Fable III

Spirited hype-merchant Peter Molyneux rocked up to his Develop talk last week to showcase Fable III, the latest in the monumental RPG series from Lionhead. Before he began presenting the fantasy epic, he let fly with a few interesting titbits about Fable II. For instance, at one point in production the game boasted an astonishing 67,000 estimated bugs. Microsoft rated it "super-black" on their quality testing scale, a scale on which nobody else had even achieved regular old "black". This prompted Lionhead to dial down the scope of their open-ended adventure.

Molyneux went on the describe the failings of his last project. The marriage system, he admitted, was of no consequence - it offered only the chance to hear some digital rutting. And most players only ever saw less than half of the game's content. The menus, he exclaimed as he pointed furiously at a presentation slide, were "all over the place". One submenu in particular was getting up his nose. "This submenu," he seethed, "can hold up to 300 further menu items. Ridiculous."

With that in mind, the Black & White developer is on a mission to save your thumbstick, and your thumbs, with Fable III's genuinely innovative new menu and inventory system. It's not often you get to be excited about what happens when you press the inventory button, so let's indulge ourselves, eh? Whack that button and you're instantly transported to your sanctuary, a sort of trans-dimensional closet storing all of your weapons, armour, clothing, spells and a fast-travel map. Your butler, voiced by John Cleese, stoically informs you of goings on, at first acting as a tutorial to this "inventory screen" while later commenting on your actions and misdeeds.

At first, the walk-in menu screen seems a terribly inefficient way to handle your belongings, but Molyneux assures us that they've ran comparison tests - the fully 3D interface not only takes less thumbstick waggling to get things done, but it also outpaces the 2D menu system in many cases. Crucially, it loads in an instant and is accessible at all times. This newfound design philosophy filters down into every aspect of Fable III's aesthetic - there's no HUD, for example, instead visual cues inform you of everything you need to know about the world around you.

That world, to reiterate, is Albion. Your brother is the land's tyrannical king, and you're the son or daughter of Fable II's hero, destined to overthrow the evil ruler and claim Albion for yourself. Much like the Queen of England had to, you'll become the nation's leader by carrying out quests for villagers, slaying beasts for experience and grabbing locals by the hand to drag them to the pub.

Molyneux excitedly points out Fable III's simplified experience system. It now functions using a single currency, Guild Seals, with which you're awarded for almost everything you do in Albion. Where previously defeated enemies would spew forth three different kinds of experience pertaining to strength and magic - this time around you'll be collecting seals for all manner of achievements, from socialising about Albion to eviscerating dragons and giant swamp things. These seals are used to level up in an altogether different 3D menu, the Road to Rule.

The Road to Rule is a winding rocky path that spans a foggy abyss. Levels are symbolised by gates, and require a certain number of seals to unlock, while between these gates, by the roadside, are chests which contain abilities. It's a rather simple visual metaphor for levelling up and improving your character, Molyneux explains, but opening these gates gives a far better sense of progression than any menu screen ever could. Particularly as it takes you closer and closer to your castle, and your kingdom.

These chests require yet more seals to unlock, one contains the ability to purchase houses, another, in Molyneux's words, "contains the ability to buy big bastard swords". The first chest opened, however, awards the player with his spell-casting gauntlet. This, alongside every weapon in the game, can be levelled up through regular use. Weapons like swords, hammers, guns and rifles will also level up as you use them. Not only that, but they'll morph to reflect how you're playing, becoming unique items that you can then trade with your friends. You can have an evil hammer, for example, or an amiable sword.

A further note on spellcasting. You can tap to fire spells in short bursts, or hold down the B button to charge an area-of-effect attack. Interestingly, Molyneux claims there's no upper limit to the power of charged attacks - you can leave the game on overnight with a coffee cup on the B button if, for some absurd reason, you want to see what your fireball spell looks like having been charged for 12 hours.

Beyond that silliness, Molyneux took the time to adore his helpful, glittering "breadcrumb trail", the shimmering GPS system that guides you towards your next objective. It fades when it senses you don't want it - when you're buying houses or courting a local - before springing back into view when you need help. Better co-op is also mooted, as is some degree of Kinect functionality, but neither of those features were explored during Molyneux's brief time on stage. He did, however, apologise for the state of the women in Fable II. "All our women looked like Russian shot-putters," sighed the developer, "but in Fable III I'm glad to say they have curves and soft bits."

Curvy ladies and ethereal inventories will be winging their way to your 360 on October 26th.