After a successful (if fairly quiet) release on the Xbox 360, Fable Anniversary is looking to finally make its way to the PC later this year.
The Fable series is Microsoft’s foray into the world of action RPG’s, and since its initial release on the original Xbox the series has been popular with players for its engaging combat, free form character advancement, and intriguing world. Fable Anniversary looks to update the very first release, including its bonus content, The Lost Chapters, with higher resolution textures and enhanced lighting effects.
Initially released on the Xbox 360 only a few months ago, Fable Anniversary was well received by many critics, with its biggest positive and negative points simultaneously being its slavish devotion to the source game. Though this dedication is unsurprising given Anniversary is little more than an updated coat of paint on top of the original code, some critics were annoyed at the failure to improve certain features, such as the removal of loading times between zones.
Due to a number of fan requests, the team at Lionhead Studios has now decided to bring the enhanced port to PC users as well. This comes at a time when Microsoft is starting a general push toward improving its relations with PC gamers as a whole. Fable Anniversary will be joining the ranks of a number of other recent updated versions of classic games from Microsoft, including titles like Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, and the Rise of Nations series.
Since closing down the Games for Windows Live service Microsoft’s increasing support of digital platforms such as Steam has been well-received by many PC gamers. With the addition of Fable Anniversary to the list, Microsoft’s plans to appeal to PC gamers once again seem to be in full swing.
Currently response to the planned release seems to be generally positive, if not particularly enthusiastic. For many PC fans of the Fable series, Lionhead’s biggest failing is the lack of availability of a PC port of Fable 2. With the announced release of Fable Anniversary, as well as the availability of Fable 3, speculation has started as to whether Microsoft Game Studios and Lionhead will take this opportunity to bring the last, missing game to PC as well.
With the series’ unique blend of humor, beautiful fantasy worlds and a consistent, enjoyable lore, the Fable series has a lot of great qualities. Fable Anniversary has already seen a lot of success both on its own and as part of the Fable Trilogy on Xbox Live Marketplace. The question is, will it fare as well in the competitive PC digital distribution market?