So I remembered that I never actually got around to playing Fable 3 and since the PC version was out for a long time I thought now was a good time. And I soon wished I hadn't bothered.
This game has just perplexed me in so, so many ways. Fable 2 had missteps but it still managed to be immersive and in some ways a better game than the original. But this is just a dumbed down version of that game with a premise that doesn't even work. Every aspect about the Fable games prior to this one are all but gone apart from a few.
Starting with something that is instantly apparent, the fact that the Hero was faceless and never said a word made it so much better to be able to customise your character and make it you. Now that it's some obnoxious twerp little brother (or sister, though admittedly I haven't played through as a female) with an annoying facial expression in every single moment of the game. I no longer care about making the character my own. All as well, really - since there's just about no character customisation left.
A minor annoyance too is that I'm thrown into a male/female relationship with a girl named Elise. At least as a gay man it made the decision rather easy of who should be executed, but starting the game and being told who you are and who you love is not my idea of Fable. Looking for gay men is annoying, too. Oh and no, I'm not in any way calling the game homophobic, I'm not that pathetic. I'm just annoyed that Fable is about making your own character out of your own choices and I think you're thrown into a bit too much here.
Dialogue's okay. Well acted. Fable II got the balance of seriousness and humour just right, there being enough moments to have me laughing but also have me gripped, but now it's to the point where they just aren't taking themselves seriously any more so it's so difficult for me to take it seriously. Maybe I'm not meant to but if all I'm doing is playing for a cheap laugh now and again I'd rather just watch someone doing stand up comedy as opposed to plodding through meaningless and tedious missions just to get a laugh.
I could go on about how flawed the story is forever. Starting with how the hero you have to play is an unlikeable twerp who you'd never want in any seat of power, the premise is just non-sensical. So what is the enemy, exactly? Why does it want to take over Albion? What's it's goal? Where did it come from? I guess it doesn't matter. It's just black goop that spews vaguely cool quotes from time to time. After plodding along to the part of the game where you become king, the choices you make just don't add up. The "evil" choices you get to make aren't even evil in the least, they're completely sensible. Digging up a river for an incredibly valuable element that could save the lives of millions is sensible considering that if you don't it won't be there for much longer anyway because it'll be destroyed. Making a brothel hurts just about no one, and makes a tonne of money, why is that evil? But not only do I dislike being seen as a dick when I'm not a dick, what if I actually WANT to be a dick? You can't. The evil choices are actually good ones and the good ones are also good choices but for idiots. What's more, if you make the good choices, the world is barren afterwards giving you the uneasy feeling that you've completely rendered your game useless without just playing again. If you make the *cough* "evil" choices, people hate you. Until you fart in their face or do a silly dance. Then it's all okay again. But perchance you want to make the "evil" choices for the good of the people and people hate you... why not just tell them why you made the choice you did? It's not like the King didn't want to say anything about the oncoming threat to keep morale up. Logan announced it in front of everyone. Are Albion's residents that braindead? Well they all share the same 3 brains so I guess they are.
Also the amount of stuff they re-used from Fable 2 (and even Fable 1 which is beyond pathetic) is mind-boggling. I actually made a drinking game called "whenever you hear/see something from Fable 2 or 1, take a shot" and I was beyond my realm of drinking comfort in under an hour. As for combat, read any review. Still as unbalanced as before. The map system is worse than ever. The Sanctuary is annoying (but not quite as annoying as most people point out, granted. if there was more in the game it would probably be far more annoying.). I could complain about many of the individual aspects forever but there really is little point to it.
I'm just confused as to who made the majority of decisions that made this game more or less worthless. Yes, straying away from RPG elements isn't necessarily a bad thing but without those, what's left? An unlikeable character in a premise that makes no sense in a world that's cartoony and linear with repetitive combat and "moral" choices. Um...
Lionhead? Why?
PS: Also, a PC game in 2011 with no bloody anti-aliasing?! Come ON, Lionhead. If you're going to try and break into modern PC gaming, look the part. Everything in this game is a jagged edge thanks to no anti-aliasing.
