Fable III Previews

Last week’s E3 has given birth to three more previews of Fable III, the sequel that’s replacing “experience” with “followers” in an attempt to shed its RPG roots.  We’re not fooled.

GamePro starts us off:

Weapon customization is being handled in a very unique way in Fable 3. Your sword or gun will take shape with nicks, curves, and other designs being applied based on a variety of factors, including the amount of kills you’ve completed, the number of times you’ve died, and how often you’ve performed flourish attacks. You can then sell or trade your unique weapon amongst your friends.

Players who decide to enter your world for co-op mode can play a much larger role this time around. For example, you can marry and impregnate your co-op partner, and people who enter your world will be able to buy property in yours. Both players can bring their dogs along for the adventure, and Molyneux confirmed butt-sniffing.

Then we turn to Joystiq:

While Molyneux’s demo covered the entire philosophy behind Fable 3, the hands-on demo levels that we played mostly reinforced what we already knew: it’s a lot like Fable 2. In one scene, your hero is exploring a village; here, you’re able to go into the redesigned menu system (remember, it’s a room with a butler!) and explore your belongings. Having been given the Zelda-esque task of rounding up some chickens, you’re presented with a rather Fable-esque way of doing it. Instead of grabbing each chicken and tossing it into a pen, you enter your menu, put on your chicken suit, and convince the chickens to follow you, of their own accord, into a pen. Why? Because you’re in a chicken suit and that’s what chickens do.

In another section, your hero (in this case, a rather sinister-looking woman) is joined by her Uncle Walter in an underground cave, battling some evil shadow creatures. Reaching the end of the stage, Walter is captured by the creatures, covered in a black ooze once you defeat them, Walter is free but blind. Using the touch mechanic, you can hold his hand and lead him out of the cavern and into the light. He’ll talk to you while you’re leading him, asking you to keep holding his hand. Once you reach the surface, you’re presented with a massive desert with giant rock formations, and the demo ends. “Walter is about to die. The desert stretches endlessly before you. The kingdom needs you to lead a rebellion. What will you do?”

And a quick morsel from MTV Multiplayer:

“Fable 2” was one of my favorite games of last year, but even Molyneux admits that there were flaws. The menu system, for one, was incredibly ponderous and hard to navigate. Trying to find your black pirate hat among 50 other items in a giant list was just a mess. That’s where the Start button comes in for “Fable 3.”

Hitting Start instantly teleports the player into what the developers at Lionhead are calling Sanctuary. Basically it’s a home base for your hero, filled with all the stuff you’ve collected in your journey. Every piece of clothing, every coin of gold, every deadly weapon you discover can be viewed in these magical halls. It’s similar to the Villa in “Assassin’s Creed 2,” but it doesn’t require several minutes of travel to get there. You’re there instantly. There’s not even a load screen!