fallout

The 404 964: Where we ice the kicker (podcast)

It's our last week of 404 podcasts for 2011! We'll be back in the new year for a round of LIVE CES COVERAGE, but Wilson's not feeling well today so Joseph Kaminski fills in for an update on kid tech.

This year's most-wanted gift is the LeapFrog LeapPad, a junior tablet with games, e-books, and apps that helps kids learn...and also frees up the TV so Dad can watch the game.… Read more

Photographer exposes MMORPG gamers in the meatspace

Photographer Robbie Cooper explores the modern convergence of personal and social identities in a portrait series that pairs gamers with their virtual avatars.

Cooper traveled around the world for three years, visiting places like Korea, China, France, and Germany to capture the online and in-person lives of MMO participants.

His photo project evolved into a photo book called "Alter Ego" that further scrutinizes the role of absorbed fantasy in the gaming metaverse through interviews, biographies, and essays.

The book also paints a range of identities behind the avatars. It's not just a bunch of oily adolescents mashing keyboards in a basement; Cooper's subjects range from a gold farmer in China, a paraplegic in Texas, and even an octogenarian who all teach a valuable lesson to never judge a gamer by his or her avatar.

Plenty more pictures of gamers and their avatars after the page break.… Read more

5 car video game crossovers we want to see

In light of the Jeep Wrangler making an appearance in the new Call of Duty: Black Ops, and the associated Wrangler Black Ops edition offered by Jeep, we came up with five other video game car crossovers we would like to see. We looked at the top games either available now or coming soon on GameSpot, and picked five likely candidates for a crossover deal.

 Game  Car Fallout: New Vegas Ford Shelby GT500 If we're roaming the post-apocalyptic wastelands around New Vegas, we want to do it Mad Max-style. The Shelby GT500 has the mean looks and … Read more

preGame 32: Fallout: New Vegas

Today on preGame, we'll brave the post-apocalyptic Mojave desert in search of the man who tried to kill us! Tune in as we try our luck with a demo of Fallout: New Vegas.

But first, Mark and Jeff reminisce about a console celebrating its 25th birthday this week. That's right, the original Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES for short) is a quarter-century old. We'll chat about the first time we remember firing up the system, cartridge blowing, and much more.

Making headlines this week are the top-selling video games of 2010 this far. There are a few … Read more

Cruising the wasteland strip in Fallout: New Vegas

The follow-up to what many consider 2008's game of the year, Fallout: New Vegas takes place just a short time after the events of Fallout 3.

Does Fallout: New Vegas take the franchise in a new direction, or is the iteration simply a case of "same game, different setting"? We'll also be taking a look at the PC experience, thanks to the contribution of our desktop editor, Rich Brown.

Jeff: While Fallout 3 was easily one of 2008's best games, Fallout: New Vegas doesn't seem to be attracting the same amount of hype. Perhaps it's because New Vegas is more of a shoot-off, rather than a numbered successor. Whatever the reasoning, New Vegas is a lot of what we remember from Fallout 3. In fact, looking specifically at gameplay, the two titles are nearly identical.

In the case of Fallout--and its loyal fans--this certainly isn't a bad thing. But if you were only a casual fan of Fallout 3 and are expecting the innovation and change that true sequels tend to offer, New Vegas won't supply that.

Instead, Fallout: New Vegas is able to deliver exactly what the franchise is known for: creating a compelling storyline and memorable cast of characters while remaining incredibly accessible. For gamers who have never attempted an RPG, Fallout 3 or New Vegas is definitely the one to get started on.

As we mentioned earlier, New Vegas shares a lot in common with Fallout 3. Unfortunately, though, this means the bugs are back. Occasional lock-ups and freezes aren't uncommon, but like with Fallout 3, these issues tend to get patched up quickly. To that end, New Vegas will also be getting the DLC treatment, with the first installment exclusively hitting the Xbox 360 by year's end.

With a holiday season that's gearing up to be one of the most underwhelming in some time, it's comforting knowing that Fallout: New Vegas is providing reliable backup.… Read more

The 404 684: Where Blair Butler puts us in a choke hold (podcast)

Jeff and I are a little intimidated by today's guest, Blair Butler, because she not only loves video games and comic books, but also knows a ton about martial arts moves like the rear naked choke, which makes her one of the coolest guests we've had on the show! Blair joins us after a busy weekend at New York Comic Con 2010 to chat about all the news from the show, as well as her Fresh Ink segment on G4's "Attack of the Show."

The Javitz Convention Center here in New York once again opened its doors to the New York Comic Convention, and Blair tells us the East Coast chapter has been quickly catching up to San Diego over the past five years.

Among the many announcements from the show, we're especially excited about AMC's television adaptation of Robert Kirkman's monthly black and white comic series "The Walking Dead." The story is about a small-town police officer (played by Andrew Lincoln) from Kentucky struggling to survive in a world taken over by flesh-craving zombies. Blair is super psyched to watch the series when it debuts on Sunday, October 31, but in the meantime you should definitely check out her review of the comic in this list of the best graphic novels for comic novices on G4TV.

Remember Konami's classic X-Men beat-'em-up arcade game from the early '90s? Marvel revealed plans for an update on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network that will feature six-player "drop-in" online multiplay, custom matchups, and various difficulty settings. Fans of the original game will enjoy the classic look of the game, and players can use all the original characters including Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. Konami plans to release the update later this year.

Tune in for lots more video game and comic news with Blair, including the best and worst costumes, a Pedobear dancing to Michael Jackson, Stan Lee's hockey/superhero mashup "The Guardian Project," and much more from the front lines. Thanks to Blair for an awesome show, and thanks to you for listening!

Episode 684 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 642: Where Justin jumps down the emergency slide with a Shirley Temple (podcast)

Fresh off her appearance on MSNBC, Caroline McCarthy replaces Justin today to talk Net neutrality, iPhone users getting laid more than Android owners, Fallout New Vegas, and a Web-surfing contest.

There have been a lot of misconceptions and misstatements about Net neutrality. Usually on The 404, we strive never to talk about real issues, but the Net neutrality debate has really stirred up the emotions with Jeff, Wilson and Justin. Caroline helps explains some of the issue from her appearance on Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" on MSNBC, and if it means a lot to you, be sure to check out Wilson's rant yesterday about the issue.

But ultimately, there are several competing interests involved, and we just want make sure that the next Google or Facebook that comes down the road won't have to pay to get priority access. The stakes are high here, people! Everything will be delivered over the Internet in the coming years, from books, to newspapers, magazines, blogs, social networks, video channels, radio, music, etc.

Rant over. Moving on.… