Microsoft quiets 'Good' Fable 2 announcement

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 19th 2008 at 10:59AM }

Well, that ruins our week. "The big bods over in Redmond decided that, this week wasn't the time to tell you what that announcement is we have ready here in Guildford," laments a new post on the Fable 2 Dev Blog. If we can somehow suffer through another weekend, though, Lionhead assures us it has permission to drop the free-floating "

" news on Monday, November 24th. That way the studio can't possibly steal any thunder from (or get buried in) this week's new experience.

Speaking of, the Fable 2 folks have created a new NXE theme to celebrate the most-hyped dashboard update in history. Check it out in the gallery below.

Gallery: Fable 2 NXE Theme

Tags: fable, fable-2, lionhead, miscrosoft, nxe, nxe-theme

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

J.Goodwin @ Nov 19th 2008 11:02AM

That's a very sweet theme.

Vidikron @ Nov 19th 2008 11:06AM

Indeed.

Are any of themes designed for NXE up today? I like the new dash, but it's a bit bland looking compared to some of the themes I've seen pictured. That Fable II theme looks awesome.

RiccochetJ @ Nov 19th 2008 11:10AM

There's a tab for 'premium' themes, but I wasn't able to connect to see any of them. There's some severe connection issues w/ live stuff right now, which is understandable.

Aero @ Nov 19th 2008 11:10AM

There are other themes but I haven't seen pics of them anywhere.
Since Microsoft likes you to buy things you don't know about.

343 Guilty Fart @ Nov 19th 2008 12:41PM

I had the Gears 2 'Last Day' theme already up, and when I downloaded the update this morning it already had the 3D effect in my friend's list going on (each friend is standing in front of a setpiece from Gears, like a downed chopper).

Marty @ Nov 19th 2008 2:30PM

You can see full screen previews on the premium themes list.

Aero @ Nov 19th 2008 3:34PM

How do you do that Marty? I don't see the option anywhere.

Marty @ Nov 19th 2008 3:43PM

Well I only played with it for a few minutes this morning before heading off to work, but if you go to the Premium Themes section (under My XBox, maybe?), and then select a theme, you can scroll over to the right a few times and there's an option for a full screen preview.

SpydaKat 17 @ Nov 19th 2008 9:20PM

I know, his avatar fits right into it. It could pass for Daniel from There Will Be Blood

Dirty @ Nov 19th 2008 11:03AM

Is the theme free.... cause it looks pretty sweet.

rooshma @ Nov 19th 2008 7:28PM

nope... 250

RiccochetJ @ Nov 19th 2008 11:09AM

Actually, it was probably a good idea to not compete with nxe netflix etc. Also, echoing the others above me, I like the theme!

NickDynmo @ Nov 19th 2008 11:10AM

When can we download this? It's not up on the Marketplace yet...

NickDynmo @ Nov 19th 2008 11:11AM

Never mind. It's there now. :x

dark_inchworm @ Nov 19th 2008 11:14AM

Sonic says... "that's no good!"

Travis @ Nov 19th 2008 11:25AM

maybe they will add more things to fight other than beetles, ogres and trolls...and gay pirates/bandits

Guibs @ Nov 19th 2008 11:26AM

Anyone else, while booting Fable II after the NXE update were prompt to download a patch for fable II ? I was this morning.

Snowblind @ Nov 19th 2008 11:35AM

Yup, there was most definitely a Fable patch released today. No idea what it did though.

Erluti @ Nov 19th 2008 11:28AM

Wooo! Fable II: Recon!

waves @ Nov 19th 2008 11:35AM

Too late. I already returned it for LBP. The game was fun, but short. Fallout 3 is my open world RPG of choice.

JerJerBinks @ Nov 19th 2008 11:50AM

Fable 2 is not open world, but I get what you mean. I was very disappointed by the restrictive nature of the game, and the inability to jump except when prompted. Its a very good game, but the "open" areas feel very limiting by invisible boundaries.

waves @ Nov 19th 2008 11:52AM

It's true, which is why I stuck with Fallout 3. I guess I should have put open world in quotes.

Huey2k2 @ Nov 19th 2008 11:37AM

Ummm... I really really want that theme. Is it free and available on live?

Matt Ferens @ Nov 19th 2008 11:41AM

The Gears Premium theme is kinda cool too. Love seeing my friends sleeping in front of a downed Raven.

343 Guilty Fart @ Nov 19th 2008 12:42PM

I get that same effect from the Last Day theme, which was free.

Tommy @ Nov 19th 2008 11:42AM

Whatever it is, I hope its free!
http://www.squidoo.com/Doughboy

Aero @ Nov 19th 2008 11:44AM

Has microsoft released screenshots of the other NXE themes yet?

Chad @ Nov 19th 2008 11:44AM

I'm guessing the theme is not free, according to a thread on the Lionhead forums. Someone was complaining about the announcement being pushed back and then appeasing us by releasing a theme that we can buy. They're $3 USD. Whatever that is in MS monies.

HazyCloud @ Nov 19th 2008 12:01PM

They're actually 250 MS points. $3.12 USD.

DoctaDJones @ Nov 19th 2008 12:09PM

It boggles my mind when Themes and Icons that promote a product are not free.

aj @ Nov 19th 2008 12:12PM

The internet is free promotion for the promotional materials you have to buy.

