IGN wraps up Fallout 3 Week

Fallout 3 Week concluded at IGN on Friday with a new preview from Erik Brudvig — summarizing their six hours of playing the game. Below are his closing thoughts:

“As my six hours with Fallout 3 came to a close, I brought up the map to see how much ground I had covered. It turned out that I didn’t see anything from the entire northern half. Even with limiting my travels to the southern region, there were still large areas I hadn’t yet had a chance to explore. This game is huge and the satisfaction you get from exploring is just as big. It’s been over a week since I played and I still can’t shake the desire to go back and look around some more. October 28 can’t come soon enough.”

Only a month to go until release. As new details surface, we’ll keep you posted.

What we’re playing returns

As promised, this week we’re talking about the games we’re playing. No sports, no movies…just games. This weeks most popular titles? Seems like a good chunk of the team is devoting their time to Rock Band 2 and Warhammer Online, or both.

Here’s the rundown. Let us know what you’ll be playing…

John Pisano, QA: Warhammer Online, Rock Band 2, Warhammer Online, Spore, Warhammer Online, Condemned 2.

Michael Lattanzia, QA: Warhammer Online, SPORE!, Call of Duty 4, and maybe some actual tabletop games (read: Mordheim) this weekend.

Shannon Bailey, Programmer: Rock Band 2, Lost Odyssey DLC.

Continue reading full article ›

Screenshots in 3D

Over at Planet Elder Scrolls, member BerenSiana has created 3D screenshots of Oblivion. No, these aren’t the type that require crazy-looking glasses like the ones above. These are actually cross-eye pictures that, as you would expect, require you to cross your eyes to see a 3D image. For more information on the concept, head here.

Let me know what you guys think. As weird as it sounds, I’m incapable of crossing my eyes. Don’t know if it’s a genetics thing, but my dad can’t do it either. It sort of makes me feel like the guy in Mallrats that tries to see the sailboat in the Magic Eye picture.

Anyways, you can download BerenSiana’s screenshots here.

Born to be bad…

For every good, is there an evil? This certainly seems to be the case at IGN. Following David Clayman’s Good Karma preview, Erik Brudvig has followed up with a piece centering around Bad Karma in Fallout 3. In addition to the preview, check out the video above, in which Emil, Istvan, and Todd discuss playing the role of the bad guy.

Fallout 3 Week at IGN wraps up tonight with their preview finale.

New interview with Dane

At NotesOnGameDev.net, there’s a new interview with Fallout 3 artist Dane Olds. In it, Dane discusses his work for the game, student projects, and he also shares some tips on how to break into the industry. It’s a good read.

If you haven’t already, you can also read his Inside the Vault interview here. Look how far his beard has come!

Being the good guy

In IGN’s latest Fallout 3 update for Fallout 3 Week, David Clayman shares his thoughts on Fallout 3′s karma system. While playing the game for six hours, he made a point to see how things shake down when trying to be a nice guy. Here’s a snippet:

“The next stop was Megaton. At this point we’ve all heard about the first big choice between good and evil which is the fate of this ramshackle town built around an unexploded nuclear device. Some locals worship the bomb, others just try to steer clear of it, but only you have the power to detonate or disarm the hazard. In Bethesda’s early demos they showed us what happens when players decide cash is more important than human lives and blow Megaton into the stratosphere. This time around we had the chance to experience the benefits of keeping the town on the map.”

As you can see, there’s also a new video about Good Karma — featuring thoughts from Todd and Emil.

Fallout: Free on Gametap

Fallout_WIN_Interplay_250-84ee4929-9d73-49d6-909f-d02817f01683_97670.jpg

If you’re looking for something to do before Fallout 3′s release, GameTap has the original Fallout available as a free download. Before downloading, you just need to set up a free TapID account. I tried it out, and it only took me about 10 minutes to have the game up and running.

For folks with a Gold Account, you can also download Fallout 2.

Penny Arcade X

Being that it’s Wednesday, we’ve put up the tenth Penny Arcade Fallout comic.

Head on over to the Fallout 3 Official Site to check it out.

IGN covers skills, perks

“Fallout 3 Week” at IGN continues. In the site’s latest update, David Clayman shares new information about skills and perks — including information on perks that previously had not been discussed. Here’s a snippet of the article:

“These [perks] aren’t just skill boosts, they’re bonuses with personality and they cater to a specific style of play. The curious survivalist will receive benefits that befit their snooping behavior. Say you’re a particularly clever lad, when your intelligence and overall level hit 4 you’ll gain access to the Comprehension Perk that give you additional skill points for reading informative books.”

Head here to read the rest.

Around the web: Win a puppet at Joystiq edition

Here’s a few nuggets I thought you might like to dip barbecue sauce in. Hmm, McDonalds sounds strangely appetizing now.

I posted earlier on how you can get the Vault Dweller’s Survival Guide by pre-ordering at Gamestop.com. For a chance to get one sooner, Joystiq is giving a few away. They’re also giving away Vault Boy Puppets — last seen dancing the night away at PAX. Check out this post to see how you can win.