Fable III, Fanfic, and What of Lionhead

On 04/16/2013 at 12:33 AM by KnightDriver

I picked up Fable III today for $10 at GameStop.

I remember buying it day-one in 2010 and being unable to use the code for the create-a-character that was part of GameStop's preorder bonus. Sometimes GS just fails me and I wonder if I should switch to online purchases. Anyway, I was very happy with the game and played it to completion. It was a bit shorter than Fable 2, and more action oriented, but it had a good story and great voice work by many famous Brit comedians like Stephen Fry and John Cleese. I must've traded it in at some point but I felt it should be in my collection for good. I still have some demon doors to open after all.

This was the first game to inspire me to write some fan fiction. I basically elaborated on the events of my playthrough and made a little story out of it. It was about a woman subjected to a tramatic loss which sent her on an adventure of danger and self destructive behaivior. At some point she reformed herself and followed a career in politics to fight against child labor. From there she became a leader of a revolution which made her the regal head of state. She couldn't be satisfied as Queen though, because her restless heart needed to begin another adventure, this time aboard a sailing ship.

Unfortunately the game didn't provide a sea adventure for me to continue the story, so I ended it with her staring longingly at a shipwreck from a tiny island house. It was fun to write. I think the game's ability to tell a story while giving you enough creative space to personalize it is one of the great strengths of the Fable series and the reason why I was inspired to create my own fiction from it.

It's too bad Peter Molyneux has moved on from Lionhead. I think Microsoft, owner of Lionhead, would be wise to do something like what they've done with Halo and continue Fable even though Molyneux has left. And I don't mean XBLA titles like the lackluster Fable Heroes and Kinect titles like the so so Fable: The Journey. They need to continue the full console experience. It's starting to look like Lionhead might go the way of Rare and become developers of mainstream Kinect titles only. Egads!

This is the print ad I scanned at the time. Ah, I'll miss the Fable games.

Chris Yarger Community Manager

04/16/2013 at 06:19 AM

I liked the original Fable the best of all 3 games. I thought it was well executed for it's time. The second game is probably the one I laughed the most at with some of the co-op experiences I had had. The third however went unfinished for some reason. I started it with my Wife and we just never went back to finish it for some reason. Perhaps if it's that cheap I'll just buy it sometime and we'll try to get back into it.

KnightDriver

04/17/2013 at 02:23 AM

3 plays fast like an action RPG. There's still the puzzling demon doors, but you can really rip through the main game pretty quickly if you wanted to.

Little things about the game have stayed with me since I've played it such as the wedding cut scenes that appear every time you get married. The high price one made me almost shed a tear.

leeradical42

04/16/2013 at 08:30 AM

Never played Fable III, I enjoyed Fable II and Fable, I had heard it was not like the first and there fore never got it.

04/17/2013 at 02:25 AM

It is different and a little disappointing if you want a deep RPG like Fable 2. I still have to finish 2 and its DLC. For some reason I got onto something else half way through and watched my buddy finish it instead.

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/16/2013 at 05:35 PM

I've never played Fable, but I remember being wowed by the screenshots of it before XBOX even released; sounds like an interesting fanfic.

04/17/2013 at 02:35 AM

Peter Molyneux always over advertised its inovations, but it is a fun Zelda type game for the Xbox which is sadly lacking in such titles.

Thanks about the fanfic. It was full of sex and violence kind of like a more explicit Zena Warrior Princess, but then became more serious in the second half... well, not too much more serious now that I think of it. She had anger and idenity issues that never really resolved.

Nicoleb1989

I liked both Fable 2 and 3 but I never played the first one. I dont think the Fable games are gone for good. I believe there gonna continue them with the next gen xbox.

04/17/2013 at 02:37 AM

Man, I hope you're right. I can't wait for another triple A Fable game.

04/17/2013 at 02:51 AM

I hope so too, i jsut dont see them doing away with the franchise. There is still potential there even with Peter Molyneux no longer at Lionhead. I think we need to atleast give it till E3 this year before we really start to have doubts.

04/17/2013 at 03:03 AM

A reveal at E3 would be awesome! E3 is going to be something to watch this year with all the new consoles coming out.

04/17/2013 at 03:10 AM

I think E3 is def gonna be killer this year, for awhile now it has seemed like it hasnt wowed a lot of people but i think things will play out differently this year. I just wonder now where Im gonna watch it. I dont normally watch it online but with G4 now gone I might have to.

PixlBit