PG 1 | PG 2| PG 3

A Hero's Refuge
On your quest to become Albion's saviour, 'Fable III' takes a big leap ahead in how you navigate the land and manage your character. Instead of boring pages of character statistics, you now have your own private sanctuary with built in insta-teleporting. This secret "HQ of sorts" is run by your personal butler Jasper (voiced by John Cleese) who also can telepathically communicate to you thanks to power within the sanctuary. The Sanctuary has several rooms including an armoury (switch and upgrade weapons), wardrobe (change outfits, tattoos, dye clothing, etc), trophy room (achievements posted on wall, in-game trophies, and gold stash) and the online room (DLC items, co-op menu, friend stats, and more). Although the best resource is the giant navigation "war room” styled table in the middle of the room with a magnifying glass interface that is used to start quests, manage your real estate, and navigate Albion. The sanctuary is neatly organized and efficient for all your needs, and of course Jasper is there to offer comic relief and help you out if you have questions. It's one of those little thing that goes a long way towards improving the flow in 'Fable III.'

Side activities fit for a king?
Side jobs also return in the form of three colour matching button games. Each activity (iron working, pie making, lute playing) looks different, but they are just copies of one another and only button press mini-games at that. For all the creativity in 'Fable III,' it's a little alarming that Lionhead couldn't have brainstormed a few more ideas. Nevertheless, the odds jobs that are upgradeable are an easy way to earn money in Albion. The other way to earn big loot in 'Fable III' is by becoming a real-estate mogul. A few properties later and the money starts rolling in, a true snowball effect that makes the little mound of money in your 'Trophy Room' a giant heap of gold. Although, having all these riches makes you wonder how can times be so tough when you can make money so easily?

Exploring all that Albion has to offer
Along with the side jobs, 'Fable III' offers up a vast assortment of ways to spend time in Albion. Collecting is one major one with more than enough hidden items to search out like hidden keys and chests, dig spots, etc. Riddle 'Demon Doors' are return along with a new variation of Gargoyle -- foul mouthed insulting Gnomes! On top of all this and the normal storyline you have side romances and fledglings to deal with and new time demanding weapon upgrades. Yes, 'Fable III' will keep you busy for a considerable amount of time. In my first playthrough I clocked in about 16hrs without getting too deep into the optional content. In my second run (which I am currently) on I have slowed things down and have already amassed a good 15hrs without even touching the surface. If you want to stretch this one out, expect a good 30 hours or more.

Dodge, Roll, Shoot!
Combat has also been adjusted under the one-button approach. This approach works its magic here delegating the controllers three face buttons to magic, melee attack and ranged (guns) with the forth, the “A” being your 'dodge roll.' Combat is fast and hectic, excelling in large groups. While the radial magical attacks are a little overpowered, it is still fun to jump quickly among the three combat styles at will. Lionhead also improved the kill animations by adding some sweet slow-motion kill sequences that are bloody good (yes Fable III has blood.) Magic can also be combined as you progress, which allows you to mix up attacks with two powers like fire and ice, or shock and vortex.

In terms of difficulty, 'Fable III' isn't overly difficult until you get into the numbers game with more advanced enemies like the Balverine. By the second half of the game even a simple escort mission will be filled with triple the amount of enemies to keep things balanced with your upgraded hero. During these fights you will have to be quick with the rolls and magical blasts as you take out the hordes of re-spawning foes. The formula for victory rarely changes, yet the fights still are entertaining because you really never know who or what will be coming for you.