Fable: The good, the bad, the completely unnecessary

Fable is an incredibly popular franchise from Microsoft Gaming Studios, produced by Lionhead studios. For those of you who haven't played the first one, but have played the second or third installments, brace yourself. I'm about to hate on you like tornadoes hate trailer parks.

Fable and it's sorta-not-really sequel, The Lost Chapters, offered a unique type of RPG, the first of it's kind. There was very little of this game that needed improvement, aside from the graphics. Have you seen your character's face? Priceless. There was a boasting system, in which you could take bets on your quests, for example saying you can do them without wearing anything. This was an awesome way to make money, especially for more experienced players. More importantly, it was really fun.
Another feature beloved from Fable was unarmed combat, which was removed in later games. While your unarmed attacks were weak, it just plain felt wicked to pound the crap out of your enemies with fists of fury. C'mon, what about kicking Balverines in the face isn't awesome?
One final point: Fable's magic system. There was nothing wrong with it, it was fast, convienient, and you could suck up a little EXP while switching spells. Fable 2's system was similar, but not the same. And the spells in later games were too focused on offense. Support spells like Drain Life, Berserk, Physical Shield, Multi-Arrow, gone. Fable 2 and Fable 3 were FAR too easy, because there was no Mana bar. You could just spam-bam-thank-you-ma'am all you friggin wanted. Where's the damn strategy in that?

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed Fable 3 (not 2. Other than the little Master Chief cameo and the addition of vulgar expressions, that was a disgrace to the series), but there is a LOT that shouldn't have been removed. The games feel too easy now. I still go back and play Fable: Lost Chapters just for the hell of it.

One tiny little thing that ticked me off big time about 2 and 3 is you could change your morality with a snap of your fingers. In Fable, you seriously had to work for it, and even if you could, there were always reminders of your former self, e.g. burn marks where your horns were, faded hair, seriously f**ked up eyes, etc. But in the newer games it's all about looks. Too vain for my tastes, while I do enjoy customizing my character.

That's all I've got for now. If you haven't played the original Fable or Fable: Lost Chapters, go pick up a copy. You'll see what I mean. Trust me.