The choice between good and evil

Hero. What is a hero? A strong, powerful individual who protects others? A citizen who stands up for their own rights and beliefs? Everyone will already have their perception of what a hero is, their own distorted version of a ‘knight in shining armour’. What the Fable franchise has given us is the power to create and craft our own hero but that doesn’t always mean our hero will be good-willed. Everyone has a dark side, even if it is a small one. In every game I can bet you have tried to do something unethical, like shoot at an animal or destroy someone’s home. In Fable you are allowed to embrace your dark side and create a menace of a monarch.

Our adventure through Albion started back in 2004 when a satellite developer of Lionhead studios, Big Blue Box, teamed up with publisher, Microsoft Studios, to bring us Fable. The land of Albion was lush with greenery, full of life and vast in size, quite often some of the most important ingredients to a successful game. The idea of making good or evil choices was very innovative and it made the player feel a little bit more connected to the game. Overall, Fable received a great reception and, although there were complaints that the main storyline was too short, there were plenty of side-quests to occupy your time.

Just two years later in 2006, Lionhead Studios announced Fable II and the imaginations of the fans went wild. The game took place five hundred years after the events of the original and it continued with the Fable bloodline. For the first time you could choose your gender, get married and divorced, have children, get jobs, play co-op with friends and so much more. Fable II scored an overall of 89% on Metacritic which was a higher than the original. Fable III, the most recent instalment to the franchise was released in 2011 and it played out fifty years after Fable II. It was criticised for its slow beginning and lack if innovation, but a lot of fans were pleased with the decisions and choices that had to be made in the final segment of the game. Although highly anticipated, Fable III was somewhat lacklustre and it only scored 80% - the lowest Fable score yet.

Fable on... Kinect

As 2012 approaches, Fable: The Journey dawns on us and no one is quite sure what to expect. It is the fourth game in the series but it is not a sequel of any of the past games. It is a stand-alone title completely separate to the main series. It takes place only five years after the events of Fable III and you will play a dweller that travels from town to town on his trusty horse and carriage. One day on your travels you will encounter an injured woman by the name Theresa and yes, you guessed it, it is the same Theresa from all of the previous Fable games. This is the event that will trigger your epic adventure across the entirety of Albion.

Sounds good so far, right? Not conventional Fable but still interesting enough. Perhaps... until you mention that the game will be a Kinect exclusive title. Kinect titles carry around this overwhelming sense of disappointment and I can’t say I’m surprised. I cannot think of a Kinect title that has impressed me one bit, so to pull an adored franchise into such unsteady waters is not a good idea in my opinion.