Thursday 31 March 2011

Fable III PC: System Requirements.

In case you PC guys want to know if you have to spend a whole load of cash on your rig to get it up to speed, these are the specifications for the PC version.

The recommended specs are:
Operating System: Windows 7
CPU: Intel Pentium 2.9Ghz Core 2 Duo or higher
RAM: 4GB
Graphics: NVIDIA 260GTX 896MB or ATI 5770 1GB or higher
Hard-drive: 12GB free space

The minimum specs are:
Operating System: Windows 7, Vista, XP
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or AMD Athlon X2 4000+
Graphics: NVIDIA 7600GT or ATI HD 2600 Pro
RAM: 2GB
Hard-drive: 12GB free space

The PC version also boasts the Hardcore game mode and 3D stereoscopic fandangos.

Eurogamer.net

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Fable III PC Screenshots.

A few more screenshots recently released on the Fable III PC facebook page and now here for your viewing pleasure.





























It's looking very, very cool and if my rig could handle it I would buy it! Let's see how this new hardcore mode pans out for the game too.

New ViDoc on the Way

As Sam has pointed out on twitter...

"SamVanTilburgh
And I've just finished a new Lionhead Video Diary for #Fable3"

Assuming here that this is going to be about the Fable III PC release, but we shall see.

Sam's Twitter Page

Very interesting.

Sunday 20 March 2011

Some CG Joyness!

And now some more concept art/still joyness but on the CG side of things thanks to the very talented Daniel Rice who came up with some absolutely brilliant images for the fantastic opening sequence in Fable III.













The fantastic Mr Rice's CGHub page.

Little Concept Joyness!

So I did another one of my trawls through the internet and I found myself this.




Pretty fantastic and funny when you open it up and see! Very cool work from Crystal Jade Vaughan. See below for a full link to her work which is all pretty brilliant.

Crystal's CGHub Page

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Molyneux gets BAFTA Fellowship


Well this is coming mere minutes after watching Peter receive his Fellowship award from the Video Game Awards here in merry old England. With some wise words and just a few tears Peter went into detail about why he loves the industry so much and what it means to him to be part of it all; from its ''substance abuse'' induced openings for him back with Populous and then onto the heady heights of the current generation and Fable III.

My first dip into the games of Peter Molyneux were back with Dungeon Keeper and Dungeon Keeper II. I borrowed the games from a friend and spent hours playing through and making sure my special dungeon retained its creepiness, looking at the fantasy world from the other side of the conflict. Not only was it one of the first games I played but it was also one of the first games that got me interested in the fantasy worlds I now love to run around in today and that's something I have to thank him for.

Without Peter Molyneux and his recent games in the Fable series, as well as the giant that is Black & White I don't think I would be as avid a gamer as I am now, or indeed as interested in the worlds of fantasy I like to inhabit. His interesting way of blending the good and the bad and greying the line between right and wrong is a fantastic concept that many of us playing roleplay games seem to take for granted now, and even into the third iteration of the Fable franchise he is still doing it, forcing some harsh decisions on us as players.

I want to now look at a game and that's obviously going to be Fable. I remember being in secondary school and opening a magazine to read about the awesome sounding 'Project Ego'. A game where everything you did would effect the world around you and it would be a new take on the roleplaying games I had played before. Sure I had dipped into my Final Fantasy collection many a time, and of course the legend that is Baldurs Gate but this was going to be the first one where the hero could be of my own creation, from his face right down to what boots he wore and why.

Sure when Fable finally came along it wasn't totally as he had described it to the press a few years before but it still broke the mould in a good number of ways. Not only did we have the first morphing of a hero in a roleplaying game but decisions that finally carried weight and made us think about what we were doing. I don't mind telling you now that I stood at that vortex for a good 10 minutes before deciding whether or not I was going to chuck that sword into it. It set into motion for me a whole saga of changes I would move with and spark interests I didn't know I had.

The first of these was starting to want to be involved in the video gaming world and so I went and wrote articles for Britxbox. Then I moved onto managing a forum called fable-2.com, dedicated to the games past and future in the series. Sadly that fell through but I continued anyway and now own this blog here continuing to talk about and discuss a mammoth of a franchise that I just can't get enough of. Fable has and always will be a fantastic series of games to me and I hope to see it continue on for many more iterations in the future.

I guess this brings me to the end of my diatribe on the man himself and his games, and to a small extent me. But I will say one more thing. While I was playing through the latest DLC package with a friend last night and exploring the 'street of the future' on Faraday's Island I looked up at that statue of Faraday with the little robot and it struck me that this is exactly what Peter would have done. The whole story of Faraday and his creation for good, a progressive world where new things were always being created and tested is the world that Peter inhabits. Logan wanting to use his experiments and creations for bad, and sticking to the rigid structures of his rule are the naysayers looking at Faraday and indeed Peter's work and saying it can't be done.

Like my hero, and many others I hope we all stretch out a hand to Peter and encourage him to keep pushing forwards and trying new things.

Molyneux set to up his game from already lofty heights.

Molyneux's Twitter.

Saturday 12 March 2011

Fable III Treasured Concepts.

