Mortismal Gaming looks back at Fable 3:

Fable 3 - Retrospective Review

Thanks Couchpotato!

Mortismal Gaming checked out Fable 3:

Fable 3 - 2024 Impressions

Thanks Couchpotato!

UnrealityMag writer Paul posted a new article where he talks about the failure of Fable III, and how it should not stop Lionhead from developing Fable 4.

The roadmap is there, and there’s proof that single-player RPGs are still in-demand, as evidenced by Dragon Age: Inquisition and everyone on earth dying to play Elder Scrolls VI sometime before they die of old age. And this is an age where Microsoft very, very much needs exclusives to compete with the likes of Sony. They’ve been on a role recently between Sunset Overdrive and Halo: The Master Chief Collection compared to Sony’s well…nothing, and a new true Fable game would work magic in 2015 or 2016.

The roadmap to fix the series is there, and everyone knows all things that made Fable 3 so shitty. But the way to fix them wasn’t to transform the series into another genre, it was to get up and try again. Molyneaux gave up, but the franchise doesn’t need to die, and someone a bit more sane at the helm might actually work wonders for the series.

Continue Play posted a new retrospective for Fable III, and in the end is disappointed.

Perhaps I’m being too hard on Fable 3. It’s nevertheless a fun romp and it looks very nice. The design is a great blend of Lionhead’s general cartoonishness, there’s a lot of small, funny stories that are still there, and it’s evolved in its aesthetics from Fable 2. The world is still well designed, moving you from place to place at a good, comfortable piece. It moves the player from a variety of environments that range from generic to breathtaking.

A few of its story beats are still excellent: I’ve never had as much fun in a videogame as I have playing the quest The Game in Fable 3. A testament to Lionhead’s creative skill, the quest is a vivid juxtaposition between fictional Albion and the fourth wall it snidely challenges.

The Demon Doors remain excellent: they’re windows to other, strange dimensions. It suggests an Albion more complex than the one our characters manipulate.

The voice acting is stellar as ever. The music is soft, never-imposing, never in-your-face. Lushness defines its aesthetics, and it works.

But this is all window-dressing. These are all nice things built upon a simplistic, broken foundation. At the heart of it, this Albion is too easy, too gullible, too simple. It throws out this terrible calamity, but there’s no child’s moment in what it otherwise, quite starkly, an emperor’s new clothes. This Albion plays it straight; the procession continues.

And unfortunately, it’s an Albion I leave behind with disappointment.

Steam is now offering Fable 3 for 75% Off for the next 42 hours. It's a good chance to get the game cheap if you never played it yet.

About the Game

It's a Revolution!
Fable III is the next blockbuster installment in the highly praised Fable franchise. Five decades have passed since Fable II, and Albion has matured into an industrial revolution. However, the fate of the kingdom is in peril. Lead a revolution to take control of Albion, fight alongside your people, and experience love and loss while defending the kingdom against a looming threat. Your choices as ruler will lead to consequences felt across the entire land.
Who will you become? A rebel without a cause, the tyrant you rebelled against, or the greatest ruler to ever live?

Game Features

• Exciting PC features: Built from the ground up for the PC gamer. Experience the "hardcore mode" option for greater difficulty, enjoy additional in-game content, and even play Fable 3 in stunning 3D, thanks to NVIDIA technology!
• Be the hero and forge your own destiny: Storytelling comes to life as "Fable III" puts you and your hero in the center of an epic journey that traces your rise from revolutionary to ruler.
• Where blockbuster action meets adventure: Your journey spans from the streets of a thriving and industrialized Albion to the surrounding battlefields.
• Choice and consequence: A core tenet of the “Fable” franchise, players are presented with infinite choices and consequences that impact the world.

Steam is offering Fable III for 66% off for this weekend, which makes it $16.99 for me (not sure if that's a regional price). If I was going to be tempted (I wasn't), the warning box about the activation process would have scared me off.

Gamebanshee let us know in this post their walkthrough for Fable 3 is now finished. They also write that:

We'll be adding walkthroughs for all of the DLC quests in the near future, too, so stay tuned for even more content. As always, enjoy!

GameBanshee has a 5-page review up for this game. No score, but the review covers combat, variety, exploration, quest design, story. It also covers the user interface, the inventory, the control systems used for the pc version. And two small reviews for the two important dlcs for this game, Understone Quest Pack and Traitor's Keep, as well.

