Lionhead explains characters in Fable 2

By Robert Purchese Published 19 June, 2008

Has "one of the most evil" villains ever.

Lionhead has shed some light on the characters you'll meet while exploring Fable 2, and claims to have "one of the most evil people in videogame history".

These nasty, or nice people you meet during side-quests in Albion will act as "moral signposts", according to creative director Dene Carter talking to IGN, and will tie in with but not drastically alter the outcome of the main campaign.

You'll also not be able to accidentally butcher a key figure and "ruin the story"; Lionhead likes its open world, but also wants you to see certain bits and do certain things it has spent a long time making.

The first examples of the faces you'll come across in Fable 2 are Arfur, a murderous and vicious thief who sounds like the infamous Bill Sykes; Barnum, an unlucky inventor likely to be laughed off of Dragon's Den time and time again; and Giles, a tough-as-old-boots farmer who used to be a soldier and now has problems with a violent gang.

We're told there are all sorts of characters to meet and each will have a story of varying length to unravel - some may not even exist because of your actions elsewhere in the world. Carter is coy over how many will be in the final game, but suggests that 50 hours of voice-acting gives us a rough idea. That's more than a season of Buffy, admits Carter.

Doing tasks for people earns you renown that can cheapen services offered by those characters. You can also do things for normal people ambling around.

But not everyone will like you, and some will make their mind up based solely upon what you are wearing. However, Carter says there will be a section of the interface to help us understand what makes certain characters "tick".

You can also kill people so you can buy their house on the cheap. Beat that, housing market.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (40) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • monkie_king #1 4 years ago

    zomg the end boss is Molyneux?

  • Jheronimus #2 4 years ago

    Soooooooo interested in this game! Loved the first one (especially the horns you get when you decide to go all Ted Bundy on your fellow man) and can't wait to get my hands on this one...

  • mikew1985 #3 4 years ago

    I'm really starting to get excited about this game.

    But in an understated way, I don't listen to much of the hype that Molyneux loves to whip up, just loooking forward to nice looking and slightly different open world adventure game.

  • penhalion #4 4 years ago

    The game will have one of the most evil villains ever, then the article proceeds to say absolutely nothing about said villain. Instead choosing to outline a half dozen cleche characters that have appeared in every zelda title since forever.

  • Negotiator #5 4 years ago

    If its like GTA4 set in a fastasy setting, and I hope it is, I will love it. If its like the first game, and I hope its not, I will hate it.

  • kangarootoo #6 4 years ago

    "one of the most evil hyperbole in videogame history"

    I believe him!

    "If its like GTA4 set in a fastasy setting, and I hope it is, I will love it"

    I suspect diappointment is riding your way.... on the most evil horse in videogame history.

  • LazyDan #7 4 years ago

    YOU DO NOT CONTROL THE DOG!

    The dog will attack people when you command but you do not, AT ANY POINT! control the dog!

    Another groundbreaking feature lies in the dog control mechanism - but it is important to note that at no point will the player be able to directly 'possess' the dog.

    We have modelled our dog system on the real life way in which people do not control dogs.

    Far too many times we have played games - particularly FPSs - where we've had to control dogs. We're sick and tired of controlling dogs, hence in FABLE 2! you -WILL NOT- control the dog.

    The dog in Fable 2 is one of the main characters, and is central to the game - but I must emphasise that at no point is he moved by the player. The player also cannot make the dog perform actions directly via keypresses.

    NO CONTROL OF THE DOG!
    Edited by 1 at 19/06/08 @ 16:21

  • anomagnus #8 4 years ago

    is it Austria's mr f?

    ooooohhhhhhhhh thats right, i went there

  • hybridial #9 4 years ago

    Haunting Ground had an awesome dog which you didn't directly control. Hopefully Fable 2 employs it in a similar way.

  • cauldie #10 4 years ago

    Mr Tinkles confirmed!

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #11 4 years ago

    The most evil villain is not even the main baddie, apparently.

    I'm looking forward to this on an unprecedented scale. I can't eat, sleep, or make any friends because of it.

  • Turambar #12 4 years ago

    @LazyDan

    Are you trying to tell me that i can't control the dog?

  • dirtysteve #13 4 years ago

    usually 'most evil' = panto villain, whch will fit in nicely if it has the same tone as the first game (especially the cliche voice acting)

  • grantc7 #14 4 years ago

    Can't wait to control the dog. Should be fun!

  • magicpanda #15 4 years ago

    Far too many times we have played games - particularly FPSs - where we've had to control dogs. We're sick and tired of controlling dogs, hence in FABLE 2! you -WILL NOT- control the dog.

    I cant think of a single game - particularly FPSs - where you control a dog.

  • L42yB #16 4 years ago

    /wants

  • coojam #17 4 years ago

    Dog's Life. Woof! I hope you can play fetch.

  • ChthonicEcho #18 4 years ago

    Evil and Fable's art design don't really go well together.

