The chap who brought us such games as Oblivion and Fallout 3, you know, Todd Howard, is a man with no doubt rather a lot on his mind. One of those things – or should I say ten – is his top ten all time favourite video games which he discussed with Industry Gamers not long ago. The list contains games that have influenced Bethesda’s executive producer and others that just have that golden memory for him. We all have them, like my fond memory of playing Super Mario Kart for the first time… Anyway, Todd’s picks look like this:

1. Ultima 7 (PC)
   “No other gaming series has, over such a long period of time, given me such joy.”
2. Doom (PC)
   “There are so many conventions and influences of today’s games that can be traced back to the original Doom, probably more than any other game.”
3. Civilization (PC)
   “It asks the ultimate “what-if” questions and lets you determine history”
4. Grand Theft Auto 3 (PS2)
   “The mark of a truly great game is how many people try to recapture or emulate it and fail.”
5. Pac-Man (Arcade)
   “I wonder sometimes if gaming would be popular today if this game had never existed.”
6. Wing Commander/X-Wing (PC)
   “Wing Commander, like Karateka before it, pushed the “cinematic” experience in gaming to new levels.”
7. Call of Duty 4 (360)
   “This game has never gotten enough credit for the story it tells, and the way it tells it”
8. Gran Turismo 3 (PS2)
   “if you loved cars, this was the game to have – huge, deep, but easy to play”
9. NCAA Football 2006 (Xbox)
   “I would call myself a “student” of virtual football”
10. Karateka (Apple 2)
    “I do believe this game is the first ever to have cutscenes. At least well produced ones that made you want to keep playing”

Rather an impressive and varied list Mr Howard has. I may not agree with all of them but still find it interesting.

През краткото ми отсъствие от интернет пространството се случиха ужасно много гейм рилейтед неща Сега, с помощта на GT ще се опитам да позапълня основната част от пропуските си по темата.

Започваме с емблематичният QuakeCon.
На първо време ЦЯЛАТА пресконференция от събитието! BTW ако някой попадне на качествен рип на цялото нещо задължително да прати линкче.

ПСИХАРИЯ!

Bethesda’s Vice President for PR Pete Hines added an update to the BethBlog – a blog about Bethesda – regarding Todd Howard’s recent comments at QuakCon last week. In his talk Todd mentioned The Elder Scrolls V in a jovial fashion but has been misquoted as saying that Bethesda are not making TES V. When Producer Todd said “Don’t look for a new Elder Scrolls game in the near future” he doesn’t mean there will not be TES V says Pete, as he continued with how the series definitely will continue but isn’t giving a timeframe for when. TES IV and even III were huge for Bethesda so why on earth would they stop the franchise in the height of its popularity? Couple this with a quote from Pete saying “Todd and Bethesda Game Studios are hard at work on their next big game, and we’re not ready to discuss it. As always, we prefer to have something amazing to show when we talk about it. We aren’t going to confirm or deny or comment on speculation, nor are we going to give hints about anything. If you know us by now, you know we don’t really do that” and it’s safe to say something ‘big’ is coming.

Todd was asked if there was any chance of a MMO Elder Scrolls and replied with “I guess there’s a chance” setting the internet alight with rumours of TES V MMO. Getting out his proverbial dust-pan and brush, Pete also tackled this rumour by reminding us all that Todd and his team do not make MMOs because ZeniMax Online – a division of Bethesda – takes care of all that. Again he gave the response of how ZeniMax Online will reveal just what they are working on when its ready to do so.

Nothing may be announced yet but I shall sit in wait for the day when The Elder Scrolls V is shown to the world and making sure I clear what I’m doing for a year in order to play it…

Fallout 3’s downloadable content has been very successful. Each package has kept the spotlight pointed in Bethesdas direction well after the launch of the game in 2008.  Keeping gamers focus on a single title for all these months is a big accomplishment, so why are they stopping at five?

Director Todd Howard told Kotaku, “I think we’ve put enough content out there for this game.”

“We knew we wanted to do three initially and we’ll see where that goes. I kind of had in my mind that the upper limit was five. Part of that was what I think people are willing to continue to pay for a game. And a lot of that is our own internal bandwidth.” The DLC episodes were not treated as small projects. According to Howard, he had roughly half of his 90-person team working on Operation Anchorage and The Pitt, saying, “About half the team goes on to the next big game. The other half, which is mostly a lot of artists and designers go on to DLC stuff.” Now that all the planned DLC has been released, Howard said that one of his favorites was Point Lookout, calling it “one of the biggest and best DLCs.”

