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Fable II Episode 1 available now as a free download photo

The first episode of Lionhead's Fable II is now available for download on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, and is free to all Xbox LIVE (Gold or Silver) users.
 
Confused? This is the Fable II that was released at retail, only now it's being digitally distributed across five episodes. While the first is entirely free (and weighs in at 2 gigs), you'll be prompted to purchase further episodes in order to complete it as you reach in-game milestones. All of the transactions will take place inside the game, and Lionhead says it should be a seamless experience.
 
I've tasked Brad Nicholson with downloading this first episode and finding out exactly how all of this nonsense works. Stay tuned for details later.
 
It's an interesting model, and if successful, one we may see adopted by other publishers and developers. What do you guys think of this piece-by-piece download model? 

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24 comments | showing # 1 to 24

KrazyKraut's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 09:46
KrazyKraut
wtf happend to the pc version of Fable 2?
Halidar's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 09:51
Halidar
This is a great way of getting people, who otherwise wouldn't, try the game. If after playing through half the game, they decide they don't like it, they don't have to pay for the rest. I think we may be seeing more of this in the future, at least from Lionhead.
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 09:56
Xzyliac
I was just looking at Fable II the other day and thought "Naw, not gonna spend that much." This is great news for me. I actually really dug the first one but I wasn't into all the hype at the time and didn't get infected by the hype of Fable II either.
ShadokatRegn's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 09:57
ShadokatRegn
Piece by piece downloading, if priced correctly, could be very cool for extending gameplay. I just love that they're even trying to extend games, instead of just rushing toward a sequel.
deaddays's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 09:59
deaddays
Neat! I think I'll try it!

See? It's working already.
JamnOnTheOne's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 10:03
JamnOnTheOne
"What do you guys think of this piece-by-piece download model?"

It's been wildly successful for Tell-Tale. However, I still refuse to support it on the principle of it being Download Only.

Give me discs or give me death.
walkyourpath's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 10:06
walkyourpath
Often, a game will trail off in quality towards the end or the story brought to an abrupt halt due to development timeframes or just laziness. I think this type of model would help to ensure a quality experience throughout the game -- if the endgame wasn't of the same quality as the middle then they would lose a significant percentage of business.

Interested to see if this business model sticks.
Doos's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 10:08
Doos
What's the harm in trying? I say 'Go to it!!'
Space Moose's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 10:12
Space Moose
I wish I could have had this option, my ex bought me this game and played it for about 4 hours, realized it's impossible to die then put it back on my shelf.
Chibi_Zero's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 10:16
Chibi_Zero
JamnOnTheOne: But it's already on a disc...
Quoth's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 10:20
Quoth
Well, isn't this essentially the shareware model that was often used in distributing PC games years ago? You know, Apogee & the likes.

Why not.
Shadowiii's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 10:22
Shadowiii
I could understand doing this for games that are being made as they go along (read: all Telltale's games). But for an already-released Fable 2? Wouldn't you rather make a Fable 2 demo this length, then the person would just go out and by the disc (or, at this point, wait for the GOTY edition)?
It really doesn't make much sense to me. But hey, if it works, more power to them.
HarassmentPanda's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 11:04
HarassmentPanda
I've always wanted to try Fable II, but never cared enough to buy it. I'll give the free part a shot and, if I like it, I'll probably just pick up a used copy of the game for much less money than the individual DLC parts.
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 11:22
Magnalon
The game is absolute rubbish, but I support this model 100%: demos for RPGs are such a rare occurrence.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 11:53
Holyetheline
hell yeah, I am totally downloading this.
Timmeh's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 12:00
Timmeh
This is the stupidest thing I've seen. Seriously, what the shit? This is completely pointless from the customer's perspective. The whole damn game can be bought in one go for less money, this is bizarre.

Sure, experiment with episodic releases but make something new, don't just chop an existing title up and charge more money than it would cost to buy a physical copy. How is that testing the water except to see how many stupid people there are?

I guess this is just another one of those games industry tests to check how retarded the average gamer is (like games on demand and the PSPGo.
HonkeyKong's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 12:11
HonkeyKong
I'm probably one of the few people who thinks this is a good idea. I have a bad habit of purchasing games for full retail price, and then not having the time to finish them. If this means I can just pay for the part of the game that I actually play, I'm all for it.
JamnOnTheOne's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 12:37
JamnOnTheOne
@Chibi_Zero

I know it is and I have it...I just don't support the business model.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 13:37
Im OK
I really don't see the point of this, and I hope it doesn't catch on as the Next Big Thing in game distribution.

It's one thing when the games are actually episodic, like Tell Tale games, but taking an already previously released full retail game and breaking it down into arbitrary portions for episodic download is just retarded.
Triple Up's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 15:18
Triple Up
Oh my God- my nightmare is coming true. PAYING FOR GAMES PIECES AT TIME. The horror of digital distribution is coming to life. I always hoped this wouldn't ever happen but it's here. We can't allow this to succeed. If you care about the culture of gaming as we know it, DO NOT buy this.

See, this is why I love the Wii. No DLC. No pieces. All games come with 100% of their content up front with no strings attached- no Internet required.
HammerShark's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 15:42
HammerShark
Free is free.

Though I think by the time I decide to DL this I'll have already bought the disc.
HiddenAHB's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 15:46
HiddenAHB
This is a pretty good initiative by Microsoft, way better than just the demos. I already love Fable II and i hope more people will share this love now.

@Triple Up

You would like DLC if the Wii had any decent FPS or RPG.
Karma-Suture's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/29/2009 17:14
Karma-Suture
Sweet, I've been wanting to try this game, but there wasn't ever a demo... now I can use this as a demo.
AaronAaronson's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/30/2009 09:50
AaronAaronson
Fable II still costs $54 for a used copy here in Saskatchewan. Maybe they'll finally drop the price now that the DLC version is out.
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