Fable 3 Won’t Be Reinventing the Wheel
Or more specifically, I should say Peter Molyneux won’t. Known for his penchant for over-promising and under-delivering, Molyneux has gone on record to state that the next title in the popular Fable franchise will focus more on story, and balance, than introducing new features, and gameplay mechanics — a move clearly designed with casual gamers in mind. While I hardly consider myself a casual gamer, I actually welcome this news, as I’ve quickly grown tired of Molyneux’s incessant need to clutter his games with features that distract me from the point of the game itself.
What exactly do I mean by that, you ask? Take for example your ability to start a family of your own in Fable 2. This requires you to marry, but first you need to court your mate — which, in and of itself, isn’t too hard. After that, you need to maintain the relationship by periodically returning to your mate with gifts, both physical and material in nature. Unfortunately they can become rather needy, and given that your primary role in the game is that of an adventurer, you can be separated from that mate for quite some time. Needless to say, the mate won’t be too pleased, potentially resulting in a divorce, which subsequently damages your characters reputation in-game.
Sure, it all seems realistic to some extent, but the fact that these mechanics can distract and interfere with the game itself, taking you out of the story to run an errand for a virtual partner, is something that I could honestly do without. And, that’s just one of many examples I could give, Fable 2 was practically rife with them. With Lionhead now focused on capturing the casual market, it’ll be interesting to see how they plan on scaling back these features.
Thankfully, Molyneux recently confirmed that they’ve scrapped support for Microsoft’s Kinect, so we don’t have to worry about looking like idiots while trying to play. The game will also feature more A-list voice talent with actors like John Cleese and Star Trek’s Simon Pegg, so there’s something else to be excited about. There’s really no way of knowing just how much has changed in Fable 3, but we’ll find out soon enough. The game is set to ship on October 26th.
Tim is a pro-blogger and freelance writer out of San Diego, California. In addition to Fanboy.com, he contributes to the ModernMethod Network of sites as the Features and Reviews Editor for the Japanese culture and entertainment blog, Japanator. He’s also an Assocaite Editor for the collectible toy culture blog, Tomopop. For more information, follow him on twitter, or check out TimSheehy.com.