Fable encouraged you to escape reality, if only for 15 hours – Skyrim gives you a whole virtual life. Some of the side stories provide the game’s most engrossing moments, and following a trail of quests to a far-off town can create a diversion that lasts for hours. And, just like in Fable, you’ll find plenty to do outside of the main quest.

You’ll grow to love particular characters, especially if you recruit a loyal companion to fight alongside you. Skyrim is largely a humourless place, but like Albion, it has a strong identity. Fable gave you different ways to approach combat, and Skyrim runs with that idea, letting your character flex between a sneaky archer, a battlemage, or a brute with a two-handed warhammer.

Two cities that take 20 minutes to walk between (in real time, that is) might look entirely different, but you can sense a shared history. The world is teeming with detail, and coherent in a way that few games manage, with NPCs that follow daily routines and interact with one another. But there’s similarities too, which gives Fable fans plenty to love. Lionhead’s RPG never takes itself too seriously – Bethesda’s absolutely does, with a stone-faced plot about the chosen one saving the world. It’s easy to focus on the differences between Skyrim (opens in new tab) and Fable.

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