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Role Playing (Games) XBox (Games) Entertainment Games

Fable III Announced For 2010 52

Flea of Pain writes "Fable III is finally in the works! 'Peter Molyneux revealed that his team is working on Fable III, which will arrive in late 2010, two years after the release of Fable II. The game will give you the primary task of becoming Albion's king and leading the people to happiness and the kingdom to glory. Fable III will be something bold and different, Molyneux promises, stating that story and drama will play a major part in it. New things will be done with the dog and the bread-crumb-trails mechanic, which were present in the second game, and you will be offered complete control of your actions and your people's actions, as you will be the king of Albion. ... [Y]ou will need to balance many things, including poverty and greed, tyranny and compassion or progress and tradition, all in order to keep your subjects happy. Furthermore, you will be able to set taxes and decide how you will rule your subjects. Your spouse, be it a king or a queen, will also point you into various directions over the course of the game. It seems that you will start as a son or daughter of the hero from Fable II and then progress until the halfway point of the game when you will be named king or queen of Albion. This means that you need to keep your save data from Fable II in order for a higher degree of customization.'"
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Fable III Announced For 2010

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  • Does it have that damn dog again?

    • Can you freaking jump?

      Ok, ok, jumping (aka platforming) isn't what the game is "about." I should be focusing on other things like "combat" and "immersive storyline." Jumping also isn't what WoW is about, but it makes it a HELL of a lot more entertaining to run around.

      I have absolutely NO clue why, but something about being about to hit a key and see my character bounce around on the screen adds TONS of entertainment value. Call me a silly person for being easily entertained... I know that most p
      • by KDR_11k ( 778916 )

        Jumping lets you climb to hard to reach spots and that adds to the exploration, figuring out how to get to spot X.

        • The downside for the game maker is it's much harder to program/playtest, since you probably don't want any obvious sequence breaks (when someone can get to an area ahead of the sequence you've defined by the game story). Any increase in mobility means you have to playtest more rigorously.
          • by KDR_11k ( 778916 )

            Of course sequence breaks are always a neat thing to have.

            • Complicated, unintended sequence breaks are sweet. I especially enjoy watching the ones for games like Super Metroid (SNES), Metroid: Fusion (GBA), and pretty much any game with a shinespark :)
  • Your spouse, be it a king or a queen, will also point you into various directions over the course of the game.

    Yeah, but I bet your "spouse" won't be able to be a same-sex ruler, and will be about as useful as Superfly. If it were realistic, your spouse would be cheating on you with a nearby realm's ruler, feeding them information, complaining that they never have an equal say in ruling the realm, and raising a bunch of children that want to kill you and take over. And the peasants will scream "Come see the violence inherent in the system!" everytime you try to get information out of them.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Fwipp ( 1473271 )

      Your spouse, be it a king or a queen, will also point you into various directions over the course of the game.

      Yeah, but I bet your "spouse" won't be able to be a same-sex ruler, and will be about as useful as Superfly.

      Why do you say that? I was perfectly able to play as and marry a woman in Fable II.

    • Re:realism (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Itchyeyes ( 908311 ) on Wednesday August 19, 2009 @02:04PM (#29123089) Homepage

      Yeah, but I bet your "spouse" won't be able to be a same-sex ruler

      Really? If there was ever a game that would allow this, I would think it would be Fable. Both previous games have allowed for homosexual relationships and marriages. Not to mentioned that polygamy, STDs, orgys, birth control, and infidelity were also all included in some form or another in Fable 2. As far as video games go, Fable is about as sexually progressive as you get.

    • I want to play Fable, not A Song of Ice and Fire. also, "Mommy, why does Albion have two Kings?"
      • Re:realism (Score:5, Funny)

        by SuiteSisterMary ( 123932 ) <slebrun.gmail@com> on Wednesday August 19, 2009 @03:55PM (#29125073) Journal

        also, "Mommy, why does Albion have two Kings?"

        Well, two Queens.

      • Mommy, why does Albion have two Kings?

        Technically, that would be a King and a King Consort. Co-sovereignity is typically an anomaly. However, the title of King Consort is also rare; usually the lesser title of Prince Consort is granted.

        This means the happy couple would most likely be styled His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Prince Consort.

