The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, was at one time the only major video game trade show that mattered. While its importance and profile has decreased in recent years, mostly due to the rise of company-specific shows like BlizzCon and QuakeCon, as well as the bleeding of video game interests into the wider pop culture conventions like Comic Con, E3 is still a major focal point for video game market

The realm of role-playing Adventure games tips has long been one filled with vast promises: open worlds, human relationships, and commitment to simulating every aspect of reality. So when Peter Molyneux promised that Fable 2 would teach gamers how to love, many took the claim as exaggerat

As the third part of Microsoft’s Arcade Next XBLA promotion (which has included Bloodforge and Trials Evolution so far) Fable Heroes fits the casual, family-friendly bill. A cooperative button masher that combines elements of Lionhead Studios’ wildly popular series and a more traditional board game, Fable Heroes is very hard to label – and even harder to expl

The developer of Fable 4 was originally suspected to be the Brighton, UK-based Studio Gobo developer Electric Square, who are definitely making something for Microsoft, though no one is saying exactly what just yet. Former Lionhead developer Don Williamson was asked, indirectly, if Electric Square was the developer, he said : “there’s nobody here in Brighton that could take on a task of that magnitu

Setting aside the speed and leaping that Epona brought once unlocked, the relationship between Link and his trusty flaxen Belgian goes much deeper. Answering only to her master’s song, and carrying him into combat and across Hyrule, Epona was also able to endure any physical attack thrown at

The daunting task of giving them classic they wanted was left up to Peter Molyneux and his team, and the task may have not have seemed that difficult for them. The original Fable presented an amazing amount of detail to the world, but it simply seemed to fall short on a few key areas. All they had to do this time around was expand on the good and improve on these problems and they would have a game etched into the upper echelon of the new generation.

Gameplay itself is a nice blend of action elements with those traditional to an RPG. On the offense, a melee weapon, long range weapon and magical will powers are always available, each assigned to a different face button. For defense, numerous gear combinations are available to ensure you’ll always be protected in the heat of battle. Plus you can block and roll. Enemies tend to rush you and offer quite a challenge for those unfamiliar with the proper strategies. Grinding isn’t a common occurrence, but going into battle well stocked with items is always necessary. While it’s not the deepest system, it’s still arguably the best one in the Fable series and remains enjoyable today.

This is more of a conjectural statement based on current market trends and the history of the franchise than anything I’ve specifically read, but it’s safe to say that a new, full-blown Fable game will have an enormous scope. Even the original Fable , released way back in 2004, had an enormous gameworld by the standards of the time, rivaling even the Elder Scrolls games, maybe not in landmass, but in how much stuff there was to

Fable Heroes does provide players another chance to journey through iconic Fable locations like Bowerstone and Aurora (in their traditional and in the more challenging dark form), but adventuresome travelers should be wary the game is very straight forward. In fact, the group is prevented from advancing even the tiniest bit forward without dispatching every

Of course, it’s no secret that Fable is a great game, so the most important aspects of this release is if it’s aged well (read above) and the quality of the port. Simply put, the result is leaps and bounds above the original. Fidelity, special effects and lighting have all improved and it’s clear to see the differences in almost every area. Upgrades to characters and building exteriors are the most noticeable, with faces seeming more realistic and less pixelated and buildings revealing never-before-seen nuances. Even trees in the backgrounds and leaves on the pathways of villages are more detailed. Everything has a smooth look which gives it a nice overall aesthetic comparable to other Xbox 360 games. The only flaw in the new look is that sometimes things can be a bit too smoothed over and come across a little smeary. Sometimes the sharp edges of the original helped to keep objects separated, something that can sometimes be a problem here. The other continually noticeable boost is the lighting, with plenty of new shadow effects and nuances between different lighting situations, where as before things were basically light or dark. Overall, while it’s not perfect and hampered by the fact that practically every Xbox 360 game now looks long in the tooth, it’s certainly the preferable way to experience the game — nostalgia or not.