Who DOESN'T Like a Cute Dog?

Here it is. Tuesday! Who's excited? Me neither. But I am excited to reveal the last post topic. Every Tuesday you'll be treated (oh, yes! TREATED) to another excited edition of...
"That's What She Said" a post in which one of the (few) gamer girlfriends I know of writes a post about a game she likes and why. This week, we're being treated by my room mate's girlfriend, Lay. (Oh, one last thing. I'm not editing these posts so... send donations for the Phonics Game at...)

That's What She Said:
Lay on Fable/Fable II
Ok, I should be fair and state that I haven’t actually played Fable II yet, BUT if my male counterpart would ask me to play with him I would gladly do so (so that should count). Aside from babysitting the controller when he is out of the room I haven’t “played” the game per say but I have on multiple occasions done some backseat gaming when it comes to making decisions throughout the story. Which brings me to my first point:


There is a story! And stories are fun! :) I can’t speak for every member of the female population but I know I am more intrigued by games that have some kind of interesting plot line. It is quite refreshing after thinking video games are solely mindless, testosterone-driven killing matches. After watching my brother play the first Fable, I was so caught up in the storyline that I reached the point of actually picking up the controller MYSELF and figuring out how to play. (We also reached a point where he wanted the character to be pure evil and I wanted our character to have a halo. You can see why our joint gaming had to end immediately). And along with watching the story it’s fun to be able to control the story. Since there are so many decisions to make, you can at least listen to one that she wants you to do and make her happy. Although, as previously mentioned, there is potential for LOTS of conflict in this area so be careful.
There are also plenty of things to steal or buy for your home, prostitutes to either play with or ignore, multiple wives and children to potentially have and a cute dog. Who doesn’t like a cute dog?

End of Lay's opinions. But here's the TWIST!
My take:
As much as Lay loves the story of Fable II, it's actually pretty crappy. Very run of the mill, standard affair BUT what I think she's picking up on is the emotion that comes across in the game. I, for one, became very invested in my family (my wife Casey and two kids, Jake and Chelsea), my business ventures, the people I saved and, of course, my dog, Shadow, none of which are required at all. You could blast through the game without ever marrying, buying or owning a shop or home, and you can even beat your dog mercilessly if that's what you're into (you fucking sicko) but the game draws you in in such a way that they become intrigal parts of your story. This is one of my top ten all time games simply because it forces you to care, something almost no other game I can think of right now, does.
For all you co-op partners out there, there is a (decent) co-op feature that allows a hero and a henchman (no customization involved) to take on the game's many quests. Unfortunately, the buddy cannot marry, buy anything, change one item of clothing or even accept quests. He or she CAN, however, murder the host's wife and drastically alter their story. I hear this is being addressed in Fable III (out this Holiday season). The guest hero will be the owner's own hero, complete with leveling up, outfits, family and his or her own dog. The two can even marry or enter into business ventures together! Sweet.
Though the co-op leaves something to be desired, the game plays like Lord of the Rings meets The Sims, therefore it's not only awesome but fun to watch, something Lay mentioned. I recommend a purchase.
Lastly, did anyone else notice how Lay quickly threw in all that about stealing, prostitutes and multiple wives? I'm warning my room mate.

Here's a ten minute clip to give you a feel for the game. A lot goes on and it's hard to understand some of it without an explanation. ...I'm not going to give you an explanation. I will say this! This is basically a guy being a dick and looking for treasure, but it does show off some traveling, combat, two major locales, item management, leveling up and some of the humor. Game's pretty funny too.



Here's a bit of the combat...



And a wedding...



What draws you into a video game? Do you look for a simple diversion from reality or do you like to immerse yourself in a good story or interesting characters? What's a stand out game for what you look for?