Is The 3rd Time The Charm? Fable 3 Review

*This Post was originally submitted and written by Pam Kelly*

Fable 3 is an Action  RPG developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft, and was available in the US on October 26th, 2010. Fable 3 is the biggest and shiniest installment of the series to date.

Long time fans will be relieved to hear the game still retains the humor and charm of its predecessors, while introducing some new game play gems into the mix.

You start out in the traditional way, by picking your gender. From there, you get a taste of the good life as the prince or princess. Shortly after you are betrayed by your brother, Logan, the King. Since you are the offspring of the previous hero of Albion, you know that your fate is not to end up in one of Albion’s many sweat shops. All hope is not lost. A few of your faithful companions remain by your side in order to guide you throughout your journey. Jasper, your faithful butler, who is voiced by one of my all time favorite thespians John Cleese, can be found in your sanctuary. The sanctuary acts as your start and statistics menu. Jasper gives you reminders, important advice, and even offers to cook you a meal just in case you are hungry. Your other companion’s name is Walter. Walter is a man who has stuck by your side for as long as you can remember. Walter has always told you tales about your hero father or mother. He is your mentor who has taught you how to be a hero, and live up to your family name. With these two companions, and the need to set right your brother’s wrongs, you set out on an epic adventure to stop Logan at all costs. This is only half the battle, after you overthrow your brother you still have a major task. You need to stop the impending doom that is on course to end all life in your kingdom.

Graphically, Albion looks spectacular. The game has amazing visuals, and the land feels alive. Unfortunately, there are quite a few frame drops as well as blurring while running through the landscape. If you install the game to the hard drive, this decreases. Installing it does require hard drive space. If you know you are going to play it for a substantial amount of time, I would highly recommend it. The textures are extremely well done, and the environment is very immersive. The character designs have an organic feeling. Environmentally, everything looks as though its on the starting edge of an industrial revolution.

The game has the same humor that Fable is known for. The main quest is more interesting than that of previous Fable installments, as there is more to it than just defeating the known threat. This storyline has a slightly darker tone to it than its predecessors. The main quest is enjoyable, however only completing the main quest will ensure a shorter game. The side quests are quite fun. They’re almost more fun than some of the main quests. If you played Fable 2, you’ll be reintroduced to Sam and Max as well as some new characters that will make you laugh. The side quests are really a positive addition to the overall game.

The game play has been improved from the previous games.  Some killer finishing moves have been added to the combat. When performing these moves time slows down, and displays your character masterfully slaughtering your enemies. You once again have ranged, spells, and melee weapons to choose from. Each weapon can be upgraded in unique ways, and there are many weapons to be found. You also have the option to use the weapons handed down to your from your heroic family. Running around the towns is still a blast. All of the citizens have an opinion they just can’t keep to themselves. Interacting with people in Fable 3 is different than in the previous games. You interact with people one at a time now, so you really spend time with the little people of the kingdom. Talking to the inhabitants gives you the option of marrying, making friends, and starting relationship quests. Relationship quests are necessary to move your relationship along. You can marry, have children, or even adopt a child in this installment. You can also lead people around by holding their hand. Hand holding is a new feature, but it doesn’t change the game in an extraordinary manner. You still have the morality scale, so every action you take counts. Make too many good or bad choices, and you get angelic or demonic wings. The people will take note and comment on your morality. You can purchase properties, rent them out, or just keep them all to yourself. This feature is not new to Fable, but there is a new aspect to this. After you purchase properties, your landlord status requires you to keep all the homes in proper condition. Houses start at different levels of condition, but if you let them drop too far your renters will refuse to pay you. You must keep the condition of the homes up, and this can be managed in the sanctuary. It is time consuming and can be irritating. Repairing all the houses to 100% every 20-30 minutes gets to be a chore, but you will need all the gold you can get.

You can tell it’s a Fable game in regards to the sounds and music that is in the game. The main theme is instantly recognizable. While you are adventuring, the ambient sounds are very good. It sounds as though you are there. You can hear the hustle and bustle of the servants when in the castle, and when in the open environments the sounds are very fitting. You can tell when there are enemies nearby as the combat music will start to play. There are also gnomes that insult you in the same manner as the gargoyles in the previous Fable. The gnomes are hilarious, infuriating, and rude. Shooting all the gnomes around Albion will count towards a very funny side quest.

All in all, Fable 3 delivers a solid Fable experience with enough new aspects in the game to make it feel new. It doesn’t deviate enough to make it feel like a fresh Fable, but enough to give you an enjoyable play through. The drawbacks are the frame drops,  glitches, and lack of Kinect support that was alluded to. Fable 3 has local co-op play, and LIVE co-op capabilities. With all of the DLC available, this game is definitely worth a $50 purchase. Fable 3 will appeal to previous Fable fans, rpg lovers, and people who just want to kick chickens around.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kk5y280gO0&feature=related[/tube]