Big Christmas releases shipping without promised features

Microsoft's Fable 2 and Sony's LittleBigPlanet – two of the biggest releases due this side of Christmas – will both hit store shelves without some of the unique features promised by the development teams.

Microsoft has announced that Fable 2 will not include online co-op play on the day of release, one of the features unveiled by studio boss Peter Molyneux at this year's Game Developers Conference.

"We just got word that while we will be able to play the single player and local co-op on day one, they are still making tweaks to the online co-op," said the company via it's Gamerscore Blog. "Lionhead and Microsoft Game Studios are looking to get the update out within the first week of launch in North America."

LittleBigPlanet, a game Sony believes can be a system-seller with its unique sharing and co-operative play, will also arrive at retail lacking the online Create mode, which allows users to team up and build content for the game online.

"The ability to create with your friends online will come as part of the first major update after the game is released," wrote a Sony rep on the official PlayStation forums.

LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation 3 and Fable 2 for the Xbox 360 are both released in October.