Customer Reviews

Fable III Limited Collector's Edition

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Length:: 2:40 Mins

If you want to see what exactly you get in the collector's edition with your own two eyes, then check out this video review!

Fable III is a great game. It's playable, and enjoyable, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Fable or even just a good story. But it just doesn't quite hold a candle to its predecessor. It pains me to say so, because I am a long-standing fan of Peter Molyneux, but the best way I can think of to describe Fable III is that it is Fable II with its heart cut out.

I could go on for pages about everything that falls short of the mark in Fable III, but I think it can all be summed up very succinctly: if you enjoyed engaging the world in Fable II, doing things like making all of Bowerstone fall in love with you, buying every piece of property in Albion, dressing a certain way to get a certain reaction from townsfolk, and buying specific food, alcohol, or luxury items to use or give as gifts, do not expect the same experience from Fable III. The game has been streamlined to the point where using the context-sensitive menu is a requirement, not a luxury.

You can still purchase property, but upkeep costs, while realistic, make being a magnate more trouble than it is really worth. You can no longer select which expressions you wish to use to impress people. Eventually, whole towns will fall in love with you, but it's a function of the backend of the game, not your specific actions toward them. Categories of items have been collapsed into single generic items. There is no way to see your inventory except by selling it. The quest log is buried and almost unnavigable, and overflowing with `relationship quests' that you don't even have to accept before they show up in the log.

There are good points, of course - the new Albion is huge, and you can really feel the difference in size between Fable II and Fable III. It's fun to walk through the kingdom and play `find the landmark' - many of them have changed almost beyond recognition. An old `friend' has built his new mansion in a place that is almost certain to infuriate series fans.

Fast travel is a necessity, now, where in Fable II I often found myself forgetting it was an option and walking. Of course, the combination of this new, larger Albion and the general loss of world detail I've described is that the world feels kind of empty. This isn't helped by the fact that the townsfolk algorithm has changed and you may now find yourself leaving a conversation and crossing a bridge only to find the person you just finished conversing with already on the other side.

The breadcrumb trail is also now a requirement - I didn't use it at all in Fable II but I just don't see how you'd manage without it in Fable III. You'd certainly do a lot of stumbling around. Quest text is minimal and location descriptions are vague.

The story is very good, although I found myself wanting to see more familiar faces. Despite being the son or daughter of your character from Fable II, the cast is 99% fresh. I did notice that the alchemist from Bowerstone Market was still named Gary, but that may have been a fluke.

Perhaps most damningly, despite the direct lineage of the games and the main characters, there is no way to import data from Fable II into Fable III. No matter what choices your father or mother made, they have had no effect on Albion 50 years hence. This, to me, is a bigger blunder as the locked camera angle in Fable II multiplayer. How could a series so focused on individualized experience miss this?

For a certain kind of gamer, this game would be a five. For most, it would probably be a four. For me, unfortunately, it's a three. What I've always loved about Molyneux's games is the personalization of the experience, and it feels like the only thing left to personalize in Fable III is your hero's appearance. That's done really well, but I expected more.

I'm not going really review the game-play of Fable 3. I figured you can find that anywhere, on other reviews, IGN, etc. I'm just going to concentrate on the general packaging, and DLC items which I don't think anyone has covered.

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LIMITED COLLECTOR'S EDITION BOX

The package came in perfect condition from Amazon, nothing was damaged.

The package itself came in a "book" which holds the game, and has a compartment at the bottom of the case. The inside is lined with red velvet, which feels nice and makes it look "rich".

The compartment holds a coin engraved with a "good" and a "bad" side. A Fable deck of cards is located right next to the coin. The coin is has a decent weight, and not made out of cheap plastic material. I don't intend to open the pack of cards, so I can't comment on that. The book has a strap of magnet, which hold the book closed. Overall, it's a very nice quality item.

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DLC FOR ALL NEW BOXES

The game box has 2 DLC cards inside for anyone who buy the game new. 1 card is for the highlander clothing set, and tattoo. The other one is for Raise Dead Potion, Slow Time Potion, and a Red Setter Dog Skin. Of course, there's also a manual and the game CD, too.

The Potions aren't really special, since I was able to find many more slow time potions while I was playing. I used the raise dead potion by mistake... but it wasn't all that great either. I spawned 2 dead bugs that helped me fight, which ended up dying pretty quick. I also preferred the default Collie dog skin over the Red Setter.

So, if you don't buy the game new... don't worry, it's nothing really special. But it's free, so it's great.

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FREE DLC FOR EVERYONE

Make sure you go online to the Fable 3 in the Market Place using your Xbox Live. Then click on the Download section. There you can download a free weapons DLC, which you get to use early in your game, so it's a great starter DLC.

Don't buy the Dog Outfit... it's not worth the money, it's just a gimmick.

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THE GAME

The graphic is using the same engine as Fable 2, so the quality is the same as Fable 2, but it looks a lot more massive. The world is noticeably larger.

There's no menu now. Instead of a menu, you instantly is teleported back to your Sanctuary. In your Sanctuary, you can change your outfit, your setting, teleport to other locations, etc. Your outfit is displayed on a manikin, which you can see what it will look like before putting it on.

The voice acting is superb, there's not a lot of reading. It seems everything is a voice over. Even when you find books, it will instantly voice over a summary of the book. Which I think is a great addition to the game.

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CONCLUSION

For some reason, I got a headache from playing the game. The motion sickness type headache. I guess it's because I haven't played a console game for awhile, but I have had it before and eventually I got used to it. Just a warning to the people who hadn't played a console game for a bit, be prepared not to be able to play for a long haul.

Overall, I love the game! There's so much to do, and I think it's a big improvement over Fable 2.

Highly recommended!