“We knew we were going to do a fourth DLC, I said to them: ‘I think you guys should do this,’ Come up with some ideas and pitch us. And that’s what they did. That was on the case that, on a bigger game, they wouldn’t have gotten that opportunity. And with Point Lookout, Howard wanted to get back to basics, saying, “It felt like the other DLCs didn’t do what the game does best, which is give me a wide-open area to explore. So let’s do a DLC that gives you that in a new way.”

With the release of Mothership Zeta it appears that Howard and Bethesda are ready to move on to their next project.  Lets hope that Obisidian can take the series and continue dishing out the goods for Fallout fans still craving more post apocalyptic adventures.

We would now like to introduce a new column from our video guest last week, Brandon. It takes his opinion on a range of popular games and dissects them to tell you why you probably like this game but shouldn’t. Without further ado, I present his first work of staggering genius: Fallout 3.

Wide, open expanses cover the world with exotic scenery ranging from valleys, mountains, caves, and oceans that beckon the player with promises of adventure and the threat of danger. The face of that danger comes in the form of the environment, traps, monstrous beasts, and even other people. You are armed with a huge selection of melee and ranged weapons to fight back against your foes. Through gaining experience, you delve into a leveling system that is equal parts complicated and intrinsically beautiful. You are a hero, to some a messiah and to some a champion; and yet, you have the choice to be the exact opposite.

Where are you?

No, not Cyrodill my friend. You’re not standing at the gates of Oblivion. Here, let me help you out. Add the following to that scenario: Guns and a warped turn based system. That’s right kids; you’re fresh out of the Vault.

Now, before I fully break into this, I want to state that Fallout 3 is a great game. The problem lies in the fact that it’s a great game in the same vein as Oblivion. Morrowind was wonderful and was fully upgraded in every conceivable way to the level of Oblivion. What changed between Oblivion and Fallout? As I mentioned before, the only differences are the presence of guns and V.A.T.S. I think the best review of this game would be through my first person experience.

I was first treated to the amazing graphics, glow effects, and decently mapped facial expressions that Bethesda is now known for. This time it was through the infantile eyes of *insert generic hero name here*. I began playing the game and, while the leveling system is not nearly as intense, I enjoyed it. I was shooing enemies, making moral decisions, and then I busted out of the Vault. It was then I heard the musical trappings of Jeremy Soule… No, wait. What? The composer was actually Inon Zur? Someone give that man an award! The soundtracks are both the same obligatory orchestral masterpieces that perfectly match the long hills and valleys of grass and… Wait, no. In Fallout 3, you’re running across the blasted wasteland of the Metro D.C. area; and yet, Bethesda still thought pieces on the same grandiose and beautiful tier as John Williams would describe a nuclear desolation.

The unforgiving comparisons had only just begun for me though. As I did with Oblivion, I started out running around doing every little side quest that I could find. Go figure, they were all the same. Go find the Ring of *insert random god’s name*… I mean, go find the O2 monitor to hardwire it into the cooling mainframe. Protect this innocuous person. Destroy this group of vampires. No, that’s not a mistake. Vampires are in both games.

Maybe the combat is different? Yes and no. Obviously there is a huge emphasis on long ranged weapons; however, they act in much the same way as a bow in Oblivion. Melee? Well, lets just say a pipe swing much the same way as a sword. But what is this V.A.T.S. I mentioned? It’s combat that turns the game into completely turn and statistic based. You have percentages to hit certain body parts, you can only shoot so many times, etc. This was a decent idea, but it actually broke the game. With just a few tweaks to your stats, you become an unstoppable headshot master as long as you can activate the mode. Does this add a whole lot to the game? Not really. Granted, it’s entertaining to shoot someone in the head and have all of their body parts explode into gore.

Is the game good? Yes, it has plenty of action, graphics, and, aside from the abysmal ending, a decent plot. It’s fun to run around DC and see the places you’ve been. For me, I realized that the lake I live at turned into a nuclear death pool. If you haven’t played Oblivion, then you’ll adore this game and probably play it until your thumbs are numb. The problem is, if you’ve played Oblivion, then you’ve already put anywhere from 30 hours to 120 hours into this game and there is no reason to put anymore in. Bethesda is now assuming that we gamers will now just happily play the same game with a new package time and time again.

