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Impressions: Fallout New Vegas (update)
Are we really ready for more Fallout? No mere expansion pack, Fallout: New Vegas is equal in size and scope to Fallout 3 and will require a significant time investment to fully explore. Bethesda has brought in Obsidian to develop the title, and the studio is adding a lot of content (more than double the number of weapons in Fallout 3, for example) and necessary tweaks to the Fallout foundation. Set three years after Fallout 3, New Vegas stars a mysterious stranger, though not a vault-dweller, who recovers from a bullet to the head and ventures forth to figure out the identity of the shooter. Of course, this journey of discovery is just as much about meting out that particular brand of Fallout justice. Update: We mention later in this piece that Fallout: New Vegas apparently wouldn't have a fast travel system. We decided to contact Bethesda about that ... since just like you, we don't want to spend all of our gameplay time walking from one town to the next. Here's the response we received: "Fallout: New Vegas will have a fast travel system – just like Fallout 3. The guys were just pointing out that unlike Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas won't have any underground tunnels (the metro) linking the various locations." %Gallery-92131%
PC Alpha Protocol's Uniloc DRM explained
An administrator on the Sega forums has detailed what purchasers of Alpha Protocol on PC can expect from the Uniloc DRM system. With some publishers employing excessive DRM, it's good for PC players to know what they are getting into. Sega details that initial activation of the game will require an internet connection, but after that they should be good to go. Five activations are allowed per license key, with users having the option to deactivate a computer's license if they wish. Most importantly, the DRM will allegedly be removed through a patch 18-24 months after release. PC owners who submit to the DRM can pick up a copy June 1. In tragic irony, those who refuse to submit to any DRM will likely be able to download the game around the same time -- or earlier -- from their favorite torrent site. But don't do that. [Via Big Download]
Fallout: New Vegas ups the ante with customizable weapons, hardcore mode and more
Where Fallout 3 is involved, the idea of "more of the same" is never a bad thing, especially when we're still playing the game a year and a half after its 2008 debut. Fortunately, Fallout: New Vegas, due this fall, is more than more of the same. Here's how. Picking up three years after the events that played out in Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland, this full sequel casts players a courier left for dead in Nevada's Mojave Wasteland. As such, players will have the option to select their character's age during the initial creation (or, in this case, re-creation) process, in addition to choosing their starting S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats. While they might not be a vault dweller, the game finds a way of outfitting them with the familiar Pip-Boy 3000 wearable computer. The plot unfolds across a variety of high desert locales, from the New Vegas strip to the Hoover Dam and settlements beyond. The Mojave Wasteland is filled with things that want to kill you -- new and returning alike -- so you'll luckily have a refined combat system and expanded arsenal at your disposal. The V.A.T.S. targeting system from Fallout 3 returns more or less unaltered, save for new special move commands that should make melee fighting fans happy. %Gallery-87609%
Obsidian CEO: Aliens RPG felt like a finished game
Of the perils one encounters when writing about games, the most painful is arguably following the games that almost were; games that were canceled just shy of release. Some are simply vaporware, announced one day and then were never heard from again, and others are in the spotlight for years, before being banished to a dusty hard drive in a closet somewhere. Duke Nukem Forever will stand ... well, forever as the most prominent example of the latter, but the Obsidian-developed Aliens RPG that Sega canceled could very well hold the second-place trophy. At a press event last week, we asked Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart some followup questions about the axed title, which he'd previously asked us to do; however, it still hasn't been the required year since we first talked to him, so we're still missing the details as to why the title got the guillotine. But we did learn that the game looked and felt nearly complete before its cancellation. "Oh, if you had come in and played any of the last builds we were working on, you would have said it was a finished game," Urquhart told Joystiq. "That's how close we were. It looked and felt like it was ready to ship." He went on to explain that you only played as the Colonial Marines in the game (not to be confused with these Colonial Marines), and that missions would have involved tasks like protecting the robot sentry guns that were featured in a deleted scene in Aliens. One of the biggest challenges, Urquhart said, was, "How do you make a 15-foot long Alien turn around at the end of a hallway?" Besides terrifying turn-based hallway combat, there also would have been multiple types of Marines, lots of gear to play with and ... wait. This is just like pouring salt in a freshly reopened wound. Thanks, Feargus!
