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Fable III is a great game. It's playable, and enjoyable, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Fable or even just a good story. But it just doesn't quite hold a candle to its predecessor. It pains me to say so, because I am a long-standing fan of Peter Molyneux, but the best way I can think of to describe Fable III is that it is Fable II with its heart cut out.I could go on for pages about everything that falls short of the mark in Fable III, but I think it can all be summed up very succinctly: if you enjoyed engaging the world in Fable II, doing things like making all of Bowerstone fall in love with you, buying every piece of property in Albion, dressing a certain way to get a certain reaction from townsfolk, and buying specific food, alcohol, or luxury items to use or give as gifts, do not expect the same experience from Fable III. The game has been streamlined to the point where using the context-sensitive menu is a requirement, not a luxury.
You can still purchase property, but upkeep costs, while realistic, make being a magnate more trouble than it is really worth. You can no longer select which expressions you wish to use to impress people. Eventually, whole towns will fall in love with you, but it's a function of the backend of the game, not your specific actions toward them. Categories of items have been collapsed into single generic items. There is no way to see your inventory except by selling it. The quest log is buried and almost unnavigable, and overflowing with `relationship quests' that you don't even have to accept before they show up in the log.
There are good points, of course the new Albion is huge, and you can really feel the difference in size between Fable II and Fable III. It's fun to walk through the kingdom and play `find the landmark' many of them have changed almost beyond recognition. An old `friend' has built his new mansion in a place that is almost certain to infuriate series fans.
Fast travel is a necessity, now, where in Fable II I often found myself forgetting it was an option and walking. Of course, the combination of this new, larger Albion and the general loss of world detail I've described is that the world feels kind of empty. This isn't helped by the fact that the townsfolk algorithm has changed and you may now find yourself leaving a conversation and crossing a bridge only to find the person you just finished conversing with already on the other side.
The breadcrumb trail is also now a requirement I didn't use it at all in Fable II but I just don't see how you'd manage without it in Fable III. You'd certainly do a lot of stumbling around. Quest text is minimal and location descriptions are vague.
The story is very good, although I found myself wanting to see more familiar faces. Despite being the son or daughter of your character from Fable II, the cast is 99% fresh. I did notice that the alchemist from Bowerstone Market was still named Gary, but that may have been a fluke.
Perhaps most damningly, despite the direct lineage of the games and the main characters, there is no way to import data from Fable II into Fable III. No matter what choices your father or mother made, they have had no effect on Albion 50 years hence. This, to me, is a bigger blunder as the locked camera angle in Fable II multiplayer. How could a series so focused on individualized experience miss this?
For a certain kind of gamer, this game would be a five. For most, it would probably be a four. For me, unfortunately, it's a three. What I've always loved about Molyneux's games is the personalization of the experience, and it feels like the only thing left to personalize in Fable III is your hero's appearance. That's done really well, but I expected more.
Best Deals for Fable III Limited Collector's Edition -Xbox 360
I'm not going really review the game-play of Fable 3. I figured you can find that anywhere, on other reviews, IGN, etc. I'm just going to concentrate on the general packaging, and DLC items which I don't think anyone has covered.----------
LIMITED COLLECTOR'S EDITION BOX
The package came in perfect condition from Amazon, nothing was damaged.
The package itself came in a "book" which holds the game, and has a compartment at the bottom of the case. The inside is lined with red velvet, which feels nice and makes it look "rich".
The compartment holds a coin engraved with a "good" and a "bad" side. A Fable deck of cards is located right next to the coin. The coin is has a decent weight, and not made out of cheap plastic material. I don't intend to open the pack of cards, so I can't comment on that. The book has a strap of magnet, which hold the book closed. Overall, it's a very nice quality item.
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DLC FOR ALL NEW BOXES
The game box has 2 DLC cards inside for anyone who buy the game new. 1 card is for the highlander clothing set, and tattoo. The other one is for Raise Dead Potion, Slow Time Potion, and a Red Setter Dog Skin. Of course, there's also a manual and the game CD, too.
