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'Fallout 4' is the DICE Awards game of the year
Bethesda's Fallout 4 has taken home the top prize at the DICE Awards. The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' ceremony -- now in its 19th year -- also gave the developer best RPG and game direction for Fallout 4 and best mobile game for Fallout Shelter.
Coming to terms with my game backlog
I used to be scared of the RPG genre. Growing up, I played plenty of video games like any other kid, but I stuck to stuff I could pick up and put down. Mario, GoldenEye, Doom. I lacked the dedication, the loyalty and the skill to tackle an intimidating dozens-of-hours role-playing adventure. And yet I would ogle screenshots in GamePro or exotic box art like on the SNES game Secret of Evermore or even just mysterious, enticing names like Chrono Trigger. The idea of these cartridges, and the fantastical little universes they contained, had a pull over me: They promised a story-based experience that's unique to the medium of the video game. Sure, I made some stabs at playing the games, but even the high-school-freshman version of me was too busy for the commitment. I had just gotten a car and a part-time job. I played sports, there were girls to date. You know, non-nerd stuff. But oh, how I longed for the nerd stuff.
Three new 'Fallout 4' DLCs are coming this spring
Bethesda announced three upcoming add-on packs to its smash-hit Fallout 4 on Tuesday. Players will soon be able to access three DLCs dubbed Automatron, Wasteland Workshop and Far Harbor.
Rock the vote for your favorite game in the GDC awards
Want to make your voice heard in this year's Game Developer's Choice Awards? How about doing the same for the Independent Game Festival's accolades? Boy howdy, you're covered in both cases. Once again, the GDCA and IGF are opening up the floor for audience votes ahead of the 30th annual Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco this year. Winners will be revealed on March 16th and the awards will stream on Twitch starting at 6:30 PM Pacific that day.
'Metal Gear,' 'The Witcher 3' lead game developers' nominees
You probably have a short list of favorite video games from 2015, but what do you think game creators would pick if given the chance? You don't have to wonder: the Game Developers Choice Awards has delivered its nominees, and there are a few clear front-runners this time around. For one thing, third-person action is definitely in vogue: Metal Gear Solid V and The Witcher 3 were both nominated for four awards each, including game of the year. A few other well-known games also received multiple nods, including Bloodborne, Fallout 4 and Splatoon.
Video game tie-ins shouldn't feel 'cheap'
It used to be that if you loved a video game, your options for showing it beyond buying the cartridge or disc were pretty limited. Now there's a whole cottage industry for gaming fandom. Want a rad vinyl soundtrack for a hyper-violent indie game? Say no more. How about an evocative statue showcasing the duality of a game's strong, female protagonist? You're covered there, too.But for every one of the former, there were seemingly a dozen tasteless cash-ins. When these brand extensions are done right, we wind up with heartfelt keepsakes or ways to keep a game in our lives while we're away from the controller. But when a company blows it, you get crap like tacky game-branded mini-fridges.
Man sues Bethesda over his 'Fallout 4' addiction
There's little doubt that Fallout 4's gameplay is involving when you can spend dozens of hours on the main storyline alone. However, one Russian man is convinced that it's too involving. RT says that he's suing Bethesda for 500,000 rubles ($7,030) for failing to warn that Fallout 4 would "become so addictive." Supposedly, the man went on a 3-week gaming marathon that cost him his health, job and wife. Had he known how alluring it was, he says, he would have either waited until the holidays to buy the game or avoided it entirely. We've reached out to Bethesda to both confirm the lawsuit and get its take on the claims.
These are our favorite video games of 2015
Different strokes, different folks -- never has this been more true in gaming. And so, it's with that spirit of varied perspective that we at Engadget bring you our favorite video games of the year. There is no one-size-fits-all winner here. Instead, we're highlighting the best games to suit specific tastes and who better to make those calls than our very own staff of trusted gaming editors. So if you're still looking to make that list for Santa, get a gift for someone you know or just dedicate a chunk of holiday vacation to quality play time, consider our selections for 2015's greatest gaming hits.
Recommended Reading: Marvel's 'Jessica Jones' is a different kind of hero
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Marvel's Astounding 'Jessica Jones' Rewrites the Definition of Superhuman Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times Marvel's Jessica Jones is now streaming on Netflix, and to properly prep for your marathon viewing season, take a look at a review from the Los Angeles Times. We've all heard the details about how this series differs from previous Marvel shows and movies, but it looks like what makes this show unique is also what makes it so good. Plus, we get a look at Luke Cage before he his own series.
The best stories in 'Fallout 4' are the ones you can't spoil
A few weeks ago, a malicious person created a new user account on Engadget (a time-consuming process in its own right) and dropped a massive pair of Fallout 4 spoilers in the comments of my Pip-Boy edition write-up. Why? Because some people just want to destroy the fun of others. I absentmindedly read these "comments" and was bummed out because I thought the game I'd been waiting for since 2009 had been ruined. As it turns out, that wasn't the case.
Someone made a giant Rubik's Cube in 'Fallout 4'
It seems there are two types of Fallout 4 gamers: those who want to do nothing but take out bad guys, and a very patient few who painstakingly create some incredible stuff. Case in point, this giant floating Rubik's Cube. User "Theowest" spent a whopping 25 hours gathering and assembling 128 generators, 36 terminals and thousands of wires to create this neon behemoth, but we're not entirely sure whether or not it's a cube that can be "solved." It seems to be missing a top and bottom panel and each square is able to change color. So if you're not a gamer who would make anything like this, then take a second to appreciate its complexity -- right before you get back to kicking bad guy butt.
