Fable III Reviews

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Written by BuckGB on October 30th, 2010

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Despite this, once you laugh off the conclusion of the main questline, there remains a wealth of warmly written sidequests to be hoovered up, secrets to be hunted in every corner, and chickens to be kicked. There's persistent delight to be had mucking around in Albion, and it's difficult to harbour great annoyance for its story's failing when it takes place in a world imbued with such a will to pleasure, and such an irreverent sense of itself. Nonetheless, for all its polish and solid production, its core combat offering is a regression and its showy centrepiece comes apart almost entirely. What lies around and beneath is joyous - but you can't help but feel that it's the basis for something greater than Fable III.

At the end of the day, Fable 3 achieves what it seems it has set out to do namely appealing to casual gamers and creating an adventure which, though marketable as an RPG, also manages to disassociate itself from the hallmarks of the genre. The issue is mainly that Fable 2 did that too and this third instalment adds little to that formula. In anything but short doses Fable 3's faults start to shine through and reveal it as a title that, while enjoyable in its way, doesn't have the complexity or cleverness to stand out from either the rest of the genre or the series it belongs to.

It's hard to shake the disappointment of the game's final moments, but as you sink into the riches of the post-game content that Albion has to offer, that feeling eventually washes away. Losing yourself in owning properties, adopting children and making pies shows that Fable continues to captivate and charm like few other role-playing games can, and does it with such ease and accessibility that you can't stay mad at it for long. It's still a magical experience, but those world-changing ambitions trip it up thanks to an uneven narrative, making the game's legacy more of a slap in the face than the masterpiece it could have so easily been.

I've just passed the coronation of my hero as king, at which point the game changes, but not as much as I'd expected. This brings some large-scale political and ethical questions into play, which need decisions, but they are presented in the same black and white as earlier choices. These questions are all taken in vacuum, judged solely by the value system of the game's design team. There's no accounting for nuances or secondary effects of any choice. For instance, initiating a public works program doesn't create jobs or stimulate the economy, it just costs your treasury money. I feel like I'm being preached at based on the virtues of someone else's social and political value system.

This game is different enough to warrant a chance, but beneath all the trappings and technical improvements, it's still strongly reminiscent of Fable II. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if Fable II didn't win your heart, then Fable III might not be an epiphany. Yet there's something about this game that draws you in. Despite all your complaints and hang-ups about what does and does not work, you'll find yourself at the blacksmith's, hammering away so you can finally afford that mansion on the hill. Then you'll be back in the mountains, felling wolf after wolf after wolf. Maybe even with friends. It will be silly, yet gripping, a bit buggy, but unbelievably hard to turn off. There's just something that grips you. It's that wonderful feeling you get when you're having fun.

For a game that introduces a whole new continent and tries to give you sweeping powers this feels like a much smaller and more restrictive game than either of the first two. Even the superb voice cast, which includes John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Simon Pegg and Ben Kingsley, is wasted on dialogue that seems obsessed with flatulence and shoe-horning in Monty Python references.

On the whole though, Fable III feels overly simplistic and dumbed down. Case in point, I did not die at all until the very end of the game. For the life of me, I cannot recall that ever happening, especially in an action-RPG game. Fable III is ultimately about revolution and the overall game itself should have reflected that on every level. Sadly, it does not. It does have its spine-tingling moments, and Albion is still rich in humor, surprises and opportunities, but I just expected so much more.

Well there are certainly some gambles from Lionhead this year, with some paying off and some probably best left on the drawing board. However, the game is everything you would want from a Fable title and improves vastly in a lot of areas that the second one failed to live up to. There is still room for improvement and hopefully some issues will be fixed with upcoming patches. Expect DLC to be in the pipeline to expand on your Fable III experience.

It's clear that Lionhead have finally come forward with an incredibly strong plot line to bolster Fable's already impressive roster of gameplay features to create an unforgettable package. Whether it was the stunning environments, the brilliant voice acting or the severe choices I was forced to make Fable III won me over at every possible chance. I can say that without a doubt, Fable III is the game to play this winter.

Despite some glaring flaws and issues, Fable III is a fun game. It's still Fable in all ways and regards, which means it's a light-hearted experience that you can't take too seriously and have to accept it for that it is. Some ideas aren't fully fleshed out and it's disappointing to see because there is some interesting game elements presented. Fable III's story may be stationed around a revolutionary movement, but there isn't anything revolutionary or evolutionary to be found in Fable III. If you enjoy the Fable games then Fable III is a worthwhile time and money investment; just don't expect anything new or exciting out of it.

Fable 3 is definitely a game worth buying if you enjoyed previous games. Even if you didn't give the previous games a try it would still be worth picking up. After you look past some of the glaring issues with the game, or little change from Fable 2, it is still a very fun game. It's very enjoyable, probably one of the best games I have played this year. Don't expect the world to be as expansive as a game like Fallout or Oblivion, but do expect for a great game with a great story. When you take the crown will you rule as a tyrant or a savior? The choice is yours and the decisions you make will sort of change the world either for the better or worse.

So, has Fable III lived up to its predecessor? Yes, it has. It's a stunningly beautiful role-playing game that's unparalleled in depth. Packed with an immersing story to keep you locked to your controller for however long you choose to play, it's backed up with some excellent side questions that add a lot of extra gaming time onto it. Do the slight combat problems take away from the game? Ever so slightly, but it doesn't stop the game from setting the role-playing game bar higher than it's ever been on the 360.

Now Fable III is a very beautiful game, and I'm sure a lot of the kinks will be pressed out during patches or on the PC version. As it stands now it's a fun game if you've been following the Fable series for a long time, it's just marred by dozens of technical problems and some awful design decisions. If you're a fan of the series, you'll know what to expect here as little has changed in that regard. I'd recommend you wait until the price drops to about $40 before you grab a copy. Fable III receives a C+ for retaining what makes Fable great, but it still lacks the polish expected of a Triple A title.

Fable III is ultimately what we were expecting from the title. All of Fable II with improvements in almost every department. The game looks fantastic, the story is compelling and gripping and the gameplay is solid. Lionhead made some gambles in Fable III, with some paying off and some not so much - but the game reaps the rewards because of it. There is no other game you can play which will merge a grabbing story line with such a British themed world and charm, that being said it is British and many people may not understand some of the cultural jokes. Fable III is a must play game for any fan of the series.

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