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| Lionhead Studios returns once again with yet another Fable adventure. |
Synopsis:
After saving the world from the events of Fable II, the old hero, worried about the independant cities and villiages of Albion being able to resist another threat, united the land under on rule. Forming the Kingdom of Albion, the old hero was a generous and just ruler and ushered Albion into the beginnings of its industrial age. After his passing, the mantle of king was left to the eldest of his two children, his son Logan. Despite coming from an ancient lineage of strong and powerful heroes, Logan quickly turned into a cruel and sadistic tyrant: heavily taxing the people and forcing children to work in the dangerous factories of Bowerstone Industrial. After having to decide between the death of several innocent villagers, or an equally innocent best friend, the stories protagonist and the true hero escapes the castle at night. Realizing that Logan's tyranny must be stopped the Hero searches for those who would join the cause, and embraces his/her destiny as the next hero of Albion.
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Logan, older brother to the story's protagonist is just as dastardly ashe looks. |
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| The detail in Fable 3 is nothing short of stunning. |
Appearance:
While the Fable series has always had a very cartoon-esque appearance, developers have brought a great deal of detail to a seemingly animated world. From wood grain on a tavern table to detailed stitching on a military jacket, Lionhead has once again succeeded in bringing gamers a visually stunning masterpiece in their own stylization. Despite spending a great deal of time on the items in their world however, there are times where glitches with mapping and object placement snap player out of the fantasy they were in and remind them that they are still playing a video game. Players opting to help the local bakery by rolling out dough as a job might find themselves a bit unimpressed when the beautifully detailed pie tin is magically hovering a foot off the table to no one else's chagrin.
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| Whether playing as a male or female character, Fable 3 boasts a wide array of wardrobe choices |
A major grievance with Fable II was the serious down grading in the size of different wardrobe choices, players felt that every item available to wear was too similar and none of it suited an adventurer's lifestyle. Lionhead has done a beautiful job of responding to this by adding clothes of different styles and types, truly creating a versatile wardrobe that players are sure to mix and match until they find an outfit that perfectly fits the character they're looking to create.
Arguably the best part of the Fable series is the character morphing: as player play through the game everything from their actions to their fighting style will effect the appearance of their hero. Lionhead has bumped it up an extra notch this game by allowing weapons to be effected by playing style. Evil players who delight in killing innocents will find their weapon exuding a red aura and dripping in blood, while good heros who specialize in magic rather than armed combat will find their weapons permanently glowing with blue will lines. Seeing as how the weapon is sheathed on the hero's back when not in use and therefore the most visible object equipped by the hero, weapon morphing is a welcome addition.
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| Despite looking utterly awesome, character wings only make a brief appearance towards the end. |
While players will be happy to see their weapons evolving, its apparent developers didn't spend as much time working on character morphing as much as we'd hoped and have actually downsized arguably the best part of the whole series. Molyneux and his nerd army have taken the fan-favorite devil horns for the evil doers and heavenly halo for the good guys and have given them a brief appearance only available at the end of the game. This is likely to leave most players feeling a bit cheated: one of the best parts of murdering an entire village was the chance to sprout some horns and get some wicked looking skin. Now any players looking to be evil will have to be satisfied with their hero growing extremely pale and gaining dark circles around their eyes, as this is the extent of the character morphing for the evil alignment.
Game Play:
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| Through use of the pause menu, players can manage their properties without having to visit them. |
Probably the biggest allure of picking up a controller and spelunking through Albion is the unique gameplay experience awaiting players. the Fable series has always been The Sims meets Diablo but with a Molyneux-inspired twist. Players short on cash can take up jobs as a bounty hunter or a lute player, or might be able to talk a vendor down from their steep prices through flattery or threats, each bearing its own consequence. From buying a house and raising a family, to owning a store and jacking up prices, every lifestyle the hero engages in will effect how other villagers and townsfolk react to him/her.
