I'm kinda with Neo, I abhorred Fable 2. But I also can't generally stand GTA. To me, a more fair comparison would be between Fable 1 and Saints Row 2. In fable you get to create your character, but you're not really allowed to customize it. In Saints Row 2 you're not allowed to be a girl. In GTA you're just straight up stuck with something

In Saints Row/GTA you're allowed much more variety in what you can do to people. In Fable (2 especially) you're allowed much more variety in what you can do with/in a town. I haven't played much GTA but I don't recall a whole lot of mini-gaming going on. And I don't know how touring the town works. I know in Saints Row games you can buy up most of the town, which gives you income. Fable does something similar, letting you buy up shops. Fable 2 even lets you get jobs in shops. But Saints Row/GTA has always allowed you to grab some jobs. Though they're pretty worthless. At least in Fable you're fixing an economy

You have an interesting point, to be sure. Next will be Victorian era horse and buggy stealing and corset wearing mafia. And if Fable decides to take a route like that, they need only take a little side-step towards the world of steam punk/gaslight romance and I will probably throw all my loyalty at them. A steam punk GTA could possibly be my dream game