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Fallout 3 nukes UK competition, outsells previous franchise installments
Although it's still a couple weeks before the US NPD data comes in, Fallout 3 is doing quite well for itself over in the UK. The title has climbed to the top of the PS3, Xbox 360, PC and overall charts in the region. We find it hard to believe, but GI.biz reports the game has already surpassed the combined regional sales of Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.The division in Fallout 3 sales across platforms is 55% on Xbox 360, 28% on PS3 and 17% on PC (of course, the division does not count pirated copies). First week sales were also 57% higher than Oblivion's initial performance, which makes sense, considering the smaller install base of the Xbox 360 at that time (not to mention the late arrival of a PS3 version).
Massively week in Review
Joystiq's sister site Massively.com has all the news you'll need about MMOs. Here's the best, brightest, and most interesting stuff from the last week, all in one convenient place for your MMO minute. World of Warcraft cranks it up to 11 (million)Just two weeks before Wrath of the Lich King descends upon the denizens of Azeroth the world over, Blizzard has announced that World of Warcraft has reached the 11 million subscriber mark. That's yet another milestone for the oft-celebrated MMO from the house that built Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo. The Digital Continuum: Let's talk about the Fallout MMOWhat's always been in the back-burner of my mind is whether or not the Fallout license would be necessary for a post-apocalyptic to flourish. While endlessly exploring our own personal post-apocalypticia is incredible fun, do we want a massive one? Please make George Lucas stopDear Massively, What exactly are "they" smoking over at the Skywalker Ranch, or wherever it is that LucasArts has set up shop these days? "Star Wars: The Old Republic will be bigger than World of Warcraft" ?!?!?! Is Jar Jar Binks working in their PR department? The Best of Massively: Our five all-time greatest hitsThree of these are top five articles, so we're three-fifths of the way to making a top five top fives list, it would seem. The numbers don't lie, though, so enjoy! Tabula Rasa finally gets an FPS camera viewHave you ever wondered why a game like Tabula Rasa never utilized that classic first-person view, considering the fact that it's billed as an FPS-style MMO? The over-the-shoulder view never really did it for most players who were looking for more of a shooter aspect in their game. Rest easy in knowing that the FPS view is finally coming to this NCsoft sci-fi MMO, according to the latest Feedback Friday.
Joyswag: Fallout 3 + game guide
Update: That's it -- move along. Nothing to see here.Welcome to our second Fallout 3 giveaway! Today we're offering up the Bare Necessities® for wasteland survival: your choice of Fallout 3 on PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 and Prima's Pip-Boy-approved game guide (total ARV: $85). To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment telling us your weapon of choice (non-Fallout weapons are welcome!) Limit 1 entry per person; entrants must be 18 years or older and residents of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) This entry period ends at 5:30 pm ET on Tuesday, November 4th. We'll randomly select one winner at that time to receive Fallout 3 (ARV: $60) and Prima's official game guide (ARV: $25); winner must choose game platform (PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version) For a list of complete rules, click here Check back tomorrow for another nuclear-armed giveaway!
Reminder: Fallout 3 survival kit and puppet joyswag
A quick reminder: You have until 5:00PM ET today to enter for a chance to win the Fallout 3 Survival Kit (including the special edition of the game and a Pip-Boy 3000), a hardcover strategy guide and a Vault Boy puppet. You can leave a new comment every calendar day, so if you already entered last week, feel free to give yourself another chance. In addition, we have four more days of Fallout 3 giveaways, starting with another Joyswag contest today, so stay tuned!Update: We've disabled comments on this post -- to be eligible to win the Survival Kit giveaway, please comment on the original contest post following the guidelines stated there.
The Best of Big Download: October 27-November 2
We've had another busy (and sometimes scary) week here at Big Download. If you want our highlights, you won't be disappointed:Exclusive Features Reviews: We have our final word on Fallout 3, Dead Space, Strong Bad Episode 3, and American McGee's Grimm: The Master Thief. We also have some first impressions of Atlantica Online. Interviews: We have multi-page chats with the creators of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Defense Grid, and Natural Selection 2. Video Games Made Me Do It: We take a look at some of the most disgusting things that have happened in game. Scary Games For Free: Want to be scared and not pay for it? Check out our list of free game demos and full games that will frighten you. Video Game Cosplay Gallery: We've completed our Halloween themed gallery feature with lots of real people in real cool video game themed outfits. BigVersus: Our comparison column returns looking at the differences between the PC and Wii versions of World of Goo. Mac Monday: Our weekly look at Mac games takes a gander at Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst MODmonday: Our weekly look at mods is all about Duke Nukem 3D and how you can improve its graphics by installing the High Resolution Pack. Boot Disk: Our look back at classic PC games of the past is also about Duke Nukem 3D. Big Ideas: Which is better for games: sci-fi or fantasy? We give some thoughts on the subject Big Iron: Our weekly hardware feature looks at how your PC rig can "go green" Freeware Friday: Our look at free PC games this week is on the browser game Jetpack Brontosaurus BigCast: It's our weekly podcast with team members debating several points about out industry. Contests: You have a few more hours to enter our Command and Conquer 3: Red Alert 3 game giveaway and you still have time to enter our Far Cry 2 giveaway and our Freaky Creatures Beta contest.