The Potions aren't really special, since I was able to find many more slow time potions while I was playing. I used the raise dead potion by mistake... but it wasn't all that great either. I spawned 2 dead bugs that helped me fight, which ended up dying pretty quick. I also preferred the default Collie dog skin over the Red Setter.
So, if you don't buy the game new... don't worry, it's nothing really special. But it's free, so it's great.
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FREE DLC FOR EVERYONE
Make sure you go online to the Fable 3 in the Market Place using your Xbox Live. Then click on the Download section. There you can download a free weapons DLC, which you get to use early in your game, so it's a great starter DLC.
Don't buy the Dog Outfit... it's not worth the money, it's just a gimmick.
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THE GAME
The graphic is using the same engine as Fable 2, so the quality is the same as Fable 2, but it looks a lot more massive. The world is noticeably larger.
There's no menu now. Instead of a menu, you instantly is teleported back to your Sanctuary. In your Sanctuary, you can change your outfit, your setting, teleport to other locations, etc. Your outfit is displayed on a manikin, which you can see what it will look like before putting it on.
The voice acting is superb, there's not a lot of reading. It seems everything is a voice over. Even when you find books, it will instantly voice over a summary of the book. Which I think is a great addition to the game.
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CONCLUSION
For some reason, I got a headache from playing the game. The motion sickness type headache. I guess it's because I haven't played a console game for awhile, but I have had it before and eventually I got used to it. Just a warning to the people who hadn't played a console game for a bit, be prepared not to be able to play for a long haul.
Overall, I love the game! There's so much to do, and I think it's a big improvement over Fable 2.
Highly recommended!
Honest reviews on Fable III Limited Collector's Edition -Xbox 360
There are plenty of reviews on the game of Fable, so I'll stick to a review about the Limited Collector's edition. As a huge Fable fanatic, I could not resist purchasing this over the standard set.Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The collector's edition comes with a coin, cards, and in game DLC. The in game DLC is not very big -a few potions and some dog changing stuff. The rest of the game is exactly the same. The coin is kinda cool, but I never really use it. I guess I used it to decide whether my first character would be good or evil, but I ended up restarting one of the other side.
The cards are pretty cool. They feel nice and of good quality. I have not gotten a chance to use them in a poker setting, but they still were cool to have.
Overall, worth extra money for the collector's edition? Not really.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Fable III Limited Collector's Edition -Xbox 360
Fable 2 was pretty fun, but a little annoying the menus and maps were pretty awful: nothing in any particular order, no way to relate to where you were out in the field. Lionhead sought to do something about these quibles... by making them prettier and more immersive in Fable 3, but not by solving the problems. Didn't even give 'em a looksie!Then they thought they'd do the same to the leveling system. It is far more prettier when you level up, and the level up "menu" is pretty immersive, but by making all the experience you earn in the field generic rather than ability linked, they've taken what little depth they had in the series in the first place.
Which, strangely, seems to be exactly what they were going for. For all their blathering about choices and promises, this game really doesn't give you many. Whereas before, you used to have to choose exactly which expression was appropriate for the situation, the game chooses for you you merely get to choose whether you want to be naughty or nice. Lots of stuff like that.
I also feel the need to point out that, even with this "special" edition, you're gonna feel a little cheated. For all the little extra things you get for "free", you'll find an equal amount of dlc you have to pay for, right from the get-go. Things like costumes for your character. Sure, you don't need them, but when it's obvious they've left empty spaces in your inventory menu for them ahead of time? Yeah... That smacks of crass commercialism...
Which is not to say that I didn't have a fun time playing this game, all the wit and charm of the previous entries were there, as well as many of the same voice samples... If you liked them, you'll like this. Just don't expect to be amazed this time, and don't be surprised if you feel like you've been here before...
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