        I wonder how many decades will have to pass before we see that for real.

  • Sounds exciting.. (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    ..but hopefully it will have more content than Fable II, which seemed to be way too short. I know there is a lot more content such as side quests, having multiple families, etc., but it seemed like the storyline ended quickly.

    Also I am really hoping they improve the multiplayer capabilities. I was thoroughly disappointed when I found that when a friend joins your game, their only choice is to play some generic character. It would be nice for them to be able to choose the character from their own saved ga

  • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Wednesday August 19, 2009 @01:34PM (#29122481)
    The ability to actually visit your friends with YOUR character and be able to move around freely would be a huge improvement. Seriously, the multiplayer in Fable 2 felt like it wasn't even an afterthought--as if it was added on at the very last micro-second before it went gold by a single designer (who was drunk at the time).
  • Stop reading now (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jpmorgan ( 517966 ) on Wednesday August 19, 2009 @01:36PM (#29122519) Homepage
    Peter Molyneux talks about the game he'd like to make, not the game that is released; so if you want to enjoy this game, stop reading about Fable 3 now. Peter Molyneux gets excited and starts talking about all the features he wants to include... and then 18 months later after reality has forced a lot of compromises, gamers are disappointed. This isn't to say that he makes bad games... I've played Fable and Fable 2, and enjoyed both. They're certainly a lot more original than most of the shovelware produced these days, and I consider them to be upper tier. But the key is not to play them with unrealistic expectations. So don't read about Fable 3. The game will be good, so long as you don't expect it to be the Best Game in the Universe, as Molyneux often makes his games out to be.
    • by Reapy ( 688651 )

      Seriously, there is only so long you can eat the crap he shoveled out. I think his talk big thing started with black and white and continued on from there. Maybe I just didn't read about him or know about him before then for his other games, but I distinctly remember it starting with b&w.

      Fable is a neat series, I guess. I sort of hated them. Each one felt like your vast world was contained into a little arena box as you went from area to area. Did they improve this with fable 2?

      I do like what he is sayi

  • by Itchyeyes ( 908311 ) on Wednesday August 19, 2009 @01:37PM (#29122537) Homepage

    I could probably sit here and make a list 3 pages long of changes and improvements that I'd like to see in Fable 3 (and I genuinely enjoyed Fable 2). But if I had to pick just one thing that I'd like to see in the next game it would be this. One of the things about Fable 2 that really set it apart from all the others in my mind, was the ability for the character to truly influence the environment of the game world. Save a farmer from a group of bandits, for instance, and 10 years later there's a thriving farm where there was just a shack and a meager carrot patch. Choose not to save him, or join that bandits though and even the farm would be just a distant memory.

    However, this aspect of the game was only expressed at a handful of choice moments in Fable 2. The one thing I'd like to see in Fable 3 is more of these, a lot more, and more dynamic changes as well.

  • Both were hyped up as complete game-changers that would shake the industry in how immersive they were, and the amount of choice you'd have. First off, you couldn't even play a female character in Fable. He has yet to deliver on 10% of past promises. So excuse me while I withhold my excitement for Fable 3.

    • by Nf1nk ( 443791 )

      yes but in fable 2 you could not only play as a female character, you could also pull off a sex change.

      • The point is that Peter kept saying these games will feature unparalleled immersion and choice. In reality, they offered far less immersion and choice than existing titles. Heck, compare Fable to Ultima VII (a game that shipped on floppy disks for crying out loud). Peter Molyneaux needs to stop promising 10 times as many features as he can deliver.

  • "you will be offered complete control of your actions"

    Man, that sounds familiar. What other game was promising me that? Wait - it was ALSO called Fable, and it instead offered only token control over the world. Whee, a minor change in my physical appearance! I feel so powerful and in control of my destiny!
  • by BForrester ( 946915 ) on Wednesday August 19, 2009 @01:43PM (#29122685)

    I'd be more excited about Fable II coming to the PC than hearing about another 360 exclusive.

    • I'd give you mod points if I had any. I don't want to buy an 360 just to play Fable II.

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Fallingcow ( 213461 )

        It's no good. Really. I even liked Fable I (I didn't pay much attention to the hype, though, so that may have helped, but I didn't for II, either).

