Fable

Fable is a role-playing video game where players control their character from a third-person perspective. The main character, known as The Hero of Oakvale, can interact with people and objects as well as battle foes. The goal of Fable is to complete missions called quests that advance the game's plot, but Fable also features optional quests and allows players to pursue actions not directly tied to story completion.

Most quests are acquired at a central location, known as the Heroes' Guild; required quests are marked with a gold symbol and advance the game's story, while optional quests are coloured silver and can be completed in any order. Some quests allow players to pick sides and aid either evil characters, such as bandits, or good characters, such as traders and guardsmen. Players can also boast after accepting a quest, wagering some of the quest's reward gold in exchange for a larger return if the player accomplishes their bet, such as sustaining no damage or undertaking the quest naked. Gold, which can be used to buy weapons and items, and renown, which affects the way townspeople react to the Hero. Heroes also earn trophies of their victories, which can be displayed to large groups of townspeople to earn more renown.

Fable takes place in Albion, a patchwork of city-states with lawless stretches of plains and forest between them. The entire land was once led by an ancient royal bloodline, bestowed with the title of Archon, referred to as the "Old Kingdom". The first Archon's rule was peaceful and prosperous, but the source of his power was an ancient and powerful sword (the Sword of Aeons) that gradually began to corrupt him and, eventually, his entire kingdom. By the time the events of the game take place, the world has slowly deteriorated from the days of the Old Kingdom.

One of the most prominent institutions of Albion is the Heroes' Guild. The Guild is a centre of learning and training for Heroes, renowned mercenaries that are active in all parts of Albion. Heroes are hired as thieves, soldiers, guards, rescuers, and protectors; the Guild makes no moral judgement on the actions of its Heroes.

Fable was the first game developed by Big Blue Box, a satellite studio of Peter Molyneux's Lionhead. Dene and Simon Carter, Big Blue Box's founders, stated that their first project would have to meet several criteria in order to be accepted by game publishers, but that they weren't interested in producing a generic title. To offset the costs of running a fledgling studio, Molyneux proposed Lionhead 'satellites', where Big Blue Box would receive the technology and support of Lionhead so that Big Blue Box could focus on making the game. After some difficulty in finding a willing publisher, Big Blue Box was offered a contract by Microsoft. According to the Carters, they wanted to create a role-playing game like no other:

The world would be a breathtakingly beautiful place filled with waterfalls, mountains, dense forests, populated with compelling and convincing characters with real personality, people who actually reacted to what you did. We wanted to give the player control of a hero who would adapt to the way they played, who would age, become scarred in battle, who could get tattoos, wear dreadlocks and a dress if the player was so inclined. We wanted each and every person who played our game to have a unique experience, to have their own stories to tell. And we called it Thingy.

Fable received positive reviews from both audiences and critics. The original Xbox version of the game has an aggregate critic score of 85% at both Metacritic and GameRankings. The game won more than fifty awards, and became the Xbox's fastest-selling game up to that time. During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Fable with outstanding achievement in "Original Musical Composition" and "Character or Story Development", as well as nominations for "Outstanding Innovation in Console Gaming" and outstanding achievement in "Game Design" and "Gameplay Engineering".

Fable's combat was praised. Staff from 1UP.com complimented the multiple approaches to combat which the publication stated made the game more a mini-game of its own: "Combat becomes its own minigame, with the goal not solely to beat a foe, but to beat it with skill and get the most from every fight. Slaughter becomes irrelevant, and the fights never become tedious."