Don’t buy the Fable 2 “Knothole Island” DLC

It took about ten minutes, or less, to get to a point of the Fable 2 “Knothole Island” DLC that made me greatly regret having bought it.

Do you remember in the original game a particularly frustrating bit (Fairfax tomb) involving having to shoot (using Fable 2’s maddeningly imprecise and slow firearm targeting system) a series of glowing balls that moved quite fast and if you didn’t get one in time you had to start all over again? Do you remember thinking – if you made it past that section without throwing your controller at the TV – “that was awesome, I wish I could do that a bit more”?

If so, then you’re in LUCK! Not only does the Knothole Island expansion require you to play a variant on this idiotic challenge, it makes it last for a dozen iterations, evenly spread between the three different combat types. Miss one – and you will, particularly the yellow shooting bits – and it’s back to the beginning with you.

Designed by Nazi war criminals

Whatever possessed the Fable 2 developers to highlight the limitations of their own control scheme with a mini-game that’s almost impossible to complete using it, and to make that mini-game an unavoidable part of getting anywhere in the DLC storyline, god only knows. Or basement cat.

Whatever, I had to turn it off and play some nice soothing COD:WAW to get back to a state of equilibrium.

I cannot believe that they playtested that section of the Knothole Island DLC. No-one played that – no sane non-masochistic person, anyway – before it shipped. It’s just not possible.

Developers – if you’ve made an action RPG where the control scheme is not really all that precise, DON’T make players endure a timed shooting event that’s almost impossible to complete using it. And if you must include such a thing, at least make it optional, not an unavoidable part of getting through the main content.

Owners of Fable 2 – avoid Knothole Island, unless you enjoy being tormented. Save your money.