So, that being said, Fallout 3 is a game you probably like, but shouldn’t.

P.S. If you’re a Fallout fanboy crying about purism, you’re right in the fact that it would have been nice to see a game along the same vein; however, that does not mean you have to have a conniption over the fact that something’s changing a little. That’s like yelling about television being switched from analog to digital because it’s not the same.

-Brandon

Ever felt that the MadGod of the Shivering Isles needed a makeover to go with that swoonsome voice? Well, now you can enjoy serving the Daedric Prince of Madness in three unique flavors: traditional, with subtle refinements; Daggerfall version, like in TES II; and Oh My Todd He’s Hot version, like Bethesda’s own Lurrve-Hobbit.

Whether you want my most unashamedly silly mod, or just a few tweaks to Sheo’s jawline, there’s something to suit you here.

DOWNLOAD from ElricM

DOWNLOAD from Planet Elder Scrolls

Classic

Shegorath retains his distinctive white hair and beard, and at first glance resembles the Sheo you already know and love – but he has actually been given a subtle makeover, with a face lift, nose job, chin enhancement, lip reduction, hair dye, and eyebrow wax.

Daggerfall Version

A more radical reinvention based on the Daggerfall descriptions. His hair and beard are now strawberry blond (back up your files before install as this overwrites the beard texture). His hair is longer and loose, and his features more angular and handsome, as well as being more youthful in appearance. His eyes are now in the bright gray ‘Ordered’ style.

Oh My Todd He’s Hot Version

The ‘TV’ or Todd Version brings everyone’s favorite Lurrve-Hobbit to his rightful place, taking charge of the madness and sending his put-upon sidekick to the back of beyond on a mischievous whim. It’s not an exact likeness (couldn’t get the hair or ears), and such a replica might not even be possible with the tools at our disposal, but we hope it raises a smile amidst the chaos.

It seemed only right to re-cast Pete as Haskill, but sadly I couldn’t remotely do him justice, since the tools just didn’t seem to allow for the shape of his face. Still, again, the idea is just to give the impression rather than an exact likeness.

For the third year running, APY at Planet Elder Scrolls very kindly hosted my Bethesda-related nonsense. Thank you once again, PES, for being my partners in crime.

Bethesda “Sorry” for Oblivion - News Story at Planet Elder Scrolls

In a surprise move that has shocked the gaming world, Bethesda’s Executive Producer Todd Howard stepped forward at GDC on behalf of the company to issue a public apology for Oblivion. The announcement follows years of campaigning from disenfranchised members of the Elder Scrolls community to persuade ZeniMax and its subsidiaries to take responsibility for the “unprecedented damage” the game has unleashed.

Bethesda: Heads bowed in shame

“We would like to apologize to everybody who bought our game, and to the world at large, for the problems that we have caused,” said Howard in his tearful and emotional speech, “And we very much hope that by taking ownership of the situation that we can limit the legacy of destruction that our game has wrought upon the world.”

“We endeavor that through this very public step we can draw a line under our past mistakes and move forward,” said the spokeshobbit. “Yes, we totally agree that level scaling was a bad idea, and we formally promise never to utilize that same system again. I understand that this admission won’t bring back the hours of gaming-time that you have lost, and I hope that you will grant us the chance to offer reparation through zone-based leveling in future games.”

“There was also the whole factor of allowing the player to become the head of every guild,” the fun-sized game director continued. “We had taken bad advice that this was what the player wanted, and we know now that this was not the case. You are never going to get back the hours you have wasted finding out that you can head up both the fighters’ and assassins’ guilds – which is clearly wrong from a role-player’s perspective – and there is no adequate way that we can compensate you for that loss.”

The pint-sized cutie also apologized for the unattractive appearance of female NPCs in the game. “We hope that the lack of resemblance to Eastern European athletes of any variety in Fallout 3 shows a degree of good faith on our part, but I accept that some of you will have been traumatized by your experiences on seeing these hideous creatures in Oblivion. We will make available a special helpline at the end of the conference, so that those affected by night terrors and other post-traumatic side-effects can call the number and get the help they need.  It really is the least we can do.”

