Penny Arcade Releases Fallout Comics

Bethesda just announced that the Penny Arcade guys have created a series of comics based on their upcoming RPG (Bethesda's not Penny Arcade's funny guy) Fallout 3.

Over the coming months the strip will tell the story of Vault 77: One man and a crate of puppets.

Fallout Comic

On the last day of E3 last week before coming home and getting violently ill I had a chance to sit down with 30 minutes of Bethesda's Fallout 3. Technically it was supposed to be more like 20 minutes, as they were running behind and I had an appointment coming up, but Fallout 3 is one of those games where 30 minutes passes in the blink of an eye and then Bethesda's Pete Hines has to pry the controller out of your hands. I think I spotted a crowbar behind their booth, just in case.

I got to wander around the shattered landscape, poking at rubble, shooting at people, and trying on clothes. I got my first hands-on taste of the VaultTech Assisted Targeting system, which allows you to pause the action, choose where your bullets are heading on your target's body, and then plays through in slow motion - and there is nothing sweeter than a slow-motion exploding head. It was all very exciting, but as I took a moment to gaze about the room I realized that the most exciting thing about Fallout 3 is what everyone else was doing.

E308 Justify Your Game: Fallout 3

At Microsoft's 2008 E3 press conference this morning, Bethesda announced that the eagerly anticipated next chapter in the Fallout series will feature extensive downloadable content that is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game. No details on what the DLC will entail, but according to Bethesda's Todd Howard it will be "substantial."

Want to learn more about the inspiration behind gaming's most-beloved post-apocalyptic series? Bethesda Softworks has teamed up with The American Cinematheque and Geek Monthly to present ‘A Post-Apocalyptic Film Festival Presented by Fallout 3’ at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California next month. The festival runs two days - August 22nd and 23rd - with three films being shown each day. Friday's movies are Ralph Bakshi's animated masterpiece Wizards, followed by Damnation Alley and A Boy and His Dog - the most perfect selection of the festival. Then on Saturday they've got The Last Man On Earth, The Omega Man, and Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys.

Tickets go on sale July 25th at Fandango.com at a price of $10 per day, which includes popcorn, a large soda, and a special Fallout 3 giveaway. Considering I would sell any one of you for parts for a chance to see Wizards on the big screen, the price seems pretty fair. Hit the jump for more details!

Here's Why Fallout 3 Was "Banned" In Australia

Last night, we heard that Fallout 3 had been refused classification in Australia by the Office of Film & Literature Classification. Which is a lovely, legalese term for "banned". But just what was it about the game that caused the decision? What content was deemed too explicit to be given an MA15+ rating, the highest the OFLC are allowed to give? Turns out it had nothing to do with gore, or cannibalism. It was the drugs. Specifically, the game's "chems", or power-ups:

Corresponding with the list of various "chems" are small visual representation of the drugs, these include syringes, tablets, pill bottles, a crack-type pipe and blister packs. In the Board's view these realistic visual representations of drugs and their delivery method bring the "science-fiction" drugs in line with "real-world" drugs.

Our advice, Bethesda: add some antenna and tesla coils to those crack pipes.

OFLC Report: Why Fallout 3 Was Banned In Australia [Kotaku AU]

And by "refused classification", we really mean banned, since without classification it's illegal for retailers to sell the game in Australia. In an unsurprising move, the Australian Office of Film & Literature Classification have, hands bound once again by Australia's refusal to allow games to be rated R18+, deemed elements of Bethesda's upcoming RPG a little bit much. There's no word yet on just what the board found unsuitable, but seeing as the game involves drug use (Blitz) and extreme gore (Soldier of Fortune) - two things games have previously been refused classification for - you could probably take your pick.

It's Official: Fallout 3 Refused Classification In Australia [Kotaku AU]

Cannabalism, Slavery and Sex in Fallout 3

Fallout 3 maybe the game I am most excited about going into this E3. I say maybe, because there are some other titles up there that have me pretty psyched (Left 4 Dead). But Fallout 3 for me is a wonderous mix of nostalgia and clever game design.

I can't talk about what I saw yet while playing through a chunk of the game last month, but the Bethesda folks took the time to throw together a massive fan-driven 25 question and answer post. In it they touch on everything from child killing and drug addiction to AI and dialog trees. Here's my favorite question. Hit the jump for one on the AI and two more screens. Make sure you check out the full post if you're interested in the game.

1) Which of the following, if any, will be featured in Fallout3; Romance, Sex, Homosexuality, Nudity, Prostitution, Slavery, Cannibalism, Children, Child killings, drugs, addictions? And of the things that won't be featured, can you explain why they won't be included in the game?

It touches on most of those. Slavery, children, drugs and addiction more than the others, as those factor for into the setting more. In regards to nudity and child killings, no, it features neither of those, as they don't really add to the flavor of the game (I'll get into children in the next question more). I think if you look at Fallout 1, and the footprint it has with the topics you ask about, Fallout 3 is pretty much the same, in that it features the types of things you mention at about the same rate, no more, no less. Drugs and drug addiction play a larger role perhaps, as it's a key gameplay device. I think the heart of this question is "has the harshness and maturity of the world of Fallout 3 been tempered from the earlier games?" and I can certainly say "No, it hasn't been."

