Fable 3 is coming – let the citizens of Albion, and gamers of Xbox 360, rejoice. The gap between the original Fable and its sequel lasted between console generations, but this time we are getting a second dose of Fable on the Xbox 360. Albion, the land of Fable, will this time be showing signs of the rise of industrialisation, so steam powered machines are likely to feature.
“Revolution” is in the air we are told, and it’s clear that this is supposed to refer not only to the storyline but also to the gameplay. We guess that the developer wants to expand the game beyond the traditional RPG even more than was done in Fable 2.
The revolt is likely to be bloody too, as you take the role of militarising the population – building an army, we guess that means. There are even hints at building machines for war, which would seem to suggest that the aim, even for the single player, is to involve the more in the world. In the previous games you did somewhat float through the game, rather than become a part of it.
Fable 3 need to retain its RPG elements and improve on them. We are all for adding new gameplay ideas to games, and Fable 2 did this with its economic and social model, but in truth, if it doesn’t retain the core RPG features and improve on them, it will disappoint its fans.
Fable 3 has to learn from the mistakes of Fable 2 and improve on the RPG elements as well as other areas. Specifically, the spell casting needs correcting – one button casting was like typing one hand behind your back and made the magic into a damp squib.
Fable 3 also has to remember to entertain the player, to reward them. The ending of Fable 2 was one that made sense in a narrative form, but was unsatisfactory to the gamer, and that is not a very good idea commercially when you want people to buy the third game. We need to be promised wish fulfilment.
With Uncharted 2 being talked about as a “generational leap” for graphics on the PlayStation 3, Microsoft will want its first party developers to prove that there is still untapped potential in the Xbox 360. With that in mind, Fable 3 will need to debut some amazing new graphics techniques.
There’s no date yet for Fable 3, but a release period of Christmas 2010 is quoted and the game will be exclusive to the Xbox 360.