Review: Knothole Island-XBLM

After nearly a month sitting idle, I resurrect my copy of Fable II to try out the games first (and I hope not last) piece of downloadable content. Having been on a Fallout 3 marathon for quite some time, it takes a few minutes to reacclimate myself to the more colorful, albeit less comprehensive world of Albion. After virtually farting around a bit (literally), I follow the beloved golden bread crumb trail to a quirky inventer from the island of Knothole who informs me that his community is having a bit of weather trouble.

After accompanying my liaison to his home via modified barrel submarine, I am strinken both by the excitement of revisiting a world I love and a mild and likely ill-placed disappointment at such an unextravagant opening. Really, what do I expect in a .5 Gigabyte download for $10.00? Three new achievements will do.

When it's all said and done, I have mixed feelings about my most recent experience in Albion. Most of all, I feel refreshed after spending so many bleak hours in Bethesda's wasteland, but I also feel a bit unfulfilled. After a meager three dungeons featuring similar and monotonous "puzzles" and a bout of badies that appear to be nothing more than foggy spirit forms of those found in Ablion proper, I can't help but want more. On the other hand, the download includes all new checky voice acting and a plethora of new potions, weapons, and other garb with which to outfit yourself.

In retrospect, I think my disappointment came not form the lack of some grandiose set-piece at the journey's outset (weather changes serve as such later on), but at a lack of guidance in a game that has not-so-discreetly held my hand for nearly every moment up to this. It's not that I need (or want) hand-holding in my games, but in Fable I think many have just grown to expect it. The best example of this is in the DLC's promise to restore a loss that those who have made certain choices may have suffered. This Resurrection Shrine, as it has been called, is nowhere near obvious and while this can be frustrating enough for those who bought the DLC specifically for it, it troubles me most to think that less savvy gamers could entirely overlook such a huge piece of this new location. Again, I understand that exploration is often a big part of gameplay, but Fable II has always seemed to promote a somewhat guided bent on exploration, and, for me, it therefore fails at neglecting such an important piece of its content.

Having said this, I still can't help but feel that my money was well spent. Overall, I had a fun experience and look forward to collecting all of the new treasures available from the unique Box of Secrets shop. Despite my qualms, this is a decent, if not a more of the same, adventure in an already bustling and realized world.

P.S. Lionhead, keep em' coming!