Although problems with the game have long been known, this bold new step may have been prompted by recent evidence that has come to light of other, more serious issues that have been attributed to the use of Oblivion, including the rise of teen alcoholism and gun crime.

“I think it’s disgusting that this has been allowed to go on so long,” said Mothers Against Oblivion spokeswoman Meredyth Shufflebottom. “We’re sick of the dumbing down of our games to appease the console crowd. The nVidia black screen bug has driven my son to join a street gang. It’s time for action. We have written to the senator and to the state governor. It’s brave of Todd to apologize but the rot needs to stop. I believe that you can pinpoint the rise of cocaine use in the Western world to the moment canonical descriptions of Cyrodiil as a mangrove-filled jungle were sidelined in favor of generic Tolkienesque quaintness.”

A recent study by the International Confederation of Commerce has linked the global credit crisis to players overspending on hardware in order to play Oblivion.

More ominously still, Dr Hardin Steinberg of the National Research Center on Climatology has found strong evidence tying recent patterns of climate change to frequent use of Bethesda’s game. “There‘s still further research to be done,” concedes the expert, “But the balance of probabilities is that Elder Scrolls IV and its expansion may be responsible for up to 20% of humanity’s contribution to CO2 emissions.” The paleoclimatologist believes that this increase is attributable to the collective sighs of frustration when the game crashes on exit. “This is not the first time this has happened,” explains the scientist. “Around 11,500 years ago, the end of the Younger Dryas stadial synchronous cool period is thought to have been precipitated by the collective venting of frustrations at the global Senet game craze originating from predynastic Egypt.”

Is it too late to save the planet from Oblivion? Only time will tell.

Steinberg is optimistic. “I think that if Bethesda return promptly to the core values of choice and consequence and character-based skill, the Earth will be able to heal itself in time.”

The following was kindly published by APY  on 1st April 2008 on Planet Elder Scrolls. It was a spoof interview in advance of Fallout 3.

PES Exclusive interview with Todd and Pete from Bethesda – Planet Elder Scrolls.

Todd Howard and Pete Hines have granted a special interview to PES with exciting new information on their forthcoming post-apocalyptic roleplayer Fallout 3. San Francisco resident Enigma caught up with Bethesda’s Executive Producer and Vice-President of Marketing when they were in town for the Game Developers Conference (GDC).

Pete and Todd at GDC

The hotel is one of those plush, modern, brightly-lit places with no soul. It is difficult to hear above the noise of bustle and chatter, but soon we are summoned over by a harassed-looking, glamorous lady who turns out to be Beth PR-type Erin Losi. She sits on one of the sofas and starts reading off a clipboard. The man standing beside her is Pete Hines. He is enormously charismatic, and shakes each of us by the hand as Erin checks us off her list. “Gramsci from Mutation” announces the bearded twentysomething from the Fallout e-zine. Erin nods. I make out the name “Olga” from the statuesque blond, but the name of her ‘zine is Russian-sounding and unintelligible. Still reading, Erin jabs a pen in my direction, and I tell her my name. “Is that the one who called Todd a ’squeaky li’l hobbit of lurrve’?” asks Pete. “No, that was the other one,” responds Erin without looking up. Her cellphone rings, and she jumps up and ushers us into a room on the first floor.

Todd is, of course, much smaller than he appears on the television. “Be with you in five,” he mouths to us and shuts the door again. Before the wood connects with its frame, I catch a glimpse of people sat round a table. He must have been at this all day. Erin checks her watch again, and Pete fidgets with a gadget. The door opens, the others leave, and Todd indicates the chairs. I take the one nearest the door and Gramsci takes the one opposite-left. He is glaring at me and I’m not sure why. “I think the leg is broken on this one,” Todd whispers to Erin, who nods and leaves the room. Pete is sat at the end of the table and Olga is standing next to the only available chair, opposite me.

“I wish to greet you in traditional greeting of my country.” [She says the name - something like Kirbekyszstan but I can't quite make it out.]

“Oh, sure,” says Todd. “Oh my! Is there normally so much … groping?”

“You sit here!” she barks, sweeping him onto her lap like a grinning and slightly frightened lapdog.

He resists her strong grip for a second or two and then gives up.

“Shall we get started?” asks Pete. He presses a button on the laptop in front of him.

“One of the MANY things that concern me,” begins Gramsci, “Is the Fat Man issue, and how unbalancing that will be.”

