So the Fable II Collectors Edition box set has been trimmed a little, losing the five printed fate cards, the Hobbe figure, and..oh yes, the box. Still, we still get a bonus DVD with developer diaries and the full game soundtrack, right? Perhaps not. Frequent Kotaku contributor and all-around nice lady Lesley Smith passes on this email from UK retailer Game regarding even further cuts to the decreasingly collectible edition.

We have recently contacted you regarding a marketwide problem with the Fable II Collectors Edition. We have since been informed by Microsoft that there has been a further complication.

They have advised us that the developer diary and soundtrack are no longer going to be available on the bonus DVD.

Let's just hope that they don't decide to cut the actual game from the CE before the title ships next month. Hit the jump for the full email.

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You know, some trailers we get are just a pleasure to watch and that goes for this new Fable 2 developer diary. A few members of the audio department over at Lionhead explain some of the music and sound choices that were made for the game. So if you've had a rough day at work or are just stressed out, sit back, relax and enjoy this one.

The Fable II Collector's Edition will be missing some stuff. The swish box, some cards, and a neat little Hobbe figure. The box and the figure, sadly, there's nothing that can be done for them. They're gone. But the cards, they live on, Lionhead telling us that they'll be made available as downloadable pdf files so you can print them off. They won't look as good as they would have coming from a professional printer, but then, poor quality versions are normally better than no version at all.

It looks like Peter Molyneux's ability to promise features for his games that never arrive extends in the world of retail box sets as well. (We kid because we care)

Due to a "supply chain issue" the Fable II Limited Collector's Edition will no longer include the premium box, five printed fate cards and Hobbe figure, Lionhead Studios today. To make up for the missing feature set, the collector's edition will now run for about $70, instead of $80.

The Collector's Edition is expected to hit on October 21 in North America and Asia and October 24 for Europe and will include:

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"Sorry". That's what Microsoft and Lionhead are no doubt mouthing wordlessly, awkwardly, as they let us know that Fable II's online co-op feature - one of the game's bigger selling points - won't quite be ready for the game's launch in October. Instead, it'll be released as part of an update, which they're hoping to get out "within the first week of launch in North America", so hey, while it's a bummer, it's not a BUMMER.

Fable II - Almost There [Gamerscore]

Back in August, Lionhead told us Fable II was "days, if not hours" from being finished. Uh...more like weeks. Only now is it done, studio boss Peter Molyneux confirming the game was officially wound up at 7pm on Sunday night. Good news, that, since most of us are fans of the original. Game's still on track for an October 21 release.

Molyneux: 'Fable II has gone gold!' [VideoGamer]

The parade of bloviation about the Fable II Pub Games exploit just will not die down. Of course, first Peter Molyneux said that cheaters would be "in for a surprise" if they tried to transfer their ill-gotten wealth to Fable II, once it releases. Then a couple sites spotted something curious in IGN's Fable II preview, in which Molyneux implied the glitch was actually a deliberate inclusion. Now Lionhead Studios has put out a patch, although someone (above) is claiming that drive maintenance will reactivate the exploit.

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Oh ho ho. Peter Molyneux is once again being Peter Molyneux. He hasn't even gotten Fable II out the door yet, and he's already hyping his next game. "I won't tell you what we're doing next; I'm not allowed to," Molyneux said. "But it's a single, pure thought and so simple that it's actually far more terrifying..." Bwah? Continuing, Molyneux told game site Multiplayer:

I think a lot of my games in the past, I've been like a cook [and I] just keep shoving ingredients in the pot thinking 'oh, I need more of this, more of that.' I never tasted it, and then normally it tasted a bit weird at the end. And now what I've realised is it's not the number of features you've got in the game, it's the way those features work together.

Translation, please. Anyone? Anyone?

Peter Molyneux's Next Game Based On A Single (Secret!) Idea [Multiplayer] [Pic]

Maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention, but when I think of Fable II, I think of bright lit hills, cobblestone paths and cheery townsfolk of hobbit proportions. I don't think of glowing-eyed, pig-tailed specter girls and creepy goblins at twilight. Thanks, new screens from the Xbox 360 exclusive. You've forced me to take another look at Fable II.

Fable II Gallery

The big lure of Fable II Pub Games is that you get a two months head start to pile up gold before the game drops. The big drawback is that it's gambling, not a Pell grant, so you could wind up in the hole when the game drops Oct. 21. Larry Hyrb is -- sorta.

Seems the Xbox Live programming director left himself signed in and his wife got a hold of the game under his tag. He popped in the door to find her in full gambling-problem mode, which is to say distant, uncommunicative, unconcerned and four figures to the bad, on his account.

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