FABLE III by LIONHEAD STUDIOS

Buy It Now:Fable III at Amazon.com

Description:“Fable III” is the latest installment to the action packedand critically acclaimed Xbox 360 exclusive franchise that has sold more than six million copies. Fans new and returning will now embark on an epic adventure, where the race for the crown is only the beginning of your spectacular journey. Five decades have passed since the events of “Fable II,” and Albion has matured into an industrial revolution, but the fate of the kingdom is at peril. In “Fable III,” you will be called upon to rally and fight alongside your people, ascend to the seat of power, and experience the true meaning of love and loss. The choices and sacrifices you make while fanning the flames of revolution, and then as you rule as King or Queen or Albion, will lead to an ever evolving world of consequences that will be felt across your entire land. This sets the stage for unparalleled action and adventure that offers even more ways to fight and engage than ever before.

This review is based on a copy I bought myself.

LamoreVincera’s Review:

I recently picked up Fable III for the Xbox 360; I never played the original Fable, but I did play the hell out of Fable II. Fable basics: you play a Hero. While that may sound pretty elemental for an RPG, note the capitalization; in many RPGs, the idea is that anyone can become the hero and protagonist. You have danger thrust upon you, and you respond, learning as you go. While that still applies here, in Fable’s world, being a Hero is a genetic trait. Not everyone can do it.

Also, the choices you make matter. Really, really matter. RPGs with multiple dialogue choices have been out for decades, and it was always fun to pick the asshole option, just to see what the NPC you were talking to would do. Here, that affects your morality. If you’re hated, people insult you on the streets. If you’re loved, well… in a game where you can have marriages and sexual encounters (and even get knocked up or catch an STD!), you’re golden. (Quick props to Lionhead Studios for including gay and lesbian relationships.) It even affects the way you look.

In Fable II, you played a Hero/Heroine, and you had to make really tough choices. In Fable III, the choices presented get exponentially harder, and the game is not shy about letting you know this will be going on – in fact, one of your first choices is whether your significant other or a large group of protesters dies at your brother’s hands. That one doesn’t affect your morality, but it sets the stage – there are no easy outs.

You play the son or daughter of the previous Hero from Fable II. Fifty years have passed since your mother/father’s awakening as a Hero, and they are now deceased. Your older brother, Logan, is king of Albion, and to say that he’s not doing a great job of it is a vast understatement. The Industrial Age has hit; factories are everywhere, and children are working them for little pay. Poverty is widespread, and the people hate their king. And if you voice that opinion, well… there goes your head.

The game starts out with you, the Prince or Princess, finding out that the Hero trait skipped over your brother and landed squarely on you. You begin with trying to find revolutionaries to help you take the throne, and you do (not a spoiler, really) – but the game really starts once you get crowned, about halfway through.

Those who played Fable II will recognize the previous game’s basics, like Bowerstone and its surrounding areas, the job system, the combat system, morality, money management, and the occasional game-long quest.

With all this talk of morality, it sounds like this game would be overly heavy, but it’s not. The quests range from the deadly serious (gaining revolutionary friends) to good vs. evil (murder for money?) to just plain goofy (offing garden gnomes that have come to life and insult you in Eric Idle’s voice).

The voice cast is stellar – Stephen Fry, Simon Pegg, Ben Kingsley, John Cleese… It’s amazing, the people they pulled together for this project. The dialogue was written brilliantly, and with those actors behind the characters, it’s spoken brilliantly as well.

Overall, the game flows really well. Gameplay itself is quite easy to pick up, with simple controls. The story is wonderfully done – with one hitch. Overcoming that hitch is easy, as long as you know what it is. I’ll give you all several hints that should help you avoid the “wait, what?” at a late stage.

GAME HINTS

1. Money. You need money. You need giant freaking truckloads of money. This is the single most important thing I can tell you. And you need to get most of it – I’m talking millions – during the first half of the game. Best way to do so? Get a job, you lazy bum! Blacksmithing is still the way to go. You purchase your upgrades in jobs and skills in “Guild seals” won from quests and battle, so acquire those blacksmithing updates as quickly as you can. Then go around and buy real estate like crazy. Pawnbroker shops in every city are your best bet; pubs come in second, but it really doesn’t matter as long as you’re buying. You will get rent/income from your properties every five minutes of gameplay. Get it rolling in, and quick!
2.  There are normal treasure chests, and then there are Silver Key chests. You need to find as many silver keys as you possibly can, once again during the first half of the game. This game also adds very few Golden Keys to the mix. Find those too. You’ll gain better weaponry and giant lots of gold that way.
3.  In this game, melee is not the way to go. Upgrade your magic as quickly as you can, and once you come across Spell Weaving, grab it. The most powerful attacks you can make are two spells cast at once. If magic isn’t working out for you, go the ranged weapons route and pick off your enemies. Melee battle – getting surrounded – will get you knocked out, and you will lose all of your Guild seals. Avoid it.

For the RPG adventurer, I’d say that this game is a great buy. Fun, challenging, solid acting and story… What’s not to like?