Thus we come to the conclusion, the reviewer's, that is:

I can recommend Fable III, but with a very big “but” attached to it, and with the advisement that you may want to wait for a lower price if you’re still on the fence. While there’s more than your money’s worth in Fable III, the numerous design issues and over-simplified mechanics simply can’t be ignored by even the most forgiving fans. It's the worst Fable game, no question, but that doesn't mean it's an outright bad one, just underwhelming, and maybe a little out of steam after all these years. It's fairly inevitable that there will be a Fable IV at this point, so hopefully when it does come, it will finally remedy so many of these problems that have come to a head in Fable III, while preserving those very same things that make the franchise iconic and enjoyable.

News from VoodooExtreme that three DLC packs have been released for Fable 3 for the PC:

• Dog Breed Set: Poodle, German Shepherd, Doberman. $2.99

• Understone Quest Pack: A new town built underground. New creatures and a major mystery. $4.99

• Traitor's Keep Quest Pack: Your first grand adventure as the ruler of Albion, visiting the kingdom's secret prison and tracking down the most dangerous criminals in the land. $6.99

A small collection of Fable III reviews from the last day or so.

Neoseeker sends in their critique, which carries a score of 7/10. On the lack of real exploration:

The structure is largely linear: you can explore some areas but between the 'glowing quest trail' (optional, though a bug forces you to disable it each time if you prefer it off), your dog hinting you toward treasure, a selectable quest list, and the fast travel option, you won't be doing much of it. On the one hand, this ruins the sense of wonder I'm used to in RPGs; on the other, it's terribly convenient for those that prefer to more or less breeze through games.

PC Advisor UK say the "heavy-handed story will may leave a bad taste" but the score is still 4/5:

Fable III comes off as the weaker game when held up to Fable II's core ideals: role-playing is all about making choices, right? You can choose a "good" interaction like hugging someone or a "bad" interaction like farting in their face, and the idea is that you as the player are exercising personal expression through your character. But though Fable III lets you make the choices, it never lets you off the leash – you will become king or queen, the bad thing that's supposed to happen will happen, and no matter how much of a paragon or renegade you are, you cannot choose to do something other than make or spend money.

Strategy Informer were reasonably impressed with 8/10 their rating:

Despite these drawbacks to the mechanics of Fable III, the world of Albion still has a crazy amount of charm with nooks and crannies to go exploring and spelunking, although the lack of maps within a region can make said exploration a tad difficult sometimes when you can’t for the life of you figure out how the heck to get to a certain area of a cave to loot another silver key or chest. The new continent of Aurora is a real highlight of the game thanks to its environment and feel, and again, hopefully Lionhead will stick with the sandy old land and develop it even more in the next Fable.

Inc Gamers says 7/10:

But, is it worth your money?

Well, as per usual, that depends on you. As I said, this is still Fable III which means it's as divisive as ever. It's a casual action-RPG that leans very heavily towards 'casual': there's no death penalty, and while there's a lot to do, there's not a lot of depth to any of it. To some, this won't matter – once you get past the appallingly slow opening sections there's a lot of fun in buying up property, making royal decisions, and completing some well-written and genuinely amusing quests (with most major characters voiced by the cream of British celebrity-dom). It's a game that's very, very easy to sink hours into when you meant to just hop in for a few minutes.

On the other hand, it's not a hard game and it certainly substitutes depth for breadth. There's a lot to do, but none of it's particularly engaging, and this will doubtless turn some off. If this doesn't faze you, and you simply want to venture into a well-defined and amusing fantasy world and mess about with it to see what happens, you'll have a great time. If you're interested, then don't be put off by the conversion.

The PC release of Fable III is now available in NA and on digital systems such as Steam, Games for Windows and Direct2Drive.

On to reviews. IGN's review subtitle is "A royal disappointment" and the score is 6/10:

The problems start with the characters, a majority of whom are walking cliches distinguished more by their style of clothing and accents than their actions. What should theoretically be a gut-wrenching decision as I consider whether or not to ignore their demands and promote child labor or establish a brothel falls flat. With the exception of my mentor and frequent companion Walter along with Logan, the villain king, the characters are imbued with such one-dimensional personalities that few feel like anything more than diorama props. When, as king, I break my promise, it's tough to feel anything but the key underneath my finger to input a command that tells them to get lost.

