I do have my issues with this game yes, but it's actually a pretty fun romp through Albion.
Well at least to me it seemed pretty shabby. I generally ignored this game and its existence after playing Fable 2. I mean I liked fable 2; I went to the midnight release and played the night away back in '08. Still after having the game settle in my system after a play through or two I noticed that despite the heart put into it, it just didn't have the content (and heart) that the first Fable gave.
And because of Fable 2's uninteresting one-button combat and streamlined magic system, I felt that another game would only sully my excitement that I would potentially build up for it.
So for the past year or so, with all the hype and interviews, I pressed on looking at other titles like Fallout NV and Civilization 5. I completely ignored anything Fable 3 related.
That isn't to say I hated Fable 2, though the main story needed a good deal of work; all of the side quests and activities were funny enough or well written to an extent that they had a good feel to them. I worked with the one button fighting mechanic as well and made it work so that most fights always had everything thrown into it; melee, magic, and ranged. Even with that, the developers thought it necessary to make the game ridiculously easy which only hampered my experience in the long run of the game.
There's a lot more to address with why Fable 2 worked a lot like a disappointing sequel (Cough Devil May Cry 2 cough) and less like the game I wanted it to be.
Yet This is about Fable 3 and how, while still retaining mechanics from the 2nd Fable, managed to walk me back hand in hand to the now Industrial world of Albion. (And with a smile too.)
The concept of Fable 3 is that your character ( Now new and improved with the god like gift of a voice!) is second banana to your Older Brother who is King of Albion. And not the Albion we left in the 2nd game, fifty years later with everything feeling more like it could be the 1800's. You start off slowly realizing
how corrupt your brother has become and after a tough choice you flee to grow and lead a rebellion against him. Throughout the course of the game you will be fighting to gain allies, over throw your brother, and eventually become King (Or Queen). While I liked this story a lot more then the previous one, I did notice that the end seemed to flicker a bit and lose some of the energy that the exciting first half had. What makes this more depressing is the fact that this game is pretty short, well main story wise but, that means that you only experience a few entertaining hours of adventure and combat before the abrupt ending.
The game play itself is what had me concerned; when I finally mustered up the courage to grab this game from a local rental outlet, I had read that the one button combat was still intact. And what was worse was that there was no skill tree or any type of a real level system. On top of that a lot of moves were stripped or turned into potions.
What this game introduces is its Road To Rule; a simple curvaceous line that exists in another realm in which it extends all the way from your beginning to when you take the throne. All the while as you progress and accomplish something important; be it by gaining an allies trust or finishing off a particularly tough foe, the gates that block different sized segments of this road slowly open. In each section that presents itself to you, you are given a few small chests that line the sides of the road. The chests might contain a new spell, the ability to strengthen one of your main stats, or something simple like a clothing dye pack or emotion pack.
This leaves the game's rpg system feeling bare bone and lackluster. What makes it feel worse is the fact that the game is still just as easy as the previous title. I worked with this system for the first hour or so feeling pretty ripped off; I didn't have a challenge or a lengthy skill tree to look forward to powering up, just a slim line with some pretty effects sprinkled all along it.
What ended up turning around my negative out look on the combat was the flashiness it had going for it. This defeats the whole idea of Substance over flash but by adding in a large amount of entertaining combat animations, I found myself digging the combat. Which is weired because they also stripped the types of weapons you can use; axes, maces, crossbows, two handed swords, all gone. Still, I bit my tongue and took the game for what it had and managed to enjoy it.
And on the issue of content or lasting appeal; Coop and side quests have been for the most part, improved. No longer tethered and bound by invisible rope or having to look like a faceless mercenary, you can now enjoy a much more flexible online experience. I do realize that Fable 2's coop was literally tacked on at the last second and provided zero enjoyment and this makes this coop all the better for it simply because it works and they added a few touches to it. Like being able to get married or only able to find legendary weapons in other players realms.
As with the improved coop, the side quests offered provide a good deal of entertainment with even the smallest of tasks. The well written and thoroughly funny dialogue keeps all conversations engaging. This is made better by the fact that the voice work is also top notch and well versed. Throw in Silver keys and other unique encounters and the longevity of this game tacks on to a good...length. yea there we go, good word.
Still if you manage to put some heart and soul into this game you'll find an experience worth fighting for. For all of its simple warts, there is inner beauty. Play this game and see for yourself. (More of a revelation than a review, sorry.)