In a time ruled by sequels, Fable 3 stands out as a cut above the rest!
Fable 3 does everything right. To begin with it looks amazing. Fable has always had a very unique and distinct visual representation associated with it and Fable 3 does not disappoint. The world of Albion has come into the industrial age, and it joins the modern world with beauty. The world of Fable just looks great. The character design, the building design, environmental design, it's all just beautiful. The art of Fable just has its own silly personality associated with it, and I just love it. I even love the goofy posters that have come to be a part of the loading screens. Fable is just a joy to play because it looks so good. I've loved every environment I've come across and want to explore more.
Gameplay wise, Fable 3 has evolved from its predecessors and I feel its done so quite successfully. First, the leveling system of your character. There is no more collecting blue, red, and yellow orbs to level magic, melee, and ranged respectively. Instead, you collect "Guild Seals" from completing quests and destroying baddies, which are then spent on the "Road to Rule." The Road to Rule is an ethereal lane lined with chests which unlock the further you progress in the game. The further you progress, the better the upgrade, and the more Guild Seals it takes to open a chest. Guild Seals are not only how you acquire combat bonuses and new spells, but also how you acquire new expression sets, dyes for your clothes, the ability to level your professions, and even the ability to have children or own a business. Prior to the game's release, I was worried that the Road to Rule was going to be somewhat of a side quest which would be difficult to accomplish and would require a lot of extra work. However, the game really lends itself to the completion of the Road. I'm about 11 hours in and I've unlocked 39 of 48 chests, so I'm close, but yet so far away.
Fable has also re-invented it's combat system. The first thing I noticed was a much smoother and quicker transition between melee, ranged, and magic. It's just easier to combine all three of your skills. I also now love the way that magic is handled, through the use of gauntlets. You can choose to wear two of the same gauntlet to have an increased version of that spell, or you can combine any two of your spell gauntlets (which is also an achievement). I'm currently using Fireball-Blades which is quite an effective combo =D. Another nice addition has been the finishing moves which can be triggered during combat. On numerous occasions I've enjoyed scissor-kicking a balverine before I run him through with my sword. Or launching a rushing enemy into the air with a swift kick before I shoot him back down (another achievement). But my favorite has been making my enemy dance with the placement of my bullets before finishing him off. Gamespot's review called the combat system repetitive, and in some aspects it is. But to be quite honest, I think most games display a one dimensional combat system. It's not like I'm playing WoW with an endless skill bar of actions. I have a total of 4 buttons, two bumpers, and two triggers. There's only so much they could actually do. I'd be e impressed to find a game that has always evolving and non-repetitive combat on the 360. I'm not saying they're not out there, just that they're not that common.
The Sanctuary is also a delightful perk that has been added to Fable's gameplay. The Sanctuary is home to your gifts, money, weapons, clothing, trophies, and your map table. All of the above are extremely important, and it's rather nice that any of the above can all be accessed from the same area. But the most innovative piece I feel is the map table. Clicking on it allows the Hero to view all of Albion and it's cities, showing where quests are available, and letting him fast travel in between the cities with relative ease. It's just a very nice way to streamline the gameplay.
Questing in Fable is as enjoyable as ever with some decisions around every turn. Gamespot said that there were no really important decisions to make until the end of the game. I on the other hand completely disagree with them. I had a hard time choosing which outfit to wear as soon as the game started, let alone choosing what the tax rate was going to be, or whether or not to rebuild Old Bowerstone. The game is riddled with hard decisions, and I feel that it rings true to the first Fable games. The gargoyle quest has been replaced by a quite hilarious gnome quest, and this collection quest also has a friend in the book-collection quest for the Brightwall academy. The one thing I will say is this however: The game doesn't really lend itself to being evil UNTIL you actually become the King of Albion. Prior to that you mainly perform good actions due to the fact that you're trying to attain followers to overthrow your brother. Then the script gets completely flipped because as soon as you become King, if you continue to perform only good actions, the kingdom goes bankrupt and it goes there quickly. Trust me, I'm currently 1.8 million in the hole.
Much of the rest of Fable's gameplay has remained the same. Gamespot's review said that it had been dumbed down and made too easy, but I think it's just been streamlined. Interacting with villagers, performing jobs, and just exploring the world performing menial tasks and fighting bad guys is still fun.
One of my favorite things about Fable 3 has been the characters and the closeness you feel with them. I remember watching the interviews leading up to the game, and they talked about having a close feeling with your dog. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but the other main characters are what make the game memorable. From the hottie who is now my wife and mother of my children Elise, to the noble Sir Walter Beck, to the hilariously tiny Sabine. All the main story line characters in Fable 3 are enjoyable to interact with, and they provide for some pretty funny cut scenes. Even the villains, the Hero's brother and the returning Reaver, are good characters. The character development is just very well done.
The online play is... I don't know. I haven't tried it yet. Check my blog and I'll post an entry detailing it once I've had time to give it a whirl.
The two things that Gamespot and others have heavily praised were its soundtrack and its humor. First, yes, it has a great soundtrack, along with excellent voice acting. And the game is also quite hilarious. I've caught myself laughing out loud on numerous occasions while I've been playing. It's just everything that makes Fable great, and it continues to be a highlight of the game.
To this point I've experienced no major glitches, screen tearing, or bugs. There have been two visual issues I've noticed: 1. When you Hold Hands with someone to lead them along, you quite often don't appear to actually be holding hands. The run along behind you and eventually grab your hand, but it's quite easy to become separated again. 2. The glowing gold trail leading me to quest objectives has been wrong or not present a few different times. However, most of the time going to the Sanctuary and fast traveling to the closest location will fix the problem.
The one thing keeping me from giving the game a 10/10? The play time. Like I said, I'm right around 11 hours, but I've been STRETCHING it. I've been doing a ton of side quests, as well as looking for gnomes, books, and silver keys. If I had played straight through the story line up until this point, I'd probably be around 6.5-7.5 hours of game time, and I'm nearly done with the main story. Guessing another hour or two until I'm done. Fable's one setback for me has always been it's short play time. But it does make up for it in most cases with the additional side quests which I've already mentioned, and the allure of a second playthrough to make an all evil/good character based on what you did with your first character.
Overall, Fable 3 is a great game. Would I call it best in series? I don't know. It's definitely better than Fable 2, but I just have a hard time saying that anything is better than the original. However, for Fable fans and fantasy RPG fans alike, Fable 3 is a must own. In a time in which the gaming industry is being pummeled by sequels and blockbuster titles, Fable 3 stands out above the rest as an enjoyable game which I consider to be a must own for all 360 owners.