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Fallout: New Vegas Achievements for your consideration
There isn't much we can do to help you get the potential human-robo love in Fallout: New Vegas off your mind -- believe us, we've struggled with it ourselves, attempting to wrestle it from our mind's eye like a grease-covered bear. Still, we're resolved to get past this and offer you this aid: Achievements. Xbox 360 Achievements has the skinny on all of the new game's cheevos, so head on over and check 'em out. You gotta get your mind off it, guys, lest you go insane.
How Ellen DeGeneres got Matthew Perry his role in Fallout: New Vegas
Who should ex-Friends star Matthew Perry thank for landing his latest job, a role in Fallout: New Vegas? Not his agent. According to senior producer Jason Bergman, Perry's role was cemented thanks to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. On the April 24, 2009 show, Perry appeared not only to promote 17 Again, but he also gave Ellen an Xbox 360 system with a copy of the game. "I played this video game so often that I injured my hand so severely that I had to go to a hand doctor and get injections in my hand because I love this video game so much," Perry told Ellen at the time. "The game is called Fallout 3. I'm not affiliated with this game at all, I just love it. But I signed it, so it looks like I created it." Apparently, that act earned him the good graces of Bethesda and Obsidian, leading to his eventual casting as Rat Pack-esque character Benny. With his name now cemented in the game's credits, he'll able to give away signed copies of New Vegas ... and actually have it mean something.
Fallout: New Vegas brings back Ron Perlman
War. War never changes ... and neither will the narrator for the intro to the next Fallout game, either! Ron Perlman has been tapped to do the voice work on Fallout: New Vegas' introductory cinematic, once again regaling us with the tale of post-apocalyptic America and introducing us to the game's main character: you. For the sake of potential spoilerz, we're going to go ahead an embed the audio past the break. Oh, and sorry non-Americans -- you likely won't be able to access the player.
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!
Dungeon Siege 3 teaser is bereft of dungeons
Perhaps the most glaring thing about the new Dungeon Siege 3 teaser, apart from its complete lack of gameplay footage, is its complete lack of dungeons. It's a nice CG introduction to the backstory and all, but ... what are we supposed to besiege? The branching narrative?
Alpha Protocol sequel denied, low sales to blame
Sega West president Mike Hayes has stated that the espionage RPG, Alpha Protocol, won't be receiving a sequel. In an interview with CVG, the executive plainly expressed, "Let's speak very commercially; the game hasn't sold what we've expected, therefore we won't be doing a sequel." He continued that the game didn't have enough to get into that "upper echelon" of RPGs, because the amount "you need to invest to get there is so large because RPGs are naturally big projects." The Obsidian-developed game suffered numerous delays, alleged tweaks and eventually launched this year to middling reviews (across the industry). It seems Alpha Protocol will have a future akin to that other oft-overlooked espionage classic: Leonard Part 6.
Preview: Dungeon Siege 3
As someone who's predominately a console gamer, I wasn't particularly familiar with the Dungeon Siege franchise before I sat down for a peek at the third iteration deep within the recesses of Square-Enix's E3 booth. I knew it owed a lot to Diablo, but little else. Within the first seconds of seeing Dungeon Siege III, however, I knew that Obsidian's new take on the series had been designed with someone like me in mind. The most obvious cue? The perspective, which has gone from the zoomed out view the series is most associated with, to a more traditional third-person action perspective right over the shoulder. The classic view is still available with just a button press, but most of the demo I saw zooms in tight on the lead character. The message is pretty clear: This is the new face of Dungeon Siege, and it's doing its darndest to win me over.
Fallout: New Vegas vaporizing mutants on Oct 19 in US, Oct 22 in EU
What more do we need to say? We'll be heading back into the future '50s world of Fallout, sculpted by Obsidian, on October 19 in the US and October 22 in Europe. In case you hadn't already seen in the recently released E3 trailer, the Las Vegas ... er, New Vegas setting is positively packed to the gills with seedy characters. So it's a lot regular ol' Vegas then, but with more Geiger counters.
VATS what Fallout: New Vegas looks like!
