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Fallout Online's future in jeopardy as Interplay's finances suffer
There's a bad moon a risin' for all you MMO-playing Vault-dwellers out there. Fallout Online, the in-development MMO from Interplay, has been through some rough waters already, but it looks like the situation may be about to go from bad to -- pardon the pun -- apocalyptic. A recent SEC filing by Interplay indicates that the company is going through some rough financial times, which doesn't bode well for the Fallout Online's future. According to the article at GamePolitics, Interplay is skating on thin ice with "a cash balance below $3000 and a working capital deficit of $3 million." The company also states that if the financial situation doesn't change sooner, rather than later, it could be forced to declare bankruptcy or even sell the studio entirely. We here at Massively wish Interplay the best in hopes that someday we'll all be able to step out of the Vaults and into Fallout's uniquely retro post-apocalyptic wasteland.
GameStop saves you a fortune with $20 Fallout: New Vegas
Miss Fortune is smiling on you, friend, and motioning towards your local GameStop with her gleaming silver revolver. That's where you'll find almost all versions -- PS3, 360, PC -- of Bethesda's mighty fine post-apocalyptic RPG, Fallout: New Vegas, on sale for $20. It's probably best to act quickly if you've been wanting a copy, as there's no mention of when this 66 percent markdown expires. Wait, did we say almost all versions? That's right: the downloadable PC version is still 60 bucks. Some would call that extra $40 for a version that doesn't even have packaging a silly mistake; GameStop would probably call it a "convenience fee." [Thanks, Eric K.]
Leaf deliveries delayed by Japanese quake, but Nissan and Sony already reopening factories
Not the jolliest of news if you were waiting on a fresh new Leaf EV to blow in any time soon, as Nissan has had to understandably delay shipments as a result of the natural disaster that has befallen Japan. Updates on when customers might expect their orders to be completed will be forthcoming as soon as available. There are happier developments on the isle of Japan itself, however, where Nissan is resuming limited operations at five plants today and expects to be producing vehicles again by Thursday, which will last as long as supplies do. Sony has also shaken off some of the effects of the recent earthquake and says it'll restart production of lithium-ion batteries at its Tochigi prefecture plant tomorrow. So, encouraging signs ahead for Japan's industry, let's hope everyone else's recovery proves to be as swift.
Fallout Online newsletter tells stories and shows off new weapons
Dark humor has always been an important part of the Fallout series, being especially obvious in the first two Fallout games that Interplay developed before selling the single-player game's rights to Bethesda. Now, with the fourth edition of the Fallout Online newsletter, The Armageddon Rag, we're not only treated to some typically dark and twisted storytelling but given a peek at some of the weapons that we'll see in the wastes. Along with the 9mm Burreyetta Model 86d seen above, there are other deliciously wicked-looking bits of weaponry concept art to check out, such as the Chemblaster 3000 CDS, a special stimpak that insists "even the dead will rise" when it is used, and slightly more familiar weapons like the AKA-47. Between the art and the descriptions, we're sure any post-apocalyptic fan waiting for Fallout Online will find goodness to geek out on. Just don't greeble on yourself, OK?
"Fallout belongs to us": Bethesda lays claim to Fallout MMO
We may as well call it The NeverEnding Story 4: The Battle for Fallout. The ongoing legal struggle and corporate posturing between Bethesda and Interplay took a new turn today as Bethesda declared its biggest claim yet to the entire franchise -- including a Fallout MMO. According to Gamesindustry.biz, vg247, and Eurogamer, Bethesda's Pete Hines couldn't make it clearer: "We own the rights to the MMO. We own the rights to everything Fallout. The license is ours. Fallout belongs to us." Earlier this month, Interplay called such claims "absurd." This is troublesome for Interplay, as the studio has been hard at work on a Fallout MMO of its own, scheduled for a 2012 release. Both companies claim that they have the right to develop an online version of the hit franchise: Interplay because it retained the rights to do so when it sold the franchise to Bethesda, and Bethesda because the company claims Interplay failed to live up to the contract and forfeited its claim. While the lawyers continue to plow through this legal morass, this statement by Bethesda shows that the studio has no intention of giving up the rights to a Fallout MMO without a fight. [Update: We've clarified Gamesindustry's sources.]
