For it's near perfect couch co-op, and beautiful world, I love Fable III, despite what it lacked.

[AinurOlorin]

Despite its shortcomings, Fable III is a beautiful game, with some of the best RPG style couch co-op I have ever encountered, perhaps even better than that of the old Baldur's Gate games. I cannot stress enough how thankful my sword/sorcery loving friends (girlfriend included) and I are to Peter, Lionhead et al, for bringing couch co-op so thoroughly into this beautiful game.

I cannot understand anyone who says they loved Fable II but not Fable III. Both games lack the on the site stealing and some of the lore that Fable 1 fabulously offered, but in graphics, the world size/beauty, the wonderful couch co-op etc. etc., Fable III trumped Fable II on myriad levels (and we still had the wonderful brothels, the sexcapades, the humour etc.).

Admittedly, I hate the gauntlets. They make me feel like a lesser magician, dependant on an artifact rather than my own abilities (and it seems like an easy gimmick for some villain to take your power just by stealing your damned gloves).

I also HATE that their are fewer magical beings. I know Albion is, sadly, moving further away from the age of legends, but I loved the Sprites, varied trolls, Kraken and Dragon of Fable I, and I hope they emerge anew in future Fable games. Indeed, I very much want to see MORE LORE, MORE MAGICAL BEINGS, Fairy Creatures of The Light to counter the quasi Demons of The Shadow, and some of the supernatural entities alluded to in the prior games (The demonic Prince mentioned in one of collected books, The Court of Shadow (and should there not be a Court of Light), etc.

And I hate the loss of THe Northern Wastes (which I LOVED), and I very much want to see Samarkand.The world should be larger. The technology exist for lovely graphics, MORE SPELLS (without the damned gauntlets), continuation of the excellent Co-op options (couch especially) from Fable III, and a more vast world to explore.

 

[Daniel Ray]

Actually, I quite like the coop in Fable III. You can tell that Lionhead spent a lot of time working on just that, and it works brilliantly. I also like the beautiful views you can get when you're out strolling through Mistpeak Valley, or even Bowerstone Market. However, other rpgs like The Witcher 2 and Skyrim have quite awesome landscapes as well.

The Northern Wastes was one of my favorite places in TLC, and it should have at least made an appearance in Fable II, especially since you reestablished connection between the Wastes and the Mainland in TLC. God... I feel like playing TLC now...

 

[Daniel Ray]

Quick my minions! Devour this fool that dares defy my opinions - as to find sympathy in such an unholy swarm shows the insanity this individual holds; therefore I shall take up the shroud as the executioner of justice and deliver it swiftly and effectively.​

- Dark Intellect​

.

Lovely quote, by the way.

Do spare some mercy. He has only been here for a day or two, and has never met your wrath. Like all, he shall learn... right, AinurOlorin?

 

[Daniel Ray]

Akaitun, maladash my friend. I know he's new, I was merely teasing him.

That you were. And what language is that? That ain't elvish, mellon.

 

[AinurOlorin]

Challenge accepted, Hound of Sauron!!!!!!!! *lightning, blue flame, divine wrath unleashed!) Lol. Anyway, at the bottom bit, you make some fine points, but, in terms of couch co-op, I can think of very few games that did as thourough a job as Fable III. Fable II did a crappy job, as it was so basic it was only a few steps up from no co-op at all. Fable I had no co-op, and failed that particular test (actually, while I wholeheartedly feel Fable I did a better job of including lore, story telling, and including magical creatures [along with a more wonder inducing setting/period backdrop], in most other areas II and III really did improve upon the franchise, and I think it is mostly nostalgia that prompts people to think othewise. If the subsequent Fables (not including The Journey, which I have no interest in playing) had done a better job expanding the lore and the creatures, rather than taking away half as many good things as they added, they would have been truly amazing games.

Quick my minions! Devour this fool that dares defy my opinions - as to find sympathy in such an unholy swarm shows the insanity this individual holds; therefore I shall take up the shroud as the executioner of justice and deliver it swiftly and effectively.​

- Dark Intellect​

On a serious note, Fable III's co-op could have been better along with many other aspects. If it wasn't named Fable then it would have been a successful game because it would have lacked the expectations of a Fable title.

 

[Daniel Ray]

Anyway, at the bottom bit, you make some fine points, but, in terms of couch co-op, I can think of very few games that did as thourough a job as Fable III. Fable II did a crappy job, as it was so basic it was only a few steps up from no co-op at all.

I have to agree that they made incredible progress with all that they learned about coop in Fable II. You don't find many rpgs with coop, so thats something Lionhead can be proud of. Now, they gotta work on a lot of the other stuff as well...

 

[AinurOlorin]

I have to agree that they made incredible progress with all that they learned about coop in Fable II. You don't find many rpgs with coop, so thats something Lionhead can be proud of. Now, they gotta work on a lot of the other stuff as well...

Agreed. I feel that they set a new bar in terms of couch co-op in an RPG. In my memory, only Baldur's Gate rivals it on that level, and Fable is, of course, a much more beautiful and current game than Baldur's Gate. I think Fable should be very proud of that accomplishment, and I also think they set something of a trend, reminding other game makers of just how well co-op can work in an RPG game (indeed, the old board RPGs that the game genre is so deeply rooted in almost mandated multiple players, amd were largely centered around the social experience of companions in a magical world, or on an adventure).

I do agree that other areas need improvement. Wonderful as the co-op is, it would of course be more enjoyable in a larger, more fully realized world, with a more extensive story, and with better attention to sidequests and replayable missions. Oddly, Fable II did a better job with replay missions than Fable III, which contracted where it should have expanded.