As promised at this year's gamescom in Cologne, Lionhead's well-respected action-RPG, Fable II, has now launched on Xbox Live's Games on Demand service as a five-episode downloadable affair. Players can grab episode one for free and then purchase the remaining four episodes if and when they choose.

This from the official Xbox.com Fable II download page:
Download the first episode of Fable II, the best-selling action role-playing game, in which you take on the role of a Hero in the fully realised land of Albion. Play through an epic story, become the world's greatest fighter, gunslinger or mage. Explore dozens of open, unique environments with your faithful dog. Make friends, fall in love and start a family.

Meet hundreds of characters and face some very tough decisions. In Fable II, everything you do has a consequence. Episodes 2, 3, 4 and 5 can be purchased within the game. You will need to purchase further episodes to enable full LIVE functionalities and join other Heroes from around the world on your adventures.
The initial download is a whopping 1.79 GB, and as noted above, you'll need to buy the additional episodes in order to be able to use the online co-op functionality.




Bryn says: I think I like this move. It's like getting a big upfront demo of a game, with the option to keep playing as you keep paying. It works well for a game Like Fable II, and I could see it extending to other game types too.

Imagine if you could sample a good chunk of Gears of War 2 or Mass Effect in a similar way. Let's hope we see more of this going forward.