Worthplaying also has a review, although they appreciated it a more with a score of 7.9/10- although that seems generous given some of the comments:

While the porting process didn't harm the game, Fable III has a solid yet decidedly dated core. Combat is fun but has a slew of issues that detract from what it otherwise could have been, and that's a sentiment that could just as easily to be applied to most of the game. Fable III is a good game that is worth diving into, and you'll end up having a great time right up to the conclusion. At the same time, it feels like a game that tries to do too many great things and just settles on being decent instead.

Lastly, Eurogamer has an interview that discusses the reception, piracy vs used game sales and more:

But if you want a fun, wide game... And that's the thing, if you play [Fable III] to finish it as soon as possible, Fable won't give you as good a game as Oblivion. But if you play the game to enjoy the world, try everything and play all the little bits and bobs hidden around the game, you'll have a much more fun experience.

Every time you finish playing Fable you'll have a smile on your face. Every time you play Oblivion you'll say "I enjoyed my time there but now I want to go play something fun". [Fable III is] a different type of game: it's more of a fun, comedic TV show than a serious Lord of the Rings film. I think a lot of people that play it think it's a Lord of the Rings - and it isn't.

If you're going to pick up Fable III on Steam on the 17th (and The Witcher 2 and Honest Hearts and...), pre-loading has now started.

Microsoft's Major Nelson had everyone in a flap when a post indicated a Fable III PC demo would be released (news at Gamebanshee, thanks Zohaib) but that turned out to be incorrect (thanks, Blues), so no demo despite the reports:

"I’ve been informed that a Fable III PC demo is no longer scheduled."

Microsoft sent out news that Fable 3 will be on Steam at launch, which I would assume is a first for Microsoft:

Fable III for Windows to be available via Steam at Launch

Choice has always played an important role in the world of “Fable,” and PC fans will have even more choices than ever, without the consequence. Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead are happy to announce that “Fable III” for Windows will be available through Valve Corporation’s Steam distribution platform, in addition to Games for Windows Marketplace and in retail stores simultaneously.

“Fable III” will be available for pre-order on both Steam and Games for Windows Marketplace starting 21 April. Fans who pre-order through Games for Windows Marketplace will receive “Fable: Lost Chapters” – the start of the Fable saga - for free! And those who purchase on Steam will receive the Rebel's Weapon & Tattoo Pack, a collection of four exclusive weapons and five exclusive tattoo sets to customize their rebel hero.

Fans can also purchase the game in all three locations at launch on 20 May for £34.99 (ERP).  

No matter how players decide to purchase “Fable III,” they will have access to the same exciting content as Xbox 360 players, including riveting Game Add-ons like Traitor’s Keep, in addition to new features like a more challenging “Hardcore” mode and 3-D functionality.

Happy ruling!

Since we've had some Steam discussions recently, I'll just point out this is a press release sent to us. 

Rock, Paper, Shotgun has some hands-on impressions of Fable III based on a visit to Lionhead's headquarters. It's all rather positive, actually:

Last week, I ventured to the British developer’s headquarters in leafy, mobile phone reception-free outer Guildford and sat down with the impending PC build of their action-RPG for around three hours. I enjoyed them, and more than I’d expected to. While I am nominally a fan of the Fable games, I hadn’t yet got around to more than a fraction of III: largely due to word of mouth claiming it had strayed too far into the ‘anyone can play’ casualness the series has long-chased. Fortunately for the discerning PC gamer, Lionhead have taken some of that criticism on the chin and made some pretty significant revamps to make it a more meaty, challenging and tactical experience.

I can't remember if we've posted the system requirements for Fable 3 before but, if not, here they are courtesy of IGN:

The minimum requirements are:

• Operating System: XP 32 SP3, Vista 32/64 , Win 7 32/64
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or AMD Athlon X2 4000+
• Memory: 2GB
• Hard Drive Space: 12 GB of free space
• Graphics Hardware: NVidia 7600GT or ATI HD 2600 Pro
• DirectX: 9.0c onward
• Network: Internet or LAN connection required for multiplayer

The recommended system requirements are:

• Operating System: Win 7
• CPU: Intel Pentium 2.9Ghz Core 2 Duo or higher
• Memory: 4GB
• Hard Drive Space: 12 GB of free space
• Graphics Hardware: Nvidia 260GTX 896MB or ATI 5770 1GB or higher
• DirectX: 9.0c onward

Network: Internet or LAN connection required for multiplayer

Peter Molyneux has done the now-traditional mea culpa, telling CVG the next Fable game will "amaze":

The game has accrued a very healthy average Metacritic of 80 - but it's a score which is nine points behind its predecessor.

