Fable III Preview

20 Aug 2010 at 19:16:17 by Tim McDonald

I know what you're expecting: very little. You're thinking that a Fable III preview will consist of pages of disappointment. Perhaps it'll contain lines like "Peter Molyneux has once again bitten off more than he could chew," right? And, well, you're forgiven for thinking so - the ideas behind a Molyneux game have usually been more exciting than the game itself.

At first glance, though, everything is looking good. Admittedly, the three hours I spent adventuring through Albion was barely scratching the surface - the rest could be average despite how enjoyable the opening sections are. There is, however, one wonderful thing that we know will make it to retail: a voice for your Hero. Yes, okay, that sounds minor, but believe me: it lifts the protagonist onto a new level, giving him or her a spark of personality we previously had to imagine. It's simple, certainly - in itself it only adds lines like "I don't want to do that," and there aren't any selectable lines of dialogue - but it's undeniably a nice touch.

As you probably know if you've paid any attention to Fable III so far, the game kicks off in Bowerstone Castle 50 years after the events of Fable II. This time around, our hero is a descendant of Fable II's hero (and yes, your Fable II save file can be imported) and he or she just happens to be the sibling of Albion's king, Logan.

Logan's reign is one of terror. Through his actions Albion has undergone an industrial revolution, and there is growing resentment from the population. The familiar city of Bowerstone has changed into something akin to a steampunk monster, with the oppressed populace crammed into labor camps, overworked and underpaid. Naturally, as the saint I am, I couldn't simply stand idly by and tried to organise a better food supply.

Once again, it's all about choices and consequences; action and reaction. "Poo poo," I hear you cry. "They've claimed this before." I can't argue with that, and it's uncertain from these first few hours whether choice is something that's a cute gimmick or whether it really will have a wide-ranging impact, but just between us, there's a rather memorable scene very early on. Microsoft has made me promise not to tell you and I fully expect that if I even began to tap out a description Molyneux would burst through my window in a black ninja turtleneck and strangle me, so you'll have to wait and see for yourself, but I'll tell you this: this particular decision is one of the most intense I've seen in the entire series. This decision managed to be the first thing in a Fable game to make me feel reflective. Better yet, though, despite how (or perhaps I should say "for whom") I decided, I'm still mulling ny decision over. Yes, I'm being cryptic, and no, I can't clarify, but if you're a Mass Effect fan, think along the lines of the Ashley/Kaiden decision on Virmire. I have high hopes that there'll be similar scenes throughout the rest of the game.

This time around, your enemy appears to be considerably different from the archtypical fantasy villains that acted as antagonists in the first two games. Again, it's obviously impossible to say for sure, but a vision that takes place after a few hours play certainly seems to indicate we're dealing with shades of grey rather than moustache-twirling examples of cartoon evil. The vision in question depicts Logan brooding over a miniature version of Albion. "This is my Albion," he growls, "I would rather destroy it than see it surrender." This time around, is our primary antagonist a king who's trying to protect his realm but is managing to turn it into something far worse? Considering we know the player will be crowned king long before the closing credits there's likely something else waiting in the wings, but one thing is certain: the road to that crown is only possible with a retinue of loyal followers.

Comment