Attempt to withhold your fart expression at the following Fable III screens, courtesy of X10’s press release extravaganza:
The images show off a grimier, smoggier, prostitute-ier Albion. Except for the last one, which has more of a warm “COME TO DADDEH” feel.
At X10, we also caught a glimpse of how different Fable 3 would be from its predecessors. Just like Fables I and II, you’ll start the game from square one as an unknown peasant, but you’ll be given the chance to incite a revolution and become a king or queen by mid-game. You’ll still be wielding magic, firearms, or melee weapons using Fable II’s one-button system, but this time, your weapon will “evolve” based on what kind of enemies you’re killing. Kill an innocent, and your sword will drip blood; kill a Hobbe, and it’ll grow spines. It will also evolve based on gamerscore and can be traded, although it’s not clear whether “traded” means online or simply in-game.
Health bars and orb collecting won’t be part of the Fable III experience, either. Health will be monitored via a FPS-style color saturation system, much like the systems in Gears of War or Uncharted, and orbs have been replaced by physical “followers:” perform great feats, and you’ll earn them, but muck up, and they’ll abandon you. Fable Showman-in Chief Peter Molyneux stressed the importance of judgment and decision making, especially as a Royal. Good or bad deeds will result in what he calls “extreme morphs.” For example, a saintly do-gooder might sprout brilliant angel wings during a fight, or an evil character might spontaneously grow something more sinister.
Molyneux mentioned possible Natal integration, saying that you’ll now be able to “touch your girlfriend in the game… hold, persuade, pull, push her.” Huh. He also revealed that the dog is returning to the series.
It’s not clear whether these updates will finally turn the Fable franchise into something groundbreaking, or whether it’s all just ambitious window dressing. Expect the game in late 2010.
Source: X10, Joystiq