Knothole Island PicDownloadable Content (or DLC) is becoming more commonplace in games, and is still a major source of contention among gamers. Some people see it as a way to squeeze more money out of customers, others see it as a way to expand on a game without delaying the initial release. The price also plays a big part in people's opinions. Gamers rarely complain about free DLC, but content that costs money will have detractors even if there are many hours of gameplay for only a few dollars. Fable 2 was released late in 2008, and the Knothole Island DLC was released only a couple months later for 800 Microsoft points (or $10 U.S.). Does this DLC provide enough bang for the buck, or will the quests fizzle out? Read on for our short review.

The Knothole Island expansion updates the town of Bowerstone with a submarine and its captain, who anxiously waits for you to pay the required 800 points to journey to his hometown on Knothole Island. He offers you a few gifts, but there is no requirement to visit Knothole Island, and your actions there don't have much affect on the rest of your game.

Once on Knothole Island, you will have to help the town by fighting through three dungeon shrines to find the three weather totems. There are also ten books to find along the way (much like the silver keys in the main Fable 2 quests). This is the core of the expansion, and can be done in less than a couple hours. Compared to the main story line, it feels very small and inconsequential. With only three weather types, the island never finds a happy medium, and seems to always be struggling from heat, cold or flooding. There is one benefit for those who might have made a *cough* significant sacrifice *cough* in the main story, but even that doesn't feel worth the $10 asking price.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this expansion to anyone at the current price point. The unique items available from Knothole Island are okay, but nothing amazing. The amount of time it adds to the game is certainly not worthwhile, and the good/evil decision at the end of the weather quests won't make you take pause like the one at the end of the main story line. If someday it is available for 400 Microsoft Points, I could recommend it for any big fan of Fable 2, but as for now, you won't be missing much by skipping this DLC.



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