Molyneux's Xbox 360 RPG to lack promised feature out of box; Microsoft aiming to add with launch week update.
Lionhead Studios' Peter Molyneux has a reputation for promising features for his games that don't always make it into the final product that ships to retailers. Today in a post on GamerScoreBlog, Microsoft confirmed that will happen once more with Fable II.
When Fable II arrives in stores, it will lack the online co-op multiplayer mode Molyneux touted at a 2008 Game Developers Conference presentation.. On the bright side, Microsoft is promising that the feature will be added in a downloadable update, possibly within the game's first week on North American shelves. For those who can't wait for a patch to adventure with friends, the game will include local co-op play out of the box.
However, the game won't be entirely offline when it ships. Players will see gamers on their friends list as glowing orbs in-game and will be able to chat or trade with them.
Fable II is expected to arrive in stores October 21. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
The onlone coop in this game is pointless and pathetic there was no point in it you share the same camera with the other player which makes sense offline because your sharing the same tv but online whats the point you cant go away from eachother and the camera goes all clunky and you cant even take your own hero in the game it just feels like a cheap extra they threw in the game
@Wolfie600 I totally agree! Playing in the same room with someone is way more fun than playing online.
at last!! a developer that actually thinks a game with "Couch Co-Op" makes the game more awesome cause playing with friends in the same livingroom is fun as hell anyone else think the same? Fable 2 on my must buy list along with Fallout 3
what it doesnt seem like anyone has noticed is that a game has to go gold (go to the producer) a certain amount of time ahead so that there will be enough copies to distribute on release day and that this content likely wasnt ready by that time... and its only supposed to be a week
well, cant say that im surprised, but honestly, its not like you have to wait another month or something, they're gonna try to get it up within a week. This is gonna be an awesome game, plus, playing offline for a week wont be bad.
I checked the blog out and Im impressed on how fast they worked on it, but im still gueesing that not many are going to go online very first, but still *a pat on the back* for lionhead, they are sure working hard
I checked the blog out and Im impressed on how fast they worked on it, but im still gueesing that not many are going to go online very first, but still *a pat on the back* for lionhead, they are sure working hard
in your face, it will ship whit online, http://community.lionhead.com/blogs/fable_2_development/archive/2008/10/09/3107261.aspx gamespot is so much against this game they shouldn't wright news at all
if it is going to be in an update within the first week, it may just be a case that they run out of space on disc.
those that are bashing out at PM, think about it, would you go online right away after getting the game? I don't think most of us will since we'll be playing singles first to get the hang of the game. plus they said they would put it up as an update so there is no need to rush them. And it would be better for them to fix the bugs on the co-op rather than getting one that is faulty
i could do w/o the online for an extra week, or even a month but Peter Molyneux is one lieing @#% mutha $#@%&. he needs to give his position up to some one who can really handle their buisness. any of you think that they did this to improve or add to the multiplayer?
(Big Lionhead Fan. Not putting them down) If they plan on getting the co-op online withing the next week of release, why don't they just delay the release time one week? Perhaps they already have the game made? I don't know. But either way, I'm super stoked!
You are all right see you all on this game and I will also be getting fallout 3 on launch night.
I agree compltely with WestSideAzn. I couldn't care less about multiplayer with an RPG, they all turn into MMORPGs if you go that route. Fable got it's charm from an appealing SINGLE player experience.
It doesn't matter. Co-op online? I wanted to buy the game because of the single-player concept. Either way, co-op still sounds cool.
i've been waiting for this game so long that i don't care if it's just one more week as long as it does have online co-op in the end. And if it's free (which it better be) everyone that has online can download it and be happy.
So, when Mr Molyneux said at E3 "Fable 2 is finnished," what he actually meant was "Fable 2 isn't quite finnished so we're making a patch to get the rest in on release day" Combined with the last minute removal of a lot of the intended contents of the CE box set, my faith in Lionhead has taken a bit of a knock. You can bet Peter had a few choice words for his management department.
This is really not a problem....this news story, seen through 1990's-goggles would read: "The game's release date has been pushed back one week as the developpers need to polish it up a little more.".....something which used to happen a lot...now in the year 2008, instead, the game is still released on time but the component which wasn't ready at launch will be delivered online a week later....so what, better this than having to wait for the entire game to be released for another week.