Joyswag: Fallout 3 Exclusive Survival Edition + Vault Boy puppet
Update: That's it folks! Contest closed.Have you been enjoying Fallout 3 this week? No? Well, whether or not you've partaken in Wasteland scavenges, here's something you might like. We've got five giveaways planned for Fallout 3, and we're starting out with our biggest package.Today's grand offer: Fallout 3: Amazon.com Exclusive Survival Edition, which includes a copy of Fallout 3 for Xbox 360, a life-size replica of the Pip-Boy 3000, a Vault Boy bobblehead, the Art of Fallout 3, the Making of Fallout 3 DVD and a Vault-Tec lunch box. (See the innards after the break.) Hardcover strategy guide Vault-Boy puppet Vault Dweller's Survival Guide There is an in-game weapon you can make dubbed (spoiler!) the Rok-It Launcher, that lets you launch any item you find as a fast-moving projectile. We want to know what items -- in-game or in real life -- you'd want to launch. Be creative!To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment telling us what item you would use with a Rok-It Launcher Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and you become the ammunition. Into a super mutant camp. Naked and unarmed. Literally, no arms.) This entry period ends at 5:00pm ET on Monday, November 3rd. We'll randomly select one winner at that time to receive the Fallout 3 Survival Edition (valued at approximately $130), a hardcover strategy guide ($34.99), the Vault Dweller's Survival Guide ($0.15) and a Vault-Boy puppet ($15) For a list of complete rules, click here.
Fallout 3 relies on SecuROM 'only for disc check'
Bethesda's post-Oblivion, post-apocalyptic epic, Fallout 3, is the latest star in the ongoing "Does my PC game use SecuROM or not?" saga. Never fear, increasingly vocal consumers, for this implementation of the notorious and largely ineffectual anti-piracy software is considerably more basic than that found in other recent releases. Content with leaving the digital management up to consumers, the Bethesda blog notes that SecuROM is only present in the PC version of Fallout 3 to verify the game disc. "We do NOT limit the number of installs. We do NOT use online authentication or any other SecuROM functionality except for a disc check when you install the game and when you launch the game." The post further reads, "We do not install any other programs and we don't have anything that runs in the background while you're playing the game." If you're still having trouble launching the game, Bethesda suggests you run "setup.exe" directly off the disc. Also, make sure you put the disc shiny side down in the tray. We make that mistake all the time.
Full-sized Fallout 3 'Brotherhood of Steel' statue up for auction
A 7'10" (2.38 meter) tall "Brotherhood of Steel" statue is currently on auction at the Sam's Club site. The bidding for the 121 lbs. (54.9 kilo) monster will end on Nov. 11 at 6:30PM Pacific, or on Judgment Day, whichever comes first.Best of luck to the bidders, and don't forget to check your respective shipping charges (that's where the hidden costs are). Having this in the front yard would surely beat your neighbor's garden gnome.Update: The statue now comes with free shipping. Go nuts![Via Check Out]
Nega-Review: Fallout 3
"Fallout 3 is not the game that hard-core, longtime Fallout fans are hoping for." (4) "The game is not the infallible masterpiece many ... expected." (6) "The real trouble is there's this air of ... incompetency to the game at large." (7) "You really notice it when you bump up against the technical and storytelling limitations of the game and its narrative structure." (3) "The game's filled with cock-ups so glaring that you almost wonder if it ever got play-tested before release." (7)"There's no denying Fallout 3 is, as many already observed, 'Oblivion with guns.'" (5) Superficially, the world that Bethesda has created for Fallout 3 seems like Oblivion with a Fallout paint job. (4) "As was the case with Oblivion, they stumble badly when it comes to details and production values." (7) "Combat in Fallout 3 is also an obvious evolution of Oblivion's, right down to having the exact same delay timing when swinging a melee weapon." (4) "Dialogue is another element very similar to what we've seen in Oblivion." (5) "Fallout 3 does suffer the same failings as Oblivion, and one can't help but think these could have been improved upon." (8)"Fallout 3's story ... just isn't as good as those of past Fallout games." (4) "The biggest single problem is the scriptwriting, which varies in quality throughout the whole venture. ... Every once in a while you'll hit upon something that's wincingly overblown, or else simply not appropriate for a Mad Max-style wilderness." (9) "It even occasionally feels a bit stiff and sterile, thus diminishing the sense of emotional connection that would give some late-game decisions more poignancy." (1) "The silly comments made during fights and the consistently inane conversations detract from the overall sense of accomplishment." (6) Indeed, "the double whammy of shonky dialogue and wobbly acting rips the affecting edge off [the] atmosphere." (7)