Finally! Actual gameplay footage of Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas surfaced in the latest episode of GTTV, and unsurprisingly, it looks a lot like Fallout 3. If it weren't for the bright lights of the casinos, one would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. This E3 trailer is cut to make New Vegas look more like a FPS, but pay attention, and you'll see some VATS action as well.
Fallout: New Vegas gets retailer-specific pre-order items
Click image for a rundown of the pre-order bonuses Anxious to wade through the wastelands of Fallout: New Vegas this fall? It's already got a plethora of pre-order bonuses available through select retailers. Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon and Steam are all vying for your pre-purchase dollars through custom in-game bundles, featuring armor, guns and some useful items. Head past the break for a description of each and check out the gallery below for shots of the bonuses in-game. Enjoy your additional decision-making process! %Gallery-94870%
Obsidian and Square Enix announce Dungeon Siege 3, will include co-op
It's been almost two years to the day since we last heard any updates on Dungeon Siege 3, which led us to the fairly understandable conclusion that Uwe Boll may have murdered the franchise with his Statham-fronted film adaptation. Apparently, those fears were unfounded -- Square Enix just announced it will publish the series' third installment, which will be developed by Obsidian Entertainment under the supervision of Dungeon Siege forefather, Gas Powered Games' Chris Taylor. The threequel, which is set for release on 360, PS3 and PC, will remain true to the series' roots, giving players access to a catalog of highly customizable RPG archetypes that will participate in some action-oriented ... dungeon sieging. Players will also have access to an "all-new co-op multiplayer mode," though the particulars of this mode weren't specified by the game's press release announcement. We'll try to divine a few more details at E3.
Review: Alpha Protocol
I have something of a reputation on staff for being the guy who takes in strays, the one who falls for the games that, while they may have a lot going for them, are in some way flawed. It's a fair representation and, considering it allows me to enjoy games that others may instantly write off, it's not something I'm necessarily ashamed of. Now, thanks to Alpha Protocol, I've learned that I have my limits. %Gallery-19776%
Alpha Protocol's Michael Thorton goes globetrotting in latest trailer
When he's not busy being formally introduced or eloquently headslamming foes, Alpha Protocol's Michael Thorton is hopping on planes, trains, and automobiles around the globe. In the game's latest trailer (found after the break), Thorton travels to exotic locales the world over ... and kills people! He's a lot like that James Bond fella, but without the namby pamby English accent getting in the way (we kid, Brits!). AP is due to hit retailers in under two weeks -- just enough time for Thorton to tour the globe three or four more times. We'll be watching our backs just in case he stops by.
Alpha Protocol delay back to a 'business decision only'
Not only is Sega's Alpha Protocol going to be "the espionage RPG" (according to the box), but it's also the case study in mixed messages from the creators to the game press and public. IGN recently asked Obsidian associate producer Matt Hickman if he could clarify the key moments that held up the development process, noting that there had been "a lot of different, sometimes conflicting reports." Hickman responded, "The decision to move the game out from October [2009] was merely for repositioning and constituted a business decision only." Strange -- considering that in February Hickman told MTV Multiplayer that there were "a few reasons" for the delay, including giving the game more polish, with "tweaks" to the lighting and inventory, and a general objective in "just bringing the whole quality level up." Perhaps Obsidian and Sega have taken the "espionage game" a bit too literally (dare we discover this to be a viral marketing campaign that went way over our heads). As if being interrogated, the creators have erratically covered up the game's development tracks with changing stories. Last October, Alpha Protocol's expected release date was flat-out ignored by Sega, until the publisher came out of hiding a week later to confirm that the delay was "official." The reasons for the delay have been many -- and now just one: a business decision. We'll find out if the "repositioning" was the right business decision for Sega when Alpha Protocol breaks its cover on June 1.
The Fallout: New Vegas box art is stoic
We struggle to find anything else to say about the Fallout: New Vegas boxart that's been revealed via the Bethesda Blog. Depicting a single New California Republic Ranger standing alone (you know, the guy from the first trailer?), he wields his pistol, presumably ready for any ne'er-do-wells lurking. Or maybe he's just showing his gun to us? We can't imagine it's very impressive, what with all the sand in the post-apocalyptic desert. Of course, if the regular edition of the game doesn't do it for you, don't forget there's a collector's edition you can snag for $79.99 on PS3 and Xbox and $69.99 on PC -- or about 7,162 bottle caps.* *Note: Please don't mail bottle caps to Bethesda.
