Fable III Reviews

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Written by BuckGB on October 27th, 2010

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Fable III has issues--tedious combat, emotionally distant characters, and weak moral choices among them--but its biggest problem is Fable II. The latest adventure in Albion plays so similar to its predecessor that it struggles to establish an identity of its own. The small tweaks don't dig very deeply and the cosmetic changes are welcome but insubstantial. So, this is ultimately a really enjoyable game that will deliver a serious case of deja vu for anyone who spent time playing the last game. That's not a deal breaker, but it makes the good elements less exciting and the bad elements more noticeable. The outstanding artistic design and great sense of humor make it worth playing, but the other aspects have been streamlined to such a high degree that their simple pleasures have been lessened. While you shouldn't expect everything to run smoothly, it's a joy to be whisked away to Fable III's magical world.

One particularly hilarious quest midway through the storyline speaks volumes about the difficulties of designing a modern game. A group of dorks in Bowerstone insert you into a game of their own creation -- basically Albion's version of Dungeons & Dragons. As you traipse through their world, the three dungeon masters argue with one another over various aspects of their design. Should opening this chest be optional or mandatory? Should the player be forced to speak with all of the townspeople, or should he be told which one holds the information he requires? One room in their game consists of nothing but a single, brightly lit lever in a pitch-black chamber with several large, vibrant yellow arrows dangling from the ceiling -- pointing directly at the lever's location. Fable III seems to be designed for the type of person who still has trouble finding that lever.

If you were concerned that Lionhead's mandate to streamline the game was at odds with how much content you managed to extract out of Fable 2, you may have been right. Fable 3 doesn't strive to introduce new mechanics but is instead pre-occupied with fixing and streamlining existing ones. But if Fable 2's unwieldy menus kept you from much of the amazing content that game had to offer, you're going to like what Lionhead's built for you. While it's puzzling to watch so much effort go into streamlining Fable 2's already superb design without fixing its obvious technical shortcomings, try not to let that distract you from what remains an exceptional game. It may not be revolutionary, but it is royally fun.

In spite of its problems, Fable III is as smooth and easy as ice cream. Lionhead has crafted a basic, laid back, low intensity, comfort food RPG with almost no rough edges and no barrier to entry. Jumping into Dragon Age or Fallout: New Vegas or World of Warcraft isn't something you can do lightly. Those are demanding games, played out over the long haul, and requiring a lot of investment. Fable III isn't the least bit taxing. It's there for you on very simple, almost simplistic, terms. Dress like a fool, traipse around the kingdom you've wrought, level up some of those weapons you've found, watch your wealth grow obscene and useless, and just tidy up stray quest chains, fighting unchallenging but nevertheless gratifying battles along the way. All the heroics of harder games without any of the fuss, and set in a place you've made your own.

Fable III finally delivers what we have all been expecting. This is a huge sandbox game set one generation after the end of Fable 2. You are given a world in which to make your way as a hero/heroine anyway you want. Be a righteous hero and people will love you. Be a murderous tyrant and sprout demon wings. Play somewhere in between and see what happens. With a game embedded with so many choices, the possibilities are almost endless. The game might be a little easy for hardcore gamers, but this was designed for the gamer who wants to lose their mind in another world for a few hours a night. And maybe marry someone online in the process. Grab a sword and conquer Albion. Or burn it. Or be bisexual. It's your choice.

Fable III is most memorable not because it makes you laugh, but because it also makes you care. If a spouse gets carved up in your absence, you'll feel pangs of guilt. When your dog saves your bacon during a fight, you'll feel pride. Even after a couple dozen hours spent saving your land, you still won't be in a hurry to leave it.

It's hard to talk about Fable III without heaping more and more praise on it. It's one of the best games of the year and one of the richest role-playing experiences to hit the Xbox 360. It begs to be played by anyone who appreciates a game that is expertly produced in almost every area.

"Fable 3" is far from a bad game, but it simply doesn't try hard enough to set itself apart from its predecessor and never feels like a full sequel. It also fails to meet the expectations set by preview events and marketing, which implied that being a king or queen would be the major focus of the game, whereas it ends up being a very small portion of it. But, in the end, if you're a fan of the "Fable" series, you probably won't be disappointed. While it's not as memorable or innovative an experience as "Fable 2," it's still an enjoyable romp through the valleys and streams of Albion and your short reign as king or queen will definitely leave its mark on the world.