Fallout 3 Producer Disappointed With Diablo III And Starcraft II

While Fallout 3 producer Ashley Cheng (not pictured) was impressed with the Diablo III gameplay footage, he was also "disappointed." And not only with Diablo III, but also the new Starcraft. That would make his feelings, say, sadly bittersweet? On his personal blog, Cheng blogged his personal feelings about:

I must say I am disappointed that Blizzard has stayed on the conservative side in terms of design with their updates to Diablo and Starcraft. Diablo will be interesting since World of Warcraft has a lot of Diablo-like qualities. I have no doubt, however, that they will be incredibly fun, addictive and polished games. Blizzard is the top of the class when it comes to game development - nobody does it better.

Man, why's everyone so down Diablo III? There's that rainbow petition and now this? Blizzard cannot win, like never ever ever. Hit the jump for Cheng's post in full:

Playing Fallout 2 While Stupid

You can play Fallout games many ways: as a brute, as a marksman, as a pacifist, as a diplomat. Hipolito is a blogger who decided to play Fallout 2 as an idiot.

He started his character with an intelligence of 2 and is chronicling his playthrough on his blog. Funny? A bit. Frustrating? The blogger writes:

This might sound like a downer, but it's a burden to be dumb (Intelligence < 4). It's like being evil; you might get a kick out of the dialogues, but there are much fewer quests and party members available to you. Even Sulik didn't join me! I thought I had read somewhere that the quests in Fallout 2 would play out completely differently for a dumb person, such that he could essentially Gump his way to victory. So far, though, many of the quests aren't playing out at all.

I played Fallout 3 last week in L.A. (in the same room as the legendary, long-lost Crecente). I didn't do very well. Maybe my character's intelligence was set to 2 as well.

Fallout 2 for Dummies: A Post Nukular AAR [Octopus Overlords blog]

The Bethesda PR machine knows what they're doing. While other game companies drown us in screenshots, clips, and developer diaries every other day, for Fallout 3 we get three screenshots, every once in awhile. Nice shots, but nothing too revealing, like a fine wine preparing the palate for the meal to come, rather than a Big Gulp that seemed like a good idea yet ruins your appetite for those two Hot Pockets you had in the microwave, causing you to forget about them until the next time you go to use it and hey - fossilized Hot Pockets!

Obviously I've gotten a bit off-track here. Here are some new Fallout 3 screens.

Fan-Industry Interactions: the Case of Fallout

GameStop and friends are about to get a whole slew of canceled preorders. Bethesda has just announced the Fallout 3 Survival Edition, which takes the regular Collector's Edition and dials things up to eleven. Really there is only one difference, but it's a pretty big one - a life-size replica of the Pip-Boy 3000, the wrist computer worn by players in the game. While not actually wearable (until modders get their hands on it), the Pip-Boy is painstakingly replicated in every detail and retrofitted with a digital clock so as to be useful as well as ornamental.

“This is an exciting day for Amazon customers and Fallout fans,” said Greg Hart vice president of video games and software at Amazon. “We’re delighted to be the exclusive destination for Fallout 3 Survival Edition; this is a great example of the continually expanding selection we offer to gamers.”

I've not ordered a new release video game from Amazon.com in over five years, and here I am pondering the possibility anew. The only thing that could stop me is the price...$129.99 is a ton of cash to spend, and with the regular CE at $79.99, that means the Pip-Boy is costing you another $50...but it's a Pip-Boy! This is a decision that shall weigh heavily in my mind indeed.

Fallout 3 Survival Edition Preorder [Amazon.com]

Go Play Fallout & Descent On GameTap

More free stuff on GameTap? Sign me up. Interplay have announced a deal with the service whereby some of their older titles - like Fallout, MDK and Descent - will be made available. And not just on the subscription service or download store, either. In the totally free, ad-supported bit as well. While I imagine most of you will head on over to give Fallout one last try before the third game hits later this year, I'd recommend a quick spin on Descent first. Only two games have ever made me literally dizzy. Even a little bit sick. But in a good way! Descent is one of them.

GameTap to Offer Classic Interplay Titles [Shacknews]

Bethesda has posted the official contents of their Fallout 3 Collector's Edition package, leaked and confirmed in April via GameStop, and while everything promised is indeed represented, from lunch box to art book to making off DVD, but there is something different about the Vault Boy Bobblehead. Rather than the approving, thumbs-up tossing bobble I received back in July of last year during the press preview, this Vault Boy stands in judgment, arms folded across his chest as he weighs your worth and finds you joyously wanting.

This of course means that the thumbs-up bobblehead could still be auction viable, should some unscrupulous member of the gaming press choose to part with him. Unfortunately I've grown accustomed to the daily affirmation my little plaster pal gives me, so for now he stays on my mantle lovingly nestled between Cortana and Kos-Mos, as he should be.

It's embarrassing how anxious I am to play Fallout 3. I can't tell if it's more because I was such a fan of the Fallout ideal, going back to when I used to play it on my old computer, or because this new Fallout has so many neat ideas all wrapped around those same concepts and topped with some amazing graphics. OK, I'm going to stop gushing now. Hit the jump for two more images.

Heeeey, it's Jin Saotome! You remember Jin Saotome, right? Talented kid. Makes his own custom action figures, official licensing deals be damned. This is one of his latest gaming-related works, a member of Fallout's Brotherhood of Steel, circa Fallout 3. The gun's a bit too futuristic, but the guy himself? Totally nailed it.

Custom Fallout 3 Power Suit! [Jin Saotome, thanks Nicholas!]