Review Fable III PC Review

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Lionhead Studios

<p>In case you have wondered about the joys which come with playing the PC version of Lionhead's <strong>Fable III</strong>, Gamebanshee <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/reviews/103275-fable-iii-pc.html" target="_blank">provide a 5-page review</a>. It's 5 pages so I assume it's good.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It&rsquo;s very clear right off the bat that <em>Fable III</em> is a game designed with accessibility in mind, but its accessibility has come at an obvious cost. Almost every feature of the game has been made to be easier to use, depth has been stripped down to the bare essentials, and even the story seems to take a back seat, with the plot being linear, underwhelming, predictable and anti-climactic. Despite all of those problems, <em>Fable III</em> manages to be a lot of fun at times, and I did not regret my time playing it, even after a good 40 or so hours play through most of it. Maybe it's <em>Fable III</em>'s enthralling, beautiful world, or the well-written dialogue, or simply the feeling of rising up from the gutters (less literally in <em>Fable III</em>'s case) in order to become a living legend, but <em>Fable III</em> is, in spite of its flaws, still an enjoyable game, which is why it&rsquo;s so frustrating to see fall flat on its face in more than a few places. For every good idea there is a bad one, and there are so many places where it fails to utilise its full potential. While this is par for the course for the <em>Fable</em> franchise, and admittedly the franchise has always been pretty ambitious, these failings have been consistent for years now, with few signs of improvement, and I don&rsquo;t think Lionhead can get away with making yet another Fable game with all the same flaws, even if those flaws are the result of a genuine intent to improve. <br /><br /> I can recommend <em>Fable III</em>, but with a very big &ldquo;but&rdquo; attached to it, and with the advisement that you may want to wait for a lower price if you&rsquo;re still on the fence. While there&rsquo;s more than your money&rsquo;s worth in <em>Fable III</em>, the numerous design issues and over-simplified mechanics simply can&rsquo;t be ignored by even the most forgiving fans. It's the worst <em>Fable</em> game, no question, but that doesn't mean it's an outright bad one, just underwhelming, and maybe a little out of steam after all these years. It's fairly inevitable that there will be a <em>Fable IV</em> at this point, so hopefully when it does come, it will finally remedy so many of these problems that have come to a head in <em>Fable III</em>, while preserving those very same things that make the franchise iconic and enjoyable.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/103278-gb-feature-fable-iii-pc-review.html">Gamebanshee</a></p>

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Piece of shit game is a piece of shit game. Fuck it for its single button combat and lines showing you where to go.

It's funny to see all the media outlets complain that a game like Fable was dumbed down.

Great writing? It's all just stupid British jokes and characters.

 

[CappenVarra]

It’s very clear right off the bat that Fable III is a game designed with accessibility in mind, but its accessibility has come at an obvious cost. Almost every feature of the game has been made to be easier to use, depth has been stripped down to the bare essentials, and even the story seems to take a back seat, with the plot being linear, underwhelming, predictable and anti-climactic.

My my, what a stark contrast between this sequel and the original Fable - oh how the mighty have fallen...

Wait, what?

 

[Micmu]

It's an awesome game. It's just ahead of it's time, that's all.

 

[Orgasm]

GB called Drakensang "an rpg in its own right". at them.

but that doesn't mean it's an outright bad one, just underwhelming

This must mean that Fable 3 physically hurts you, like, you start bleeding from your ass.

 

[sea]

My my, what a stark contrast between this sequel and the original Fable - oh how the mighty have fallen...

Wait, what?

You're not going to like Fable if you go in expecting a deep and fulfilling RPG, or a challenging game that pushes you to the brink, but it's still a fairly simple and enjoyable console-style adventure with some modest exploration to it (Demon Doors etc.). It's not really fair to compare it to something it's obviously not trying to be. You don't compare an arcade shooter like Call of Duty to a simulation like ArmA, after all, at least not really on matters of gameplay style (of course, you can compare visuals, features etc.).

Fable III does have tons of issues even when engaging it on its own terms, and that's its real problem, not that it doesn't stand up to X RPG that you prefer. It represents a significant decline in the quality of the series and doesn't ever make good on its potential, but it's still got the basics down, and those basics are still fun, again, if you enjoy action-adventure games.

 

[abnaxus]

All hope for the Fable franchise is now lost

 

[Micmu]

All hope for the Fable franchise is now lost

That was soo difficult to watch. This guy dancing around like a doped up chimpanzee must have no shame. It probably took a skill to do it with straight face. Your future of gaming is seriously fuck up indeed, kids :shock:

 

[CappenVarra]

My my, what a stark contrast between this sequel and the original Fable - oh how the mighty have fallen...