Through a main campaign that's not far short of 10 hours, Fable III then offers oodles of replay value with the compulsion to go back and see how you could do it all differently in hindsight. It's an exceptionally well balanced campaign too, with a 'Road to Rule' section that constitutes much of the standard RPG questing followed by a post-revolution epoch that forms a sumptuous climax to the story and almost plays-out like a different game altogether. There's a whole life to have away from the campaign as well, from buying properties and running businesses to getting married and having kids, not to mention the odd-job mini-games and a good helping of secondary quests too. Then, once you're bored of all that, you can go online and explore other Fable players' worlds and even marry them. Good times.

Those expecting a quantum leap forward in this release will be disappointed, however the multitudes of people eagerly anticipating the kind of clever twists and darkly humorous social commentary Lionhead excel in will not come away empty handed. The trip to Albion is well worth the price of admission.

Well, not that hard I suppose. It would have been nice to see consistency in the detail, and the big ideas supported by more well thought out design. Nonetheless, genuinely funny games remain few and far between these days, and the laughs Fable III will inevitably bring you are worth the flaws and failings. Heck, it's worth it just to seduce the castle's lesbian servant girl. Talk about a hot cliche.

Fable III's biggest flaw is that it tries for intense, moral realism at the same time it tries to awe the player with a fantastic virtual world. The two simply don't fit together. On the former, I get the stark black-and-white, good-vs-evil choices the game wants me to make. But as an adult in a real world, I know that most decisions in this real life are more grey-tinged. And my moral foundation has already been cast in stone. Forcing me to make live-or-die choices in a massive, snowy forest or a building that could only exist in the mind of Escher, only muddles the game's message. Is it real or is it fantasy?

Fable III is a massive game targeted directly at those who like their open worlds anchored by a plot which they can get into without getting swallowed. Like I said, the path from revolutionary to King is only half (or not even half) of the experience in Fable III. Once you're there, you'll have tough decisions to make as you run your kingdom either as a benevolent and logical leader or even more tyrannical prick than your brother.

After about seven hours I led my revolution against Logan. Finally I got the chance to create the kind of Albion our mother would have loved. I had friends in all corners of the land, friends that kept their promises. I was crowned the queen of Albion, but the game was far from over. Because with great power comes great responsibility, and as my allies came to cash in on the things I had promised them, I had to think carefully about my next step. To live up to your word is not always easy, especially not with the whole kingdom to think about. Is it more important to do right than to do good? Shall I sacrifice the well-being of the few to help build a future for the whole kingdom?

Beneath all of my criticisms there still lays a half decent game, although it lives up to none of its promises Fable 3 still remains a light hearted quest game, no longer can I call it an RPG, its more of a hack '˜n' slash free roam game with the ability to choose quests.

The good news for Fable fans is by sticking tight to the franchise's game plan, Fable 3 is certain to be appealing and just as addictive as its predecessors. I happen to be a fan and have already wasted quite a few hours as a blacksmith and pie roller trying to build up cash and buy up property like a Monopoly pro. It's mindless play but the allure of adding to one's empire is hard to dismiss. That doesn't blind the fact that Fable 3 is far from a perfect game scarred by questionable changes, overlooked fixes and missed opportunities.

Fable III is a great sequel. It's funnier than the first one and filled with things to keep you busy. It seems like Lionhead spent their time improving the story elements which is always great. Some of the main quests are awesome! Like I said, if you want a hefty laugh, do the '˜Rescue The Princess' quest. Fans of the previous entries of Fable will absolutely love Fable III. There's so much to do that you'll be busy for months. There's not much bad I can say about the game. I had a blast playing and can't wait to get back to finish Fable II.

While "released to soon" would be going too far--all the quests and basic play mechanics work well enough--Fable III feels like a less even and at times slightly cruder revision of Fable II. It's still attempting stuff more interesting than anything else in its slightly-hard-to-pin-down genre (call it action-roleplaying if you must), and for that alone it's an easy recommend. But if you come to it expecting the sort of profound-at-the-time ideas Fable II executed with panache, you're probably going to come away a trifle disappointed.

I realize Peter Molyneux has gotten grief over the years, and some of it's been warranted. But you can't fault the guy for his enthusiasm, and you certainly can't fault him for driving the Fable 3 development team to deliver on so much of the potential that this franchise has had. Much like Halo 3 felt like Bungie had "finally done what they set out to do," Fable 3 feels like Lionhead finally delivered on the gameplay aspirations and creativity they first envisioned. The difference, though, is that Halo 3 felt a lot like I'd been there and done that, whereas Fable 3 has changed so much, and so much for the better, that I really can't wait to get back into Albion. In fact, I got visibly giddy after beating the last enemy and realizing that I could still wander through my land to complete quests, buy buildings and do everything I'd enjoyed doing for the previous 15 hours. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a land to get back to and govern.

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