Fallout 3 DLC Not So Exclusive After All

In another edition of corporate lies, Bethesda Softworks announced today that the previously announced Xbox 360 and PC exclusive downloadable content for the extremely-popular-and-extremely-broken RPG, Fallout 3, is actually not exclusive at all, and will be also going to PlayStation 3.

Surprise!

According to the publisher, Operation: Anchorage, which released in late January on PC and 360, will be available for PS3 late this June. The Pitt and Broken Steel will be available 4-6 apart from that.

In addition, two new expansion packs were announced titled Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta. Both will be available for 360 and PC in late June and late July respectively, while they are scheduled for "sometime after Broken Steel" for PS3.

If you don't have your console/computer hooked up to the internet, Bethesda will be offering the DLC via regular old retail. Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt will be bundled together for $9.99 on May 26, 2009, while a second disc containing Broken Steel and Point Lookout will be available sometime in August for the same price.

Bethesda claims that these discs will only be available for Xbox 360 and PC, as disc expansions for PS3 are not possible. Right. Like I should believe anything you claim, Bethesda. (eye roll)

Finally, Bethesda has announced that a Game of the Year edition will be available for all three systems this upcoming October. It will be priced at $59.99 for 360 and PS3, and $49.99 for PC, and will contain all 5 expansions. Meaning that, yes, you have now officially paid way too much for this crap.

Let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat. I don't mind the fact that PS3 owners will get this content. I personally don't even like this game, and never planned on purchasing any of the DLC anyway (I'm actually thinking seriously about selling my copy back). For gamers who only own a PS3 and really really wanted the DLC, this is nothing but good news.

What really irks me is that Bethesda lied about it.

As a consumer who, y'know, pays for things, I like to be treated honestly. If DLC, extra content, or even an entire game is exclusive, timed exclusive, or multiplatform, I just want the developers/publishers to say that right from the start.

Gamers complain that game companies treat them poorly, but do absolutely nothing when companies like Bethesda do this sort of stuff. In fact, they even give them money to do it!

Just saying.

[Destructoid]

Fable II's See the Future DLC Dated, Detailed

As Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux divulged at GDC, Microsoft has confirmed the second downloadable content package for last year's Fable II, indeed titled "See the Future."

The new expansion adds several new quests, locations, items, and customization options for your hero. However, the biggest draw for the new pack is arguably the chance to get a sneak peak at what the future of the Fable series holds.

See the Future will be available for 560 MSP on Xbox Live Marketplace next month, though no specific date has yet been confirmed.

Anyone looking forward to more Fable?

[Fable II: See the Future Official Press Release]

Peter Molyneux Sort of Confirms Next Fable II DLC

Last week at GDC, Lionhead Studios boss and Fable creator Peter Molyneux had a few things to say about the rather popular action-RPG, and even went so far as to describe the next DLC chapter to Fable II, as well as hint at the in-development Fable III.

Molyneux confirmed that the next batch of DLC, titled See the Future, will be available "this spring," which he went on to clarify would be a matter of weeks, rather than months.

See the Future will apparently be much more story-driven than the previously released Knothole Island, and will supposedly answer some questions that long-time Fable fans may have (assumedly tying up some loose ends between the original and Fable II). More importantly, however, Molyneux states that See the Future will give players a glimpse at what is next for the series, going so far as to hint that the DLC will be a shadow of things to come in Fable III.

No word on specific dates or prices for See the Future, but we expect to hear more sooner than later.

Fable II is already available for Xbox 360 worldwide.

Trifecta of Valkyria Chronicles DLC Coming This Spring

Sega recently dropped word on new downloadable content for its SRPG/shooter hybrid title, Valkyria Chronicles, revealing three upcoming packs for the PlayStation 3 title.

The most basic pack is called Hard EX Mode (not sure what the "EX" is all about, but yeah). As you might guess, this is a pack to make the game, uh, harder. Enemies will reportedly be stronger, and you will no longer have the use of the Edelweiss tank.

The other two packs are full new episodes. The first, titled "Enter the Edy Detachment," puts Edy at the head of a small detached force attempting to reunited with the main Gallian force when they come across a small village under Imperial occupation. The second, called "Behind Her Blue Flame," follows a young Imperial engineer named Johann who is assigned to Selvaria's division at the outbreak of war on the Gallian borders, allowing you to see the war from the enemy's perspective.

