Fable 3 Review
Welcome to Albion, King (or Queen)…
Fable 3 feels like a clone of Fable 2, but it really adds quite a lot of new content that separates itself from it’s predecessor, plus better graphics and some innovative design all-around. There has been high hopes for Fable 3, and I’ll jump right into what this game does good, bad and everything in-between.
To begin, you start as either the son or daughter of the hero from Fable 2. Your brother has filled in as King. He rules without mercy, killing, over-taxing and working his people nearly to death. The story revolves around removing your brother from authority. You go through the story collecting equipment, abilities, and most importantly, followers. The decisions in this game can be very hard to make, as the fine line between good and evil are very blurry; and this can be a good thing, because it allows you to play through the game multiple times to see different outcomes. There is no start menu in this game. Rather, there is “The Sanctuary”, a very innovative reskinning of a start menu. The Sanctuary allows you to fast-travel from a map, change your equipment, and even play online with other players. It’s really quite amazing how much a small change like this can do for a game. There is also a nifty new addition to the game where you can blend two spells together to create very powerful spells, while also adding a hint of personal taste in what spells you like. The sound is okay, as is the music, but nothing I got too excited over. Voice acting is very good in this game, though, as is the script. Plus, John Cleese is a voice actor (not going to specify who). That can never be a bad choice. 😉
This game is a lot like Fable 2, though. The missions and side games remain almost identical to the way they were in Fable 2. The gameplay is fine if you enjoyed Fable 2. It can become a bit of a button-masher in big battles, though. The combo system is random, meaning if you press “X X X” the outcome can be different every time. Graphically, the game looks like a more polished version of Fable 2 with more mature looking character and NPC models. The lighting seems to be implemented more naturally, and the world as a whole looks beautiful. You can still interact with NPCs, but they have cut this feature down to choices that are selected for you, not ones that you can select yourself. This can make for some pretty awkward moments with the townsfolk. The co-op is actually a lot better than that of Fable 2. You can interact with other players in different ways once you are in the same world as them, such as having children with other players. Definitely an improvement over the pitiful single-screen multiplayer of Fable 2.
If you look at all of the additions they have made to this game, it is easy to see why Fable 3 is better than Fable 2. It is simplified in some areas, yet more complex in others, but it is still a good game. It is really fun being able to be the king/queen, and making decisions as such. This game doesn’t have any major flaws, but it doesn’t do anything fantastic that separates it entirely from it’s predecessor.
Final Score: 8/10