Fable III is wholly unique, something that can't be said of many games these days...
Within the game's first half-hour, players will find themselves on the Road to Rule, a manifestation of their progress toward being crowned king or queen of Albion that exists on a mystical plane. Getting that crown is the focus of the first two-thirds or so of the game. The King of Albion (son of the Hero from Fable II) hasn't been the greatest monarch. In fact, he's a downright tyrant. Players will step into the shoes of either the prince or princess, and after putting up with yet more of King Logan's treachery, it is decided that they will lead a rebellion against their brother. What unfolds is a charming story that is filled to the brim with great characters and dialogue. Even more impressive is the game's shift toward a much more serious tone once the player ascends to the throne, and must deal with the responsibilities of being a ruler. There are also a ton of great sidequests that feature a lot of genuinely funny tongue-in-cheek writing. The first two Fable games were much more personal in terms of story, focusing on personal vendettas rather than epic quests, but Fable III's decision to finally focus the series on bigger picture situations adds a lot more the experience.
The quest to usurp the throne is a lot of fun. The prince or princess will need to amass followers, and gain the support of key allies in order to take down big brother. All this unfolds through your typical RPG quest structure, albeit with a bit more handholding than the average title. You'll be guided from one quest to the next in a rather linear fashion with your objectives clearly spelled out, and a magical trail guiding you exactly where to go for good measure. The main story quests usually simply involve a lot of combat and dialogue with brief interludes where some exploration, or puzzle solving is required to continue further.
Even though things can get to be pretty formulaic, Lionhead has taken the exact right steps to ensure that your adventures won't become repetitive. Combat is extremely simple, players have equipped a melee weapon, a gun and spells, and each attack is assigned to a face button. There are blocking and dodging mechanics, but they don't need to be used very regularly. Fable III is an easy game, I expect most players would be able to get through it without "dying" more than once or twice, and even if one does manage to fall in battle, the only real penalty is a moment of waiting for one's character to get back on their feet.
The RPG elements have also been toned back. Everything is taken down to the bare essentials, and for the most part, it works. Instead of progressively leveling your skills as in most roleplaying games, Fable III introduces the Road to Rule. As you come closer to attaining the royal crown, you'll be able to upgrade your abilities in very general ways, making it easier to craft a well-rounded character. Interaction with NPC's has also been limited. You have the choice of doing a nice, or nasty expression instead of the usual wheel filled with emotes that the previous Fable titles used.
Despite how simple, easy, and streamlined Fable III is, the experience is still a ton of fun. Playing the game feels effortless, and thus it's easy to lose yourself in the expansive world of Albion. The hilarious script, multitude of environments, wonderful ambience and tons of quests truly immerse you in the world, and the streamlined gameplay ensures that no extraneous gameplay elements impede on that immersion.
It's easy to label Fable III as "casual", but the game is easily enjoyable to pretty much any audience. Fable III isn't a huge, complex RPG, but it doesn't try to be. Lionhead has created an excellent world that is begging to be explored, and expertly crafted its gameplay around it.
But that's all said without mentioning the game's last few hours which take place during your character's reign as the ruler of Albion. Once the player takes the throne, they get thrust into a pretty bad situation, and some tough decisions ensue. While the core gameplay remains just as easy as ever, the moral decisions (which are largely absent in the first part of the game) can really weigh down on you, as they all have tangible consequences. This last portion of the game is handled brilliantly, and adds some real weight to a campaign that was previously very light on making moral decisions, a key part of the Fable franchise.
In terms of production values Fable III is decent enough. The highlight is the sound department. The music is wonderful, and perfectly captures the tone of the game. Fable III also features a huge roster of impressive voice actors from Sir Ben Kingsley to John Cleese (who has a ton of dialogue). In terms of graphics, the art direction is great, but the graphics engine is starting to show its age. You'll experience the occasional graphical glitch, but generally the world of Albion is as well-realized as it can be considering the limitations of the engine. There are also some minor sound glitches, most notably the overlapping dialogue of about a dozen villagers as your stroll through town. Fable III doesn't have the best production values, but the good ultimately outweighs the bad.
The amount of playtime you can get out of Fable III entirely depends on how invested you want to get. Simply blasting through the story quests will take about 10-12 hours, but that is of course ignoring all the multitude of sidequests that range from fantastic, tongue-in-cheek adventures to simple fetch quests. There's also tons of weapons, treasures, and items to be collected. There's a lot to see and do in Fable III, and although the main adventure is relatively short compared to most RPG's, it would be a shame to only experience that one part of a pretty massive game.
Fable III might be easy, and simple, but it's meant to be. There are some problems with the game; it might be too simple for some, and the game's production values aren't exactly top-notch. It might be odd for a hardcore gamer to play an RPG as simple as Fable III, but the risks Lionhead took in order to ensure that the game is as streamlined as possible ultimately make the game unlike any other you'll play this year.