Author Archives: gstaff

What we’re playing: So much awesomeness!

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As we near the end of the October, the list of games we want to play continues to grow. Devs are frenetically playing through the likes of Dead Space, Fable 2, Far Cry 2, and more — so they can move onto games like Wrath of the Lich King, Resistance 2, and Call of Duty: World at War when they arrive. Too much awesome!

Have a great weekend!

Cory Dornbusch, QA: Burning the Serengeti dry grass in Far Cry 2, running around Albion with my dog in Fable 2(I named him Dogma, get it! har har har.), and Dead Space to see how many ways Isaac can die in the most gruesome way. Kudos to all the dev teams that made these truly awesome games!

Joel Burgess: So much Fable 2.

Ryan Sears, World Artist, Zombie Aficionado: Fallout 3, Fable 2, a (hopefully) epic session of Fury of Dracula tonight, and maybe some Last Night on Earth this weekend.

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Burning the midnight oil…

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We put out a press release today letting everyone know about several launch events we’re having at Best Buy stores across the country. Check it out to find a location near you.

Additionally, Gamestop is having midnight launches at 1600 of their stores. These locations will begin their events at 10 p.m. (local time). If you want to know if a store in your area is having a midnight launch, contact your local store for details.

So where will we be at the strike of midnight? If you’re able to make it to the Rockville Pike Best Buy (1200 Rockville Pike), we’ll be having a special event at the store. After purchasing the game, you’ll be able to get your copy signed by Todd Howard, Emil Pagliarulo, Istvan Pely, Gavin Carter, or any of the other devs that might be out there. Additionally, we’ll have the Fallout Airstream on display. The festivities start at 10 p.m. Monday night. Hope you can make it out.

Around the web: interviews, podcasts and more

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Here’s a load of new coverage for you to read up on before the release of Fallout 3 (T-minus 4 days!!!).

Russ Frushtick from UGO put up a new blog post covering the delivery of a Brotherhood of Steel statue arriving at their office. Having helped pack/unpack one of these, I can tell you, it’s quite the production.

New interviews with Emil can be found at both Gaming Nexus and GameSpy. Here’s a snippet of the latter, entitled The Art of Writing:

GameSpy: How much effort went into creating the main storyline versus encounters and characters found off the beaten path?

Emil Pagliarulo: I’d say it was a pretty equal division. I laid out the miscellaneous quests and the main quest at pretty much the same time. You know, we wanted to get everything on the table as soon as possible, for scheduling and practicality purposes as well as any creative reasons. But that was just the baseline. The other designers certainly fleshed out all that stuff throughout development, and things like the random encounter system came later, and really complimented the gameplay we already had.

Moving along, there’s a new interview with Todd at Paste magazine. Head here to read it.

For more news, hit the jump…

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Fallout 3 Game Guide: Bestiary Chapter Overview

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David Hodgson, author of the Fallout 3 Game Guide, has a new blog post about the guide’s Bestiary. Read his overview below…

Fallout, then Fall Over: Guide Creation Blog

Part 04: Bestiary Chapter Overview

CAUTION! Some minor spoilers ahead!

Although not the largest chapter in this gargantuan-sized strategy guide, this is perhaps the one that packs the largest concentration of thoroughly enjoyable and tactical goodness. If you’re wanting to know what just rammed into you and defiled your corpse after an ill-fated Wasteland wander, this is the chapter to peruse. Basically, you’ve got all the information on every single living entity in D.C.’s smoking remains, and the surrounding area. Rest assured; there’s stats aplenty here.

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Post-Nuclear Partying

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Last Thursday we held a Fallout 3 Launch Party in downtown Los Angeles at LA Center Studios. A great time was had by all — from walking the Brotherhood of Steel-protected red carpet to rocking out with the Foo Fighters.

Being that it was LA, I certainly found myself stargazing a bit at the event. I ran into Gerard Butler (Leonidas from from 300), James Marsden (Cyclops from X-Men), and several other folks from Tinseltown. It wasn’t until I got to the party that I learned that Courteney Cox (who attended with her husband, David Arquette) was actually once an employee here at Bethesda waaay back in the day. And if you’re wondering…no, I didn’t get a chance to talk with Lauren Conrad from The Hills, who attended as well.

Special thanks to Pete, Erin, Tracey, Kate, and everyone else that made the party such a blast.

Hit the jump to see more pictures from the event.

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Fallout 3 Game Guide: Training Chapter Overview

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Over at the Prima Games Author Blog, David Hodgson, author of the Fallout 3 Game Guide, has a new blog post about the guide’s 40-page training chapter. Find out more below…

Fallout, then Fall Over: Guide Creation Blog

Part 03: Training Chapter Overview

Delving a little deeper into the guide, and moving chronologically through the pages, we begin with the Training chapter. Over 40 pages are dedicated to preparation for surviving and thriving in the Capital Wasteland, and there’s an incredible amount of useful detail for both character generation, and general overall tactics. It all begins with the Primary Statistics; the seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes that form the basis of your avatar. As these statistics influence other skills, we reveal exactly how everything is inter-related, and the precise modifications a higher or lower statistic brings into play. Want to know what skills your Charisma influences, and by what amount? Then consult this section. Next up is a section on Derived Statistics; a set of values automatically determined when you choose your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. values. These include how much weight you can carry, your chance to inflict a critical hit, how your health is influenced, your resistance to damage, Action Points in V.A.T.S. combat, and more. Say you want the most Action Points for your takedowns; you’ll find out the statistic you need to raise, by how much, and what modifiers and Perks you can use and choose to help augment this statistic.

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Elder Scrolls Modding Interview: Sage_Rime

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This week we’re talking with Sage_Rime. His mod project, Mountain Tower, has over 100,000 downloads to date…impressive!

How were you introduced to the modding community for the Elder Scrolls?
It was the time of Morrowind Game of the Year edition, and I found my way to the forums as I was looking for mods for the game. Originally I heard about Morrowind mods back at the Infinity Engine modding community Spellhold Studios, then called Forgotten Wars.

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Around the web: New Fallout 3 contest

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Here’s a few notable Fallout 3 mentions I thought you’d like to check out.

First, there’s a contest at Planet Fallout that you’ll want to enter. Entering their “End of World Sweeps” gives you a chance to win a plasma TV, an Area-51: Quad Core Flagship from Alienware, an Xbox 360, as well as some Fallout 3-related schwag. To enter, you must be at least 18 years of age and a US resident. You can read the rest of the contest rules here before entering.

Also at Planet Fallout, Blinzler continues his primer for Fallout 3 with new features on characters, places, and groups found within the game.

Click below for more news…

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