One of the guys at gamestop i know said that the release of online co-op wont be available in a week... it may be about 3-4 weeks
Alright no co-op online which i admit is gay But I bet it will come out on XBL Marketplace or be a patch and it will be free. The worst to happen is that we'll have to wait about a week which if you think about it is really good. That means you won't get bored of Fable 2 in a week. See if every feature was to come out you would get bored of the game a lot quicker but if the co-op online feature comes out a week later it will get you more hyped about the game.
Wow, Brendan Sinclair started that article out scaring the crap out of me, and then ended with a quick and positive note that everything will be ok. I'm just saying, it was an emotional roller coaster. I really enjoyed Fable and am very excited about the co-op play. I hope this sets a new standard for RPGs, one that requires cooperative, fun gameplay. Word.
as long as it is a patch and that I don't have to pay for YOUR mistake. other than that, YAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Peter lied to us for the damn money cant beleive i spent alot of money for the special edition.Although the game looks kick ass and will be i still feel i spent alot for nothing.
The special edition is now coming WITHOUT the promised mini-figures and collectible cards. This is getting a bit stupid. . .
Peter is obviously very passionate about his games and so what if he gets a bit excited and spill the beans about a few features that get delayed in the initial release. I think that the people that get bent out of shape about minor details which will soon be addressed anyway need to consider just how hard it is to make an awesome game like Fable. You should count you lucky stars that there are people with vision like Peter out there doing their best to deliver games to people who sit on their butts and only lift a finger to mash the buttons on their controllers.
well the wait will give you time to get better armour and weapons to show off to your friends when you finally can play co-op, so I see it as an advantage
omg who cares? wait at MOST 7 days and youll have online coop. is this seriously an issue guys? you cant wait 1 week? he didnt break any promises, you just ahve to wait a couple days for it.
very typical of Molyneux. He should be locked in a padded cell with Todd Howard for a week. (todd howard- empty promise king of bethesda)
online co-op is only worthwhile if the game will support more than one friend in the game. as long as a game has local co-op & split screen so i can play with my man i don't care if it's missing online co-op... of course the ideal game would be like Halo3 where you can have up to 4 ppl in co-op in a mix of local & online and then also have support for split-screen multiplayer... i think the best multiplayer menu so far was PDZ because it let you choose whatever you want quickly...
I think that lately Peter M. is much better at hyping his games than making them. I think of all the features that were supposed to be in the first Fable that weren't. They are supposed to be in Fable II, several years later. Can anyone be surprised that Fable II is coming out without some of the key features that Peter M. promised? I think we would all be shocked if the game came out completely as advertised. I really think that if Peter M. spent less time talking to every member of the gaming media telling people how incredible his next game is going to be and instead just focused on making the games, we would all be better off. I think Fable II might be a disappointment relative to they hype, but still a good game. Just like the first Fable.
and to all you people who are saying Peter confirmed it will have coop eventually; he's already proven himself a liar by saying it would have it originally
"Microsoft is promising that the feature will be added in a downloadable update, possibly within the game's first week on North American shelves" keyword: possibly possibly within the first week? how the hell was that not one of the core components of the game?
it is kind of a cheap move. but who cares. if you are going to play the game you are going to play it. with or without co-op.
I just had the idea....maybe the game was too large for the disc, so the co-op portion was tacked on as a download post release---it makes perfect sense to me to do this; more game.
Wow. I can't believe some people are so blind/brainwashed to let something like this slide. I hate that they are selling that gambling add on junk online first before the game is out and let you transfer your cash over. What is that anyways? That should just be included in the game. Maybe if they had spent more time developing the game instead of trying to milk every last cent they could, they wouldn't have to ship out an incomplete game and then patch it later. How can anyone want to buy a game where they actually have to announce that it's going to be patched? That sort of reasoning is just beyond me. Anyways, I learnt my lesson the first time around with the first Fable. No way I'm paying any money for the next one. I seriously hope that no one bought that online gambling add on. The whole idea of selling off a game in parts like that is total balls. If that sort of trend catches on, the quality of games will go straight in the toilet.
As long as they patch it, which developers should do often and take advantage of, then that's fine with me. I'll be playing the story anyway and probably won't worry about online co-op.
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