Fable 2 Co-Op, Not Really That Good

I picked up Fable 2 awhile ago hoping to engage in some hot co-op action with my significant other, however I’ve quickly realized that Fable 2’s cooperative mode is just plain broken. I don’t particularly enjoy standing in Bowerstone market, one of the main cities in Fable II, staring at a grey stone wall while I desperately try to adjust the games co-op camera to a suitable position.

I’ve read mixed things about Fable II’s co-op but I really didn’t think  it could really be that bad. Hacking and slashing with your friends or significant other in a fantasy world seems like, at least in theory,  an excellent idea, however  it really turned out to be quite the difficult task.

The first thing I noticed was the camera. Sure, the co-op character creation was somewhat limited but that’s not that big a deal. It’s the camera that really got to me. Forget about exploring towns and caves, you and your co-op brethren will spend most of your time dealing with the games terrible camera system.

I made it about halfway through the game in co-op mode before calling it quits. As it  got progressively more difficult and the amount of on screen enemies increased I couldn’t handle the games terrible camera anymore. In the end I decided I  really wasn’t having fun anymore.

In open areas the camera was decent, definitely not ideal, most of the time it was far too zoomed out but at least you can somewhat tell what is going on. As soon as you enter a building or cave the camera zooms in so close and swings on such a strange angle that it’s near impossible to tell the game’s enemies apart. You can adjust it to a certain extent but it really doesn’t help much, it’s always either too zoomed in or too far out.

Your co-op friend also controls as a ghost in your game world. They can’t pick up items, they can’t purchase weapons, they are essentially only able  to hack and slash enemies with you. This leaves your co-op partner extremely disconnected from the games overall experience. My girlfriend was constantly wishing she could buy items and customize her character. One thing you can do is carry over experience and gold to your own copy of the game if your playing as a co-op partner. A cool feature but useless unless your buddy owns an Xbox and Fable II.

Fable II’s co-op mode seems like a rushed tacked on. It resulted in extra press coverage, as it really did seem like it could be revolutionary and an extra features check mark on the back of the box. It’s a great idea that could have been amazingly fun howeverthere are just way too many problems to be a truly enjoyable experience. I honestly commend anyone who completes the entire game with a friend. All I can do is hope Fable 3 gets the buddy thing right.