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| With the ability to reach out and touch towns people, Fable 3 becomes a tad more real. |
One of the most pivotal aspects of the game is the hero's interaction with non-playable characters. Not only is a successful interaction with someone important for completing most quests, its necessary for any hero looking to set their sword on mantle for a while and take a crack at a relationship. To better bring these interactions to life Lionhead has included the aspect of touch, unavailable in the earlier games. Players can now hug a friend in need of companionship, grab an enemy by the throat and threaten him, or pick up a little girl and playfully toss her into the air. Probably the most ingenious renovation to the NPC interaction would be the throwing out of the "follow" command and the use of hand holding when needing to lead a person somewhere. Whether courting a young woman in town or dragging a peasant off to get sacrificed, holding someone's hand brings the game to life that much more.
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While Albion may be vast, the choices one has for conversation are not. |
It should be said that NPC interaction is not all sunshine and roses. One thing Lionhead has succeeded in doing, whether intentional or not, is getting rid of choice. When conversing with a citizen of Albion, players will only have one of three choices: a nice gesture, an evil gesture, or a funny gesture. Gone are the days when a player could cluck at whomever he pleased and break into a chicken dance, they have instead been replaced by whatever means of interaction the computer randomly decides upon.
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| Fable 3 will still have plenty of action but say goodbye to experience and health points |
In an effort to make the game more adventure oriented and less of a monotonous RPG, Lionhead has done away with the health bar and experience points all together. In battle heroes who take too much of a beating will be knocked unconscious for several seconds then be able to get back up and continue the fray. Once ones foes have all been dispatched, players gain small points that add up to a Guild Seal. After obtaining enough Guild Seals, players can spend them on opening treasure chests located in the "Road to Rule." This poor attempt at a leveling system features abilities, additional gestures, and even important gameplay mechanics all available for purchase. Separated by gates, higher level abilities cannot be purchased until advancing so far in the story. Newcomers to the Fable series might not be bothered by this and instead might commend Lionhead for not allowing players to become too strong too fast. However, returning fans who liked to do things such as buy a house as soon as possible will have to advance in the story line for several hours in order to do so, as the "landlord" pack is only available past the second or third gate.
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| Voiced by John Cleese, Jasper provides silly whit to the world of Albion |
While most of their renovations for the game have been hit or miss, one attempt at bettering the gameplay has hit its target at a bullseye. Players looking to change clothing, equip new weapons, spend Guild Seals, or check for downloadable content may do so by pressing "start" and entering The Sanctuary. Kept tidy by Jasper, the former butler of the old king now catering to the hero, The Sanctuary is essentially an interactive pause menu that has been well-written into the story line of the game as to be believable. Voiced by famous British actor John Cleese, Jasper brings the charm and silly whit to the game that our across-the-pond developers are notorious for.
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| Between the larger wardrobe and the ability to interact with NPC's in a whole new way, Lionhead added . |
Don't Change a Thing:
Lionhead has done a marvelous job of responding to gamer complaints and suggestions and has revamped most of the aspects of the former game that were a cause for grievance. Also, by adding the aspect of touch to the game, Albion becomes that much more real as players are able to interact with villagers as never before.
Should Have Spent More Time On:
It seems that every stunning addition made to the game was at the expense of an equally stunning former dynamic or aspect. By getting rid of the ability to choose a gesture in conversation, or by scaling down the hero morphing to make room for weapon morphing, Lionhead will have a great deal of explaining to do. Most players will probably wonder why the British developers couldn't have just kept the good stuff good, and changed what needed changing, rather than revamping all of it.
Just How Homo:
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| Finally, a game that gives gaymers a chance to have their very own 'Happily Ever After'. |
Its hard to deny the homosexual street cred of a game that not only allows you to romantically pursue a member of the same sex, but also to buy a house together, get married and eventually adopt children. Throw in a pinch of character morphing and gaymers everywhere will be able to live out their fantasies of being a muscle-armed hero saving the world and finding love or a dark magic user with an appetite for seedy bars and even seedier men.
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| Although its not perfect, Fable 3 is still well worth the price and the occasional head ache |
Own It or Rent It:
Despite grievances with developers choices, Fable III is a must-own game for anyone serious about maintain their reputation in the gaming world. New comers or those ignorant to the earlier Fables will most likely fall head over heals for this latest installment, while those returning to the world of Albion might find themselves a bit annoyed at times, but its nothing that can't be overlooked for the greater good of saving (or ransacking) the world.
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