Alpha Protocol's protagonist can be a real jerk sometimes
The latest trailer for Obsidian's "Espionage RPG," Alpha Protocol, exposes one of the most useful tools a spy has at his disposal: His ability to converse. The video above explains the delicate balance you must maintain while questioning a source. And by "delicate balance," we mean, "be nice to him until he lets his guard down, then repeatedly strike him about the head with a half-full bottle of Ketel One." Hey, this "spy" stuff is easier than we thought! Fine, there's a little bit more to it than that. Check out the video above to see how your words are just as effective as your bullets, except in instances where you need to shoot someone.
An Eastern Bloc of Alpha Protocol character vignettes
Comrades: though we can hardly believe it after so many delays, all signs still indicate Alpha Protocol is on track for a June 1 release -- so let us celebrate with some trailers featuring former communists. One focuses on a hormonal East German mercenary named Sie, while the other spotlights an old Russian information broker, who likely remembers a time when information sold him. The German is above, the Russian is after the break and a martini is stirred, not shaken. %Gallery-19776%
Best Buy offers 'Stealth Weapons Pack' for Alpha Protocol pre-orders
Click image to sneak a peak at the pre-order ticket Snapped by a Joystiq reader at his local Best Buy, the above image confirms that those who pre-order Alpha Protocol at the big blue box store will gain an exclusive set of stealth-based weaponry. The aptly titled "Stealth Weapons Pack" includes a "Hamilton Marksman Pistol and Samael Typhoon SMG, each with custom upgrade kits and bonus ammo." This pre-order bonus is valid to anyone who pre-orders between April 25 and May 29. And just in case you're worried that every story about Alpha Protocol you read on the internet has to be about a delay, rest assured: it's still on track for a June 1 release. %Gallery-90930%
Alpha Protocol PC to use Uniloc DRM
Is the personal computer your platform of choice when it comes to living out your spy game fantasies? Be forewarned: Sega recently informed Eurogamer that the PC version of its upcoming cloak-and-dagger RPG, Alpha Protocol, would use the Uniloc DRM system. Though not as troublesome as other digital rights management protocols, Uniloc did hinder some players' enjoyment of Football Manager 2009 due to a registration code printing error and a supposed DDoS attack on the authentication servers. Uniloc's corporate site promises their DRM solution is "polite" and "unobtrusive," thwarting would-be pirates "without compromising [your] experience." Unfortunately, we've begun to equate a company's promises about the painlessness of their DRM technologies to proctologists' promises about the painlessness of their procedures. In fact, that might be the most literal analogy we've ever conjured.
Killspace Entertainment pulling from ex-Pandemic, EALA; working on two unannounced games
Ever heard of Killspace Entertainment? Yeah, neither had we until Supererogatory spotted the unannounced development studio's website (replete with strange video). In a Digital Development Management brochure (warning: PDF link), the studio is advertised as having one "Original IP with major publisher" in development and one "Licensed IP -- TBA," though it's said to be working on games for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, iPhone, and Facebook. A quick search on LinkedIn shows that the dev house has been picking up employees from the likes of Obsidian Entertainment, Pandemic Studios, Red 5, and EALA, and will be focusing on "3rd and 1st person character action" titles. It also appears that some employees have been with the studio for over a year, meaning it's not exactly a brand new venture. Odder still, it appears that one Douglas Markland of Killspace Entertainment is down as the contact on a WHOIS of both ApocalypseNowGame.com and WarIsNotAGame.net (though both sites are still devoid of content as of this writing). We've reached out to the studio for information on any of this and will update this post if we hear more.