"I totally blame myself, not anyone upstairs, who all did a wonderful job," he said. "[After Fable 2's reception] my expectations were sky high. The planning was the problem. We had to look at the process."

Microsoft's Major Nelson has announced the PC version of Fable III will be released in NA on May 17th - the same day as The Witcher 2 for those watching their budget.

Microsoft has re-announced the PC version of Fable III at CES, with the title due "later this year".  Apparently a port a year later demonstrates Microsoft commitment to Windows gaming or something.  From IGN:

Microsoft chose CES to unveil the PC edition of Fable III, the successful third entry in Lionhead's Xbox adventure trilogy. There were no specific announcements about Fable III for CES beyond having it in their booth. Microsoft just wanted to reveal the game and reassure PC gamers that Microsoft remains very active with Games for Windows.

Coming later this year -- Microsoft did not give out a firm release date -- Fable III for the PC will feature a fresh visual pass to take advantage of graphics cards and processors that now outstrip the Xbox 360. Certainly the version of Fable III I played today looked sharper than it did on Xbox 360, with crisper textures.

The patch for Fable 3 has been released. For those who have it, enjoy!

Here are the patch notes:

Major Fixes

Sanctuary: Fixed numerous issues whereby Jasper would stop talking or whereby the world map would become unusable

Quests: Tabletop: The Hobbes may not spawn in the last area causing the player to be unable to progress

Quest: Tabletop: Online multiplayer: Player host is unable to vault off platform to Hobbe area

Quest: Tabletop: Player can become stuck behind some rocks

Quest: Tabletop: After defeating the hollowmen in the room with the lever the player is unable to progress

Quest: The Masquerade: Player can become trapped in Reaver’s mansion.

Quest: The Masquerade: Player can fall out of the world

Quest: GNOMES PART 1: Player can break script

Live: The players fall out of the world (FOOTW) when transitioning from Shifting Sands to The Veiled Path

Crash: Mourningwood guards audio

Crash: During the quest “Peace, Love and Homicide”

 

Minor Fixes

General improvements to performance and frame rate

World: Online multiplayer: Fast Travel area does not extend from end of level the "The Hole" to go to Mistpeak Valley

World: Player can fall out of environment in Mistpeak Valley while in combat

World: After proposing marriage, Bowerstone Castle cannot be selected as family home.

World: If client repairs a house, the house goes from renting out to living in

World: Player can become stuck during Castle Battle after vaulting over sandbags near burning cart

World: Bowerstone Industrial: Player can fall off the world

World: a fix for existing or future FOOTW situations

World: Online multiplayer: No Particle Effects on Host Screen after Marrying another Player

Live: Orbs do not always show up

Live: Online multiplayer: Fixed an issue with sliding host in the sanctuary

Live: Fixed several issues relating to gifting and receiving gifts in local and online coop

Quest: Tabletop: Breadcrumb not leading to Demonic Chickens

Saves: Fixed a few issues that could cause a corrupt save game slot

World: Driftwood: Hero can become stuck inside of tree

World: Shooting a crate creates a duplicate crate

World: Black chicken in castle gardens flies straight up into the air for several seconds when kicked

Speech: Japanese: Reaver is missing VO in one quest

If you have been playing Fable 3 and enjoyed it, you might want to try out the Understone Quest Pack which can be downloaded right now.

The “Understone Quest Pack” brings more action and adventure your way with the following quests:

“The Voice”: In the main quest, explore the mysterious underground land built by Montague Hummes in fear of the Spire in “Fable II”

• Discover the origin of the voice that controls the people of Understone
• Features a moral decision that will lead to two drastically different outcomes in Understone

“Shooting Range”: After defeating Saker during your quest to become Queen of King, the remaining Mercenaries have turned their camp into a tourist attraction. The main attraction being the replayable shooting range mode

• Beat the high scores to win three prizes that can be used while playing the minigame: the Marksman 500 (gifted to players for downloading the pack), Money Shot (prize) and Black Dragon (prize)

The Wheel of Misfortune”: After Reaver vacated his home, he set up a venture for budding heroes to replay the thrilling arena-based challenges within his new dwellings

