Peter Molyneux is no stranger to confrontation when talking to gamers about his Fable franchise and it seems that he is already causing tension amongst fans with his brief glimpse at what Fable III has to offer.  Already promising a big shift for the series, Fable III looks to improve upon many of the features that Fable II itself improved, while adding many new ideas that should please fans wanting to have more control over their character’s outcome.

Probably one of the biggest aspects revealed is how Fable III will still take place in the enchanted land of Albion, but roughly 60 years after the events of Fable II, with players coming to grips with the dawn of the industrial revolution.  Because technology advances the way the kingdom is run, players will eventually have control of every aspect of the world, from the way buildings look to how citizens are treated.  One of the new features of Fable III is the ability to import your save file from the end of Fable II, and similar to how Mass Effect 2 has you play with the choices you made in the first game, certain aspects will play out as well in Fable III based on your previous decisions.

For starters, Molyneux has stated that players will eventually become King roughly halfway through the story and the choices you make from then on will have huge repercussions.  Citizens now are the basic way for which your choices are performed, and by promising to help them or letting them down can go a long way as to how people perceive you as King.  Molyneux has also stated that the choices you make for your citizens can be as small as helping someone find a lost relative to getting rid of someone for good.

The touch mechanic is also one of the biggest additions to the series and it is one that Molyneux says will be the cornerstone of the entire game.  Once confronted by various characters, players have the option to press a certain button to react accordingly to the situation.  Good players might find a missing person and comfort them with the right button presses while evil players could see a lowly beggar the right choice to sell into slave labor, for plenty of profit of course.  Still, the choices you make could have everlasting effects on the story and how citizens perceive you as their ruler.

Probably one of the biggest shocking revelations is the fact that the basic tools of combat, the health bar and experience points, are going to be dumped for a more linear approach to fighting.  Players still have the ability to wield weapons and use magic, but that takes more of a back seat now that you are King and have more important matters to undertake.  Your dog companion is still around as well and you can expect plenty more new ideas and options available for you and your pooch.

Combat is not entirely lost as Molyneux has stated that weapons and armor can now become affected by your choices, as weapons drip with blood the more innocent civilians you kill while it glows as you defeat more evil entities.  Along with the wide customization of hair styles, tattoos and other facial effects, the design and look for your character seems to be more profound and complex than in the previous games, giving players a more beneficial reason to choose which path of righteousness they want to go down.

With still plenty of time remaining before we will get a definitive release date (Molyneux hopes fans can play the game in late 2010), optimism and past occurrences see Fable III releasing sometime in early 2011.  Still, that’s plenty of time for Molyneux to go on the warpath and speak out about his Fable franchise some more, which is always enjoyable entertainment.

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About This Author: Josh Schwartzman

Been into gaming for as long as I can remember and have enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoy playing with everyone and anyone online and I am an avid PS3 and Xbox 360 player.

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