It was most certainly not by any stretch of the imagination the ‘best game ever’, however in saying that the original Fable was not a bad game by any sense of the word but not the experience promised.

My favourite very noticeable feature of Fable: Anniversary, much like it’s original was the fact that it contained a bucketload of charm and a very British sense of humour. Though quite childlike in nature the humour is very relateable and it provides a nice relief in the sometimes frustrating journey that is the gameplay.

Fable: Anniversary, like the original Fable, follows a young lad from Oakvale, where on his sisters birthday the village they live within is raided by nasty bandits who supposedly kill our hero’s entire family.

An old hero called Maze, rescues the boy and trains him to become a Hero at the Heroes’ Guild. The game jumps through your childhood years at quite a fast pace until your graduation from the Heroes’ Guild, where you are let out to face the world and follow your own path.

Throughout your journey you complete various quests for the people of Albion in the hope of gaining more recognition and making a name for yourself. Once you gain enough recognition you are invited to fight in the Arena which is where you first met the antagonist of the story; the Jack of Blades. From then on your main target is the man himself and in the final moments of the story you will choose your alignment.

Obviously one huge feature is the improved visuals.

Lionhead Studios have outdone themselves with the visually stunning product and it’s a pleasure to the eyes. The environment around you is colourful and the somewhat cartoony style reflects the series laid back nature. The world of Albion now has smoother edges and a lot of nicer colours than the previous game. The tiny villages, forests and lakes make it a visually stunning place to explore, however sometimes you get the feeling that one lake looks just like the rest.

Unfortunately throughout the game there are some noticeable frame rate issues particularly early on. I am not entirely sure if I just got used to them or it got better the further in to the game I went and some freezing problems with loading screens.

The controls are not as clunky as they used to be with the previous iterations from Lionhead Studios, going the route they chose in Fable 2 and 3. Still, pleasure to play compared to the original but it might not hold up against some bigger, more present titles. The combat simulation has improved greatly over time however I still feel like it could be improved more. Cycling through spells is time consuming and block and dodging is not at all positioned correctly.

Targeting is still a highly frustrating action but this carries on throughout the series so I didn’t bank on much improvement. Long range attacks still target the weakest enemy generally which can be highly annoying when surrounded. Despite these flaws it’s still fun to play and it’s not too frustrating for even the most avid gamer.

One thing that has annoyed me from start to finish is the time spent going back and forth from the guild to pick up quests, although you can fast travel back and forth I would of much preferred to select them from the menu or something similar.

Fable has always been a highly entertaining game with the choices you make affecting what kind of person you are.

It’s very black and white you are either morally bad or morally good. It still gives a good laugh for the consequences of your actions whilst still making it an entertaining game for the masses. Seeing what kind of character your hero will become can sometimes instill a wish to complete the campaign for a second time. I however made a choice and stuck with it.

The actions have always been a non-serious part of the game and still continues to be.

Breaking wind to scare away bullies is not necessarily a realistic or even logical thing to do but it still makes the player smile with that famous Fable charm. You can still flirt up a storm and marry whomever you choose. Just don’t get caught if you don’t want to be known as evil.

Along with the actions is the voice acting, this has always entertained me from the beginning of the series and surprisingly still continues to do so.

Hearing the women swoon over you constantly calling “Chicken Chaser” which is your default title got rather annoying and as soon as I had the gold I upgraded to the title “Saber” which sounded way more badass.

Fable: Anniversary has brought back so many fond memories of the Fable series and despite the original being released in 2004 it still continues to hold it’s charm.

Unfortunately the mission structure and combat have both started to show their age and they might just need an overhaul to keep up with bigger named titles. I still enjoy to this day kicking chickens around and the general atmosphere of the Fable series, so it’s worth a walk down memory lane. But bare in mind that it may not appeal to you if you’re a modern gamer with a more sophisticated taste in adventure.

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How does one describe the game? Some have referred to it as PlayStation 3’s last great game, which could be a fitting title for the experience I had with it.

For those who have been living under an abnormally large rock for the past 16 years, Gran Turismo is Sony’s flagship series, the be all and end all of PlayStation games and has been wowing myself personally since the beginning. I can remember when I first picked up that controller to play Gran Turismo and it sure has come a long way from those days.

Fortunately for all the die hard fans and even the newbies, Gran Turismo 6 is the best installment in the series yet, through its sheer design and revolutionary setup, continuing on its long legacy with pride.

When you first load up the game you are thrown straight into the action with a test run to get you familiar to the controls, this is pretty helpful and gives you a chance to sort out the viewing angle (which is always incredibly important) and teaches you the basics of braking and all the other good stuff. From then on it suggests you purchase a Honda Fit RS ’10 and at this point in the game it’s the only vehicle available, so purchase it you will.

Then it’s onwards with all of the Novice races and so on and so forth.

Gran Turismo is quite easily the benchmark for a beautifully designed game that is pleasing to the eye and ears. The driving simulator is realistic in the fact that all cars have the curves and lines in the right place and all those all too familiar sounds of the various engines. Considering it runs on decade-old hardware it is probably unfair to compare it to Microsofts Flagship Xbox One title Forza Motorsport 5 however it still holds its own with its meticulously designed tracks and extreme attention to detail.

One thing that Sony is using to market this incredible game is the absolutely massive range of cars the game contains.

With it’s arsenal of over 1000+ cars you are forever purchasing and upgrading your personal collection, living vicariously through your imaginary race car driver life. However in my personal opinion I would say there’s not exactly a need for such an arsenal.

I mean I love the Mazda MX5 as a personal favourite both on and off the track however I don’t really need all 30 different versions of it. The vehicles are licensed and represented as true to life as possible with even the interiors matching their real world counterparts.

The tracks have also received the same treatment, all the big names are there. You can place your foot to the floor on tracks such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Laguna Seca you can then jet off to Japan’s Twin Ring Motegi Super Speedway, a wide variety so you are sure to never be bored.

One pet peeve I have about this game however is the impact damage. Although if you tend to do enough damage to your car you can decrease performance but the extent of the damage modelling leaves much to be desired. In my opinion it lacks realism and if I crash into an another car I want to know about it, so to speak.

In comparison to Gran Turismo’s single player path the multiplayer aspect of the game although playable and still extremely fun, still leaves me thinking like something is missing.

I do however like the fact that you cannot just bounce straight online through to multiplayer mode as some players would do, Gran Turismo forces you to go down the single player path before you are allowed to compete online in multiplayer and racing is generally lag-free.

The seasonal racing events make a comeback and are always enjoyable, with the chance to win a Toyota FT-1 (a seasonal event currently and I cannot wait to get my hands on one of those little beauties!!)

In summary, yes Gran Turismo is an amazing game, it has minor flaws, however any game does.

The cons are far outweighed by the pro’s and I could not be happier with the outcome.

Coupled with stunning visuals, realistic sound and style, Gran Turismo 6 is the game that you just have to have.

One of the PlayStation 3’s best finale titles in my opinion as it hands over it’s dominance to its younger counterpart, the PS4.

Gran Turismo 6 definitely fuels my lust for fast cars and realistic driving and has definitely not disappointed me, I shall continue to be an avid fan and very much look forward to the future of the flagship series.

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