• Beat the high scores to win three new weapons that can be used while playing in the minigame:  The Full Monty (gifted to players upon downloading pack), Dirty Harriet (prize) and Dead Ned’s Revolver (prize)

But that is not all. In what Lionhead calls a title update, but most people would call a patch, they offer the following:

• General gameplay progression and spawning issues
• Sanctuary map and audio functionality
• Isolated corrupted game saves
• General performance surrounding Orbs, audio, frame rates and other features
• New voices in some regions of the world

News via Eurogamer that the PC version of Fable III is still in development:

A post on its Twitter feed explained, "Fable 3 PC Version is still in development here at Lionhead so PC GAMERS don't panic. We'll announce details when we're ready to do so."

Game Informer has a very nice two-page article interview with the game's Lead Writer, Mark Llabres Hill, can be found at  Here's what he has to say about Bowerstone, the capital city, this time around:

The city of Bowerstone is at the heart of Albion, and in many ways at the heart of the series. At the start of each game, we try plot a path through new regions and let players discover places on the map they’ve never seen before. It keeps the world fresh for both them and us,” Hill says. “But Bowerstone is part of Fable’s identity, not just because it’s the capital of the kingdom, but because it has such iconic landmarks: the town square with its clock tower, the bridge, the river, the lake on the outskirts. It has undergone two major changes since Fable II, though. The first is the process of industrialization, which has really transformed parts of the city, with its factories, smoke, and busy port. The second is Bowerstone castle, which was little more than a landscape feature last time around, but is now a key center of power.”

An eight-minute video interview about this game can be found at Gamereactor. They've talked with Peter Molyneux from Lionhead Studios during GamesCom. Subjects covered are why he isn't proud of Fable II,  that you can have children in Fable III, and how they can end up in an orphanage - and much much more.

A bit of a warning: The pattern on the jacket that Moleyneux is wearing can cause seizures when he is moving around, especially for those os us that are sensible to light.

Previews for this game have surface, based on the presentation given at GamesCom. I'll quote from one and list the rest. Here's something about the beginning of the game from GameOn:

The game begins with you, the prince or princess of Albion being woken up by your butler Jasper. In bed with you is your trusty canine companion. Upon choosing what to wear, you are then sent to meet up with your love interest, either named Elliot if you're a princess, or Elise if you're a prince. Taking your beloved by the hand you lead him/her to the kitchen where your first moral choice is presented to you. The kitchen staff have heard rumours of the King executing some of the staff. It is up to you whether you give them a motivational speech, promising that things will be alright or berating them for putting their nose into business that does not concern them.

Play.tm, TheOpionatedGamer, and CVG also have previews.

We'll only be doing the major bullet points for Fable 3 but the delay of the PC version is probably worth noting.  As seems to happen so often, the PC version will now be released an unspecified time after the console editions.  From IGN:

The company would not say how long PC players will have to wait to get their hands on the game, however, though expect to hear something about a release date soon.

"The console and PC versions are now on different schedules as we're focusing on building experiences optimized for each platform," the company said in a statement.

According to Peter Molyneux, Fable III will be available in episodic form with the first part free "soon after the retail launch".  From Edge:

"Soon after the retail launch we're doing episodic. We break it down in chapters. We give away the first chapter entirely free, the first hour. When you reach a certain point in the game it says 'thank you for playing the pilot of Fable III, do you want to spend an extra 2-5 or whatever dollars to buy the next episode, or buy the whole lot?' Press 'yes' and you will immediately continue playing," he said at the GameHorizon Conference, according to Gamesindustry.biz.

"It supports this freemium idea,” Molyneux added. “It gets around this horrible concept of demos. Anyone out there who thinks a demo is a good idea is crazy. It's never a good idea, because demos are usually done at the end of a game and they require an enormous amount of design talent to make a demo. The other thing is you're more likely to satisfy the curiosity of a user rather than entice them to play more."

VG247 (again) has news of a release date - apparently Fable 3 will be available on X360 on October 26th.  No specific date for the PC, although they say "around Halloween", which doesn't sound much different to the X360 date.

Official word of a Fable III version for PC has been released, due "this holiday".  The PR from the Lionhead blog:

Epic “Fable III” Journey Expands to Windows This Holiday

Limited Collector’s Edition Includes Unique Memorabilia and Unlocks Additional In-Game Action

Lead a rebellion, start a revolution, and rule a kingdom in “Fable III”. Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead Studios present the thrilling new chapter in the “Fable” franchise exclusively on Xbox 360 and Windows. Action, drama, adventure and humor propel the story as players choose their journey to become King or Queen of Albion.