None of the announced packs have been firmly dated or priced at this point, but Sega has vaguely stated that they will be available this Spring. Whenever that is supposed to be, I guess.

Anyone interested in returning to the anime-inspired frontlines?

More Fable II DLC in the Works

According to Fable II's official dev blog, the team behind the very popular WRPG is hard at work on creating yet another offering of Downloadable Content.

The previous installation of DLC for the title dropped in January in North America, and featured new areas, quests, items, and stuff to do. Though the blog doesn't clearly define what the new DLC will include, when it will be available, or really, well, anything, I would assume it to be a similar package to Knothole Island.

Since I finished the game proper, I put it aside to work on my enormous mountain of backlog. However, should I someday wish to return to Albion, I could see myself picking up these DLC packs. It just may not be any day soon.

Anyone interested in more Fable II?

Remaining Fallout 3 DLC Delayed

Bethesda Softworks has recently dropped information that the final two PC and 360 exclusive DLC packs for their popular RPG Fallout 3 have been delayed by roughly a month each.

The fist DLC pack, Operation Anchorage, was released a couple of weeks ago, though it came under fire for having a lot of bugs (I don't think that this should be much of a surprise considering the full game's copious bugs, but I'm not everyone). The reason for the delays has not been made public, but it is speculated that the extra time is being used to polish up the remaining two packs.

The Pitt, originally due this month, has been pushed back to March, while Broken Steel will be available sometime in April, though concrete dates have yet to be established.

Giant Fallout 3 Patch Appears. Command?

People seem to like Fallout 3. It's got this sandbox thing going on that North American gamers just can't get enough of. But it's also got a metric tonne of bugs in it, and people have been pissing and moaning about them for a while.

Well, Bethesda Softworks, apparently tired of your complaints, has released a mega-patch for all three versions (PC, 360, PS3) today, and is totally free for your downloadable pleasure. Console users can get it automatically from Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, while PC users can either get it through Games for Windows LIVE or directly from Bethesda.

As an important note, owners of either the 360 or PC versions will be required to download this patch in order to pick up the game's additional DLC, the first round of which is Operation: Anchorage on January 27, 2009 for 800 MSP.

You can find out exactly what the patch fixes here.

Fable II DLC Release Date Confirmed (For Real This Time)

Announced back in November, Microsoft and Lionhead Studio's Fable II DLC, Knothole Island, was originally slated for a mid-December release. For some Scroogey reason, it was delayed to an unknown date.

Well, Microsoft came forward yesterday to reveal that the DLC in question will be available on January 13, 2009 (next Tuesday). Interestingly enough, it appears that this DLC will be available worldwide on the 13th, so regardless of what region you live in, you'll be able to pick in up next week.

I assume that the delay, then, was to make sure that Japan (who received the game a month and a half later than North America and Europe) was able to have some time with the game before the DLC, but Microsoft hasn't mentioned anything about that...

Anyways, Knothole Island features new quests, items, and a new area to explore for 800 MSP.

Fable II DLC Delayed

In news that could potentially ruin your Christmas, word has come down from Microsoft that the Fable II expansion, Knothole Island, will be delayed from its original mid-December release to a late-January one.

Microsoft has claimed the reason for the delay is related to technical problems, though no specifics have been given yet.

Having recently finish Fable II myself, I have to say that I need a break from Fable to play some other games, so the delay really doesn't bother me, but I'm sure there are some who are devastated by this.

What are your thoughts?

Disgaea 3 DLC will Eat your World. Also, Prinny.

Confession time: I haven't paid ANY attention to NIS' Disgaea 3. Maybe it's because I don't own a PS3. Maybe it's because I didn't particularly enjoy the original Disgaea. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my copy of Disgaea 2 is still in its plastic wrap prison. I don't know.

But for those of you who can't get enough Disgaea (I know you're out there), were you aware that Disgaea 3 is not getting its 6th round of DLC? 6th round? Holy crap! Who's buying this stuff?!