Impressions: Alpha Protocol
Obsidian Entertainment is perhaps best known for being a foster home for franchises. After expanding the words and worlds of others with sequels to Knights of the Old Republic, NeverWinter Nights, and the forthcoming Fallout: New Vegas, Alpha Protocol grants the developer an opportunity to construct a role-playing game that need not abide by someone else's rules. Obsidian's strengths in storytelling and technology stand unsupported in the spotlight this time. It sets the stage for an inescapable comparison between Alpha Protocol and Mass Effect -- provided it's Mass Effect one we're talking about. Like BioWare's first attempt at combining third-person, cover-based shooting with long-term character building and narrative choice, Alpha Protocol seems intent on telling a gripping story, even while the cardboard scenery falls down. The character models look dated, screen tearing is distracting and those extra months of post-delay polish don't shine through. And just as with Mass Effect, the technological struggles of the engine might be relegated to the background and forgiven once your attention turns to Alpha Protocol's cast of duplicitous operatives. Yes, dry spy guy Michael Thorton doesn't make a good first impression -- more Luke Skywalker than Jack Bauer -- but he definitely makes one, as evidenced by two possible scenarios viewed side-by-side. In one, Thorton meets his Rome contact , Madison, for a sweet and earnest bedside discussion. In the other, at the same point within the game's timeline, her reception is icy and violent. What on earth could you have done in an alternate playthrough to lose that many points with her? You know, reputation points. %Gallery-19776%
First screens from Fallout: New Vegas surface, feature glorious beards
Click to embearden Around these parts, we're all avid supporters of a thick, lustrous beard. Though our tastes for the gaming industries various genres differ greatly, we can all get behind any game so long as it includes characters with copious amounts of facial hair. For this reason alone, a recent batch of screenshots has placed Fallout: New Vegas firmly on our list of most anticipated games of 2010. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/First_screens_from_Fallout_New_Vegas_surface_feature_beards'; You can check out images depicting New Vegas' unprecedentedly hirsute ensemble in the gallery below. There's also a Super Mutant with heart-rimmed glasses and a doo-wop weave, and man, we've got to find out what that's all about. %Gallery-87609%
April OXM features Fallout: New Vegas, Halo: Reach
The small, irradiated pool of Fallout: New Vegas knowledge is about to get bigger. Bethesda has announced that the April issue of Official Xbox Magazine -- set to hit newsstands next week -- will devote its cover story to the game. Readers can expect an eight-page spread on New Vegas and, as a bonus, the included DVD will also feature some exclusive gamer pics (what, no Avatar items?). Sharp-eyed readers will notice that the magazine has an eight-page feature on Halo: Reach as well. All in all, probably something Xbox gamers should keep an eye on.
Alpha Protocol has gadgets and gizmos aplenty, whozits and whatzits galore
Alpha Protocol is showing off the "toys" in this latest trailer for the espionage RPG. Some of the footage features gadgets used to accomplish missions stealthily, but mostly it features guns and ammunition -- like phosphorus shells to set enemies aflame. Aside from the toys, the footage also gives us a better idea of what the gameplay looks like. Alpha Protocol is currently expected June 1 in the US, while Australia and Europe receive the package drop a week earlier. %Gallery-86521%
New Alpha Protocol trailer declassified, box art is Bourne again
Emerging from "deep cover" (a euphemism for plastic surgery in Eastern Europe), where it received "tweaks," Alpha Protocol is ready to shake its money maker and get everyone interested in it again with a new trailer and screenshots. Not only that, but the game's box art has also received a facelift, adding several more guns to what was only a two pistol cover before. Alpha Protocol is set to prevent war in the States on June 1, with layovers in Australia and Europe on May 27 and 28, respectively. %Gallery-86521%
Alpha Protocol obtains June 1 release date [update]
Alpha Protocol is ready to spy hard on May 28 and June 1 in Europe and North America, respectively, according to IGN. Spies in the land down under will get their chance to play the game on May 27. Obsidian's RPG has been plagued by delays, shifting its launch from fall, to spring, to summer. Hopefully, this time Sega can make the game's latest release date -- or at least let us know in a reasonable amount of time if it's delayed, again. Update: Sega has confirmed the June 1 release date for North America. All three versions -- PS3, Xbox 360 and PC -- will release on that day.