“Fable III” will be available in Standard and Limited Collector’s Editions for Xbox 360. The Standard Edition will retail for $59.99/£44.99/€64.99, while the Limited Collector’s Edition will retail for $79.99/£59.99/€84.99.  The Windows version will retail for $49.99/£39.99/€54.99, and will also be available for download exclusively on Games on Demand on Games for Windows – LIVE.

The Limited Collector’s Edition also offers unique collectibles that true “Fable” fans won’t want to miss, including downloadable content, also available for Windows users, as well as in-box items that come with the Xbox 360 version. Wrapped up in a distinctive box created in the likeness of a book from “Fable III,” the contents include:

·         A new quest: Uncover the mystery of the haunted forests of Silverpines and earn the legendary sword, Wolfsbane, deadly against wolves and balverines.

·         Exclusive location: Unlock a new region, ideal for settling down with a family and discovering new treasures.

·         “Fable III” playing cards: Created by Lionhead, these cards depict every type of character in “Fable III,” including Heroes, royals, rebels and villains from across Albion and beyond.

·         Guild Seal Coin:  The coin features a Good side (blue) and Evil side (red) to assist players in making critical decisions that will impact the fate of the world forever.

·         A new dog breed: Renowned for its loyalty, the Boxer is a brave canine companion worthy of greatest Queens and Kings.

·         One unique outfit: Unearth one male and female outfit from the mysterious, faraway land of Aurora, a new destination in your “Fable III” adventures.

“Fable III” sets the stage for an unparalleled action and adventure experience, in which you will be called upon to rise from revolutionary to ruler of Albion. The choices and sacrifices you make while fanning the flames of revolution, and then as you rule as King or Queen, will lead to an ever evolving world of consequences that will be felt across your entire land.

We haven't done much with Fable III, since Molyneux is sure it isn't an RPG.  Still this might be of some interest.  VG247 says recently-released-then-removed box art has a "Only on the X360 and Windows" logo.  A mistake?  A request for comment from Microsoft resulted in a "We’ve made no official announcements but please stay tuned", which sounds like "yes, at some point" to me.

Well, to sell more. Duh.  Anyway, here's Molyneux on how numbers are confusing and so on:

Action-adventure franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Assassin’s Creed include RPG elements, but don’t burden users with numbers and statistics. The action-adventure genre is a more natural home for “emotion and drama” – qualities that are core to the Fable franchise.  Molyneux also noted that the market share for RPGs is a niche, while action-adventures sell more broadly and are easier to market. Molyneux said the goal for Fable 3 is sales of over 5 million – more than 25% growth over Fable 2.

1Up's RPG blog The Grind looks at the design of Fable III:

Sounds like an Industrial Age SimCity more than anything else, right? This is what Molyneux has wanted for Fable from the very beginning. The fact that you're vying to be a king in Fable III, and that the level-ups are determined by the number of minions you command, is only a natural extension of that desire. With Molyneux removing RPG trappings like experience and even the heads-up display, I feel like we're at last coming to the real point of the series, which is to be a ground-level Populous.

No, I'm not pontificating from my editorial tower - this is from Molyneux himself, according to CVG:

Peter Molyneux has said he no longer considers Fable an RPG series - labelling Fable III as "more like an action adventure".

There's a Fable III video developer diary over at G4TV with information from the X10 event, what I believe are the first actual screens at Shacknews and 1Up says the game won't have a HUD at all, which is apparently the "controversial" feature Molyneux hinted at a while back.

VG247 notes some tweets from Lionhead's community head Sam Van Tilburgh that reveal they are preparing to reveal more information about Fable 3 at an event in San Francisco next month.  Head over for the full story.

A single piece of Fable III concept art is turning up on the 'net, such as here at CVG (lower right).  It shows a city street.

Tech Radar has met with Peter Molyneux to talk about Fable 3, Project Natal, his promotion, cloud gaming and virtual gaming.

Here's the part about the episodic nature of Fable 3:

The first part of our game [Fable 3] is going to be free. And at the end of that first part you can choose to continue playing as normal, by buying the full game. Or, if you are still not quite sure, just buy the next episode.