Fallout's Vault Boy does your dry cleaning, apparently
Vault Boy isn't just a Vault-Tec mascot in the post-apocalyptic wasteland -- he's also been spotted recently representing a Providence, Rhode Island-area dry cleaners (as seen after the break). Here's hoping those clothes don't come back glowing with radiation!
Interplay responds to Bethesda's Fallout claims, calls them "absurd"
War... war never changes. Not even when it's over an IP. The Fallout MMO has been stuck in the middle of a legal battle for roughly half of forever, and it doesn't seem like the controversy is going to stop any time soon. Bethesda's most recent filing claimed that Interplay had only licensed the rights to use the Fallout name, rather than any of the other assets that would lead to developing an MMO. Interplay has responded to this claim by calling it outright absurd. According to Interplay, the license between the companies specifically required Interplay to develop a Fallout MMO, using the name and all related assets as part of the overall experience. Using only the name and nothing else related to the franchise would be strictly against the terms of the original agreement. Although it's not clear at the moment how long this particular skirmish will take, it's obvious that both companies are still dedicated to fighting the rights out to the bitter end.
Fan-made Fallout film 'Fallout: Nuka Break' revealed
There are lots of reasons that wastelanders set out across the post-apocalyptic United States -- to find rogue droids, locate a lost parent, or perhaps simply to escape the shallow grave they woke up in. The three folks in this debut trailer of fan-made Fallout short film "Fallout: Nuka Break," however, are simply in search of a refreshing, cold Nuka-Cola. The crew in charge of F: NB are known as Wayside Creations, a team of Fallout fans who wanted to make a non-profit film based in its world. No further information is given as to when we can expect to see the completed work, but we're hoping Bethesda doesn't shut down the production before that can happen. Check out the trailer in full after the break.
Fallout: New Vegas 'Dead Money' DLC tours the Sierra Madre's most exclusive resort
Late next month, Obsidian will launch the first bit of DLC for Fallout: New Vegas. That DLC, according to issue five of the Bethesda newsletter, will take players to the Sierra Madre, "an opulent and extravagant resort that was supposed to be the greatest casino in the west -- except that it never opened." Turns out that whole apocalypse thing really put a damper on the festivities. Who woulda thunk a silly thing like atomic bombs could be such a buzzkill? The vaykay-spot-that-almost-was had a pretty bitching security system, thus locking the complex up tight following the nuclear holocaust that befell America. As time went on, the climate control and air conditioning system starting pushing toxins out into the nearby area, surrounding it with a mist of poison and making the adjoining city impossible to navigate. A small band of survivors, dubbed the Ghost People, have only managed to scrape by, seemingly resorting to capturing healthy people outside of the plume of pollution surrounding the Sierra Madre. You know, to eat them. And that's pretty much all we have to go on right now. You can download "Dead Money" for Fallout: New Vegas on December 21, exclusively on Xbox Live, for 800 MS Points ($10).
New Fallout Online newsletter sighted in the wild
Several of us here at Massively are avid fans of the Fallout franchise and have even been cheating on our MMOs with a bit of New Vegas action over the last few weeks. It should come as no surprise, then, that we keep a keen eye out for news of Interplay's upcoming Fallout Online MMO. The latest tidbit arrived in our inboxes today in the form of the third issue of The Armageddon Rag, a faux in-character newsletter that purports to inform the reader of various happenings from around the wasteland. Unlike previous issues, this one comes "electronically" in the form of a Pip Pad. The latest issue of Rag doesn't pay tribute to George R.R. Martin (as you might expect from the title) but instead features three news blurbs designed to give you a little post-apocalyptic flavor and perhaps drop a few hints to those in the know. It's also worth mentioning that you can sign up for the Fallout Online beta by registering for the newsletter on the official site. [Thanks Alex!]
The Queue: Veronica Day
Welcome back to The Queue, our daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. Fallout: New Vegas has been my poison of choice for the last few days (in between playing World of Warcraft, obviously). Do you know how weird it is to be running around a post-apocalyptic wasteland for hours with an NPC voiced by someone you've met in person? I'll give you a hint: It's really weird. dawnseven asked: Now that we're practically on the eve of release, have there been any real changes to fishing in the Cataclysm beta? At last year's BlizzCon, Blizzard said it wanted to make it more interesting. Is there anything new besides new fish and new dailies? Is it still the same ol' boring thing?
