Fable 3

Alright, to be honest.
I wasn't intrested in Fable 2 and I didn't know Fable: The Lost Chapter existed until last thursday.

But the third installment to the series really caught my intrest.
Never playing a Fable game before, this may be a new experience for me.

Has anyone else thought about this game lately?

I've never played a Fable game before myself. Considering how the third one is apparently coming out for the PC, I might decide to check it out.

I'll probably download it and give it a try, don't honestly think it's going to be worth a buy though.

im buying fable 3

i luv fable

i thought your 360 was dead and your pc was crap?

we got another 360 like a week ago

i jusr pre-ordered it that villager creator bonus thing sounded very tempting

I'm still not sure on this. I loved Fable II, it was great... but it was also really, really short. I finished the main story in under ten hours, and even when going for 100% completion I never clocked up more than thirty.

See HERE.

I can't justify spending forty quid on a game unless I know it's going to have massive replay value, and I don't see Fable III offering that.

i ended up playing fable 2's main story four times so i'm not too worried bout replay value

I only played it once. I tried to do another play through about a month after, but I never finished it... I got bored.

replaying some parts was boring but i really liked the action and consequence thing which is what kept me going

if character customization was deeper i think this would easily be my fav 360 game

apparently the pre-order bonus expires tomorrow and i have yet to receive mine.....

that's kinda annoying

Alright, I caved and... well, not entirely caved, I only rented it. I'm about eight hours in, and thus far it feels an awful lot like Fable 2. A lot of the mechanics are slightly different rather than any better, but it still has that very distinctive Fable charm; the graphics are nice for the most part, (though the way the sunlight filters through trees and over rooftops is stunning) though a few weak textures and repeated character models still grate a little, the sound is much the same as Fable 2, constant dialogue from NPCs, a decent score...

To be honest, it's an enchanting and enthralling game in it's own right. Problem is, I kinda get the feeling that the story is winding up now. That means that the main quest is likely to have take around ten hours, the same as Fable 2's. Therein lies the problem; it's too much like it's forebear, and the few changes feel like changes for the sake of change rather than improvements per se. Still, I'll update once I'm done with it.

tho few things i've come across that i don't like in this is the removal of the expreesion wheel forcing you to use whatever they make you. i don't like my guy dancing with other guys, i'm just glad i haven't been forced to kiss one yet >.>

investing in real estate is fairly tedious now due to the addition of house conditions, forcing you to repair houses every so often or the tenant will refuse to pay rent

but the change i like most in F3 is the menu (if you can call it that), it feels a lot more organized and easier to work with than in 2.

i do like this more than 2 mostly because it takes place during an industrial era, i guess it's something i just prefer

I'm now

Spoiler:

Speaking of which, the part in that cave was really freaky. Nicely done.

And yeah, the Sanctuary being your pause menu is a brilliant idea, and it works. I still think the game is too short, but I won't deny what content there is is stupendously realised.

i've yet to get that far but i think i am fairly close, i'm taking my time trying to get loaded with cash.

not sure if this is a spoiler or not but it involves getting the good ending

Spoiler:

Yeah, I'm trying to avoid the specifics, but

Spoiler:

It's actually easier to do than you might think; once you're King (or Queen) there's a Demon Door on Sunset House that opens and gives you one million gold. Use that to buy and rent out the most expensive stores/houses and your income will soar. I've currently bought out probably 75% of all the properties in the game, and my income is close to one hundred thousand gold every five minutes. And that's with all my income set to 'normal'. If I jacked the prices up, I'd be closer to one hundred and fifty thousand; I won't do that though, it makes people hate you.

i think i've bought every property i can the last time i played, i don't have access to all towns though but i make about 50k-60k every 5 minutes.

i hope you make money while you're not playing like in 2 cause it's been a day or two since i last played. wonder how much i'll make. i'm worried i might have to repair everything when i load my save though >.>

No, unlike Fable 2 you don't make money whilst the game is off.

I just resorted to plugging in the Play & Charge kit (it stops the controller turning itself off after ten minutes) and leaving my Hero in a village (where it's safe!) overnight. I returned six hours later and had amassed about three million gold.

Well, that's that done. Managed to get the best possible outcome at the end too.

So, final thoughts?

Ultimately, it's still too much like Fable 2.5. The little tweaks here and there aren't entirely convincing, and while the whole atmosphere is still uniquely Fable-y I can't help but look back on it and think I'd have been a little disappointed had I bought the game. The art style is nice (though I wish you could turn the hateful motion blur off), and in terms of length, it's actually longer than I'd perhaps given it credit for, my first playthrough clocking in at around thirteen hours. Granted, I wasn't exactly rushing and I've done a decent number of sidequests and fruitless off-the-path- exploration, but it's marginally longer than Fable 2's was. Marginally. Not sure if there'd be much replay value either; the story is very linear, and most of the good / evil choices only pay off once. Compared to their integration in Bioware's titles, it just feels antiquated.

The game gives you three styles of combat, melee, ranged and Magic. In truth, Magic is so grossly overpowered it's an almost moot point; the way that enemies tend to group up on you means that ninety nine times out of a hundred your best bet is to simply spam AoE magic attacks. Even isolated you're just as well to charge a magic attack and one shot your opponent. I can see why ranged attacks might appeal to some, having a greater range than most magic, but there's very little reason to ever use melee. This was also an issue in Fable 2, and if anything it's even more unbalanced here. The selection of weapons is also greatly reduced here. Fable 2 had lots and lots of weapons in each class, Fable 3 gives you two, sword and hammer for melee, rifle and pistol for ranged. Yes, there are more 'Legendary' weapons in Fable 3, and in truth I was never that fussed by the options available in Fable2, but there's still an issue to be addressed. Magic >>> ranged > melee.

In terms of the story itself, this is a clear improvement on Fable 2, even if it does suffer from Giant Space Flea From Nowhere a little. So yeah, it's a good game judged on it's own merits. It might even be a great game. Thing is, you can't judge it on it's own merits. It's part of a franchise and really doesn't innovate or offer anything new. This is Fable. Those are two things it's meant to do.

I've enjoyed my time with the game, I have, but I still can't recommend buying it. That's a real shame.

Addendum;

I've started playing Fable 2 again the last few days, and some of the differences are a little more pronounced that I'd first thought. Firstly, Fable 3's graphics are actually much better than 2's. The textures are more detailed, the character models are better and there are many more little incidental environmental details. The frame rate is perhaps a little choppier when things get busy, but put the two together and it's clear which is the newer game.

Secondly, the loss of Fable 2's Expression Wheel hurts Fable 3. Molyneux may claim he's 'streamlining' or somesuch by having everything handled by a single context sensitive button but Fable 2 gives you so much more flexibility in how you make people respond to you.

Thirdly is just how large 3's areas are. Even when comparing areas found in both, like Bowerstone Market, 3's version, while instantly recognisable, is half as large again. That said, they may be larger but there are fewer areas, again perhaps reflecting the linear nature of 3's more focused story.

I'm still unsure which of the two I prefer. I'm leaning towards 2 at the moment, just because the nature of the quest seems to lend itself to a more open ended world.

jesus christ i still haven't beaten this.........

great. i have to call xbox support to continue my game now