Review – Fable 2 DLC: See the Future (X360)

See the Future, Fable 2’s second DLC pack, is cheaper than its predecessor. Logically, you’d think that this would make it inferior to the Knothole Island DLC pack. That, however, isn’t the case. It’s definitely as good, if not better.

See the Future only really sees 2 new quests, both revolving around Murgo the salesman, or rather the items which he sells to you for 5 gold each. There’s actually 4 items, but I’ll explain that later. The quests are standard Fable 2 fare, but their context is what makes them interesting, and a few of the mechanics utilised are interesting.

The first sees you bring colour back to a cursed village inside a snow-globe, and the enemies themselves are draining the colour. The enemies are coloured either red, blue, or yellow. This is actually significant – the colour, like flit-switches, signals how you should attack them. It adds a simple yet interesting twist to fighting.

The second sees you inside a cursed skull (notice a pattern?) trying to free a trapped knight by bringing souls to release him – but the souls will only follow the dead. Furthermore, there are gates which require you to mimic them exactly, except they’re statues of monsters. This is where new customisation options arise in the form of monster costumes. These costumes make you look like various monsters you’ll fight in the game, and there’s a few achievements tied to them as well. It’s another fun little addition – the sort of thing it would have been nice to see more of in the main game.

The third item I’ll talk about is the one which will probably see the most play-time: the coliseum. This coliseum is basically a fighting mini-game where you’re scored on how many baddies you can kill, and you earn gold and experience from it too. It’s good fun, especially co-op, and it’s a good addition to the game. If you enjoyed the game’s Crucible section, you’ll enjoy this a lot.

Like the Knothole Island DLC, there’s also a bundle of new items for customisation purposes, most significantly the dog breed changing potions. There’s only a few, but it’s pretty cool to change your dog’s breed. And you can change it back should you wish, as there’s a potion for that too. Other similarities include new achievements, but there’s actually 250 gamerscore to be gained over Knothole’s 100, as well as 10 items to be explored for. These are a bit better hidden, too.

And finally, the ‘see the future’ bit should be mentioned in a See the Future review. It basically fleshes out the ending of Fable 2 –   like the Knothole Island DLC, a lot of this DLC is off limits till you complete the main quests. I can’t say it did much for me, as what it detailed was as clichéd as the ending the game already had, but for big fans it was nice…but it’s not like you couldn’t see it coming.

So, the verdict on value…well, at only 560 MS points compared to Knothole’s 800, I’d say this is easily a must-buy for Fable fans looking to expand their Fable 2 experience. It’s a bit short, quest-wise, like its predecessor, but the lowered price means it’s more justified. And if you’re an achievement seeker, then it’s actually worth more to you than Knothole, since there’s 150 more points to be had. All in all, it’s definitely good bang for your buck!

~Scott

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