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Why Robin Makes Batman Better Lionhead Studios and its excitable leader Peter Molyneux are rather infamous for attacking massive projects wide-eyed and genuinely enthusiastic, ultimately delivering a final product that’s somewhere in the range of ninety percent of what it, and followers of the developer’s games, had in mind. Fortunately, for Fable II‘s sake, the developer kept its expectations slightly more tempered, focusing on the game’s broad, decades-spanning tale of moral choices, leaving the more interesting aspects of the fantasy role-playing game to be filled in by the player.
Have Lionhead been able to make good or bad of the Xbox 360 exclusive sequel? Our nearly epic journey of love and hatred tells the tale.
What McWhertor posted last night as a rumour is definitely not a rumour. I found out last night after getting my Fable II Depressing Limited Edition from GameStop that yes, the card was missing from the game. It was pathetic enough to go from that majestic-looking LE package to a game in a paper sleeve, and now this? Yay. Here’s what Microsoft has to say about the issue on Xbox.com. We have identified that some copies of the “Fable II” Limited Collector’s Edition are missing the downloadable content (DLC) cards, which give access to in-game bonus content. This represents a small fraction of the total number of “Fable II” games shipped and sold, and is contained to the Limited Collector’s Edition of the game in North America. We are currently investigating the scope of this situation and regardless the outcome of the investigation, we are implementing a plan to address it. We will have a means to deliver replacement codes by Oct 28th so please check back then. We apologise for the inconvenience.
All those high-profile games leaks – just how do they happen? Well, here is one way…
Just when we thought the Fable 2 early release story had been fun while it lasted, we’ve now received two reports that an EB Games in Melbourne has started moving units on the basis that Kmart’s breach gives them the all clear to do so.
We’re chasing fresh word from Microsoft on whether this would be considered in the clear, or whether this is something else that will require a bitchslappin’. If you’re in Melbourne and you’re eager, might want to run in to Swanston St and see if you can grab a copy in case it goes away. Though at this stage you only have a few weekdays to wait for full launch, so it isn’t quite as exciting as Kmart’s pre-weekend treat.
Full size money shot after the jump.
We shared word of Kmart letting Fable 2 hit their shelves a week early on Friday, and more than a few lucky readers managed to nab a copy before the whole affair went tits up for Kmart. Microsoft heard about the incident, and we received word from numerous independent sources that Kmart has copped a nasty slap for pissing off the rest of the retail community.
First up there is a fine of $1,000 per copy sold, with a follow up punishment of not receiving copies of Gears of War 2 for its launch. Ouch! If you got a copy, hope you spent some quality time with your $1,000 copy of the game!
UPDATE (11.45am): Microsoft has let us know they cannot give an official comment on the matter. This is much as we expected, as commercial dealings like this are often kept behind closed doors. Thanks again to all those who passed along the ‘word on the street’.
It goes without saying this needs a major spoiler alert, which is why I’m sticking the video on the jump. Video of the first 10 minutes of the game turned up this week on the Polish gaming site Polygamia. The dialogue is in English, subtitled in Polish. If you can’t wait until Tuesday to get the game (North America) or you don’t mind getting a sneak preview, hit play. I haven’t watched the whole thing and won’t comment on what I’ve seen, considering how touchy everyone gets about this. In fact, maybe that’s why the gang didn’t post this, if they saw it. And so here I go walking off a cliff to my own flame-roasted demise …
Here it is folks, the trailer all of you Fable fans have been waiting for, the last one – the launch trailer. North America fear not because in just four short days, October 21st, you’ll be able to get your hands on the game and play to your hearts content. Europe will have to wait a little longer to empty their wallets. The game will release there on October 24th or one week from today.
The Bioshock for PS3 street date wasn’t such a big deal, as it certainly had the Xbox crew laughing about how long ago they finished it. Twice. But this one is a doozy. If you’re keen to get a good run at Fable 2 a full week ahead of the pack, then hit your local K-Mart and hope for the best.
Linc sends us photographic proof of purchase that other tipsters could learn from. The box, the disc, and the receipt. I imagine you’ll have until about lunchtime today if Microsoft decides to try and crack down on this one, or you’ll see it in many more stores over the weekend if they don’t. Either way, if you’re eager, hit K-Mart now — particularly if it’s K-Mart Innaloo. The authoritative evidence shot after the jump. [Thanks Linc!]
Microsoft and Lionhead have launched the official Xbox site for Fable II, and much like the site for the original Fable it contains a charming interactive storybook for fans of the series to play through, only this time there are prizes involved! The cutout story tells the tale of your character’s ancestor as he deals with the death of his parents and his search for love and vengeance. Depending on the choices you make as you play through it, you will be awarded one of five special in-game items for your troubles.
