It's quite hard to sum this game up to be honest.
Story - Not its strong point being honest, very much like Fable 1, your wronged at an early age and seek vengance, evil guys trying to wrong the world, you rise up and smack him down ect...
You dont really get to know the main characters and there are no plot twists. You go from A to B, via C and then thats it. This is the only fault I can find with the story, but in an "epic" game such as Fable you would like to have more plot and a bit more drive. It seems like it's over all a bit to soon.
Side quests: I dont think I've even scratched the surface. Epic, entertaining, varied and fun.
The World: I could write a thousand words on the world and not quite get across how huge it is, not in a physical sense, but things to do. You can literally spend hours just walking around a town doing nothing.
Bad Bits: In places it feels very unfinished, graphics glitchs, and a few people I know have had quest glitchs forcing them to re-start the game from scratch. The magic combat system is VERY hard to get to grips with. Personally, I hate it. The dog; the creators were banging on about the dog or your "compainion" alot. It's an over glorified metal detector. Pointless having it in there. Earning cash, altought not a hard can be a chore early on as you dont get it from quest rewards anymore, if your a "good" character, the only real way to start earning cash is from a job. These are simple and boring as sin, literally hitting the A button at the right time and trying to build up a chain. If your evil, rob, kill and pillage. Nice and easy. Both paths eventually lead you to getting on the property ladder, once your there your income is sorted and you can start building your property empire. The last gripes I have are the menu system, clunky and slow and hard to naviagte and the loading times. There can be up to a 30 second load time moving between areas. Not good for todays games.
Good bits: The humor in Fable 2 is top notch. Dry, sarcastic, and alot of 'in' jokes players from Fable 1 will get. The world still feels like Fable 1, you see places from the first game, hear stories of old. It's nice to come back. Combat (well the guns and swords) is functional, and it dosent get stale. From your first fight to your last, it's fun. The moral choices, there are a few in the game that genuinly will have you thinking and pondering as you find out early in the game, the 'good' choice, may not always be the best for the world. Lastly, the effect your character has on the world around him, you actually see towns change as a direct result of your actions. The best example is Barrowstone, the first town. In the child prologue, you are asked to collect 5 warrents for arrest. If you chose to give them to the guard, a part of Barrowstone becomes a reputable, wealthy district. If you give them to the local crook, it becomes a slum full of prostitues and drunks. There are many choices in the world like this, and all of them do have a profound effect on the world around you.
Overall, Fable 2 is a excellend game, the world they have created is a masterpeice. But it's got it's fair share of problems (but most large and well made RPGs to, Mass Effect & Oblivion are two prime examples) If you liked Fable 1, then just buy this. Theres no two ways about it you have to play this game. If your not a returning player, give it a chance, because once your sucked in, your not leaving.
Ive given it a four star for two reasons, the un-polished / rushed feeling to some parts of the game and the slightly weak story line.
Enjoy