Fallout: New Vegas plot details surface from USA Today
Aside from a cursory description of the game's premise on its official website, we've heard very little about Fallout: New Vegas. Today, friends, that changes, with a USA Today feature that reveals the game's protagonist as a shot and left-to-die package delivery boy who finds himself in Sin City "and the surrounding area" in 2280. "You were a courier, and you were obviously carrying something that somebody wanted," Bethesda Softworks' Pete Hines says of the player's character. "Part of the story is finding out what you had and what they took." Hines additionally insists New Vegas will "feel" far different from 2008's Fallout 3 through one key aspect: the setting. "Vegas is up and running. It is not a ghost town. It still exists and thrives. There are casinos, and you can go down onto the Strip. It will have a very different feel from that standpoint." Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hines also notes that the New Vegas will "take you hundreds of hours to explore every nook and cranny" -- not unlike the 2008 iteration of the Fallout franchise. We'd be straight lying if we said we weren't unbelievably ready to invest that time in more of the Fallout universe this fall, even after all of last year's DLC.
Red Eagle and Obsidian collaborating on Wheel of Time
As if Obsidian didn't already have enough on its plate, with Alpha Protocol somewhere doing something and Fallout: New Vegas nuking this fall, the company is now in a "services agreement" to assist Red Eagle Games with The Wheel of Time titles. Red Eagle Games COO Larry Mondragon states that although his company is the producer and publisher, it "could benefit from supplementing small in-house technical and creative teams with a proven third party developer." The "first-generation of [the] Wheel of Time games" will be available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The last we'd heard about these Wheel of Time games was the distribution agreement hammered out with EA back in January 2009, a few months before that, the games were announced by the newly founded LA studio. If the fantasy nerds out there will pardon our mixed reference, the Eye of Sauron is watching this one.
Sega cites 'tweaks' and release position for Alpha Protocol delay [update]
It would have been nice to hear more of an explanation way back in October when Sega's Alpha Protocol was "officially delayed" to the amorphous "Spring 2010," but, unfortunately, that didn't happen. Speaking with MTV Multiplayer this week, though, assistant producer at Sega Matthew Hickman explicitly detailed the reasons for the delay, saying, "We really wanted to polish the game up, make it everything Obsidian planned it to be, and give the consumer a very polished game." He added that there's been some "tweaks in lighting here and there," and the inventory screen has been revamped a bit, but in general the team has been focused on "bringing the whole quality level up." The post's author also notes that the game is set for a "Summer 2010" release window now, and we've reached out to him (and Sega) for clarification. Update: The post's author has responded that, yes, the game's current release window is set for "Summer 2010." Guess that's another delay then, eh? We'll update again if Sega responds. %Gallery-19776%
Fallout: New Vegas coming this fall, teaser coming ... right now
Bethesda sent word today that the Obsidian-developed Fallout: New Vegas will start irradiating store shelves this fall. It's a little less nebulous than the previous "sometime in 2010," but it's still not specific enough for our tastes. No, the real draw today is the second half of Bethesda's release, the debut teaser trailer that we've put just above. No gameplay, but it's got style and Sinatra to spare. Also ... is that a Helghast? It's not, right? [Update: Bethesda updated the game's official description with a few details. You can find them after the break.]
Rumor: Leaked footage from canned Aliens RPG
It's never been made clear just how far Obsidian got with Aliens RPG, a project that started back in 2006 and was then canceled in June of last year. If alleged footage from the uncompleted game is any indication, there was more than a solid foundation laid down. The brief snippet of supposed gameplay paints Obsidian's game as more of a third-person shooter than a traditional RPG -- though we're quite used to that sort of thing by now. Head past the break to see the footage, but make sure you turn up your brightness before doing so. This video is dark. [Via Superannuation]