While I picked my way through the internet thinking of a new post to put up here I found these little morsels from CGHub where concept artists for games, comics and lots of other art forms share their work.









The two Auroran concepts you see above were unused in the Fable III game it seems, but fantastic concepts all the same. Even checking out the ones that were used are a sight to behold with a brilliant city steps of Aurora and Millfield when its been torn apart for the power of industry.

Check out the rest of Emrah Elmasli's artwork on his profile here.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Fable Coin Golf Trailer

A quick little one before I go back to playing Fable III.



A nice little trailer put together to show off Fable Coin Golf and the things you can do with its nifty little games.

Traitor's Keep DLC - Review.

The new DLC is out today and with a quick blast through it, Brennon The Bard of Westcliff's very own Bloody Stump has decided to give you a run down of what you can expect from the pretty damn good new piece of work Lionhead has sent out to us.

As is well known to a lot of you fans of Fable III the DLC starts with your hero threatened with assassination by an unknown assailant. With a very cool intro cinematic an assassin breaches your throne room and attacks you from the rafters. After a short fight ensues where he reveals his intentions (like every good bad guy) you are alerted to the presence of a ship on the horizon. Little do you know how deep the rabbit hole goes as the captain of the guard at Ravenscar reveals that the prison is in tatters and you, the King or Queen have to go and sort out the mess.





From this point on I will be pretty much spoiler free as I think with this DLC in particular you need to not know the rest of the story before you dive in. This is my first point indecently. The story woven into the adventure in this DLC is absolutely fantastically done. It does everything that Lionhead does well. It makes you sad, it makes you laugh, it makes you really think about what your doing and the characters your interacting with. That is all without the twist in the ending, and the final encounters with the 'traitors' of Albion which are all something to behold.

The second big draw to this DLC is the islands you visit themselves. Ravenscar, much like Bargate Prison from the first game is a hell hole filled with the unlucky and the degenerate of society. From fighting through its murky sewer depths, to the Alcatraz style interiors of the upper floors, and even the surrounding grounds itself Ravenscar oozes with character and a darkness that fits in well with the Albion you have created. The devil, as always, is in the detail and there has been no expense spared as you rummage through hidden passageways, dive into pools of water and search through atmospheric graveyards to find all the little secrets that Lionhead has tucked away in the islands depths.







The first island you visit after Ravenscar is Clockwork Island. Home to a 'mad' inventor the island was once a themepark the likes of which Albion had never seen before. With his innovative and witty 'Albion of the Future' attraction Faraday bought in crowds from all over the world and once again Lionhead delivers with this fantastically realised and mournful island. Unlike Ravenscar with its thick stone walls and grim exterior and interior Clockwork Island is filled with colour and a deep sadness throughout it. This contrast highlights the fall of the island and its inventor and as you walk through the grounds looking around the environment brings the story to life. This steampunk-esque vision of Albion is simply breathtaking and hopefully a direction that it will continue in as time goes by.

The last island is The Godwin Estate. Here we have not only a nod to a potential village from Fable II but also the Fable of old. Looking almost like Darkwood from the first Fable, mixed with the fog and shadows of the drowned village of Oakvale atmosphere hangs in the air like a heavy weight and you find yourself cautiously picking your way through the brambles and gravestones before entering the house itself and feeling like you have found the Gray Mansion all over again. Again, the devil is in the details and there is much to see as you wander around the island of the dead and the howlers.

In terms of enemies in the new DLC, the screenshots have shown many of them. We have seen the clockwork enemies of Faraday's island which are innovative and interesting to fight. Explosives robot dogs, massive hulking robot bodyguards and cleaner 'droids' are all intent on ending your life. Added to these are the monsters of Godwin Estate. New Balverines to fight, interesting takes on Hollowmen and a very 'funky' shall we say new Hobbe variant to fight. You certainly will be hitting all the triggers and buttons in this DLC.





Traitor's Keep continues in the vein of many other Lionhead DLC's of the past. It is witty, charming, frightening, morally angled with tough decisions and implications as well as top notch voice acting and general presence over all. The humour is fantastic, and kept to well timed one liners and little easter eggs around the island as to not take away from the over all ending of the story. It's pacing is brilliant and for the points your spending the islands are massive...on par with places like Knothole Isle in their grandeur. By the time you have fought the final traitor you will have found yourself immersed back into the world of Albion...and that can only be a good thing.

Added to all its wit and charm are a lovely set of fantastic clothing (the sand fury set is my favourite), plenty of dig spots and treasure chests and who knows what else hidden away in the locked doors and hidden areas I haven't looked at yet at the time of writing this. If your a fan of the dressing up game in Fable III then you will not be disappointed.







If you were in any doubt about buying the DLC package I would not hesitate. If you are a lover of Albion and want to get back into the world then this DLC will plunge you in at the deep end. Even once the main quest is done there are a smattering of side quests and even more collection to be had...all adding to the depth of the narrative the developers are weaving with this pack. I urge you to give it a go, neigh TELL you to have a go and find out all the secrets Traitor's Keep has to offer.

Want to work in Gaming?


Want to get into the gaming world? Peter Molyneux explains how in this neat little interview with Eurogamer.

Eurogamer.net Link

...the man speaks the truth!