2 and 3 introduce guns, which I was pretty hesitant at first but they do grow on you.  The feel is still the same in 2 and 3 but it grows in size.  2 is set more in a settler "new frontier" setting and 3 is set during an industrial kingdom time period, sort of like the French revolution.  2 was great the whole way through until an ending without a boss battle...literally no boss, a cut scene does it for you...but 3 was definitely much better, I actually enjoyed it almost as much as 1.  EDIT: It just wasn't as satisfying and it took a bit of a beating in some reviews.

Plus, there's a new one coming out set before game 1 in the age of Heroes!! 

Now I know 2 and 3 were pretty bad, at least the way they finished, but I really enjoyed the first Fable game.  It was certainly magical in its own right and I played it around the age where the fantasy genre was all I could think about.  The RPG aspect, while not as free-form as the Elder Scrolls games, was still a fun experience.  All 3 games had pretty decent battle mechanics and I actually enjoyed most of the NPC encounters (and kicking the shit out of chickens).  Fable 2 would have probably been my favorite if not for the giant middle finger of an ending they decided to throw at you...

I'm attempting to give this a fair shake without sounding like too much of a fanatic, but this gentleman's certainty is enough to give me pause.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifq0BHivado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83v5Rgeu2Yc

Now, the government covering things up is pretty standard, but he has enough apparent documents and testimonials (I'm attempting to find proof of what exactly it is he's talking about in this video) that you can't shake off the feeling that he really has found something fishy.  His "inertia of the secrecy" argument is fascinating.  Maybe in the beginning we found something and can't give up the ghost on the lie because we are so ingrained in covering it up?  Now there are a few points he makes that are a bit extreme, but some of them are unique to the point where you are at least curious enough to listen to him.

Quote from: Royce on March 16, 2014, 08:18:53 pm

This is very interesting. Can you elaborate, or maybe post some links?

Lol... I find this stuff pretty interesting so, though I linked one dissenting opinion, forgive me:

Archaeoacoustics reconstructs the sound of Stonehenge
Stone Age Art Caves May Have Been Concert Halls
Archaeoacoustics: The Sound of Ancient Megalithic Structures.
Archaeoacoustics: Tantalizing, but fantastical
Archaeoacoustics
Archeoacoustics: Old Temples Study Foundation
Ancient Temple Architects May Have Been Chasing a Buzz From Sound Waves
Stonehenge's eerie sounds revived

Madness, you've just given me enough interesting articles to distract me from working today lol

Madness, I just saw them in Hamilton, ON they were amazing.  Easily one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

Triskele, (good reference btw) I just finished the first two books between reading and listening to the audio books.

I'm not sure if you've tried them or not but the narrator makes Severian seems extremely depressed about everything even when he's 'happy' or as happy as a torturer can be lol.  That might have been what made book 2 seem like such a burden to plod through. 

If book 3 really does pick up like you said I might give it a shot. 

It's interesting to note that this time period of humanity isn't the only one obsessed with "signs" left by supposed extraterrestrials.  The ancient Egyptians (who seem to be the crux of all things strange and unexplained in the world) had very interesting hieroglyphics depicting sky people and the like.  I realize now that the motivation for fabricating crop circles today could be wealth, but what about back then?

I suppose you could argue they used such things as a religious driving force to increase faith in their gods, but there are quite a lot of weird signs and symbols that exist throughout human culture.

Hello there,

I was directed towards this rather impressive forum by a mutual friend of the forum, Wilshire.  I have to say that I'm extremely impressed at both the topics covered and the depth to which they are discussed.  I'm currently on my second read through of TSA and since my head is no longer spinning at the plethora of names, I thought I'd make an account here to actually discuss the myriad of topics Bakker touches on.  Much obliged for having me!