A Girl's Game Review: Fable 3

Granted Fable 3 seems like a "softer" game, being a linear RPG and doesn't have a lot of blood, but Fable 3 actually has a lot of adult humor and themes. A game that I've been playing since the beginning, it is another one of my favorite games. There's the option of good or evil, marriage or brothel, buy or steal, and so many other decisions, that the game is just amazing to me. Yes it's not as good as the first 3 (Fable, Fable: The Lost Chapters, and Fable 2), but it still has it's own qualities that make it unique, special, and captivating. So, why Fable 3? Because I love it, that's why!

Fable 3 is based 50 years after its predecessor, and you are the son or daughter of the Hero you were in the last game, in the greatest city of the kingdom of Albion. Albion, which has been industrialized, is ruled by your brother, Logan. But your brother has become tyrannical and unforgiving, and despite the bonds of blood, after certain events transpire, you decide to help the people with their revolution and try to seize the kingdom for yourself. Along the journey, you fight many different creatures, complete dozens of quests to help or hinder the people, and even dress up like a chicken. Along with your faithful dog, your friendly butler, your fighting mentor, and the skills that you were born with are finally coming to a head, and literally burst with the touch of a seal. There are many lands to see, homes and businesses to buy, and bars to get drunk at, so grab a comfortable couch, and dig in!

The gameplay itself isn't very difficult to grasp. Most of the time the button you need to press pops up on the screen when you need to press it. The tutorial section of the game is quite insightful as well. This game differs from most RPG's though, due to the lack of health bars, leveling up, and skill trees. The menus are extremely different as well, seeing as how there really aren't any. So when you press the start button, instead of bringing up the normal progress or save screen, you get transported to your "Sanctuary," a place left to you by your mother or father, and you have to interact with different rooms, statues, and maps in order to do anything. But again, the tutorial on the Sanctuary will help you understand most of it. The fighting is interesting, but it gets a bit annoying after a while because of the seemingly random death scenes of your enemies, and the sounds are extremely repetitive. Your dog is basically the same as the last game, but doesn't help in battle as much as you would hope. The weapons are not only interesting, but some are amusing, plus in this one there are guns! The silver keys are back, but brought along some friends; gold keys! Those are used to unlock special gold doors that house great treasures. Only one gargoyle came back in this one, but he made friends with some Gnomes that have his attitude (and mouth), so feel free to shoot away after you open that quest up. Plus there are many side quests, collectibles, and achievements in Fable 3, and even though the game itself doesn't last as long as I would have liked (I finished it in 16 hours, one sitting), you'll want to keep coming back to find all of the little things in the game. The one thing that I was the most disappointed on was the final boss battle. The steampunk graphics throughout the whole battle, as well as the whole game, were great, but the battle itself was a letdown. Way too easy and way too short. I have more problems fighting some of the spawned enemies than the last guy. Attack and roll, attack and roll, attack and he's dead. Yay..... (not really yay) But getting a great game with only one lousy battle is well worth the time and enjoyment, so I highly recommend it for someone looking for a mainstream RPG to try to get into the gaming scene.

The multi-player aspect on Fable 3 isn't really as good as it could be, but it is much better than it was on Fable 2. If you're using one Xbox, there's split screen, which is somewhat restricting because both characters have to be going the same way at the same time. If you're playing online over Xbox Live it's a little easier to navigate. Plus, one of the best parts of the new co-op upgrade from Fable 2, you actually get to bring your own character, weapons, and dog into the game! Whatever you make or find in another player's game you get to take back to your world, except for quests. You can also enter a business partnership with another Xbox Live player, or even marry them. (Both are achievements by the way...) The player orbs are still around too, so if you see a little glowing ball floating around, walk up to it and say hello to your friend, trade with them, or join a game together.

You can choose to be a guy or gal in this game, and the choice means absolutely nothing, other than your "friend" at the beginning will be the opposite, and the statues of yourself change. There is no weaker sex, there is no difference in what clothes are available, and whether male or female, you can still cross dress, date a man or woman, and higher level women tend to have the body frame of a man anyway. I'm guessing they wanted to keep the genders equal, so they did it this way, which I understand, but I would have liked to have some special missions or abilities that only women can do, and vice versa.

Just some helpful advice from an old pro on this game...

• Start buying shops and stores as early as possible! You'll need the gold later in the game (over 5 mill to be exact if you want to be good), so save up. This is the best and easiest way to do it, even though it takes the most time. Just make sure to keep up on the home upkeep, and don't really change any settings on the shops and homes until after you complete the game. How much you charge affects if you'll be good (with white wings and a halo) or evil (with red wings and huge horns).
• Make your decision to be good or evil before the game even begins. It can be quite hard to change your ethics mid-game, so I wouldn't even try. I'm not saying that it's not possible, but if you're bad and choose to be good, the town that you wiped out a while back still won't forget it.
• Pay attention to the requirements necessary to upgrade your weapons. If you're a good character, and you're using a weapon that can be upgraded by killing 100 nobles, you probably won't be able to upgrade that weapon. There's strong weapons for both sides, you just have to find or buy them.
• The jobs you can perform are not really a necessity. If you want to waste a few hours playing Lute Hero to make some extra money, feel free, but like I said, the best way to make money is through real estate.
• You can collect money and fix homes through the map table in the Sanctuary, as well as buy more homes and buildings. The map table rocks!

They recently released Fable: Anniversary, which is Fable: The Lost Chapters upgraded for use on the newer systems. It's awesome, and if you started playing with Fable 2 or 3, I highly recommend getting it and giving it a shot. This is the game where it all came from!!!!!