Fable 3 Impressions

Fable 2 was good, but nothing special as an Xbox 360 exclusive due to tedious combat and an not-altogether compelling storyline, so it remains to Fable 3 to prove the series' worth as a key franchise for Microsoft. From what I've seen so far, though, that might be the case: elements old and new have been intertwined to provide an instantly engaging, better crafted adventure which is more accessible to the likes of me that didn't spend their childhoods working for yet another Level Up. The premise is as follows: your brother is one heck of a tyrannical king, and as you are booted from the castle you must gain followers to start an uprising, derail the throne and ultimately take your rightful place as ruler of Albion. Though the choices you make are sure to be the most game-changing part of Fable 3, even the early tutorials are comedic but more importantly fun to play (a trait the predecessor lacked at times), giving me high hopes for a well-rounded game that a) has lots of replay value and b) could well be a contender for Game of the Year.