This cakewalk doesn't live up to its forebear.
User Rating: 7 | Fable III X360
Fable 3 is just way too easy. I really enjoyed Fable 2 and I had high expectations for Fable 3. Fable 2 wasn't a perfect game, but it blended open world exploration, humor, classic rpg elements, and seamless combat in a very satisfying way. Sadly when creating Fable 3 the developers decided that rather than making a bigger more epic version of Fable 2 they would make a more dumbed down/accessible game that trudges along listlessly. Three keeps its humor intact, still displaying that classic british sense. The game is still quite beautiful. The enviroments are pristine and colorful. The music is still pretty and does a wonderful job of setting the mood. The game falls flat on its face when it comes to depth and sense of adventure. You play as the son/daughter of the hero from Fable 2. Your job is to overthrow your tyranical brother who is currently the king of Albion. To do this you must recruit various tribes/peoples of Albion to your side so that you can lead a sucessful revolt. The main campaign is very linear and the tasks required to recruit these people is laid out all nice and neat for the player so you don't have to think too hard, ugh. Of course you can also still get jobs, buy property, and do side quests. The problem is everythings seems so boring that you never feel very compelled to do those things. The side quests were really easy and usually involved running across the countryside and fetching some sort of item. I only did a handfull of side quests and then promptly lost interest in doing the rest. As I said before, the world is still beautiful, but the desire to explore is stifled by the lack of reward for doing so. The game is truly dumbed down. There is very limited use of items, leveling up is simple, and combat is overly easy. I still enjoyed the fluidity of the magic/ranged/melee combat system, but the enemies you will face are just way too easy. I did not die a single time throughout the entire campaign, nor did I ever feel in danger of perishing. The controls are simple and responsive enough. The map feature is much improved, using an over head 3D perspective with great detail. This game is just too easy, too straight forward, and too bland. Towards the end when you actually become king you are face with some difficult choices regarding the way you plan to rule. This is the only point in the game that feels like it has any weight. The only technical issue I observed was frequent load times(probable due to the size of the game) and some screen tearing. The person who would most enjoy Fable 3 is a gamer who has never played Fable 2 or someone who likes a very layed back easy experience.
Summation: An oversimplified, over-easy, open world game that tries too hard to be accessible at the expense of solid core gameplay. A little bit of fun, but ultimately disappointing.