        Play The Witcher or a well-modded copy of Morrowind or Oblivion instead, if you haven't already. Any of the Baldur's gate series, Arcanum, or the first two Fallouts would be fine, too, if you just want a good PC-RPG to play. Hell, even the barely-mediocre Fallout 3 is better than Fable II.

        Or just re-play Fable I. II is awful. It's basically a shitty version

        • Perhaps the above is flamebait, but not really troll. Some useful info is offered. None of the analogies made are outright wrong and some of them seem quite correct.
          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by Fallingcow ( 213461 )

            I was being serious, not trolling. Thought I was offering useful advice. Wish I'd read something like my post before paying money for such a crappy game. Never even occurred to me that I might get any sort of negative mod for that post. Huh.

            You know a sequel sucks when it makes you want to quit playing about 1/4 of the way through and break out the original instead--and then never go back to the sequel ever again.

            I've muddled through some bad RPGs, but at least the ARPGs like Fable usually satisfy some

  • New things will be done with the dog and the bread-crumb-trails mechanic....

    Okay, this is a hoax, right? Haha, we were all fooled. You had me except for that line about new things being done with the dog, as if it was a good idea that merely need to be tweaked to make it great, as if it could somehow be slotted into a game that's apparently going to be a king RPG. Really, that line was a bit too Onion-y for it to come off as being a real announcement.

    But it was a respectable shot. You got us good, Pete.

    ...

    What? You're serious? Oh, God, you're serious.

  • I no longer care if he delivers what he promises. I'll assume now the answer is 'no'.

    What he really needs to do is budget playtesting and post-playtesting development. Without this simple and important part if the development cycle, you end up with significant flaws in the final product. For Fable 1, you have the incessant and inane voice tips. Try to get your combat multiplier even *higher*! In Fable 2 you have the death mechanic, or should I say lack therof. It trivialized combat completely, making the ga

  • meh (Score:5, Funny)

    by dontPanik ( 1296779 ) <(moc.liamg) (ta) (smlesedn)> on Wednesday August 19, 2009 @02:29PM (#29123617)
    I liked the first fable but the second fable seemed awful to me. I didn't like the dog, I didn't like the arrow consistantly telling me where to go. It was too easy to wander into too high level of enemies.

    So I'll pass on the third too.

    From TFA:

    Another new mechanic will be called touch, as your interactions with other people will be measured in a more precise manner. For example, if you are trying to court a woman, the new system will slowly allow you to shake her hand, hug her and more. This will be the expression touch, but there will also be a dynamic touch, which will let you reach out and interact with others. Molyneux then describes a good example of when you hear a baby crying. In Fable II, the game would say press A to save the child, but with the touch system, you will be able to pull the child from the house, while cuddling and reassuring him.

    Haha I wonder if eventually video games will get so advanced that you'll be able to tell by watching me play that I have no idea how to flirt with girls.

    • by KDR_11k ( 778916 )

      Haha I wonder if eventually video games will get so advanced that you'll be able to tell by watching me play that I have no idea how to flirt with girls.

      Don't worry, game developers are nerds too.

  • I guess we can assume there won't be a PC version of Fable 2 then....
  • Fable III will be something bold and different, Molyneux promises, stating that story and drama will play a major part in it.

    Oh he promises, does he? Well he has an excellent track record for making good on his promises in the previous Fables games. I'm sure people will be rushing out to purchase the next one based on this alone.

  • will be something bold and different, Molyneux promises, stating that story and drama will play a major part in it.

    Is that some sort of form paragraph for him?

  • If you're wondering why Molyneux announced it this early and is trying to get it as much attention as possible and make it sound like it's going to change gaming forever (again), you need a little back story on him because this is the kind of BS he always pulls.
    Here's the short version: he's the king of all self important douchebags who makes even Steve Jobs looks like the Snapple guys in the cranberry commercial. His douchebaggingly long video of himself talking about how Fable 2 was going to be the best
    • by KDR_11k ( 778916 )

      From what I heard from people who worked under Molyneux he tends to think up new features in the middle of an interview and then talk like they're implemented already.

  • Am I alone who played Fable 2 and was completely turned off by the long, VERY frequent loading times? I think I spent more time waiting than playing.
  • I hated Fable from the get go. Take a guess what I think of this :-)

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