Fable III Review

By now we all know that Peter Molyneux has a nasty habit of over-promising and under achieving.With that said we can can leave behind the "dream persona"  Molyneux has created and talk about what Fable III actually does.

concept art

Open World:

Fable has done an excellent job of making the world of Albion a living breathing character; from the hustle and bustle of Bowerstone to the hills and valleys of Mistpeak. The world now has more trees and focused paths to follow as apposed to the open fields of yesterday. This is not a drawback, rather it encourages the player to take paths less traveled and overgrown. Throughout the world there are remnants of the events that took place in Fable II. One such remnant is the spire which is visible in the ocean of the area called Driftwood.

Each city has its own unique feel ranging from country village to industrial mecca. The villagers have a unique visual style depending on the town they live in. The citizens of Albion call out to the player according to his/ her play style. If you decide to be evil they will fear and loath you, if you decide to be good they adore you.

Aww the dog looks lost.

Story:

Unlike the previous games you start off as an adult under the rule of your malevolent brother. The country is on the verge of a revolution. With low wages, run down homes and the constant fear of death if citizens fail to show up for work, Albion has never been more volatile. This is the setup for what the player faces as the hero of Albion.

The first half of the game is comprised of the players rise to power and the overthrow of a tyrannical dictator. It is during this that the hero will go on quests that are seen throughout RPG's. The player will gain the favor of the people and amass an army of rebels to help him/ her take the thrown. Along the way you will have to make promises to the people of Albion that won't surface until the second half of the game.

In the second half of the game the player is tasked with running the kingdom of Albion. This is done by choosing to keep or break your promises to the people. It is up to the player whether or not they wish to create a kingdom of renaissance or one in shambles. To find out what happens at the end of the game you will simply have to play it yourself.

For Narnia!!! Oh wait??

Gameplay:

There have been a few changes to the play style since Fable II. Combat still works the same; blue for melee, yellow for firepower, red for magic. Whats different is the complete deletion of  charge slots for spells. Now the player can wear two gauntlets that have different powers allowing you to combine different spells together. For those players who loved to spam the time and summons spells they have now been turned into potions.

Another deletion is the emotions Wheel. The wheel has been swapped for random interactions assigned to buttons. The downside is that instead of truly being random the player is forced to use the dance action for almost every character they meet. Also there are still several bugs in Fable III that plagued Fable II, some of them have been fixed in the patch which was released this week.

On the plus side overall gameplay has been improved. Players can now take their own heroes into their friends games. Each player has their own camera in co-op and is able to make gold/ get new weapons. The weapons upgrade as you play and each one has its own challenges that will give the perks once completed.

The menu system is completely gone. Instead there is a hideout called "The Sanctuary." This is where you will change weapons, clothes, join friends, view stats, and buy items over Xbox live. The sanctuary acts like the villa from Assassins Creed II by displaying all of your weapons and clothes on stands in different rooms. It also has a mini map where you can manage all of the houses and shops you own as well as use it to fast travel.

The bat cave now has swords 

I found that axing the menu system for the bat cave like hideout was a nice way to keep the player immersed in the game.

Sound:

Voice acting is top notch with actors John Cleese and Simon Pegg. The villagers in Albion also have a wide variety of dialog as well as the side quests. The music does tend to get repetitive; however, it flows well with the gameplay adding to the overall effect.

What ya aiming at Tex?

Summary:

Gameplay: The third installment of the game has improved upon the seconds shortcomings while adding some new aspects to the RPG genre. The menu system while unique is innovative and easy to use. Multiple playthroughs are encouraged as there several choices that can only be done by playing twice. The sound quality in the game is spot on. Graphics are improved since Fable II and add to the overall experience. There are several bugs in the system; however, they are a minor hindrance.

Overall Rating:

4 of  5 stars.