This game has just perplexed me in so, so many ways. Fable 2 had missteps but it still managed to be immersive and in some ways a better game than the original. But this is just a dumbed down version of that game with a premise that doesn't even work. Every aspect about the Fable games prior to this one are all but gone apart from a few.
Starting with something that is instantly apparent, the fact that the Hero was faceless and never said a word made it so much better to be able to customise your character and make it you. Now that it's some obnoxious twerp little brother (or sister, though admittedly I haven't played through as a female) with an annoying facial expression in every single moment of the game. I no longer care about making the character my own. All as well, really - since there's just about no character customisation left.
A minor annoyance too is that I'm thrown into a male/female relationship with a girl named Elise. At least as a gay man it made the decision rather easy of who should be executed, but starting the game and being told who you are and who you love is not my idea of Fable. Looking for gay men is annoying, too. Oh and no, I'm not in any way calling the game homophobic, I'm not that pathetic. I'm just annoyed that Fable is about making your own character out of your own choices and I think you're thrown into a bit too much here.
Dialogue's okay. Well acted. Fable II got the balance of seriousness and humour just right, there being enough moments to have me laughing but also have me gripped, but now it's to the point where they just aren't taking themselves seriously any more so it's so difficult for me to take it seriously. Maybe I'm not meant to but if all I'm doing is playing for a cheap laugh now and again I'd rather just watch someone doing stand up comedy as opposed to plodding through meaningless and tedious missions just to get a laugh.
I could go on about how flawed the story is forever. Starting with how the hero you have to play is an unlikeable twerp who you'd never want in any seat of power, the premise is just non-sensical. So what is the enemy, exactly? Why does it want to take over Albion? What's it's goal? Where did it come from? I guess it doesn't matter. It's just black goop that spews vaguely cool quotes from time to time. After plodding along to the part of the game where you become king, the choices you make just don't add up. The "evil" choices you get to make aren't even evil in the least, they're completely sensible. Digging up a river for an incredibly valuable element that could save the lives of millions is sensible considering that if you don't it won't be there for much longer anyway because it'll be destroyed. Making a brothel hurts just about no one, and makes a tonne of money, why is that evil? But not only do I dislike being seen as a dick when I'm not a dick, what if I actually WANT to be a dick? You can't. The evil choices are actually good ones and the good ones are also good choices but for idiots. What's more, if you make the good choices, the world is barren afterwards giving you the uneasy feeling that you've completely rendered your game useless without just playing again. If you make the *cough* "evil" choices, people hate you. Until you fart in their face or do a silly dance. Then it's all okay again. But perchance you want to make the "evil" choices for the good of the people and people hate you... why not just tell them why you made the choice you did? It's not like the King didn't want to say anything about the oncoming threat to keep morale up. Logan announced it in front of everyone. Are Albion's residents that braindead? Well they all share the same 3 brains so I guess they are.
Also the amount of stuff they re-used from Fable 2 (and even Fable 1 which is beyond pathetic) is mind-boggling. I actually made a drinking game called "whenever you hear/see something from Fable 2 or 1, take a shot" and I was beyond my realm of drinking comfort in under an hour. As for combat, read any review. Still as unbalanced as before. The map system is worse than ever. The Sanctuary is annoying (but not quite as annoying as most people point out, granted. if there was more in the game it would probably be far more annoying.). I could complain about many of the individual aspects forever but there really is little point to it.
I'm just confused as to who made the majority of decisions that made this game more or less worthless. Yes, straying away from RPG elements isn't necessarily a bad thing but without those, what's left? An unlikeable character in a premise that makes no sense in a world that's cartoony and linear with repetitive combat and "moral" choices. Um...
Lionhead? Why?
PS: Also, a PC game in 2011 with no bloody anti-aliasing?! Come ON, Lionhead. If you're going to try and break into modern PC gaming, look the part. Everything in this game is a jagged edge thanks to no anti-aliasing.
