You knew it was going to happen sooner or later, so here it is: Bethesda has filed suit against Interplay, alleging that the recent releases of Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel over digital distribution were unapproved.
Regardless of who you think is in the right here, Bethesda is backed by Zenimax, which is flush with money (apparently enough to acquire id Software), and Interplay is still trying to get back on its feet. This is a David & Goliath fight–and I’m picking Goliath.
I hate to keep doing this to you guys, but this week’s Release Roundup continues the tradition of crappy summer releases.
The “big” title this week is G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Based on the upcoming action movie, G.I. Joe offers gamers a chance to play as some of the most beloved toys of all time. Considering these are the only details I could find on the game and that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is being ported to every console under the sun, my guess is that this game is just shovelware. Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong.
Besides G.I. Joe, the other big release this week is the fifth batch of DLC for Fallout 3. Dubbed Mothership Zeta, the final DLC pack has gamers abducted by aliens when exploring a strange radio signal. Little do these elfin extraterrestrials know, the wastelands of D.C. are a lot harder than a then they used to be. Gamers are tasked with sending these probing bastards back to the cosmos. I can’t wait to jack one in the face and yell “Welcome to Earth!”
The games coming out this week are:
Xbox 360
Brave: A Warrior’s Tale
Fallout 3 Downloadable Content: Mothership Zeta (Xbox Live Marketplace)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled (Xbox Live Arcade) Read more »
Today Bethesda announced that Mothership Zeta, the fifth batch of DLC for Fallout 3 will arrive on Monday, Aug. 3.
Mothership Zeta has players abducted by aliens when they explore a strange radio transmission. The expansion will take place entirely on an alien space ship. According to Bethesda it should be similar is length to Operation Anchorage.
Mothership Zeta will cost you 800 Microsoft Points ($10) on the PC and Xbox 360. PS3 gamers will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on it.
This weekend mark a big celebration here in the U.S.A., Independence Day. Each person has their own traditions when it comes to celebrating The 4th. Personally I’ll be spending my day blasting Springsteen, drinking beer, and setting off fireworks. The good folks over at Valve celebrate the country by offering Fallout 3 at half price.
That’s right, you can snag Fallout 3 on the PC for $25. So how about you do the truly patriotic thing and help clean the wasteland of raiders and super mutants. God knows, it’s the only way to get into DC this weekend.
Today developer Bethesda Softworks posted a developer diary explaining how Point Lookout, the upcoming Fallout 3 DLC, came to be.
According to the diary, Point Lookout came about during a brainstorming session between Joel Burgess, Lead Designer, and Nathan Purkeypile, Lead Artists. The two came up with a scrap of paper that said, “Swamp, Boardwalk. Mansion Siege. Organ Thieves. Steamboat. Cultists.” Once these ideas were approved, they started work on Point Lookout.
The rest of the diary discusses how they chose the location, the subtlety of placing landmarks that gamers can use to navigate the new area, the visual style, and reworking the enemy AI.
Personally I love these kinds of articles. My whole life I wanted to be a game designer, until I got to college and realized I can’t program for crap. These developer diaries are a great way to give gamers some insight into the subtle nuances of game design.
Point Lookout is slated to hit the Xbox 360 and PC on June 23, with a PlayStation 3 release later on.
Yesterday Bethesda released a whole slew of info on the upcoming Point Lookout DLC for Fallout 3.
Point Lookout, slated to arrive June 23, will take gamers out of the bland decimated DC landscape and into the swampy marshlands of Maryland. The main quest line has players investigating a strange fruit that is growing all over. Along with the main quest, there are over a dozen “free roaming” quests that can be found out in the swamp.
Point Lookout brings new weapons, including double-barreled shotguns, new enemies, described by producer Jeff Gardiner as “inbred mutated locals.”
Point Lookout will cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and will hit the Xbox 360 and PC on June 23. The PS3 version will hit later on.