It’s a reference to Fallout 3’s atomic artillery cannon from the 50s – a hand-held nuclear catapult that does amazing amounts of damage. Sounds like our kind of weapon.

“Balance is an issue we take very seriously,” says Pete. “We wouldn’t want to put out a game that wasn’t fun to play, so it’s definitely something at the forefront of consideration. It’s a one-shot weapon, so it’s not like you can go through the game blasting away every mutant with a nuke.”

He looks at me expectantly, and I refer to my list of questions from readers of Planet Elder Scrolls. “Do you play house mods?”

Gramsci glares at me with the fury of a thousand desert suns.

“We’re very proud of our modding community,” says Todd, “And it has been a great pleasure to see what you guys have come up with. I won’t name any favorites, but you’ve certainly raised some smiles around the office.”

Pete looks questioningly at Olga, who is stroking Todd’s hair.

“Vot classes vill there be in new game?” she asks.

“Well, we’re pretty excited about that,” responds Todd, leaning back against his voluptuous human chair. “See, there’ll be two brand new classes that fans from the previous games won’t have seen yet: Elemental Light Fighters, who use shamanistic magic and are Chaotic Good in roleplaying terms.”

Gramsci’s jaw drops, but Todd continues before he can protest.

“We brought along some screenshots so that you can see these guys. We wanted to visually represent their alignment with nature, because of their shamanic leanings.”

Gramsci: “But why are their ears point-?”

“And the other new class is called Old Raider Chaotics,” resumes Todd, “Pete loves these guys. As the name suggests, they’re wild baddies and you wouldn’t want to meet one on a dark – hehehe stoppit! Tickles! – night.”

“Of course, both classes are playable. We couldn’t have a game where you couldn’t play as an ELF or an ORC if you wanted to,” interjects Pete.

“I knew it!” mutters Gramsci.

“See, it’s all about choice,” continues Todd. “We think it’s important that you should really be able to do whatever you – hey, enough with the hands! – want.”

“I like to play as a badass, trigger-happy Han Solo type,” explains Pete.

“Whereas I like to dress in women’s clothing and spend my days picking mushrooms in the wasteland, zoned out on stimpaks.”

Even Pete stares at him.

“In the game,” Todd mutters, embarrassed.

“Will you guys be releasing a construction set?” I ask.

“It’s definitely something we want to do,” replies Todd, grateful for the change of subject. “Unfortunately, though, there are logistical reasons that we can’t commit to it at this stage. As soon as we’re in a position to make an announcement, we’ll let you guys know.”

Pete looks at his watch. “We’ve got time for one last question before we have to catch our flight.”

Gramsci pipes up, “What motivation does the player have for looking for his father?”

“We can’t talk about that right now,” smiles Todd. “Some of the fans have already guessed it, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise. It is something we’ve thought about, though, so even if you’re playing a bad guy character, you’ll still want to leave the vault.”

“I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got time for,” says Pete, rising from his chair. “Thank you all for your questions, but we have to run to get our flight.”

He shakes us all by the hand.

“Vait! I vish to bid goodbye in traditional greeting of my country!” Olga says to Todd, finally releasing him from her iron grip.

Todd stands up and looks at her uncertainly. “What exactly does that mean?”

“First I kiss you with tongue. Then we are making the love.”

Silence.

“Well,” Todd replies, “I suppose we could stay for a little longer …”

“TODD! FLIGHT!”

“Yes, yes, of course,” mutters Todd, following Pete out of the door.

2009 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT ANNOUNCES FIRST SPEAKERS

WORLD CLASS LINE-UP FOCUSES ON CREATIVITY AND VISION

CALABASAS, Calif. – January 15, 2009 – The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences® (AIAS) today announced the initial speakers for the 2009 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit®. The event will be held at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, February 18-20, 2009 and feature a line-up of industry leaders, visionaries and decision makers that are shaping the future of interactive entertainment.

“We are proud to have what is fast becoming the best line-up we’ve ever produced,” said Joseph Olin, president of the Academy. “From accomplished games industry veterans, who will share their insight on the market and future potential of our industry, to the creative forces behind some of the greatest entertainment properties of the last 50 years, creativity and vision will be the topics on everyone’s mind at D.I.C.E. this year.”

