Fable III
Myths the point?
Fable III is every bit the logical conclusion to the series, and the culmination of creative director Peter Molyneux's quest to bring simplicity to the RPG genre.
A light shower
Successive Fable games have pared back the genre's defining traits to the point where Fable III's RPG credentials are tenuous at best. Where Fable II was more appropriately labelled an action-RPG, Fable III completes the transition to action adventure. Here, complex character classes, inventories, skill trees and stat modifiers are eschewed in favour of simple and accessible adventuring.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Fable III's Guild Seals, which unifies the strength, skill, will and general attribute levelling of previous Fables into a single, overarching XP system. Marrying mechanic with narrative, Guild Seals are both reward and currency for progression through the main quest; to usurp your brother King Logan and end his tyrannical reign over the oppressed people of Albion.
Health and safety were concerned about the new Alton Towers ride
Earned on your quest to unite the people behind your cause – through combat, task completion and endearing yourself to the general public – Guild Seals are redeemed along Fable III's Road to Rule. This is an ethereal path, littered with chests containing combat upgrades, increased social interactions and minigame rewards, and even colours to dye clothes with.
Next page: Guild your combats
COMMENTS
Molyneux needs to give up
He hasn't done anything worthwhile since Populous.
Everything he has done since then has been preceded by monumental amounts of hype and magnificent claims about all manner of ground breaking innovation.
The end result is always completely underwhelming pap.
Black and White anyone?
The review writer
Should have reviewed Fallout New Vegas, and Lucy Fable III
Aww.
No Strength, Skill and Will and the choices and options between them that completely change your playstyle? But...that's the absolute core of the Fable games.
And no simple menu system to jump through to pick your options nice and simply? Sounds like a real PITA to get things done.
I'm now wondering if I should cancel my order. I like humourous aspects in the previous games, but sometimes it wasn't humour - it was just stupid and made me cringe, a feeling I don't like. I was hoping they'd step beyond pathetic things like 'friday is poker night' and 'oh, I'm so dreadfully evil and dark, don't you know' and make bad bad and good good.
Hmm, this may be worth a rental before a buy I think...or at least spend some time watching someone else play it. Sad to hear it's not extended the game depth. Sequels in stories, movies, books, games...are always better when the sequels gain in depth and complexity as the story goes on - otherwise the consumer gets bored.
The map... how annoying is the map!
I have no sense of direction. I need a GPS to find the bathroom in the dark. So in games like this, I rely on the map. It's no big thing normally - click a button, see where you are in relation to stuff, maybe zoom a bit. Move towards where you think you're going and life is good.
No. Now I have to jump back to some room and listen to Stephen Fry start talking. Then I have to walk to a table to see the map. Then choose the place I am. Surely that should be the default? Then zoom in. Then get a feel for things and go back to the world and try again.
No compass to let me know if I'm going the right way. This is going to take forever finish, and not in a good way.
Software?
Isn't this the hardware side of Reg? Why a software review here?
And, anyway, Molyneux seems to think that "busy" is the same as "depth" nowdays. Sad.
