It looks like Fable II will be receiving its much publicized online co-op enabling patch on day one after all. In the wake of Lionhead's Peter Molyneux saying he hoped for a day one solution, community guru Sam has announced that the co-op patch is complete, saying, "It looks like we've done it...for all of you who are connected to Xbox Live, when starting up your copy of Fable II (on 21st October in USA, 24th October in Europe and 18th December in Japan)." Definitely good news for those looking to team up and fight the good fight for the fate of Albion. Even better news for those planning to do more important things, like buy up the Cow and Corset with their gambling winnings and share a free pint with a friend.
After the break, you can view Lionhead Studios' latest Fable 2 developer diary that, coincidentally enough, was just released earlier today. This video diary (number seven to be exact) doesn't address any of the game's co-op changes or CE alterations, instead it's all about Fable 2's music, sound effects, voice over work and their implementation. Fun fact: Fable 2 is comprised of 9,000 unique sound effects that are compressed into just under 90MBs. Those Lionhead devs must practice dark magic.
Lionhead has released a new batch of screenshots from the upcoming Fable II. The six screenshots serve to highlight the variety of possible heroes available to gamers in Peter Molyneux's latest opus. All told we have an evil Slash wannabe, a pirate, a gun-toting gentleman wearing a Mardi Gras mask, a pale, white-haired vixen, a sideburns-sporting, purple-coated hero and ... a man in a dress. Yes, there's quite a bit of variety possible thanks to the many clothing and style options, not to mention the many moral and social choices that alter a characters appearance. And now, thanks to Fable II's Live co-op, you can actually show off your unique hero to your friends.
Check out a hi-res versions of these images in the gallery below.
A while ago we tipped our readers (that's you!) about GameDaily looking for questions to ask Fable II maestro Peter Molyneux. Well kids, the time has come. The 10 Questions feature with Peter Molyneux is now online and ready to read. Molyneux fields questions about the size of the game world (about 12 times bigger), whether or not players can choose their breed of dog (nope) and whether or not he dreams about Fable II (yup). We should probably warn big Fable II fans that the piece contains no major revelations about the game, but then there really isn't much left to reveal. For example, Molyneux does not confirm any player-vs-player support in Fable II, though he does admit "It would be cool to fight against other heroes, as everyone's hero will be unique."
Yes, it would be cool, wouldn't it? Head over to GameDaily for the full feature.
It looks like Amazon is looking to grab the attention of 360 RPG gamers, because the company is currently listing the Fable II Limited Collector's Edition for $66.99, a full $13.00 off the retail price. Our instinct is to believe it must be an incorrect listing, but the page makes it quite clear that the listed price is 16% off retail and it includes the correct October 21 release date. So, if you're looking for some Fable goodness on the cheap (don't forget that pre-ordering at Amazon also nabs you the Fable II Pub Games for free), head over to Amazon and snatch one of these babies up. If you do so successfully, be sure to mention it in the comments!
The Tales of Albion, a website designed to fill gamers in on the back story of Fable II, has been updated with a new section. Entitled "Fall of the Heroes," it chronicles the journey of one young hero who has just graduated from the Heroes Guild. As the name implies, this particular section of the Tales of Albion deals with civil unrest caused by heroes after the events of the first Fable. Let's just say that the adventure embarked upon by the young hero is not a happy one. One interesting note, this section of the Tales of Albion includes screenshots of locations from the original Fable in each chapter. Here's hoping the final section, "Travels in Today's Albion," will show us how these locations have changed over the years between Fable and Fable II.
It may not be as exciting as, say, the actual release of Fable II, but we are required by gaming law to inform you that Lionhead has posted new Fable II wallpaper. There are four such wallpapers, three of which feature the citizens of Bowerstone or Bloodstone. Bloodstone, by the looks of it, is full of some less than savory characters, including a man sporting what appear to be rouged knees and a sign that reads "Call me Doris." Whatever you say, Doris.
By now, everyone knows that the Xbox Live Arcade title Fable II Pub Games can earn you gold in Fable II. Major Nelson has posted a warning that not only can gamers earn or lose gold with Pub Games, but that privilege is also extended to anyone within grabbing distance of your Xbox. It seems Major came home yesterday to find his wife playing some Keystone ... and over 3000 gold in debt. Currently 3650 gold in the hole, Major reminds us all to sign out of our Gamertags after Fable II gambling sessions.
Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:30AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Going HUD'less and doing away with pre-rendered cut scenes are oh so fashionable in the industry these days, so it should come as no surprise that Fable 2 will both both HUD'less and pre-rendered cut scene'less. OXM confirmed these deats after getting a chance to play a content-complete version of Fable 2 where they confirm that "non-interactive cinematics take up less than five minutes of game time" as well mention that no HUD will be used to "streamline the experience as much as possible." Really, who needs HUDs or cut scenes anyway? Eh?
Doing some early morning detective work, we came across a set of three new'ish Fable 2 screenshots. Well, not from Fable 2 itself, rather from the recently announced Pub Games that, come August, will allow you to earn gold prior to entering the world of Fable 2. Go ahead, take a looksy at the Keystone, SpinnerBox and Fortune's Tower screenshots below. Hopefully Rewster won't be around to take all our chips. That lucky Rewster.
IGN has posted a rather lengthy interview with Lionhead's Dene Carter, creative director for Fable 2. Alongside the interview is a brand new video that introduces us to some of the non-player characters (NPCs) in Fable 2. As fate would have it, the interview concerns NPC behavior (imagine that). Specifically, the interview talks about the three NPCs shown in the video: Arfur, Barnum, and Giles. While these characters aren't major NPCs in Fable 2 they still have a profound effect on the world of Albion and serve as "morality signposts" according to Carter. "Your interactions with them alter the fates of others, whole segments of the world and, in one case, the fate of their offspring," said Carter, further noting that interactions with NPCs as a child will have dramatic effects on the future, which players will uncover as they return to their childhood home as adults.
All in all, it sounds like non-player characters will play a much larger role in Fable 2 than they did in the original. If you're looking forward to the game, watch the video and be sure to read the full interview. It's good stuff.
Oh, Fable 2, we want to play you so bad. Why can't you be available right now? Sigh, if only it were true. It's not though, so we'll have to settle for a handful of new screenshots (peep them in the gallery below) and an update on the game's development from Lionhead. First of all, the next Fable 2 video diary is finished and will be released on June 24. The update also hints that there will be more news this month, though the only hint we're given is that it will be good for "fans of stories" and that there will also be "MORE" news after that. We're looking forward to the first piece of news (we are fans of stories after all), but the cryptic nature of the second bit of news has our interest piqued. Perhaps they will finally, finally, totally officially confirm that online co-op will be in Fable 2. At the very least, maybe we'll learn just when we can give Peter Molyneux our money and procure our own copy of the game.
Major Nelson sends word that the folks at Lionhead are showing off their latest playtest of Fable 2right now and in real time. Okay, so it's not really real time. In fact, it's just a webcam that refreshes every ten seconds or so. Still, it's Fable 2 and it's playing right now. We realize it's kind of lame but, if you have nothing better to do (and we imagine many of you do), it's a good way to kill some time. There's no telling just how long the "show" will last, so head over to the Lionhead site (select the Sam-Cam) and soak up as much as you can. Who knows, maybe we'll even see some magic spells (finally).
GameSpot has posted a video interview with Fable 2 maestro Peter Molyneux in which he discusses (what else) Fable 2. While most of the interview is just Peter going over things we've heard before (XBLA games, one button combat, etc.) there are a few notable bits here and there. First, most of the interview is spliced with footage of the game being played in co-op. Second, at the end of the video, Molyneux gives the tiniest hint at the next big feature reveal. Specifically, he hints that it's related to "playing together," which he enumerates as the third of Fable II's three features (the other two being drama and accessibility). Online co-op confirmed? Oh, we hope so. Finally, Molyneux hints "when the evenings draw in and it's a little bit chilly but not very chilly at night, I think we'll all be playing Fable." So, October then?
Going HUD'less and doing away with pre-rendered cut scenes are oh so fashionable in the industry these days, so it should come as no surprise that Fable 2 will both both HUD'less and pre-rendered cut scene'less. OXM confirmed these deats after getting a chance to play a content-complete version of Fable 2 where they confirm that "non-interactive cinematics take up less than five minutes of game time" as well mention that no HUD will be used to "streamline the experience as much as possible." Really, who needs HUDs or cut scenes anyway? Eh?