  Here's what he thinks about virtual gaming:

It is so different. This is might whole point that I make. You don't meet computer game characters when you use a controller. You control computer game characters. And that is fundamental....That things can recognise them and see them and have a relationship with them. And we've been talking about that for years and years, you know, emotional engagement in gaming... "are games art?"... "how can we make people cry and laugh?"

   Here's his thoughts on cloud gaming:

What with the cloud, what we can do is that when we release something that has object recognition in it - that is just the start of how that thing is able to recognise different objects – because the database of things that are being recognised being held in the cloud can continue to grow and improve. By the millions of people actually interacting with objects locally down here and sending the information back 'up' to the cloud, behind the scenes.

VG247 mentions that Peter Molyneux confirmed that Fable 3 will be supporting Microsoft's Project Natal - a technology that let's us play games without any controllers at all. Is this the way forward for the single player rpg ?

One would like to think that once you payed for a game it contains the complete game (MMO's excluded). Peter Molyneux likes to change that perception and intends to add microtransactions to Fable 3, like we know them from Free-to-Play MMO's.

So to get that awesome weapon or that shiny armor that matches your hair so well and makes you irresistable you pay a small fee in an in-game shop. I understand the business concept for microtransaction in F2P MMO's, but does it add something to a single player RPG?

Thanks to Omega for pointing out this link on Joystiq.

Titled Malevolent or Magnificent, OXM UK takes a look at becoming the ruler of Albion in Fable III:

he most obvious revolutionary strand is in the story itself. The continent of Albion has fallen under the reign of a tyrant king, who is oppressing the populace and abusing his power. For the first half of Fable III, your overarching mission will be to become a revolutionary leader yourself.

You'll begin by migrating your saved game over from Fable II, if you have one, and your new character will be the son or daughter of your hero. This was hinted at in the Fable II DLC release See The Future. It's an interesting approach, which means you won't be bound by your play-style from the previous game, but there will still be constant references to and evidence of your path through the last adventure.

Molyneux has implied that the game will open with some injustice befalling the original hero, no doubt at the hands of the tyrant king, leaving you to right the situation. Your journey will lead you to eventually overthrow the ruler and ascend to the throne yourself. For the most part, this will take the form of more traditional Fable role playing.

CVG reprints a Fable III preview from Xbox360World.  Here's a sample:

Overthrowing a king is a lot like a general election. People make pledges they aren't going to keep - even if they intended to keep them at the time - as they tour the country, shaking the Great Unwashed by their smelly proletarian hands. The first half of the game has you doing exactly that: going up to Albion's general public and promising to make their lives better when you become king or queen - in return for them lending a hand in the fight to attain it. You'll be able to shake their hands, too, thanks to the game's new touchy feely expression system. But we'll get round to that in just a moment... [...]

The expression system has been removed, replaced with something called 'Touch'. Rather than farting, Cossack dancing or clucking like a chicken (which would seem a bit odd as the ruler of Albion) you'll now hug, snog or shake people by the hand.

Apparently, this is because Lionhead "didn't feel like there was a connection in Fable II. The characters felt separate from the world." So you'll now be able to hold anyone's hand, for instance, taking a loved one to a cliffside to watch the beautiful sunset, or dragging a cute child from a burning house - reassuring the brat afterwards with a soppy hug. Lionhead are calling this 'Dynamic Touch'. "Imagine being able to embrace your own child," Peter said, explaining the concept. Well... we'd rather not embrace anyone else's.

MTV thinks this new Touch system is designed for (surprise) Microsoft's Natal controller:

"Do you really think, knowing me, as maybe you do over the years, I wouldn't want to use something like Natal?" Molyneux said in an interview with Game Kings. "I mean, that's just mad, man."

IGN AU has a rambling interview with Peter Molyneux who just can't get away from the rhetoric.  On taking three games to reach his ambitions with the Fable series:

IGN AU: Well, you tell me what your thoughts are on that. Is it a progressive, building-blocks process?

Peter Molyneux: That's very interesting. We're plagued by this idiotic—well, it's not an idiotic line, I still stand by it—this line that I said back in Fable 1 – 'we want to make the greatest role-playing game of all time'. And I mean that – and I mean that about anything we do. And quite often at Lionhead, I'll say 'look – why are we doing this shit, man? We're not doing this to make the fourth or fifth best role-playing game of all time – we need to make the first.