Joystiq review: Fallout 3
As an Oblivion fan, I was ready for Fallout 3 to completely blow me out of the irradiated water. I had the shiny "Game of the Year" trophy all polished and ready, and all I was waiting for was a couple of hours of play time before I made the trip to the engravers.Before I talk about those hours though, let me tell you fellow Oblivion fans what you need to hear: All the good stuff is here. There's still a giant world to explore, with tons of diversions if you don't mind chasing them down. It may not be as pretty as Tamriel, but it's a lot more dense, teeming with treasures to dig up and people to meet/kill.You still have countless different ways to customize your character, who could be anything from an evil medical genius who's got a way with rocket launchers to an angelic scientist that can decapitate a mutant with a single hammer swing.Those battles feel surprisingly satisfying too, thanks to the addition of Fallout's V.A.T.S. system which lets you stop time and to choose which body parts to target, usually resulting in a decapitation or ... de-arm-itation. Each shot uses a number of action points, and you have to wait for them to refill before you can get any more aiming assistance. It works so well that I hope something similar is implemented in the next Elder Scrolls title.%Gallery-3507%
Metareview -- Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
If, like us, you were frantically grasping at any excuse to avoid Fallout 3 and give the ol' wallet a break from its October pummeling, these glowing reviews of Bethesda's post-apocalyptic prance-about are sure to disappoint you. We realize Dystopic is hard to broach, but it seems we'll just have to (somehow) make time to explore the devastated landscape left in the wake of Fallout's radioactive return. 1UP (A): "Faults be damned, though; this is the kind of hugely ambitious game that doesn't come around very often, and when it does, you'd be a fool not to play it and enjoy the hell out of it and look forward to the day (next-next-gen?) when the fidelity of open-world RPGs takes another big step closer to the uncanny valley's far side." Eurogamer (100/100): "Despite so many worries, Fallout 3 almost effortlessly succeeds in its central aim of reviving a much-loved brand to appeal to the vast majority of players. It's a thrilling, all-consuming experience that will absorb you for weeks, whether you're attracted by the action, the adventure, or the role-playing, as you fall in love with the relentless excitement, incredible atmosphere, sense of place and sheer choice." Worth Playing (95/100): "In the end, Fallout 3 feels like a Fallout game, and that is absolutely the highest compliment. Despite the changes, much of the charm and fun of the franchise remains intact, and despite the similarities to Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, I never felt that I was playing anything but a Fallout game." Giant Bomb (80/100): "It's unfortunate that Fallout 3 is saddled with so many little- and medium-sized issues, because they get in the way of what's an otherwise fantastic experience. The world is well-realized and full of options. It'll be a struggle in spots, but I'm willing to guess that most people will be able to overlook a lot of the game's problems and still have a very good time exploring the irradiated wasteland formerly known as Washington DC."
Bethesda asks sites to remove Fallout 3 trailers due to 'ESRB advertising guidelines'
On the eve of Fallout 3's launch, Bethesda VP of Public Relations and Marketing Pete Hines has sent an email to our sister site Big Download, Shacknews and presumably others. Game Videos no longer has the trailers, although other gameplay clips still remain; as of this writing, Game Trailers still has the trailers online. Here's the full email:In connection with ESRB's advertising guidelines, you are instructed to remove immediately any of our Fallout 3 trailers from your website, pending further notice. Thank you for your attention to this matter.We're as confused as you are. We've reached out to Bethesda for more information.
Get caught up with the 15-minute Fallout Retrospective
Do you find yourself with a good quarter-hour to kill this Sunday evening? Do you have a relatively fast internet connection? Are you curious about the mythos of the Fallout universe -- curiosity spawned from excitement over Bethesda's upcoming entry into the franchise, Fallout 3? Do you have absolutely no plans to go back and play the earlier installments in said franchise, and therefore have no hangups over having the plots of said games spoiled for you? If the answer to all of the above questions is an exuberant "yes", you really have no reason not to check out Gametrailers' Fallout Retrospective, which we've posted after the break. Unless, of course, you were lying earlier -- in which case, this conversation is over.
