Fable III

We all know that Fabe has been using the hype machine for years now, and usually failing to deliver. My reason for purchasing this latest installment was: "Why not?". After Fable II I honestly did not think they could dumb down the RPG genre any more. But they somehow managed it. Seriously, what RPG only makes use of half of the buttons on the 360 controller? This game could have alternatively been called: Fantasy RPGs for Toddlers. My goddamn speak-n-spell when I was a kid was about a dozen times more complex than this game. Not only that, but they seem to get off on trying all new ways to mess with the player's sensibilities. One great example from this installment is the "sanctuary". I got used to it eventually and didn't even feel that I was that inconvenienced by it; but it did leave me slightly befuddled and thinking "how is this any better than a menu?". Regardless of these shortcomings and the infuriating tendency of the Fable developers to make complete arses out of themselves (sorry, got caught up in British colloquialisms for a second there), I found to much chagrin that this game: is fun. No kidding, even after playing all three games and seeing them degenerate I still have a hell of a lot of fun playing them. The writing is entertaining, the jokes witty, the quests humorous and diverse in scope. And I still enjoy the moral choices and the open-ended nature of the universe, although I have to say it no longer presents it self as replay value. I've learned that at the end of the 8 hours of extremely similar game play on both ends you end up in the exact same place whether you're and angel or a dick. The problem I have with Fable II is not that it's a bad game, it's actually a pretty good one. My problem is that it tries to be about fifteen things that it clearly isn't, and that the talent of these developers seems to be devoted into churning out a new Molynieux-mart every year around the holidays. It has fallen into the same trap as Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Assassin's Creed, Madden, Call of Duty, Halo, Final Fantasy and countless others. The horrendous vortex of average, nearly identical sequels released every year and stamped with a $60 price tage. The question is not if these games are good ro bad, its how long are we going to keep paying for them if they are neither?