The incomparable line-up includes Jun Takeuchi, who is the producer of the most anticipated game of 2009, Harrison Ellenshaw, Academy Award nominated artist, Ralph Osterhaut, a serial inventor who has worked with the Defense Department, and David Perry a game designer who has sold over 1 billion dollars of games, among many other accomplished individuals:

• Chris Cao, Sony Online Entertainment Austin – lead designer on Sony Online’s upcoming DC Universe MMO game.
• Michael Denny, SVP Sony Corp. EU – responsible for the direction of innovative titles for Sony including LittleBigPlanet and Buzz.
• Harrison Ellenshaw, Disney/ILM/LucasFilm – Academy Award nominated artist from the film and animation industries, working on Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Dick Tracey, among others.
• Anita Frazier, NPD Research – lead research analyst covering retail sales in the games industry.
• Lars Gustavsson, Creative Director D.I.C.E. Studios/EA – creative director on EA’s multi-million selling Battlefield franchise.
• Michael Haigh, Director London Studios, SCE Worldwide Studios – catapulted social gaming into the mainstream with Sing Star, pivotal in the development of EyeToy.
• Todd Howard, Bethesda Studios – lead designer of the current top-10 selling Fallout 3.
• Alex Laurent, LucasArts/ILM – visual effects visionary that has transitioned from the film to games industry.
• Ralph Osterhout, Serial Inventor – former defense contractor and legendary toy designer.
• David Perry, CCO and Co-Founder Acclaim Entertainment – game designer on multiple MMOs as well as licensed and original IPs ranging from the Matrix to Earthworm Jim, with his games selling over 1 billion dollars retail
• J. Paul Raines, COO Gamestop – formerly Executive VP for Home Depot.
• John Riccitiello, CEO Electronic Arts- co-founder Elevation Partners, former President of Sara Lee Corporation.
• Bruce Shelley, Ensemble Studios – 2009 D.I.C.E. Hall of Fame inductee and designer of some of the top selling strategy games of all time including Age of Empires and the upcoming Halo Wars.
• Jun Takeuchi, Capcom – producer and game director on best-sellers including Lost Planet and Resident Evil 5.

There will also be two powerhouse panel discussions, the first moderated by Julianne Greer from The Escapist, and features Rich Hilleman, CCO, Electronic Arts, Chris Taylor, Creative Director, Gas Powered Games, Mona Hamilton, VP Marketing, Capcom and Dan Bilson, SVP Creative Director, THQ.

The second panel closes out the conference and will be moderated by Ted Price, President & CEO, Insomniac Games, and features N’Gai Croal (Newsweek), Mike Snider (USA Today), Geoff Keighley (Spike TV) and Seth Schiesel, (New York Times). More speakers will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

The D.I.C.E. Summit 2009 will also play host to the 12th annual Interactive Achievement Awards® ceremony on February 19, where industry leaders and members pay tribute and recognize the individuals and products that contribute to the growth of the interactive entertainment software business. Comedian, actor and proud game enthusiast, Jay Mohr will return for his fourth year to host the award festivities.

For more information and registration: www.dicesummit.org

Growing up in the seventies had its ups and downs. One of the serious downs was the music; you couldn’t throw a white man’s afro in any direction from 1975 to 1982 without hitting some mustachioed, polyester- suited goober of male sensitivity crooning about his father the band leader or holding someone by the firelight as a means to score some poon. For all I know, the touchy-feely bearded douchebag angle could have landed more tail than Boeing, but any man who’s willing to turn himself into a pussy in order to get laid deserves any and all social afflictions that befall his libidinous appendage.

One of the the definite ups was that, unlike our parents, we were largely spared routine visits from the looming specter of nuclear annihilation. We had no Nikita Khrushchev, no blinking, beeping Sputnik under which we shuddered in collective, jingoistic paranoia. We had no Cuban missile crisis to push us to the overt brink of Armageddon; we had Jimmy Carter pussyfooting around the Ayatollah, and Luke Skywalker – not the toughest of role models either way, but there was no radiation poisoning, either. Had Carter been in the White House in October of 1962, there’d still be Soviet missiles in Cuba, but lots of poor Cubans would have gotten new houses, so it all might have worked out anyway.

