Fable II was one of those games that I anticipated for its co-op and was severely let down...so I determined that I would wait for a good deal and buy it for its single-player gameplay.

Not only has that time come, it has come in the form of five easily digestible episodes, and the first episode is available...for freeeee! Xbox Live members can get their hands on this ~1.8 GB download right now. As in, this second. I wouldn't blame you one bit if you queued it up from work. I did.

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This week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week for Gold Members only is the Fable 2 Knothole Island expansion pack.   The DLC pack is 30%, which knocks its 800  price down to 560 .

If you read our impressions of the DLC a while back, you know we were pretty happy with what we got for our $10!  Knothole Island contains three new quests revolving around the weather of Knothole Island.  Players can unlock new and unique items, including an Assault Rifle from Halo.  Yes...and assault rifle.

The DLC deal comes at a pretty good time as the New York times just confirmed that Fable 3 is in development, again, thanks to a wedding announcement.  You can't make this stuff up.

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Peter Molyneux has asked us an important question today, one that I hope fans of cooperative games will stand up and answer.  Via his Twitter, Molyneux asks:

hey i had a thought why not try using twitter for some design research soooo #fablefeatures what features were missing from Fable 2

 So now is your chance to stand up and answer - "We want better co-op."  We want to bring our characters into friends games, we want a camera that isn't so restrictive, and we want more interaction between our characters.  You already know our problems with the cooperative mode, and I think a lot of these could address it.

What else do you want in Fable 2?  Be sure to respond via Twitter as well as on this post!

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Awwwwwwwwww, look at the puppy!  Screw seeing the future in the latest Fable 2 DLC, I want to see more PUPPIES!

On a more serious note, the latest Fable 2 content is available today on Xbox Live Marketplace.  The See the Future DLC comes in two flavors for cooperative players.  The free version is required if you want to co-op with someone who has ponied up for the premium version.

See the Future offers players a glimpse at what is to come in the Fable universe, as well as new items, quests, and the ability to choose a new dog breed from a handful of selections.  The content will set you back 560   and is available now.

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Original caption by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo

Our friends at Loot Ninja have worked up an editorial not too dissimilar from our 2008 retrospective "Co-Op Successes and Failures" (by Jason Love) and more recent "Innovations in Co-Op Gaming" (by Katrina Pawlowski feat. the staff)...the Loot Ninja staff seek the definitive answer to a question that has been hounding our forum-goers for several months now: Do All Games Need Multiplayer or Co-Op?

Hot on the heels of Naughty Dog's confirmation of both multiplayer and three-player co-op in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves comes the news that Bioshock 2 will also feature multiplayer (although, sadly, no co-op). Today's gaming news in particular has been ripe with teases of Modern Warfare 2, a game that we steadfastly hope will also include four-player co-op. Tomorrow, Fable II DLC See the Future hits the Xbox Live Marketplace, leaving us still wondering why the co-op in that game was gimped. Not to be outdone, Killzone 2 falls in the same category as Fable II -- although without co-op in any form -- and also makes its way to Loot Ninja, where they use the Sony headliner as an example of a high-profile game that may well have benefited further from a co-op campaign.

What's very gratifying to see is the general attitude of the comments as of this writing:  apparently Loot Ninja's readers are as attached to co-op as we are. We've gone over this before, but please take a look at the editorial piece and put in your two cents...then come back over here and continue our ongoing discussion.

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Lionhead has let the cat out of the bag on the release date for the See the Future DLC for Fable 2.  The brand new add-on will hit Xbox Live on May 12th and will cost 560.

The DLC has players facing Murgo the Trader and his challenges, all of course, playable in co-op.  The Coliseum is now available as well, which from what we've heard, is a bit like the Crucible but much harder.  Players also have three new breeds of dogs to choose from; Dalmatian, Bloodhound, and Husky.    

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With the announcement of Fable II's DLC, titled See the Future, Lionhead Studios' Peter Molyneux couldn't resist giving a statement. The DLC title suggests two things. First, Theresa, the Seer character, will be worth keeping an eye on, since her job is 'unveiling the future.' And second, there is likely a bright future for the Fable franchise itself. So, what did Peter Molyneux have to say about it?
 

"Well, while it’s not easy for me to absolutely confirm (Fable 3), it would be pretty poor to say ‘See the Future’ if it didn’t have some connection, wouldn’t it? It would be kind of, ‘See the Present,’"

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Lionhead has priced and dated the next set of downloadable content for Fable 2.  The See the Future pack will be released this May for 560 and once again will require players to download the free update pack if they wish to play with someone who purchased it in co-op.
 

In “See the Future,” players will be given the chance to heed the call for a hero to restore color and balance to the world, or let Albion fall to the wayside. Those who emerge victorious will receive the ultimate reward: a quest that provides a vision of Albion’s future and what lies ahead for those born into the heroic bloodline. The fantastical new quests in “See the Future” will bring players face-to-face with new characters, creatures, events and legendary artifacts

To me it almost sounds as if the game will give players a glimpse at Fable 3.  Another interesting addition to this DLC is the ability to change the breed of your dog!  What's the chance that they'll have a puggle?  In addition to the new breeds, players will have new hairstyles, make-up, hero expressions and dog tricks to enjoy with their friends.

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Fable 2's Knothole Island content was pretty successful, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that more downloadable content is planned for the game.  IGN sat down with Peter Molyneux to discuss the game and where it's going.  

The content is called See the Future, and the story revolves around the character of Theresa from the game.  It's supposed to help tie up some loose ends between Fable 1 and Fable 2.  Not only will the content offer new story elements, but new gameplay mechanics were also mentioned in the interview.  Could this mean co-op tweaks?  We can only hope.

Overall Peter calls See the Future a much more refined and polished experience when compared to the Knothole Island content.  Knothole Island production began immediately after shipping the game, while the new content has had a bit more time in the oven.  In fact, the levels are supposed to be some of the most beautiful created to date in the game.

The title See the Future alludes to a sequel game, one that's been rumored, and one Peter basically confirms. 

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I think you dropped your co-op....

It's true, we had some problems with the co-op implementation in Fable 2.   But that doesn't mean we still don't hold hope that Lionhead could patch or upgrade what's there.  There's two simple fixes really;  a better camera for online play and the ability to bring characters into friends games.  

The official Lionhead Developer Blog brings word that after 2.6 million units sold and 66 Million Achievements unlocked of Fable 2, that more downloadable content is on the way.  According to them their team is actively working on some content right now and more information should be coming in the next few weeks.

The previous DLC, Knothole Island, was something we enjoyed quite a bit even though there were no major improvements to the game's buddy system.  Lets just keep our fingers crossed for whatever the next piece of DLC is.

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