  • Xerx3s #19 4 years ago

    "If its like GTA4 set in a fastasy setting, and I hope it is, I will love it. If its like the first game, and I hope its not, I will hate it."

    It will be fucking dreadful if it's as bland and boring as gta4.

  • NewbieZilla #20 4 years ago

    "It will be fucking dreadful if it's as bland and boring as gta4."

    Expect it to be a good deal worse. And even still be let down by it.

  • makeamazing #21 4 years ago

    "You can also kill people so you can buy their house on the cheap. Beat that, housing market"

    Well ok, not that great an idea... hope its better than the first... it was interesting to start with, but pretty much flat for me.

  • Negotiator #22 4 years ago

    The reason I said like GTA4, is because the free roaming open world gameplay bar has been raised by it, and hopefully Fable 2 can come somewhere near that.

  • sanctusmortis #23 4 years ago

    Didn't even mention the gypsy camp and drop-in co-op. For shame EG!

  • Dark_Stranger #24 4 years ago

    "You'll also not be able to accidentally butcher a key figure and "ruin the story"; Lionhead likes its open world"

    Contridiction me thinks

  • Feanor #25 4 years ago

    Can't wait for the 7/10 review and massive comments thread.

  • Triggerhappytel #26 4 years ago

    @ LazyDan - one thing I'm not clear on though: do you get to control the dog?

  • EmiliasHorse #27 4 years ago

    Really loved the first one. Yes it was very short but I enjoyed every single moment. No it didn't even start to do half of the things it was supposed to and to be fair I didn't mind one bit. In recent memory two of the greatest games Half Life 2 and GTA4 have gone on longer than I hoped, I had seen enough of both well before the end credits rolled.

  • The-Bodybuilder #28 4 years ago

    People, people, you CANNOT have a "true" open world experience in a videogame. It's either impossible, or we don't have the technology yet.

  • Markusdragon #29 4 years ago

    You couldn't butcher key figures in Oblivion, either.

  • NewbieZilla #30 4 years ago

    "You couldn't butcher key figures in Oblivion, either."

    You could in Morrowind. And thats just one of the many ways in which Morrowind is a better RPG than Oblivion.

  • Segnit #31 4 years ago

    "I cant think of a single game - particularly FPSs - where you control a dog." - Magic Panda

    Geist on the Gamecube is one. Don't know about the rest though. Certainly can't be talking about the Dog in Half Life 2 though.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/08 @ 09:26

  • anomagnus #32 4 years ago

    @newbiezilla

    too true, morrowind set the standard, and oblivion is a poor copy

  • Agent_Orange #33 4 years ago

    Uh-oh here we go with the marketing giant that is Molyneux. This game will be the ultimate rpg! Oops no that was supposed to be Fable 1! But anyway this game has the "most evil" villain ever! Osama bin laden? Kim Il Jong? Who will it be!!!
    Edited by 2 at 20/06/08 @ 09:31

  • DoKtoR #34 4 years ago

    What if I'm soooo evil that I want to kill key figures???

    Did you think of that Mr. Molyneux!?!?

    (I did like Fable btw...)

  • mingster #35 4 years ago

    He has the head of a lion

  • bonker #36 4 years ago

    "Instead choosing to outline a half dozen cleche characters that have appeared in every zelda title since forever. "

    The dev community could do a lot more wrong than take some design tips from the Zelda series ...

  • Salt_The_Fries #37 4 years ago

    I hope Peter Molyneux will really pwn with this game. I somehow missed playing the first one (I think I had insufficient graphics card back then), but I've seen it played by one of my friends a lot.

  • Amicus #38 4 years ago

    Osama Bin Laden.

  • bonker #39 4 years ago

    "NO CONTROL OF THE DOG!"

    /cancels pre-order

  • kangarootoo #40 4 years ago

    @The Bodybuilder

    "People, people, you CANNOT have a "true" open world experience in a videogame. It's either impossible, or we don't have the technology yet."

    Well firstly its not possible, and secondly it would be no fun. Games work because people have spent a long time creating a carefully balanced experience for the player. The whole point of a game (or film, or book) is that its contrivence allows it to be much more entertaining than real life.

    Player in truly open world: "Hmmm, so what do I do?" /opens brief screen, /brief screen is empty.
    "Hmmm. Maybe I'll go into this house" /house is locked "Oh"
    /goes into shop "What do you sell" Shopkeeper "Tea and coffee" Player: "I'll have a cup of tea please" /buys cup of tea.....
    "Well that was boring"
    "Have you got any quests for me?"
    Shopkeeper : "What? Quests? Are you mental?"
    Player "This game is shit. Someone out there must have a quest for me, but I can't find them because the truly open world is.... well... truly open, and consequently too big and empty of interesting stuff, just like real life"
    /powers off
    Edited by 1 at 22/06/08 @ 09:42