Interplay: Fallout Online in second half of 2012
In an interview with Edge magazine (excerpted by Eurogamer), Interplay president Eric Caen reconfirmed the company's plans to launch a beta of the MMO Fallout Online in 2012. He also specified that the "second half of 2012" will see the release of the commercial game. Thanks to the ongoing legal troubles with Bethesda, responsible for Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Interplay is in the unique position of trying to promote its game without being able to show it -- because, according to Caen, "anything we show will help Bethesda in their fight." Of course, Interplay staffers are free to go to the store and pick up the current Fallout releases for themselves, which they are doing. "What I can say is that of course we're playing what Bethesda is doing," Caen said. "We appreciate some portions of it, and we're not necessarily fans of everything. I think they miss a lot of the humor, and the fans seem to agree with that." To that end, the Fallout MMO is intended to be "extremely funny."
Metareview: Fallout: New Vegas
You've already had time to sup on our opinions on Fallout: New Vegas, but we imagine you must be hungry for more, like a lost courier in the Mojave who's been attacked and left for dead. Actually, you know what? That's, like, exactly how this game starts. Weird, huh? Anyway, let's satiate that appetite for words you've got going, shall we? Eurogamer (90/100): "Obsidian has created a totally compelling world and its frustrations pale into insignificance compared to the immersive, obsessive experience on offer. Just like the scorched scenery that provides its epic backdrop, New Vegas is huge and sprawling, sometimes gaudy, even downright ugly at times – but always effortlessly, shamelessly entertaining." GamePro (90/100): "This laundry list of complaints might seem like a game breaker, but that I could suffer through them repeatedly during my marathon New Vegas weekend and still walk away feeling not only satisfied but hungry for more says something about the power of the formula that Bethesda has crafted." IGN (85/100): "In New Vegas, the fun Fallout 3 formula is intact, with more polished combat, high-quality side missions, and the exciting setting of the Vegas strip. Unfortunately, the bugs also tagged along for the ride." Game Informer (85/100): "Gamers should expect more of the same from this follow-up. If Fallout 3 holds a place among your top 10 games of this generation like it does for me, another rewarding 200-plus hours of survival awaits you." PC Gamer (84/100): "More wasteland to wander. New Vegas is good, but the failure to move the series on makes it feel a tiny bit stale." Giant Bomb (80/100): "It's not a surprise that Fallout: New Vegas sticks closely to Fallout 3's structure and style. But if it weren't for the game's way-too-long list of technical issues, New Vegas would actually be better than its predecessor. Instead, it's a well-written game with so many issues that some of you might want to take a pass, at least until some of this nonsense gets fixed." %Gallery-87609%
Fallout Online hints at The Church of Harold
The new Fallout MMORPG is such a closely guarded secret that we know next to nothing about the game itself. Interplay is wisely putting the uncertainty surrounding the title to effective marketing use, with the latest example being a cryptic "Church of Harold" advertisement that recently surfaced on the company's website. Anxious fans who signed up for the newsletter on the official Fallout site also received the head-scratching digital pamphlet in their inboxes over the weekend. For the uninitiated, Harold is the only character to appear in every Fallout game to date. Scuttlebutt has it that the "Church" may be a faction, a point of interest, or even an in-game religion. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more Fallout goodness -- and be sure to let us know if you run across any more end-of-the-world oddities. [Thanks Jonathan!]
Homemade Fallout 3 plasma rifle makes our post-apocalyptic future seem less bleak
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Homemade_Fallout_3_Plasma_Rifle'; The A3-21 Plasma Rifle is quite the little devastator in Fallout 3 and it doesn't look half bad in the so-called real world either. Lovingly pieced together by one Ryan Palser, this homebrewed replica (the lower of the two in the image above) took five months to complete and involved the enrollment of his wife's painting skills for the weathering job. The final result is enough to convince us that Fallout would be well served by a movie adaptation, if only so we can see more of these retro-futuristic rifles get their shot at corporeality. You can scope out one more image showing off the lights inside the rifle after the break, but only if you promise to hit up Ryan's Flickr account for the full set.
