Fable and I have a bit of history together.

During my first college spring break I came down with an illness that left me sick in my parents' basement rather than partying with sexy co-eds.

So while my friends went off to Virginia Beach and re-discovered that the Atlantic Ocean stays cold in March (if you're in Virginia), I picked up a copy of Fable for my Xbox. A lost spring break suddenly turned into a week where I enjoyed torturing people, killing at will and boasting about my accomplishments to digital people who cowered in fear.

Fable wasn't perfect, but it was fun and I appreciated it's delightful twist on the action-RPG.

So when Fable II came out I was very disappointed. It was decidedly easier, focused less on the story, was limited in various ways (armor, weapons, etc.) and Peter Molyneaux promised I'd enjoy farting more than questing.

Yeah...right.

Fable II left me nervous about Fable III, but when it comes to Fable I always think back to that Spring in 2004 where the game captivated me. So I went ahead and purchased it.

Well, enough about me, here's some early thoughts about an hour or so in.

* Dying is still punished with only an experience loss, which I hated in Fable II and I'm sure to dislike this time around.

* The menus are easier to navigate because it's all just one big house now. I actually like it. It keeps your items streamlined, easier to find stuff you found question and it's enjoyable to look at.

* The dog is still awesome, but I haven't done much with him

* Story is much better than Fable II. I'm actually interested in saving the kingdom, but I'm scared the game stops with saving the kingdom. So far Fable I has the best story of them all, so we'll see if III's can match up. I'm not hopeful.

* Combat is still a tad bit easy. Doesn't seem like there's mana either for magic, so you can just blast away spells. Very disappointed in this, but perhaps I'm wrong.

* The game has an absolutely enjoyable personality. John Cleese plays the butler and it's a joy to hear him talk. Characters carry one funny conversations and the world feels alive. Peter Molyneaux always makes outlandish promises, but he's delivered in making Albion a breathing fantasy world worth exploring. Hard not to laugh when a bandit screams "Kill the Tom impersonator!"

* Co-op is fun, but for some reason it seems that whoever is host only gains progression through the story. Your partner will have to do it all on his own time. Maybe it's a glitch, but if it's true, that's a serious knock on the game. Why bother co-oping if you can't progress together?

* Love the new world map and how you can look at individual buildings/quests and see what you've missed in different areas (i.e. keys, gnomes, quests). A vast improvement from Fable II.

* The game simplified the actions you can do with people. Instead of a silly mini-game that makes you taunt better, you can just do it. It's just better this way and isn't a distraction.

* Lots of side quests to do. I thought Fable II was short on side quests, but Fable III seems chock-full of them and there's a variety. In Fable II it was hard to really get lost in side quests, but Fable III looks as if they've corrected that.

* Leveling up is simpler and it no longer requires spending a certain type of orb. It's actually a bit nicer not having to use magic just to grind magic orbs up to a new spell. Lets you play how you want when you want without going "oh man, I should have had this spell, but now I don't." It might be a tad bit easier, but it's for the better.

That's about what I can think of right now. I'll probably post a review in the upcoming or following System Wars Monthly, but for now I have to say I'm enjoying it. If you're a Fable fan, there's a lot to be excited about.