I hope JoyStiq got paid for this ad.

Chan @ Nov 19th 2008 11:55AM

The only announcement I want to hear is a patch for all of the damn bugs so I can finish completing the quest like everyone else on the fable2 forums.

Trulz @ Nov 19th 2008 1:51PM

I don't understand how people like the game so much. I loved the first one, but Fable 2's story is awful, followed up by an awful ending. I'd done everything worth doing in a week (owned all the property, done every quest minus the repetitive retard quests, gone from completely evil and impure to the opposite) and I had absolutely no desire to ever pick it up again. Not worth anywhere NEAR 60 dollars.

Trulz @ Nov 19th 2008 1:52PM

Supposed to be a reply to AJ wooo!

Kyle @ Nov 19th 2008 12:07PM

Yeah, I came in here to bitch about the announcement being pushed back, but all y'all are worried about is the theme...they need to release whatever the hell they are releasing or just tell us what it is. I'd rather know if its worth waiting anxiously for or not.

therpham @ Nov 19th 2008 12:07PM

Firstly, I clicked "returning" only to have my screen taken over by an AT&T ad that didn't go away properly when I clicked its close button. You should do something about that.

Secondly, I beat Fable 2 for the second time yesterday. I've done pretty much everything I wanted to do and got almost all of the achievements within reason, so they'll have to do something pretty special to stop my attention from wandering to something shinier.

aj @ Nov 19th 2008 12:14PM

So, who here is happy to have paid 60$ for "Fable II"?

I DeX I @ Nov 19th 2008 12:35PM

I'm happy I paid 60 bux for it, although I have not played it since Gears2 came out. When I do get back to it, I'm going to have a Bajillion gold waiting for me. I can't seem to pull myself away from HORDE mode in Gears2.

Burritoclock @ Nov 19th 2008 12:43PM

Pretty much everyone that isn't a whiny bit-... I'll sensor myself.

Badboy1979 @ Nov 19th 2008 12:57PM

I'm happy about my purchase ... still on my first play thru with countless of hours in.

Just installed it to the hard drive and will probably play a little bit tonight to see if there's any noticeable difference.

Delgado @ Nov 19th 2008 1:13PM

My story is the same as Dex - I love it, but haven't played since Gears 2. I'm pretty sure I'll have more than a million gold waiting for me, if not much more.

Dirty @ Nov 19th 2008 1:18PM

Same as Dex and Delgado, I finished the story and will be filthy rich, but Im more interested in starting a new evil character.

Bpops @ Nov 19th 2008 1:25PM

I'm very happy.. gave me 3 weeks of enjoyment.

Mirror's Edge on the other hand...

Vcize @ Nov 19th 2008 1:38PM

I typically wait to pick up single player games when they're cheap, but Fable 2 was one of the few I bought right away. I'm more than happy with my decision, and feel like I've gotten my money's worth already and I've barely touched on the main questline of the game. My real estate empire is booming.

Xoviet chiK @ Nov 19th 2008 1:44PM

@Bpops - "...Flippin' Rocks my socks, and I'm so happy I purchased it!"?
-----

Don't regret Fable II for a minute. Co-op play is a little blah, but it stands as one of only a few games released this generation (Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, R&C Future) that I've played through more than once. (Currently on our third run, though L4D takes precedence for now)

Great game, worth every cent!

Professor Lario @ Nov 19th 2008 1:51PM

It is a fun game, but very very shallow in every area. Almost like it was geared towards the beginning gamer set.

Considering the games launched in the past few months, I would hold off at $60 - maybe a buy at $40 or $30.

sk8monroe81 @ Nov 19th 2008 2:47PM

aj- well i bought the game at circuit city, so i received a $ 10 gift card when i paid $ 60 for the game.

and i just recently beat the game. its cool to know the game still continues after completion. the choices you make at the beginning and end of the game almost warrant a replay on their own.

but i already want to play the game again to be the exact opposite of how i played the first time.

the way your rentals and shops earn money whether you are playing or not is great, especially in a time when there are so many games to play. its cool to put down fable 2 and know that when i go back i will have much more gold.
thats really my next quest anyway to receive 1 million gold to buy a castle that just went on sale.

Zertoss @ Nov 19th 2008 3:13PM

I love Fable 2. My roommate and I have been addicted to it. He blew through it, doing few of the side quests, while I'm taking my time doing all the quests that bump my goodness up.

I just did the Crucible for the second time the other day and scored perfect rounds all the way through. Most of my abilities are at level 4 now and I own most of Oakfield and a large portion of Bowerstone.

I've had a blast with co-op. It has its problems, like the camera and such, but it's still a lot of fun. I walked into the living room the other day, and my roommate was fighting off an army of I don't remember what. He said he might need a little help, so I turned a controller on, signed in and loaded up my save, picked a character and weapons and jumped in. My Will powers were way stronger than his, so I devastated the opposition.

Unfortunately, the first time we went co-oping together, he was just screwing around, so I decided to jump in and play as an evil male for a change. Well, after several dozen murders, a handful of attempted murders and a few burglaries, I learned that my co-op character was connected to my own hero, and when I loaded up my own saved game, I had become pure evil. Oops! I still haven't recovered from that.

Overall, I'm glad I bought it.