With rumblings that E3 could bring forth information on a new Fable game, people are talking about what the game will be about, what type of time period it will simulate and how the game will play. If past is any indication, the game could go several ways, but this is how the game could be incredible.
To start off, Fable II has a very special place in my heart. I played Fable I, yes, I played it a lot, but I played II way more. I played it with two characters and I may play it with a third if 4 is announced at E3. My wife, Sarah, who wasn't that big of a gamer at the time (she's a level 51 Siren in Borderlands 2 and has built a shopping mall in Minecraft, she's come a long way). She wasn't incredibly keen on starting a game that looked kind of complex, but I told her we'd play the game co-op. When we figured out the co-op mode was crap, she started her own game and has been a fan ever since. We played seperate games, but always kept each other informed on progress, levels, wealth accrued, and property bought.
Fable II for all of it's glory, had several faults. The menu system was notoriously and unneededly complex. Slide after slide of text that went deeper and deeper and deeper. There were options that were hard to find even for vets. The co-op had a single camera, limited walking space and wouldn't allow you to bring in your characters from other games.
Fable III was released only two years after II, which was a year faster than I to II. The game's story was just as interesting and towards the end you got to run the kingdom of Albion. There was less of a vendetta against the main main antagonist (The Darkness never killed your dog). Logan was more interesting as he was a dictator, but he did it to try to save the kingdom. Once you rule Albion, you have to manage the finances of the treasury in order to rebuilt portions, but have enough money to fight The Darkness (with the result being more or less civilian casualties).
First off, all of the problems from Fable II were fixed. The co-op didn't suck and you could bring your characters into someone else's game (and vice versa). The menu wasn't only better, but it's improvement was revolutionary. Instead of text menus you have a playable Sanctuary. The Sanctuary allowed you to walk around and interact with objects instead of using the overly complex menus of II.
The problem was that it was overly simplified. From the combat system to the leveling up system, all of it was too easy to master. The leveling up menus were replaced with chests (similar to the Sanctuary menus), but maxing out was way to easy. With few side missions, I was maxed out before the end of the main game. The orbs were only generalized orbs instead of having said orbs combined with skill specific orbs as well (magic, melee, firearms).
The firearm combat was reduced to locking on one enemy's body, instead of eventually having the ability to aim at portions of enemy's bodies. There were major glitches that broke the game when it released (I almost had to start the game over in the sequence where you become trapped in a book... only through co-op trickery was I able to escape). The game seems smaller and geared toward a more casual audience.
Fable 4 should take the best of both games. The menu system and co-op of III combines with a more complex combat and leveling up system (like in II, but updated). The touch system vs. the expression system doesn't have a clear winner, but taking the best from both systems couldn't hurt. The ability to build a house would liven things up a bit.
Fable 4 will also need to keep up the DLC onslaught that III had. I was ecstatic about the new dog breeds, but maybe taking a page from Gearbox's Shift codes. Having a chest in the middle of the town square that can only be opened with golden keys that can only be obtained with codes... look I know it's basically copying off Borderlands 2, but it was a really good idea. I check Twitter way too often to get Randy Pitchford's Shift codes, but I guess that's the point.
The story can go in any direction and the time period is up in the air. If things go any further with technological upgrades, will it still feel like Fable? I guess time will tell. There are tons of improvements that can be made, but getting the right mix of what worked in the previous games is the first thing that needs to be dealt with. I have faith Lionshead, give us the best Fable ever... maybe on Xbox One? We'll see.
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