Fable III is composed of astounding moments of wonder, yet hindered by a few key flaws.
Fable III, which took me about 35 hours to complete the first run through, is a game of astoundingly beautiful moments, and yet there are times when you feel like your hands are tied.
The relatively easy battle system has been well documented - especially the incredible strength of magic attacks over melee and guns. But overlooked is the wonderful (and new!) system whereby you learn to combine magics for great effects. Similarly, the rather narrative-driven story has been correctly seen to be a much stronger guiding force, despite weak emotional connections to the characters introduced therein, and yet I'd easily say it's the most compelling Fable story to date. With every noted weakness in Fable III, I've found a larger share of greatness to be had.
Here's my quick take on what's great and what's not:
What's Great!:
1) Physicality. Sure, you'll dance yourself silly, and the player touch hand-holding system isn't as effective as it was in ICO (not surprisingly) but i thought the game overall pulled it together quite well. Dancing with someone closely, hearing soft murmurs, and then lifting them over your head, with non-recycled lines from NPC's too, the moment you bring them back to earth in your arms is a special moments that was crafted to perfection. Similar interactions abound, and i was constantly surprised by how moved I was through them. Fable III has produced one of the greatest representations of physical connection in any game peroid.
2) Ruling The Empire/Politics. The last 1/3 of the game is really a treat! Making decisions concerning the treasury vs. your promises was surprisingly effective. Sure, the decisions were overly black and white, but I thought it was one of the best reproductions of politics in any game. I couldn't help thinking about Obama through the whole thing (there are striking parallels here: invading forces from an "arabia", environmental issues, bank bailouts, etc). Surely better than the Civ games at least. The only problem was a big problem! (see below).
3) Magic Combinations. Sure magic is way too strong, but if you go with it, the fun of combining different magics into potent spells is a winning innovation!
4) Evolving weapons. Call me a RPG traitor, but i loved only having a few select weapons in the entire game, the focus being on using one for extended periods in order to mold it such that it represents your play. Genius. And it works quite well. I only slightly wish weapons would change even more drastically, or quickly...
5) Representing Leveling Progress through Physical Locations. Gone are the leveling shops, orb points, etc. And you know what? Fable doesn't need them. Following Mass Effect, the streamlining works incredibly well. Is it an RPG anymore? Maybe not. Is it a fun adventure game? Absolutely!
What's Fixed:
1) The Family System: Thank God! It actually works!
What's Really Bad
1) The Abrupt Ending. As magical as ruling the kingdom is, all the joy comes crashing down when the game abruptly goes to the final fight without a word of warning. 150 days until the oncoming invasion, your treasury is totally screwed. Really! No warning?! It just skips over half the year to the end. I was shocked and appaulled. Sure, on my second playthrough I know better, but geez was I upset! Trust me, you should go out of your way to make your millions before taking over the crown!!
Final Thoughts:
Fable III has gotten me thinking about the series as a whole, about genres like RPGs and Adventure games, etc. If anything Fable III is more in the mold of a classic adventure game like Zelda, with the strong narrative you'd expect from a Bioware game. Sure it's got some issues, but I've got to say. It's better than Fable II, and was an increadibly enjoyable game throughout.