FABLE 3

[Karai Pantsu]

Eurogamers review is excellent so far - I am reading everything that I had hoped and expected to read.

Fortunately, it doesn't take long to remember something important that all of the above overlooks. Fable was always competently if not spectacularly constructed, but its quality wasn't really in its systems or visuals, it was in the fabric of the land, and while Fable III is not so different to Fable II in many respects, it still has something that sets it apart from the traditional RPGs it agitates to transcend: it has Albion. And it's good to be back in Albion.

Albion! Where everything you touch turns to fun. Where a mission to help three wizards rescue a princess turns into an extended, subversive piss-take of game development, without ever dropping out of character. Where you find yourself pulled into the lost manuscript of a famous playwright's last production and forced to act out key scenes to demonstrate your worth to his ghost. Where a little girl says, "Are we there yet?" on one side of a loading screen and, "Are we there yet NOW?" on the other. Where there is an Achievement for making a royal declaration while dressed as a chicken.

...

It may be messy and clunky from time to time along the way, but Fable III is only guilty of indulging its designers' whim at the expense of necessary polish, and in the royal scheme of things it's a crime you're happy to pardon. Many more RPGs will follow between now and whatever Lionhead does next with the series, but few if any will possess half as much heart, and most importantly, whatever else they have to offer, none will have Albion.


Why oh why am I not sitting at home playing this yet?
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[Kyle Clarthy]

There's also this one, but reviews are sometimes really hard to gauge. And yes, I'm aware that this will probably make people sour, but hey ... it's still something to take into consideration, isn't it?

Here's the Destructoid Review, and they're not very nice. They give it a 5.5. I don't really know whether Destructoid is liked or trusted or whatever.

I think it's safe to say we'll all know what the game is like essentially. I don't really know what they've promised or anything this time around as I haven't really been following anything they've said, so I'm finding it difficult to choose whether to buy this any time in the future. I think Fable 2 was a vast improvement over the first, but I also feel like it was such a short game, even when you did every side quest or event. Maybe I missed out on a lot of them, I don't know, but that was slightly disappointing for me.

I've played The Lost Chapters and Fable 2 (but no dlc) and I did enjoy them, but I can definitely see why they could have been disappointing to a lot of people. I didn't follow the first title before it was released, so I didn't get swept up in the hype, but they promised so many crazy things that it was almost comical.

I think I'll look forward to reading what PALGNers have to say about the game as a lot of reviews are to be taken with a pinch of salt, or whatever that old fogey term is.
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[Karai Pantsu]

I thought that I played through most of what Fable 2 had to offer first time around, but on my recent second playing I found out how wrong I was. I've pumped an easy 20+ hours into it so far, and there are still a slew of side quests and the last section of the main storyline to finish.

Both Fable games thus far have had short main stories, but have been absolute time sinks if you want to properly explore them.
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[Kyle Clarthy]

Yeah ... that was about the time I spent playing it. But I guess that length isn't always a good thing. I guess that me being disappointed in how short it was meant that I was enjoying what I was playing.

I think I might have just convinced myself to get it.

Oh, and I just read my previous post. It sort of sounded like I was saying that I believe what reviews tell me ... or at least that's the vibe I got from it.

Sure, they're fun to read, but a score is never something I really take into account.
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[ANDYBALLINA]

thought I'd do a write up. I got the game this morning and have put around 2.5 - 3 hours into the game so far and have to say I'm very impressed. Here are my impressions so far.

Pros:

The cinematics look stunning and have a great style them. The story seems more deep, mature and interesting than Fable 2 (although I preferred the start of Fable 2), but overall this game seems better.

The combat is the same, but you don't have to collect the different orbs, you get points and can appoint them how you want (which you use in Road to Rule), so you can build up your character in several different ways.

It's easier to get into, but is deep aswell and it definately feel's more "RPG deep" than Fable 2.

The main quest feels longer, I've only done 4 quests so far (3 main one's and a relationship quest) and I've only just scratched the surfice of the game.

When you interact with characters you can get more info on them and it will tell you if they are straight or gay and some of there personality traits.

Still has the great brittish humour, voice acting and soundtrack of past titles.

The upgrading system is great and lets you pick and choose your attributes with more depth, you can focus on 1 or 2 things or build your character up evenly with all attributes, its up to you and Road to Rule is great and adds something different the the standard RPG uprading system. You don't have seperate points for HP, Magic, Combat etc. Its all blended together.

The central HUB makes travelling to quests and equipment management easier.



Cons:

The game's buggy in parts and the hand holding mechanic feels abit broken, as often the person doesn't keep up and you stop holding hands until the camera/person catches up.

The menu system isn't as good as Fable 2 and doesn't really list current or past quests, it simply just list's the number completed with no info about them etc.

The voice acting with NPC gets repititive at times.

Some of the characters (esp in cut scenes) look pretty average, doesn't seem they've upgrade the graphics much since Fable 2. But it still suits the overall style of the game.


So yeah, despite the few con's, I'm enjoying it so far and have noticed some great improvements. It's a great blend of Fable 1 and 2.
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PSN: ANDYBALLINA1

[LeonJ]

It does look fun but I will wait and grab it cheaper down the road. I really did enjoy Fable 2 and if Fable 3 improves upon that it should be an enjoyable advanture.

It was a beautifully crafted world full of life.

Even though my Mrs still calls me a nerd citing the very repeated 'It's CLOSING time' from Fable 2.
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Shin J Leon.