Wait, what?

You're not going to like Fable if you go in expecting a deep and fulfilling RPG, or a challenging game that pushes you to the brink, but it's still a fairly simple and enjoyable console-style adventure with some modest exploration to it (Demon Doors etc.). It's not really fair to compare it to something it's obviously not trying to be. You don't compare an arcade shooter like Call of Duty to a simulation like ArmA, after all, at least not really on matters of gameplay style (of course, you can compare visuals, features etc.).

Fable III does have tons of issues even when engaging it on its own terms, and that's its real problem, not that it doesn't stand up to X RPG that you prefer. It represents a significant decline in the quality of the series and doesn't ever make good on its potential, but it's still got the basics down, and those basics are still fun, again, if you enjoy action-adventure games.

Yes, you do have a point about expectations and such... However, I actually played through the original Fable once, and didn't expect much RPGness out of it. That said, I sure as hell wouldn't replay it again, and saw no reason in that playthrough to show any interest in sequels (fart simulators don't quite do it for me, sadly). Just to be clear

To be fair, it did have one element I liked: level ups age the character. In Fable it had no effect beside cosmetics (the character now has white hair!), but if aging had an actual effect (reducing certain stats etc.), it would make a decent RPG mechanic. Didn't Darklands have something similar? ... Non sequitur, sorry

Anyway, I actually wasn't trying to compare Fable to X, Y and Z actual cRPGs I prefer, since that (as you accurately pointed out) would be pointless. I was making fun of that sentence, where the guy bemoans Fable getting dumbed down - almost like he mixed up his F-games and is talking about Fallout 3 instead... But Fable? Sheesh, I didn't think it was possible to dumb that game down. I don't know should I be interested in the dumbing down breakthroughs they managed to achieve, or scared of the implications... So, just a single sentence that struck me as highly ironic, nothing to see here

 

[Ulminati]

All hope for the Fable franchise is now lost

 

[hoverdog]

All hope for the Fable franchise is now lost

but was there any in the first place?

 

[Drakron]

but was there any in the first place?

Originally, yes ... it was hyped at having many things but in the end it was a half decent Zelda clone.

 

[Metro]

Yes but how is the Dog Outfit DLC?

 

[Catalina]

All hope for the Fable franchise is now lost

And here I thought having family members walk into the living room while I was playing Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X-2 was the highest level of embarrassment a console game could make me achieve.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

5 pages of complaints

I can recommend Fable III

Exactly how bad would it have to be for it not to be worth the recommendation? Does Molyneux need to personally come to your house and fuck your mother in the ass or something?

 

[Prosper II]

What could I have done? Fable series, I , II, II. She was the ideal anchor to drop off my boat. but the sharks came by and took her. Damn Part 15 of FCC rules. The searchlight normally stays off, but they had to watch the video from the RING.

Fable 1, Fable II, Fable 3. Good bye men, your wireless mouses will stop functioning ALL OF THE SUDDEN. maybe next thunderstorm we will see Fallout 4 overtake what Fable once did well.

 

[sea]

5 pages of complaints

I can recommend Fable III

Exactly how bad would it have to be for it not to be worth the recommendation? Does Molyneux need to personally come to your house and fuck your mother in the ass or something?

Good work quoting out of context. The review pretty clearly states that the recommendation comes with some huge caveats, but that ultimately it's still a decent game if you can ignore/deal with the problems.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

5 pages of complaints

I can recommend Fable III

Exactly how bad would it have to be for it not to be worth the recommendation? Does Molyneux need to personally come to your house and fuck your mother in the ass or something?

Good work quoting out of context. The review pretty clearly states that the recommendation comes with some huge caveats, but that ultimately it's still a decent game if you can ignore/deal with the problems.

rec·om·mend/ˌrekəˈmend/Verb
1. Put forward (someone or something) with approval as being suitable for a particular purpose or role: "George had recommended some local architects".

Nothing at all in the review (minus the conclusion, where he decides to make a complete 180 degree turn and give Molyneux a reach around) even hinted at Fable 3 being suitable as anything other than an example of how to fuck up a franchise already teetering on the edge of a cliff. You simply can't spend 5 pages telling someone how shitty something is and then end with "But I still recommend it as long as your standards aren't too high".

I mean jesus christ, he spent longer bitching about Fable 3 then I could about e.g. Oblivion, does that mean I should recommend Oblivion as a decent game? I guess its totally great, as long as you aren't worried about shitty combat, shitty setting, shitty npcs, shitty design, shitty quests, shitty level scaling, shitty animations, shitty AI, shitty plot, etc etc. But if you can ignore all of that, Oblivion comes heartily recommended from me as a fun game that only feels slightly underwhelming at times.