Fallout 3 ads criticized by Washington D.C. Metro rider
In a recent letter to the editor published in the Washington Post, D.C. resident and frequent Metrorail rider Joseph Anzalone criticizes ads for Bethesda's upcoming post-apocalyptic blockbuster, Fallout 3, which are plastered all over the city's various forms of public transportation. The ads in question depict a number of Washington D.C.'s more recognizable landmarks, which look "ravaged, as if hit by missles." Anzalone suggests that such imagery only serves as "a daily reminder that Washington is a prime target for an attack."We certainly understand Anzalone's point, though we disagree with the justification behind his request to remove the ads -- he claims they aren't protected by the First Amendment as they "do not present a true viewpoint or political message." The commercial speech doctrine clearly states that advertisements which don't contain false or misleading messages are completely protected under the First Amendment. Legality aside -- what do you, dear readers, think about the situation? Are the ads insensitive? Should they be removed?[Via GamePolitics]
Fallout 3 available for pre-order via Steam
What drives the turbines at a nuclear power plant? Steam. Where can you now pre-order and pre-load Fallout 3? Steam. The product page for Bethesda's post-apocalypse RPG has gone live, offering PC gamers the opportunity to play the game at 12:01 a.m. on its official release date, Oct. 28.The game is selling for $49.99 via the service, the same price the non-special edition version would set you back in box-and-disc form. You can check out Fallout 3's system requirements in our earlier post, just to be ready. See you in the Wasteland! [Thanks, AMike]
Select Best Buy stores holding Fallout 3 midnight launches
Best Buy stores at strategic nuclear targets locations will be holding midnight openings for Fallout 3 next Monday night. Select stores (full details after the break) in the Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas and Chicago metropolitan areas will be open, with the Best Buy in Rockville, MD serving as the flagship location.The Rockville store plans to have special events like giveaways and contests. The game's director, Todd Howard, is expected to attend, along with members of the dev. team, to sign copies of the game and chat. Lines will begin forming at all locations around 3PM local time on Monday. No word on how many copies the stores plan to have on hand, but there should be plenty.
Bethesda: 'Fallout 4 before 2018'
Fallout 3's radiation sickness hasn't even begun to set in and already people are talking about another sequel. Understandable, given the pause between Fallout 2 and next week's post-nuclear follow up stretched on for a decade, a wait that Bethesda's executive producer Todd Howard even admits was a touch much. "I think it's good for people to miss things," Howard commented to Reuters. "Ten years between 'Fallout' is a bit long, but I think there's this nostalgia factor." In fact, the report notes that Howard thinks waiting three years or so is about right, though Bethesda's Pete Hines gives the inevitable sequel a wider berth. The company's VP of public relations tells Edge that it would be more accurate to expect Fallout 4 "before 2018" (since Howard did say 10 years was too long to wait). Geeze, by that time, we'll probably be living in our own apocalyptic wasteland, and Fallout will just be the game we play when we go outside. [Via Edge Online]
Rumor: Fallout 3 release on Xbox 360 canceled in India
Microsoft has apparently announced that it doesn't plan to release Fallout 3 on Xbox 360 in India due to "cultural sensitivities," reports GamingIndians.com. The statement by Microsoft India doesn't give any further details about what exactly the country would find offensive.We've contacted Microsoft for a more detailed explanation and Fallout 3's developer, Bethesda Softworks, told Joystiq it has no comment. The PS3 and PC versions of the game were never scheduled for release in the country. We can't even begin to speculate what "cultural sensitivities" means in this situation, but it seems to be a valid reason to pull or delay games lately.[Via VG247]
Joystiq attends the Fallout 3 Launch Party
Joystiq attended the celebrity-filled Fallout 3 launch party last night, and although we were weren't allowed to bring in a camera or a recorder, they didn't have a lock on our eyes and brains. The game-branding was minimal, with a few signs and recycled booth setups doing double duty at the party, but they did have a lot of hands-on stations, staffed by a bevy of scantily clad ladies who ... actually knew the game. Check out the highlights after the break.
The incredibly strange and delightful Fallout 3 launch party
Click me to boost the size. Bethesda is throwing a radiation-hot launch party for Fallout 3 next Saturday in Los Angeles, complete with even more Vault Boy retro graphics. The party features headline music by the Foo Fighters, and it's hosted by Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Odette Yustman, Ben Harper, and it's being co-hosted by the Bethesda / Zenimax board of directors, which includes bigwig producer Jerry Bruckheimer, bigwig CBS president Les Moonves, bigwig MGM president Harry Sloan and and bigwig baseballer Cal Ripken, Jr.That's an odd mix of folks to kick off this post-apocalyptic video game, but given the current state of the economy, maybe everyone is embracing impending disaster and learning to love the bomb. Joystiq will be on-hand to take photos and collect thoughts about Fallout 3. Plus those frolic-inducing spirits sounds pretty damn goon.