The freedom to explore most open-world games is a lie
Open-world games aren't going away anytime soon, but more often than not when we play them we're being led around by a breadcrumb trail instead of actually exploring. Sometimes even quite literally. The reasoning for that is because it's much easier for game developers to stick a mini-map or quest directions in the heads up display than it is to integrate means of navigation into the game world itself. It's a topic YouTuber Mark Brown knows well and he's taking it for a spin in developer Bethesda Softworks' sprawling Fallout 4. In his latest entry into his Game Maker's Toolkit series he explains why he's turning off the quest markers in Fallout's irradiated Boston and trying to let his nose lead the way, so to speak.
Fallout 4's greatest asset is its color palette
Of all the ways Fallout 4 outshines earlier entires in the series, the way it uses color is perhaps the most apparent. The game is a vast improvement over its predecessors in one simple way: It's loads more vibrant. In 2008's Fallout 3, nearly everything in the post-nuclear apocalyptic Washington D.C. was a sickly shade of green, a deliberate choice by the developers at Bethesda Softworks to sell an omnipresent feeling of sickness and decay (it still persists in certain places here). B-team developer Obsidian Entertainment's Fallout: New Vegas introduced a bit of chroma to its irradiated Las Vegas landscape in 2010, but it was still primarily a brown game. Bethesda's triumphant return to the Wastes is what shakes the series' palette up the most. As you'll see in the gallery below, the use of vibrant colors and a tightly defined palette serves a couple of purposes here: It differentiates one room or Boston-area landmark from the next and keeps everything in Fallout 4 looking visually fresh.
This 'Fallout 4' flaming sword can set the world on fire
It's Fallout 4 week. That means it's safe to say that when gamers aren't busy logging more than 4.5 million hours in Bethesda's latest instalment, they're probably watching all of the impressive game-related videos on YouTube. The team over at Linus Tech Tips has already managed to fit a high-end gaming PC inside a Mini Nuke, but what about building a real-life Fallout 4 weapon? If you've played Fallout 3 or made it far enough into the latest game (hint: it's located in the Saugus Ironworks), then you may have come across the Shishkebab: a flaming sword crafted from motorcycle parts and a katana. Make built one, and it's awesome.
Playdate: We're giving away the 'Fallout 4' Pip-Boy Edition!
The Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition proved insanely popular, so much so that developer/publisher Bethesda Softworks had to apologize when it couldn't meet demand for the plastic wrist-computer. You know who isn't saying sorry? Us at Engadget. That's because we're giving away the PlayStation 4 premium edition of this fall's most anticipated game during our Twitch broadcast today. All you need to do is hit the contest widget after the break. Join Sean Buckley and myself as we stream two hours of irradiated galavanting around the Boston Commonwealth starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific. Sean's playing the PC version and you can watch us here on this very post, the Engadget Gaming homepage, or Twitch.tv/Joystiq if you'd like to participate in chat. How many hijinks will we get into? You'll just have to tune in and find out. So go grab a Nuka Cola Quantum and settle in. Oh, and good luck! Winner: Congratulations to Onelson G. of Brooklyn, NY!
What's on your HDTV: 'Fallout 4', 'Better Call Saul' Blu-ray
This week's big release is Fallout 4, which takes gamers back to its familiar post-apocalyptic setting. There's also a new StarCraft II entry with Legacy of the Void, and Rise of the Tomb Raider arrives on Xbox platforms. Netflix has a new series from David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, while the latter's Better Call Saul series arrives on Blu-ray. Also on Blu-ray this week for the first time is Bad Boys II, while Into the Badlands premieres Sunday night on AMC. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Fallout 4's Pip-Boy is a glorified smartphone case
"The Pip-Boy is an important part of Fallout and we love it so much we made a real one." Those words, delivered by game director Todd Howard at developer Bethesda Softworks' first-ever E3 media briefing this year, triggered cheers around the world. And thus, the Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition was born: a $120 special edition peripheral bundled with Fallout 4 that aims to mimic the game's wrist-bound menu and stat-tracking system. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the premium version of the game proved insanely popular, prompting Bethesda to apologize when it couldn't make any more units to meet demand. Not bad for a rather awkward looking piece of light brown plastic that sits on your arm and holds your cellphone. But is it actually worth the hype and high price?
The 'Fallout 4' launch trailer has robots, beasts, mutants and more
Fallout 4 is poised to be a massive game (even by Fallout standards) and today's three-minute launch trailer really drives that point home. You want a city of giant, horned, Doom-like monsters? Check. Do you want to build a base? Yep. Is it your dream to be in a post-apocalyptic gang with an android? Got it. Do you love friendly dogs? Oh yes, there's a friendly dog. Fallout 4 launches on November 10th across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC (with DLC incoming).
The 'Fallout 4' Pip-Boy app is available right now
Attention future Commonwealth explorers: The Fallout 4 Pip-Boy app is available for you to download. Unlike the gap between the release of Fallout Shelter on Android and iOS, both versions are available right this very moment. More than just acting as a mobile menu setup, you can play any holotape games you find in Fallout 4 within the app (with what sounds like a version of Missile Command built in). Sounds cool, right? Well, now you've got another something to keep you busy until November 10th -- even if you have an oversized phone. Update: A Windows Phone version has been promised, but as of this writing hasn't gone live yet.
You can drive cars from 'Fallout 4' in 'Forza Motorsport 6'
Can't wait until November 10th to wander through a desolate nuclear wasteland? That's a little weird, dude -- but if you need something to tide you over until Fallout 4 hits stores, Forza Motorsport 6 may have the ticket: starting today, players will be able to download a Fallout-themed 1956 Ford F100 for free.
