awakening in the role-playing world, an accomplishment that spoke volumes about character customization. Gamers had seen the multitude of shining armor and Armageddon-bringing weapons they could collect in other titles within the same genre. While Fable brought the same variety to the table, it introduced something that awarded players in a different way: A personal barometer of good versus evil. And it won a multitude of awards for doing so. Now, Lionhead Studios has continued its series and expanded on this barometer with its sequel, aptly named Fable 2.

When players that enjoyed Fable first enter the world of Fable 2, they will instantly recognize the setting of Albion. But things have changed. 500 years have passed since the original game, and what was once a utopia of towns and villages has turned into a collection of large cities wrought with castles and claustrophobic establishments. You begin the game by choosing a male or female character, either of which begins as an orphan in the slums of Bowerstone. Guided by your helpful sister, Rose, you arrive at a huge crowd of people that has gathered to watch a street hawker selling everyday-looking items that he calls "magical". When he introduces a music-box as having mystical properties, Rose spurs you into collecting enough gold around town to buy the thing. Eventually, the truth of the music box is revealed and your sister is killed by a man named Lucien. He also attempts to kill you, but you are saved by a mysterious woman known as Teresa. Now, it is up to you to find Lucien and stop his plan to resurrect The Spire, a plan that finds you starting off as an adult in the early regions of the game.

This is your first chance to test the waters of Fable 2's gameplay mechanics, a collection of appearance-altering alignments that allow you to shape and mold your character into either a terrifying corrupted evildoer or a pure, saintly hero. While its predecessor utilized a good versus evil scale, Fable 2 introduces a few new variables, the most predominant being Purity versus Corruption. If you eat a lot of meat pies and drink a lot of alcohol, expect your character to become both fat and corrupt. Invest in some healthy carrots and apples, however, and your character will evolve into a lean soul as pure as spring water. There are other ways to affect your purity or corruption, such as lowering or raising prices on property you own or choosing whether or not to give in to the temptations of wandering street wenches. Whatever your decisions on the matter, be sure that your character will become strikingly different from the orphan they once were based on your decisions.

The warping effects of choosing good or evil still stand. Kill a lot of innocents and rain destruction upon Albion, and your character will become a horned freak-show complete with glowing red cracks in their skin. Fight for justice and develop your character into a being of light, and they'll become a clear-skinned cherub complete with their own halo. As you continue to grow with your alignments, you will also grow with your combat of choice. There are three distinct types of combat; strength, skill and will. Whether or not you use some or all of them will rely on your play style. If you are the type that likes to charge into oncoming enemies with a battleaxe clenched in both hands, expect to invest some upgrades in the strength department. Like to take foes out at large range with everything from crossbows to shotguns? Spend some time developing your skill ability. Finally, if you're the type that likes to call lightning and hurl fireballs at your enemies, will is the way to go. Whatever your choice, it will have an impact on the appearance of your character. Strength makes your character bulky and muscular; skill makes them taller; and every time you use will your character gains glowing blue "will lines" that crisscross along their body.

While there is no distinct leveling of your character in Fable 2, you do gain experience that comes in the form of multi-colored orbs that drop from enemies. Each of these orbs applies to a different type of combat (yellow to skill; red to will; blue to strength) and green general experience orbs apply to all of them. By combining your general experience with experience from your combat of choice, you can swiftly turn your hero into a specialized killing machine by unlocking new abilities. These include adding new combos to your strength-based fighting, allowing you to aim and zoom with your skill weapons, and unlocking more powerful magic in your will spell book. As an added bonus, you can multiply your amount of experience earned for a battle by destroying your enemies accurately and without taking damage. Do it well enough and you can earn upwards of 250% of your original experience amount, making it worthwhile to show off those flashy moves you've accumulated along your journey.