More importantly, however, this round of DLC brings some crossover characters into your game, giving you control over a couple of the main characters from NIS' other obscure SRPG, Soul Nomad & The World Eaters (known as Soul Cradle: Sekai wo Kurau Mono in Japan). Namely, you'll be able to recruit Rivea, the female protagonist of the game, Gig, the enigmatic World Eater, and... er... a dragon.

Also, the Hero Prinny from NIS' upcoming not-an-RPG, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?

Rivea and Gig will cost you 200 yen a piece (ouch), the dragon will run you 100 yen, and the Hero Prinny is the ubeatable price of FREE.

This DLC has been available on PSN since late last week in Japan.

I honestly don't know if any of the previous Japanese DLC has been made available for the North American version or not, nor do I have any inkling as to whether or not this set will make its way into your North American wallet. But if it does, would you be interested in it?

The Last Remnant DLC Announced

It's a DLC Announcement Party on Xbox 360 this week, and it seems like just about everybody's invited.

The latest RPG to hop on board the DLC announcement band wagon is Square Enix's recently released The Last Remnant. However, TLR's DLC isn't so much an expansion as Fallout 3 or Fable II's DLC. But most of it is free.

Shamelessly copy-and-pasted from the press statement:

Challenge Pack 1: “Purgatory’s Sins”
Price: Free
Release date: Gold Member: 1st December, 2008
Silver Member: 8th December, 2008
Level up your game with this pack of ultra-challenging guild tasks. Adequate game progression is necessary.

“The Key of Ancient Ruins”
Price: Free
Release date: Gold Member: 1st December, 2008
Silver Member: 8th December, 2008
Unlock the gates to the Ancient Ruins with this key, and discover what mysteries lie within its crumbling depths.

“March to War Set”
Price: 100 MSP
Release date: Gold Member: 15th December, 2008
Silver Member: 15th December, 2008
Three special unlockable formations (Scatterswarm, Goblet and Catapult) that will boost your tactical strength during battle.

Challenge Pack 2: “The Price of Lies”
Price: Free
Release date: Gold Member: 22nd December, 2008
Silver Member: 29th December, 2008
Add this pack of the most difficult guild tasks yet. Adequate game progression is necessary.

So, yeah. Mostly just challenge packs, etc. But free is free. I won't complain if you won't.

Fable II DLC Detailed

It's a DLC morning, apparently.

Yesterday Lionhead Studios announced the Knothole Island DLC expansion for Fable II.

Knothole Island will contain a new area (surprisingly named Knothole Island) that will contain new locales, enemies, and quests.

Additionally players will receive several exclusive in-game items like the Assassin's Gloves, the Knight's Boots, and the Weight Loss Potion.

I'm still very much enjoying Fable II, so I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a little bit interested in some expansion.

Knothole Island will be available via Xbox Live for 800 points sometime in mid-December.

Fallout 3 DLC Detailed

E3, in internet time, was 500 years ago, so most gamers likely forgot that Microsoft and Bethesda announced way back in July that Fallout 3 would be receiving exclusive DLC on Xbox 360 and PC.

At the time I didn't particularly give a second thought to that. I mean, the game was, at the time, 500 years away. But with the game out and about in both Europe and North America (and soon in Japan), additional content becomes a little bit more relevant.

Bethesda has recently announced what the first of this additional content is:

The Fallout 3 editor, G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit), will be free to download for the PC version next month, and will allow users to generate their own content (as one would expect from an editor).

Additionally, 3 downloadable content packs will be available for Xbox 360 and PC starting early next year. Shamelessly copy and pasted from the official press release:

-Operation Anchorage
Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.

-The Pitt
Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.

-Broken Steel
Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

Pricing for these DLC packs has yet to be set.

I haven't gotten around to Fallout 3 yet, but from what I understand, the main game is already loaded to brim with content. But hey, for those looking to get just that much more gameplay out of their $60, DLC seems like a good way to go.

E3 2008: Fallout 3 to Receive DLC for 360 and PC

Potentially the biggest hyped Western RPG of this generation, Bethesda announced today at the Microsoft press conference that Fallout 3 will receive "substantial" additional downloadable content exclusively for the Xbox 360 and PC.

Fallout 3 is due sometime later this year for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

UPDATE: Added the newest trailer from GameTrailers. ...Looks like a shooter to me, but what do I know?