We'd sell our plasma for this Fallout 3 plasma rifle replica
It's been a while since we've seen a really cool Fallout 3 weapon replica, so it's extra-nice that this handmade A3-21 Plama Rifle is so very awesome. It's the work of Ryan Palser, who sent us word of his just-completed project -- a five-month process. Check out a bonus photo after the break!
Wayne Newton, Felicia Day lending voices to Fallout: New Vegas
Narrators. Narrators never change. Yes, of course Ron Perlman will be featured in Fallout: New Vegas, but you might be interested in hearing about the cadre of other famous folks lending their voices to the forthcoming Obsidian-developed RPG. Wayne Newton will play radio DJ "Mr. New Vegas," while Matthew Perry will voice "Benny, the head of the Geckos family." Felicia Day is handling the voice of "Veronica, a sarcastic Brotherhood of Steel scribe." In addition, From Dusk 'Til Dawn favorite Danny Trejo will give his gravitas to "a third playable companion," hilariously named "Raul the Ghoul." Kris Kristofferson, Michael Dorn, William Sadler, John Doman, and Rene Auberjonois make up the rest of the star-studded list. We're not quite sure which one is the biggest celebrity -- and thus can't predict which character will disappear after the first ten minutes. It was so much easier when we were dealing with Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart!
Xenome: Episode 1 is a fully immersive post-apocalyptic RPG on your iPhone
As I kid I burned up an entire summer playing Wasteland on my Apple II. I spent countless hours playing Fallout many years later. Xenome is clearly inspired by these two games, and promises to chew up yet more of my time. You play a lone wanderer in the desert, searching for something and having a few nasty encounters with mutated animals and people along the way. Xenome: Episode 1 is also the first sliver in a much larger story, with an MMORPG to follow after other episodes (which will be single-player RPGs) have been released. I had become pretty jaded with iPhone games in general, and words like "immersive" are trotted out so often I rarely believe the claims. But the first thing that struck me about Xenome's in-game world was the large, open landscape. There is a fantastic sense of scale in the game, with beat up old buildings jutting out of the desert landscape, looming over your character. You can go anywhere and do nearly anything, although your character is quite weak at first. The graphics are as good as you can get on the iPhone whilst providing ample geometry, although the game isn't yet tuned for Retina displays. This didn't matter so much to me, however, as the overall polish of the game is impeccable. The 3rd-person camera, for example, floats perfectly. It's clear Nine Pound Studios spent a lot of time on the artwork, music, sounds and in-game graphics because they're as good as anything I've experienced in mobile gaming. %Gallery-97174%
New Fallout Online artwork sighted
It seems like the Fallout Online hype-machine is slowly grinding into gear, what with the recent FAQ update and now word of some cryptic new artwork being sent to mailing list subscribers late last week. Destructoid has the scoop on the email blast, which kicked off with a brief textual teaser before leading into the imagery. "There are many stories and many more tall tales about life in the wastelands, this is one of them," read the notice. In addition to artwork like the vista shown above, subscribers were sent images of a letter scrawled by a character named Les, who waxes on about the Menkey Butte Mine and a "Ragskin" named Fast Eddie. Yeah, we can't make sense of it either, but it's a great way for Interplay to pique our collective interest.
Fallout Online offers up a large FAQ
If tons of tasty information about the upcoming post-apocalyptic playground, Fallout Online, is something you're hungry for, then you're in luck! A fan has compiled Interplay forum responses into a rather lengthy FAQ that's full of all manner of information every vault dweller could possibly want. Well, OK -- not everything. There's still no release date, nor are there tons of beta keys available for the grabbing. However, it's still a nice bundle of information to look over. Among the morsels on the Fallout Online FAQ are notes on PvP (yes, it will be there), death penalties (definitely worth reading for yourself), and more. It looks like the hotly debated "Project V13" has been moving along more solidly than many might have realized. Head on over to the Interplay forums to read all about it! [Thanks, Nickelpat!] [Edited to correct posting source]