 

[sea]

Nothing at all in the review (minus the conclusion, where he decides to make a complete 180 degree turn and give Molyneux a reach around) even hinted at Fable 3 being suitable as anything other than an example of how to fuck up a franchise already teetering on the edge of a cliff. You simply can't spend 5 pages telling someone how shitty something is and then end with "But I still recommend it as long as your standards aren't too high".

The article does praise some aspects of the game, like the social elements being a nice touch as far as immersion and reactivity goes, just under-utilised, and the presentation and core gameplay parts all being pretty good as well. There's definitely more space spent on critique, but I think that's due to the nature of those problems requiring a bit of analysis, and because it's frankly easier to write about why something is bad than to say why it's good. I mean, yeah, it's Fable. You run around while hacking and slashing enemies, farting at people, enjoying a few laughs, etc. There's not that much to say other than "yeah, these parts are good, and you'll be doing them most of the time."

I dunno, I guess everyone's tolerance level for annoying and stupid game elements is different. I am more than willing to put up with dumb stuff if a game pulls off some other aspects well, and if it does a good job with the fundamental feeling of interacting with the world, that goes a long way towards my enjoyment. It's like Super Mario Bros.: you could put an annoying interface on it, it could have ugly graphics and an awful storyline, not fully capitalise on its potential mechanics, and could even actively frustrate in some respects, but it would still end up being fun just because the basic mechanics are still done well, even if ultimately not as fun or impressive as it would be if the design was more competent throughout.

 

[BlaineMono]

It's fairly inevitable that there will be a Fable IV at this point, so hopefully when it does come, it will finally remedy so many of these problems that have come to a head in Fable III, while preserving those very same things that make the franchise iconic and enjoyable.

The same has been said about Fable 3, repeatedly
And about Fable 2, repeatedly

At this point I'm pretty sure Moulinex is just trolling retards.

 

[Pony King]

To be fair, it did have one element I liked: level ups age the character. In Fable it had no effect beside cosmetics (the character now has white hair!), but if aging had an actual effect (reducing certain stats etc.), it would make a decent RPG mechanic. Didn't Darklands have something similar? ... Non sequitur, sorry

Darklands involved aging that had an actual effect i.e. a character's stats were reduced in a predetermined manner. It worked quite nicely with the game's character creation where older characters would have more time to improve their skill, thereby allowing the player to make nice trade-offs.

I was also unaware that it was possible to dumb down the Fable games further. Kinda creates a morbid interest in the game.

 

[Vibalist]

My my, what a stark contrast between this sequel and the original Fable - oh how the mighty have fallen...

Wait, what?

You're not going to like Fable if you go in expecting a deep and fulfilling RPG, or a challenging game that pushes you to the brink, but it's still a fairly simple and enjoyable console-style adventure with some modest exploration to it (Demon Doors etc.). It's not really fair to compare it to something it's obviously not trying to be. You don't compare an arcade shooter like Call of Duty to a simulation like ArmA, after all, at least not really on matters of gameplay style (of course, you can compare visuals, features etc.).

Fable III does have tons of issues even when engaging it on its own terms, and that's its real problem, not that it doesn't stand up to X RPG that you prefer. It represents a significant decline in the quality of the series and doesn't ever make good on its potential, but it's still got the basics down, and those basics are still fun, again, if you enjoy action-adventure games.

I've read a few of your posts Sea, and I don't understand why you have to be so sensible all the time.
Don't you know where you are?

 

[someone else]

Pretty sure Darklands aging only affect character creation, not in game. Pretty sure this was covered by me before on the Codex. Ingame aging will be Might & Magic and Gold Boxes? Haste is best cast on Elves.

 

[sea]

I've read a few of your posts Sea, and I don't understand why you have to be so sensible all the time.
Don't you know where you are?

Oh, I find the Codex banter brilliant, like a morbid curiosity, it's just not something I'm really into or able to do myself, and I prefer not to get involved in whatever flame wars and petty forum politics show up, even if they are hilarious. I've been in plenty of good discussions here so I see no reason why I shouldn't keep a level head about stuff. I love RPGs, but love most other genres as well and can see the value in them just as easily.

 

[GarfunkeL]

He's not being sensible, just the usual excusing of crap. If even every minor positive thing about a game comes with an excuse, like "social elements being a nice touch as far as immersion and reactivity goes, just under-utilised", it's exactly what OM wrote - any and every game can be "entertaining" and "good for what it is" if you just lower your bar enough. Sea would probably happily play Shit-Eating Simulator (Now with Hyper-Realistic Texture, Smell and Flavour!) if he just dreams up enough excuses for it.

Shit game is absolutely shit, end of story.