Bethesda announces Fallout: New Vegas collector's edition for high rollers
Bethesda is releasing a Fallout: New Vegas package worth squirreling away in your bomb shelter. The Collector's Edition includes a bunch of goodies modeled after items found in the game, including a set of seven casino chips representing casinos from the game, a special "Lucky 38 platinum chip," a deck of cards with New Vegas character imagery ("Use the cards to play poker, blackjack or Caravan, an original card game that was created by Obsidian especially for New Vegas!"). A hardcover graphic novel, "All Roads," written by Obsidian creative director Chris Avellone, and a making-of DVD are also included in the package. Bethesda didn't offer a price for the Collector's Edition, but GameStop has it at $79.99 on PS3 and Xbox, and $69.99 on PC.
Alpha Protocol trailer demonstrates Michael Thorton's sweet karate skills
When we last saw Alpha Protocol, protagonist Michael Thorton was being formally introduced. Now, just two days later, he's pulverizing and/or murdering everything in his sight. The latest trailer, as you might have guessed, features Thorton in a variety of combat scenarios, showing off some Splinter Cell: Conviction-esque pistol takedowns and American Ninja-esque karate moves. Immediately after watching the clip, we felt inclined to alert Mr. Thorton to one very important protip when engaging in hand-to-hand combat: leaping through the air at someone only to introduce your knee to their face is not the most effective way to start a fight. Just a thought! At very least, you kids shouldn't try pulling that off at home. Maybe in Alpha Protocol when it releases on June 1, but not physically in your home.
Interview: Josh Sawyer on Fallout: New Vegas
Imagine going to work on "Van Buren," the original Fallout 3, as a designer for Black Isle Studios, only to see the title canceled due to parent company Interplay's financial problems. Then, imagine Bethesda buying the Fallout 3 license and developing an entirely different game, which goes on to win multiple awards and accolades. Now, imagine you're brought back into the franchise, as a designer for Obsidian Entertainment, to create a sequel to Bethesda's popular title. Preposterous, you say? Josh Sawyer is the lead designer on Fallout: New Vegas and, after having the rug yanked from under him on the original Fallout 3, he's happy to be working on the latest new Fallout project -- one that will be released later this year. Read on for our conversation with Sawyer. Joystiq: What's your history with the Fallout franchise? Josh Sawyer: I worked on what's called "Van Buren," which was the codename when Black Isle started to work on what would have been Fallout 3, and we had worked on it for maybe half a year, and then it was canceled because Interplay had a lot of financial problems.
Alpha Protocol trailer asks, 'Who is Michael Thorton?'
Isn't he the guy who wrote Jurassic Park? No wait, that's Michael Crichton. Our bad. Michael Thorton is protagonist super spy in Alpha Protocol, Obsidian's upcoming Espionage RPG™. As you can see in the trailer above, he's a dude who likes to knee chumps in the face ... and run through laser-heavy hallways in slow motion, apparently. We get it, broseph: you're a spy. You drink martinis, drive expensive automobiles and get all the exotic babes. That's all well and good, but we have one problem with the above highlight reel, Mr. Thorton: Don't ever go around blowing up helicopters. That job is best left in more capable hands.
Obsidian CEO describes Fallout: New Vegas as 'almost' original IP
Obsidian Entertainment has worked on a number of games based on existing franchises, including Star Wars, Forgotten Realms and Aliens*. While the studio will release an original IP in Alpha Protocol in just several weeks (through publisher Sega), its following release will be the next installment in the Fallout franchise, Fallout: New Vegas, with publisher Bethesda. At a recent Bethesda press event, I asked Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart about the studio's decision to take on the next Fallout versus pursuing an original IP. Head past the break for Urquhart's thoughtful response. *[Editor's note: The Aliens-based game was ultimately canceled.] %Gallery-92131%
