Fable II Episode 1 available now as a free download

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9:40 AM on 09.29.2009, Nick Chester

24 comments | 7506 views

Fable II Episode 1 available now as a free download photo

#Fable #Lionhead Studios #Microsoft #Xbox 360

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

wtf happend to the pc version of Fable 2?

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

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

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

Neat! I think I'll try it!

See? It's working already.

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

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

What's the harm in trying? I say 'Go to it!!'

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

JamnOnTheOne: But it's already on a disc...

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

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

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

The game is absolute rubbish, but I support this model 100%: demos for RPGs are such a rare occurrence.

Holyetheline

hell yeah, I am totally downloading this.

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

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

@Chibi_Zero

I know it is and I have it...I just don't support the business model.

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

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

Free is free.

Though I think by the time I decide to DL this I'll have already bought the disc.

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

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

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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