14 DAY TRIAL // Fable II is one of the biggest titles Microsoft plans to publish this year and some early interesting promotions are a good way to create a buzz related to the game. With Peter Molyneux promising great things for the title, Microsoft had to come up with some great advertisements.
The first involves pre-ordering (which is one of the worst understood concepts in videogame marketing) and will offer those getting an early copy of the game a chance to play for free a bunch of Fable II Pub Games on the Xbox Live Arcade service from Microsoft. The games themselves are called Keystone, Spinnerbox and Fortune's Tower and allow the player to rack up some really big stacks of virtual money which they can then move to their Fable II title, once they receive it, to get a jump start in the game world.
If you do not want to pre-order Fable II, you can get the casino style games by buying Pub Games for 800 Microsoft points, which is around 10 dollars. It's not known whether the currency gained will be transferable to Fable II or not.
Microsoft is also announcing the creation of a Fable II Collector's Edition which will include a making of documentary on a separate disk, a figure of a Hobbe creature, some in-game items and a trial for Xbox Live Gold. The Collector's Edition will be priced at 79.99 dollars.
Fable II is described by its creator as much more open than the original game in the series. It will allow the player to shape an entire world with his in-game choices. The story will center on loss, anger and betrayal. The way you choose to react to the events will make you choose sides with good or evil.