A Tale of Fable
RPGs are typically defined by their stories. A great RPG needs a great and epic story -- just look at Knights of the Old Republic, Chrono Trigger, or Kingdom Hearts. Fable's story is serviceable, but not extraordinary, which is really what keeps it from the upper-echelon of role-playing games. A simple tale of revenge, you play the role of a young boy whose village is raided by bandits. Your mother and sister are taken captive, your father murdered -- the typical crap day for a young adventurer. Your mission, from that point on is to avenge your father's death and discover the whereabouts of ma and sis. And while there are a couple of relatively obvious twists along the way, the story unfolds pretty much as you would expect. Unlike Knights of the Old Republic, which has one of the greatest twists in RPG history, Fable isn't so much about the story, but your journey that takes you to its climactic conclusion.

Fable is an open-ended game, with specific story points that help guide you towards its conclusion. Once you've finished your training at the Heroes' Guild (which could last a few hours if you choose to take your time), the world is completely open to you. Right off the bat, you can wander to the majority of areas in Albion, a sizable medieval world packed with hundreds of NPCs who all eventually become focused on you and your journey from nobody to the greatest hero the world has ever known. Of course, the deeper you enter into Albion's wilderness, the more dangerous the path. So, while you could technically make your way to a lot of Albion the moment you enter manhood, you probably wouldn't survive long.