As a Peter Molyneux project, Fable III is immediately the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or so Mr. Molyneux would have you think. The master of hyperbole has once again set expectations incredibly high for his latest tale of adventure and morality. While never quite living up to Peter's word-weaving (that would be impossible), the series has always been a solid adventure, and an enjoyable RPG-lite. Does Fable III build upon its predecessors and become the wise, prosperous king? Or does it sour the townsfolk, leading to its untimely overthrow and execution?
Riding the rising popularity of the check-in app, Fable IIIstandalone mini-game Kingmaker is set to release for your smartphone. Kingmaker, in similar fashion to Fable II's Pub Games, is a nice way to earn some in-game cash before the game's release.
You choose a fictional Albion alignment, Rebel or Royal, and proceed to run around your city, smartphone in hand, dropping virtual flags around territories to claim them for whichever faction you've aligned yourself with. It's like Foursquare, except you won't get laughed at when both your Facebook and Twitter account proudly announce you have become the mayor of the porta-potty on Bleecker Street. Instead, for claiming territories, you compile gold that can be transfered to Fable III and used to purchase armor, weapons, and player customization options.
Sounds like fun for us boorish Americans, right? Lionhead Studios doesn't think so, so they've decide to keep Kingmaker as a European exclusive. Do they not realize the check-in craze here in the States? You got people killing each other in the streets for that Foursquare mayorship, son! The New York Times, in all its prestigious glory, wrote a two page article on the battle for mayorship of a freaking alleyway. Shit is going down, this is serious business! We can't get any Kingmaker love? Okay Lionhead, I see how it is.
As you and I both know, video games are a big deal. A multi-kajillion dollar industry that employs some of the most talented, behind the scenes people in the world, who work toward releasing a product that is both more original and more fun than the box office and television combined. It's only a matter of time before video games become more popular than both. Just don't say it'll be more popular than Jesus, that's a kiss of death.
As video games expand outside of the gaming subculture, the general public is becoming increasingly aware of gaming's artistry, influence, and revenue generating prowess. I don't know if actors can be considered as general public, to half the world they're these awe-inspiring figures of lavish tastes, who must be followed, photographed, gossiped, and generally gushed over. Eh, fuck it, actors are general public, they get no special treatment from me. Unless they're gamers, then they're awesome.
But I digress, video games are on the radars of most sensible actors, and why not? While the pay and treatment may not be as rewarding as working on a big budget Hollywood flick, the workload is no doubt significantly less demanding. Voice acting can be a legitimate source of exposure and coin in between films. Millions of people around the world will be playing this game Mr. hot-shot actor, they will hear your voice for hours on end, and once they complete that game, depleted yet content, they will return to the warm glow of their computer monitor and proceed to illegally download purchase your best works, which they remember fondly after helping you rid the world of an ancient evil pact forged by zombies and ninjas. And you did it all while being between films, your belly swollen with the nectar of your most recent film release, Final Apocalyptic Justice VII: The World Warrior. Job well done.
So it's no surprise that developers are able to recruit well known actors as voice talent, with the once respectable clip of cross-over stars now beginning to rise as the success of the games industry continues to climb skyward. The latest example of this is illustrated by Fable III of all things, enlisting the talents of well respected English actors Stephen Fry and Simon Pegg, along with borderline legends Sir Ben Kingsley and John Cleese. Impressive recruits, and for these who happen to be video game talent first timers, a classy and deep project to tie themselves to, and make losing their game acting virginity a rewarding and enjoyable experience.
While there may be no competition for the classic video game voice actor, it's definitely good to see the medium I love so much garnering respect from those whose craft is classic acting. With Hollywood becoming an uninspired remake machine, and TV stooping as low as jacking Twitter accounts to turn into prime time television, perhaps the games industry will continue to entice popular actors to lend their credibility, so that mainstream media will truly understand the legitimacy that game geeks like you and I are already aware of. Now we just need to figure out a way to get the politician's heads out of their asses, and stop their unadulterated hate.
Fable is a great series, that for some reason flies under a lot of gamer's radars. The idealistic creator, Peter Molyneux has a penchant for grandiose declarations regarding his brainchild. One of the things developers Lionhead Studios tried shoehorning into Fable II was online co-op. That didn't work so well. Molyneux is on record recently saying the Fable II's co-op was flawed, rushed, and a badly implemented throw in to what was a very solid game.
Enter Fable III, which looks to fix the issues that plagued gamers in the first two series entries, including the botched attempt at co-op. The awesome Fable experience, coupled with a proper online multiplayer will only enhance gameplay and replay value, of course. But, it'll add a whole lot of weird. MyGamerCard.net (minor spoilers within) has outed Fable III's list of achievements, which get a bit on the odd side. Case in point:
He’s a Woman. She’s a Man Wear a full set of clothing intended for the opposite sex
Long Distance Relationship Get married to another Xbox LIVE player
Cross-Dimensional Conception Have a child with another Xbox LIVE player
So, not only can I, but I am rewarded for cross-dressing, marrying, and having children with other human players, who are most likely fat, smelly, pock-marked geeks, just like me? Awesome, sign me up!
The Fable series has never been without it's quirks, good or bad, so just add these to the list. I'll excitedly pop a copy of Fable III into the ol' box and play for hours. But let's just say I won't be going for the 1000 Gamerscore.
Lots of new Fable III tidbits floating around the web this week, folks. There's the game's opening cinematic, which we'll touch on later. More importantly, Lionhead Studios is ramping up the release of it's opus in one of the most interesting ways possible; by allowing you to create your own in-game non-player character!
Visiting Fable III's Villager Creator will prompt you to answer a few questions to establish your NPC's background. Once that's set, you have a limited number of hair, headwear, and clothing options to jazz up your townie. Finally, choose a voice for your creation and a villager is born! It's a cool time killer if you don't plan on buying Fable III, however if you do, and you pre-order, you'll be able to import your villager into the game. Once you fire the game up, the product of your five minutes of labor will offer your Fable protagonist money, information, and possibly indecent sexual proposals. Schwing!
And now onto the trailer, which you can view below. It's kinda like the movie Up; presented well, well animated, and well written, with an underlying tone of sadness. I'm not sure what the trials and tribulations of a dead-chicken-flying have to do with uprising and overturning a dictator, but hey.. What do I know? I'm just a broke-ass, volatile, incorrigible flirt and sex addict (according to Fable III's Villager Creator.)
Peter Molyneux talks a good game. A master of hyperbole, his games are always cutting edge, revolutionary, on the door step amazing and uncharted video game territory. While the Fable games have never lived up to the Peter Molyneux Hype Machine, they've always turned out to be very good games. Fable II's simple three button fighting system proved to be fun as hell; easy to learn, rewarding once it's been mastered. Lionhead Studios has itself a nice thing to build on, and while Fable III's E3 trailer doesn't show much, it doesn't have to for you to know that the game has some promise.
I can't wait to have a threesome with a whore and my neighbor's wife. Then shoot the whore in the head. And watch as my neighbor's wife's tummy swells with my child. And laugh as my neighbor realizes the child isn't his and divorces his wife. Then stab my neighbor with a falchion, and move into his property to live with his widow. After she births my child, I will raise him to be as evil as I. And after incessant nagging, I will incinerate her with a fire spell, leaving my bastard child as I venture to a new town to complete the vicious cycle again while my son begins his own life of debauchery. Oh, Fable.
Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 8:01PM 