There are plenty of reviews on the game of Fable, so I'll stick to a review about the Limited Collector's edition. As a huge Fable fanatic, I could not resist purchasing this over the standard set.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The collector's edition comes with a coin, cards, and in game DLC. The in game DLC is not very big -- a few potions and some dog changing stuff. The rest of the game is exactly the same. The coin is kinda cool, but I never really use it. I guess I used it to decide whether my first character would be good or evil, but I ended up restarting one of the other side.

The cards are pretty cool. They feel nice and of good quality. I have not gotten a chance to use them in a poker setting, but they still were cool to have.

Overall, worth extra money for the collector's edition? Not really.

Fable 2 was pretty fun, but a little annoying - the menus and maps were pretty awful: nothing in any particular order, no way to relate to where you were out in the field. Lionhead sought to do something about these quibles... by making them prettier and more immersive in Fable 3, but not by solving the problems. Didn't even give 'em a looksie!

Then they thought they'd do the same to the leveling system. It is far more prettier when you level up, and the level up "menu" is pretty immersive, but by making all the experience you earn in the field generic rather than ability linked, they've taken what little depth they had in the series in the first place.

Which, strangely, seems to be exactly what they were going for. For all their blathering about choices and promises, this game really doesn't give you many. Whereas before, you used to have to choose exactly which expression was appropriate for the situation, the game chooses for you - you merely get to choose whether you want to be naughty or nice. Lots of stuff like that.

I also feel the need to point out that, even with this "special" edition, you're gonna feel a little cheated. For all the little extra things you get for "free", you'll find an equal amount of dlc you have to pay for, right from the get-go. Things like costumes for your character. Sure, you don't need them, but when it's obvious they've left empty spaces in your inventory menu for them ahead of time? Yeah... That smacks of crass commercialism...

Which is not to say that I didn't have a fun time playing this game, all the wit and charm of the previous entries were there, as well as many of the same voice samples... If you liked them, you'll like this. Just don't expect to be amazed this time, and don't be surprised if you feel like you've been here before...

Fable 3 is a very fun game with lots to do. For fans of the Fable games this is not just a cookie cutter of the last game. The story flows well as a continuation of fable 2 but is set up where it can be a standalone story for someone who has never played the others in the series. I recommend the use of Fable III Limited Edition (Hardcover) to aid players.

Been a fan of the Fable series since it became a series and 3 didn't disappoint. Good game, easy to get into, easy to get sucked into, easy to forget eating lunch and dinner while sucked into; all of which are high points from where I stand. Except for starvation headaches, those aren't fun, so might want to make sure not to follow my example and maintain a healthy eating schedule! If you are looking for something Totally different from Fable 2, this might be a little disappointing. They do share a lot of the same elements, but 3 expands on many to make them even better than its predecessor. But wait, there's more! This one felt longer than 2, or even original Fable. I was always a little disappointed that it felt like I had only begun to play and then find myself at the end. Fable 3 extended the story in ways that both made it fun and still very playable, as opposed to games that force you to grind though pointless tasks for no apparent reason.

As this is the collector's edition I should probably mention something about it, huh? Very pretty box, very fancy. Faux-velvet lining makes any game case feel like a Rolls Royce compared to the Toyota of standard game cases. The card deck is almost too pretty to use, almost. And the nifty little good/evil decision coin makes a nifty paperweight for all those homework assignments that I neglected alongside eating.

What does this all mean?

Fable 3: Good buy.

Me: Bad role model.

You will rebel against your brother, when you do so, will you do good or bad? The whole game is based around you rebelling and you will recruit help and get people on your side to do so. The combat is easier and simpler than before. Its just as fun but the best part is being King. When you become King you can effect what the people think of you by what goals you will go through and at it all effects the ending. You want to tax people heavily? If doing so you will fill your room full of gold but people will hate you. Then there is decisions you have to make like destroy a forest for lumber but by doing so will make those that live there hate you. Will you send troops to another region that you promised help? Doing so might leave you a bit more defenseless. These are great but if you do them all quickly than it leads up to the end rather quickly.

The game still has everything the last one does from buying stores and houses to rent out. There is now new jobs you can do such as playing the flute and making pies. It looks pretty decent. The side missions are pretty decent but a bit repetitive over time. A great thing is managing your store and houses by a central location. As for the collector's edition? The box is designed very nicely and the hidden compartment was a great touch. It has a deck of cards and emblem from the game. I recommend it for serious Fable 3 fans, otherwise your fine with just the standard game.

Your reward for friending someone is an ultra generic and boring fetch quest.

You can't gather crowds of people to show off and gain fame. You must do it one by one in little cut away segments that just take you out of the moment.

You have no control on what emotes you get to use, so if you want to do one specific animation you have to try over and over and over for it to show up.

The pixy dust trail is a joke and half the time it does not show up and the other half the time it's taking you on a quest you didn't even pick.

The job mini games are all scared with lag issues that make their timed button presses all but impossible.

Have I mentioned the load........ing. It's everywhere!

If you are escorting someone and you are ambushed you have to just sit idol and wait for your character to put his equipment away before you can hit the left trigger again to hold hands and proceed along.

When you enter a village 18 npc's all start into lines of diologue one on top of the other, causing such a horrible sound it makes me mute the game!

There is no "repair-all" feature. This sounds like a small gripe. But when you have 50+ houses your the owner of it takes literally 20 mins of your time to fix them all.

The game is also marred with horrible amounts of slowdown. Bribing the game to it's knees at nearly 10fps.

All this would be fine if it was Fable 1 but it's Fable THREE! This crap should of been ironed out by now.

But with all this said the game is still "Fun" which says a lot about it's writing and quests. So if you can go in with lowered expectations it might help.

For Pre ordering this item I was suppose to get special offer redeem codes and I didn't receive them, other than that the game is absolutely awesome