Today Bethesda Softworks announced that Fallout 3 DLC will be coming to the PS3 this Summer. Bethesda also announced two new DLC packs for the Xbox 360, PC and PS3.
In regards to the DLC coming to PS3, Bethesda stated, “Operation: Anchorage will be released for PS3 in late June, followed by the release of The Pitt and Broken Steel 4-6 weeks apart. Release dates will be forthcoming.”
The first of the new DLC is called Point Lookout. The official description reads:
“Point Lookout (Late June for PC and Xbox 360 - 800 MS Points / $10) - Explore a massive new swampland area filled with new quests and content.”
The second batch of DLC is called Mothership Zeta. Bethesda writes:
“Mothership Zeta (Late July for PC and Xbox 360 - 800 MS Points / $10) - The aliens have returned, and they’re pissed. Experience an alien abduction first hand and find out if you’re tough enough to survive.”
Both Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta will arrive on the PS3 “after the first three DLCS have been released.”
This week’s Release Roundup isn’t anything to write home about. The only “new” game that falls under a genre I like is Crysis: Maximum Edition, which is just Crysis and Crysis: Warhead combined.
Aside from that, the rest is just shovelware. But that’s okay because the new Fallout 3 expansion, Broken Steel, hits Xbox 360 and PC this Tuesday. Broken Steel continues the main story line from where Fallout 3 ended. In addition the expansion also increases the level cap from 20 to 30. Broken Steel will be released on May 5 and will cost you 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
The new games coming out this week are:
Xbox 360
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Read more »
Today Bethesda announced a new Fallout title, due next year on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Dubbed Fallout New Vegas, the game was announced during a Bethesda press conference in London.
According to Pete Hines, Bethesda’s VP of PR and Marketing, “It is not a sequel to Fallout 3. It’s simply another Fallout game in that universe.”
Fallout New Vegas will feature the same style of FPS/RPG that Fallout 3 introduced.
New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, formally Black Isle Studios who made Fallout 2 as well as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Neverwinter Nights.
There really isn’t much more information. As soon as more is released, you can be sure I’ll post it here on the Wire.
This past week Bethesda released the second batch of DLC for Fallout 3, which garnered pretty good reviews. I know from my own experience I had a blast playing it.
Bethesda is run by some pretty smart guys who know that Fallout 3 DLC is in demand. During a GDC panel, Fallout 3’s lead designer, Emil Pagliarulo said: “I can say we’re working on lots of DLC. Lots of stuff brewing up here. God only knows where that may go. What famous landmarks can we destroy next?”
The third DLC pack, “Broken Steel” is scheduled to arrive in a month. It will expand upon the games main quest as well as increas the level cap from 20 to 30.
As for DLC after “Broken Steel”, who knows? If I had my way, I would have a bit of DLC that took players into a city that was burnt out before the nuclear apocalypse like Cleveland. Who knows what kind of strange mutants you would fine in a city that had its river catch on fire. Feel free to drop a comment saying what your ideal Fallout 3 DLC would be.
Pete Hines, Bethesda’s marketing VP, stated that they are “Finishing some tests but if all checks out we should have The Pitt back up and available by tomorrow afternoon.”
Yesterday I finally got Games for Windows Live to work, so I was able to download The Pitt. For me, everything worked fine. If you are one of the gamers affected by this bug just sit tight. I can assure you that The Pitt is worth your time and money.
I hate to keep doing this to you guys, but this week’s Release Roundup continues the tradition of crappy summer releases.
Today Bethesda announced that Mothership Zeta, the fifth batch of DLC for Fallout 3 will arrive on Monday, Aug. 3.
This week’s Release Roundup isn’t anything to write home about. The only “new” game that falls under a genre I like is Crysis: Maximum Edition, which is just Crysis and Crysis: Warhead combined.
Today Bethesda announced a new Fallout title, due next year on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Dubbed Fallout New Vegas, the game was announced during a Bethesda press conference in London.