I got Fallout 3 today, and I’ve been playing it for about 5 hours straight. The one main thing I can come away with is that the VATS system is perhaps the most fun I’ve ever had in an RPG. It’s what has grown out of Turn Based Games. It’s taking what was good about those systems (being able to number crunch and strategise without being hassled) and given it a rather pretty, and gruesome, face.
It has just been revealed that Far Cry 2 is now available via Steam in most European countries along with Australia and New Zealand. This is the first time a Ubisoft product has been made available in these regions, will it be the start of a new initiative from Ubisoft to expand it’s presence on Steam? I guess we will have to wait a week or so to see if any other games from them appear on Valve’s digital distribution service.
The game is available for $49.99 for UK customers which is pretty competitive with shops if it wasn’t for the inclusion of Vat on top of that price.
In further great news for Steam it has been revealed that Fallout 3 is available for pre-order on Steam ahead of its release at the end of the month. This is another massive game to appear on Steam and most importantly for some it is available in the UK other non-US countries.
All praise Steam!
The shock is that there isn’t a PC version of the game on the torrent sites yet. Instead all the versions out there are pirated Xbox 360 versions of the game. Following a tip-off from the halflife2.net forums I did some internet scouring myself and failed to find a PC version of the game available to download.
Obviously it is not good to see the game being available to pirate in any way, shape or form. However I do think that this is proof that piracy is not just a PC problem, it effects every gaming platform. Now we just need people like Ubisoft to realise this.
I’ll be honest that I haven’t been covering Fallout 3 as much as I would’ve liked to have done here, but I have just pre-ordered my special edition and am starting to feel a bit of a buzz of excitement build for it. That excitement is slowly building thanks to a deluge of Fallout 3 shit that has emerged from the Penny Arcade Expo.
First off we have an interview that Shacknews did with Bethesda VP Pete Hines and Fallout 3 lead artist Istvan Pely. Talk focus on DLC which will be of the style of the Knights of the Nine DLC for Oblivion, talk about the atmosphere of the game and questing and most importantly about comparisons many people are making about Fallout 3 being Oblivion, just with guns. A really good interview that anyone interested in the game should check out.
If you aren’t interested in the game then watch this awesome collection of five videos from PAX showing off the early stages of the game.
Watch and wait, I think we can expect to see more of this game during E3! I love how the TV is still working, just seems so right for a Fallout trailer.
Over on the Bethesda blog the contents of the Fallout 3 Collector’s Edition has been revealed and confirmed. Fallout 3 is sure to divide many people, especially those on No Mutants Allowed the famous Fallout fanatics. However the Collector’s Edition contents should go a small way towards appeasing them and makes me feel pleased to have already got it on pre-order.
According to the Bethesda Blog the Collector’s Edition will include the following:
* Vault Boy Bobblehead: Enjoy your very own Vault Boy with this collector’s item direct from Vault-Tec.
* The Art of Fallout 3: This hardcover book features nearly 100 pages of never-before seen concept art and commentary from Bethesda Game Studios artists.
* The Making of Fallout 3: Get an exclusive, inside look at Bethesda Game Studios and the team behind the game with this special DVD.
* Vault-Tec Lunch Box: The entire package comes in a fully customized metal lunchbox.
Bobblehead for the win :D