XBL - LeonJ
PSN - LeonJ

[nathanas]

A few hours in and am a little relieved after reading that scathing Destructoid review. I realise now this game is just fun. I'm not going to get a challenge here but I think I'll keep coming back because of the world. I'm looking forward to starting a family, getting villagers on my side etc. Have to agree on the visuals, they look good, but I was expecting more.

[Peveus]

I like Destructioid but I do not trust their reviews. They gave Assassins Creed II like 4 out of 10, and thats one of my favourite games of all time
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Currently Playing: Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)

[Cian]

Jim Sterling is one of the biggest trolls on the planet. His opinions are meaningless and he is single handedly destroying the reputation of Destructoid.

Can't wait to get stuck into Fable III.
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[simbot82]

Destructoid publish purely one man opinion reviews. Have ignored their reviews for years now
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[Hyper the Metroid]

I got the game on Thursday and completed it on Sunday night. So far, I think that it's the best Fable game. I just really, really enjoyed playing through the game. And now that i've completed the game, I know that there is so much more to do and I can't wait to jump back in and go nuts with completion.

The one and only thing that annoyed the hell out of me was the fact that I accidentally made Albion a literal ghost town at the end of the game, making all progress that I had made in the game rather useless. I'm not going to explain how I did so exactly, that's for you to find out, but i'll give you a bit of a hint. No matter what you are, good or bad, you bite yourself on the arse in different ways. The decisions that you have to make require a lot of thought, and Molyneux is to be congratulated for creating a game that has manipulated my emotions in such a way that the king part of the game did.
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[el_supraman]

destructoid

vanquish - 5
castlevania LOS - 5
Final fantasy 13 - 4
Assasins creed 2 - 4.5

shall I go on?

Jim Sterling loves attention
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[ManeKast]

Plugged into this hard last night, was expeciting somewhat of a more polished game this time but its still laggy and buggy as ever. However, its still fun and really cool. I dont know what it was keeping me up until 1am, the games not challenging at all, its just really fun. I really wish there was a map for the overworld areas between towns. Confusing as hell. Still, played this more than anything else recently and cant wait to play more.
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PSN/XBL/Steam: ManeKast
Kudos to Fetidchimp for the sig.

[Karai Pantsu]

Only managed to get ~ 4 hours in last night (had to call it at 3... ), but so far it feels... well, like Fable 1 and 2 smooshed together. Personally, I think this is great, as I love both titles and am happy with what feels like only a slight upgrade with buttloads more content. Waiting for all the cries of 'OMG FABLE 2.5 LOLOLOL' though.

One thing that I'm really loving is the increased quality of environments - much better designed, more flowing, grander vistas. They look much better with the subdued palette, too.

Character animations seem much more refined this time around, for the most part, which is nice. Less jerky, poppy action.

Not to mention there is already a much larger variety in the look and style of NPCs, which is a very welcome change.

haven't got any weapons yet, only magic. Spent lot's of time exploring and pissfarting about (what the Fable titles seems to be based around). Really looking forward to more play time. Ah, if only I had some sick days left!
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[Benc82]

Free Weapon pack
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XBL/PSN/Steam: BenC82

[Karai Pantsu]

Downloaded that sometime this morning, haven't got to a point in the game where they're unlocked yet though
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[nathanas]

Castlevania 5 out of 10? Fuck that weiner man. What a cockpump.
What I would like to know is if anyone has explored the co-op? I would love to play through this with my gf or a friend online. Can anyone give some insight?

[Karai Pantsu]

This is something that I am also interested in moar detailed knowledge of, too. I assume that it is, again, online only and not co-op on one console ready?
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[el_supraman]

well I just set to let random people join and some guy joined my game. I think you earn gold and can take things back to your game but do not quote me on that. You can both go your own ways its not like you have to be close. He did pause the game and I went into his pause menu with him however with the option to switch to mine.

We both had no idea what was going on so he left lol. I turned the feature off as i like playing on my own pace and I did not think he wanted to watch me make pies.

Pie of the decade....we will wait and see
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[Benza]

[Hyper the Metroid]

[Vervain]

Just cracked open my Collector's Edition, but sadly don't have time to play it until tomorrow afternoon. I have to say though, this CE reeks or quality. The "book" casing is made of the same material you'd find many hardcover books to be bound in, the inside is lined with felt, the guild seal token is actually pretty damn large and is made of metal instead of some crappy little plastic thing.

All in all, I'm very happy with the extra money I paid for the CE as opposed to the standard edition.
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http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-6u9h.html

[Karai Pantsu]

I like that the package has a nice heft to it (that's what she said), and the hidden compartment is rather cute. Looking forward to finally getting the nerve up to open the deck of cards and check out the artwork - love Fable's style.

Question to those further in the game - do you get to wear two gauntlets at once? The manual suggested as much, but didn't outright say it, and I just 'bought' my second one but can only equip one at a time. (what a mouthful! (she said that too)).
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[Benza]

the review on Gametrailers said you get to use two gauntlets at once and combine the spells in each one to get a whole heap of different effects.

Any news on same console co-op Karai?
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[Karai Pantsu]

Just had a look around, found this here.

"The Co-Op Experience: Play with a friend locally or online using your hero. Gold and items transfer back to the guests game. Players may form a business relationship or get married."

They say local. Golden good. Wonder how that works? Maybe I should actually read the thing instead of skipping to the end... =P
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