Our closest brush with The End came on a night that virtually no one knows about; on September 26th, 1983, a Soviet Air Defense Forces satellite early warning network indicated that several missiles had been launched by the US against the Soviet Union. If Colonel Stanislav Petrov – a man who used logic and objective reasoning to determine that the warning had been caused by malfunctioning equipment – had adhered to the standard Soviet protocol of notifying the Air Defense command about any impending attacks, chances are the backdrop of Fallout 3 would have become a stark, irradiated reality, and I’d be writing this review on a cave wall. Or worse, a TI99/4A. Shudder.

Bethesda’s biggest gaffe in developing Fallout 3 was including the 3 in the title; not because it diminishes the game in any way, but because it has led to a tidal wave of Internet geek-fuck backwash about how Fallout 3 is not as good as the first two Fallout games because it lacks the “humor” and the turn-based tedium of its forebears. I suppose that there were people who missed the hand-crank on their Model T when the first key-start engines were produced, too, so those gaming trilobites pining away for the interaction mechanics o’ yore might be afforded some slack, there, if only out of pity. What cannot be forgiven, or even sanctioned by way of validation, is the notion that Fallout 3 is boring.

Any game that offers as many colorful solutions to its mind-bending number of quests – including the straightforward, “blow their heads clean off as eyeballs fly in multiple directions” approach, the “stealth your ass off” method, and the “let’s talk about it ’cause we’re all just good folks at heart” plan – can be considered anything but boring. If tossing frag grenades at six-foot-long scorpions while a Super Mutant Behemoth whales on you with a board full of rusty nails until you turn around and hit him with your Fat Man mini-nuke (complete with attendant mini-mushroom cloud) is your definition of boring, you’ve led a harrowing life indeed, at which point might I suggest some heavy-duty, $300-an-hour therapy, ’cause…damn.

I just think it's a little pricey for a unique fixer-upper

Any game that requires you to think just a little bit about where your next thrill is coming from is bound to garner some criticism from the Duplo crowd (you know, those insipid dolts who need a big, fat-crayoned arrow hanging in the air to show them where to go next, else they lose interest). Fallout 3 does exactly the opposite; it relies on the player to push the narrative forward, to find situations that require skill and a shred of forethought in order to survive, and it does so while consistently keeping the player’s in-game references within – wait for it – the game itself. It never interrupts the play with cutscenes or scripted enemy intros (Doom 3, Gears of War, fuck you too), nor does it wrest control from the player in order to focus attention on something deemed too important to risk missing, but not important enough to work seamlessly into the gameplay. (“Yes, we’re going to show you this door now, so please stop playing so that we might show you this door, which may or may not be a door which you must use at some point in the near future, so please be on the lookout for this door.”)

What bothers the aforementioned Duplos is that Fallout 3 requires you to make your own fun; you can’t simply stand around and wait for shit to happen. It will not pull you by the nostrils through level after tiresome level of single-path, measured progress, so chances are if you’re a numb, boring twat yourself, you’ll find Fallout 3 equally boring. If you’re fond of finding your own way, whether through life or through your entertainment (the distinction is academic, really), Fallout 3 will appeal to you on that level.

If you’re not a fan of bleak, post-apocalyptic settings, give this bad boy a wide berth, ’cause it’s as visually depressing as a church potluck-slash-bingo night. Though technically proficient, the subject matter itself is, by necessity, very gray and very brown and could very well entice even the perkiest of perky bastards to seek succor from a suicide hotline. The audio offers convincing acting, perversely satisfying weapon and splatter effects, and a majestic-yet-unobtrusive score by Inon Zur. Also featured in the audio are several period songs by Bob Crosby, Tex Beneke, Billie Holiday, Roy Brown, The Ink Spots, Danny Kaye and the Andrews Sisters, and Cole Porter, each of which ladles oodles of atmosphere atop an already atmosphere-rich experience.

Also, if you happen to be one of those attention deficit-afflicted, Xbox Live-addicted teabagging doucheknobs who can’t tie your shoes without first getting three or four friends to come help you, you’ll also want to pass this one up. Fallout 3 is, at heart, a role-playing game; the action – such as it is – is often thoughtful and precise, which means that the Gears crowd will likely be put off by all the requisite thinking.

Like Bethesda’s previous masterpieces, Oblivion and Morrowind, Fallout 3 offers the opportunity to play your way in a unique setting rife with danger, intrigue, and some seriously freaky shit. If you’re not afraid of forging your own path through a game that brings player expression and individual choice to the mainstream, you’d be crazier than a shithouse mole rat not to give Fallout 3 a try.

Pogledajte na Gametrailers intervju i gameplay, koji je podjeljen
na par djelova. Koji se tiče borbe,karma sistema,npc odnosa…
Uglavnom ima novih stvari što niste vidjeli.

Danas 10.10.2008 ce biti objavljen 15 minutni gameplay, ali službeni
da ne bi bilo zabune. Kao što je nekima poznato procurila je xbox verzija
Fallouta 3. No to nije retail verzija, tako da je sa mogucim vecim
bugovima i greskama. Te su također otkrivene pojedinosti za minimalnu
i preporučenu konfiguraciju. Pa provjerite:

Minimum System Requirements:

Windows XP/Vista
1GB System RAM (XP)/ 2GB System RAM (Vista)
2.4 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 256MB RAM (NVIDIA 6800 or better/ATI X850 or better)

Recommended System Requirements:

Intel Core 2 Duo processor
2 GB System RAM
Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512MB RAM (NVIDIA 8800 series, ATI 3800 series)

Kao što je mnogima poznata, Prepare fot future je dobio
novog sadržaja. U stilu Fallout-a se nalazi televizor na kojemu
možete pogledati devet filmića koji svaki po nešto objašnjava
detalja iz igre te ima pravih filmića…

U svakome slučaju odlično napravljeno. Kampanja im je odlična,
pošto vjerovatno imaju koji milijun viška… Ako baš netko ne zna
o čemu se radi to je službena stranica koja će se baviti nadolazećim
novostima o Fallout-u 3. Stranica je u flashu i odličnog je dizajna
koji se uklapa uz igru. Samo je možda mana što se poprilično traljavo
radi…Ili je samo to moj problem u glavi???
Inače je sve za 5.  AH!!!

Kao što je već nastao problem naziva droge i svega vezanog uz nju
u ovoj igrici razvojni tim je odlucio promjeniti naziv droga da nema
poveznica sa stvarnim drogama… AKA loš utjecaj na nevinu djecu…
Talo da ne bi pravili posebne verzije za “nevine” Australce i slične
koristit će se jednostavno drugi nazivi za droge. Nema straha za
stare droge, one će se također naći i neće mjenjati naziv (jet,mentats…)

Sve u svemu meni nimalo ne smeta, ipak se moraju prilagoditi
nekim ne logičnim stavovima pojedinih država, a ne bi bilo u redu
nikome uskratiti ovaj naslov. “posebno” ne Australcima!!!

WOW, минал е цял ден без да спомена за това колко много очаквам Fallout 3 и колко голям почитател съм на Fallout вселената

Причината този път е така нареченият “Vault Dweller’s Survival Guide” – специален наръчник разработен от Vault-Tec, който говори за това как да оцелеем след световна ядрена война.

Или казано по друг начин – много готин материал който Bethesda са раздавали на PAX 2008.
Книжката е изключително забавна, и след паузата можете да видите снимки на всичките 43 странички (кликнете на картинките за по-голям размер). Имиджите са взети от тук, а ако искате да си ги свалите бързо и лесно, и да си ги разглеждате на спокойствие съм качил всички до един, в едно архивче ето тук. А който има желание може да гласува за тази статия тук.
EDIT: А ето го и като pdf-че (клик)

Нека празненството да започне сега

Обичам Fallout

Скоро да съм споменавал, че Fallout 3 е играта която очаквам с най-голям интерес през тази година?

Признавам си, че очакваният ми са безскрупулно високи така, че има огромна вероятност накрая да остана разочарован но… надеждата умира последна (веднага след ядреният взрив)
Е, все пак всичко до тук изглежда смазващо добре така че, може и да се окаже играта на годината. За това “пу, пу да не и е уроки”

По-същество! Следв доста интересно геймплей демо (разделено на 5 филмчета) от течащото с пълна сила Penny Arcade Expo 2008 (PAX 2008).
Гласът зад кадър разбира се е на Todd Howard. BTW всички видеото могат да бъдат свалени от тук. Аз лично препоръчвам High Definition версията

Все пак имайте предвид, че видеотата показва кадри от Megaton и неговото взривяване (последното видео). Така че, ако не искате по никакъв начин да си спойлвате преживяването, забравете за тях.

Приятно гледане.

PS: За комикса на идиотите от Penny Arcade, посветен на играта, хвърлете едно око тук – Vault 77: One man and a crate of puppets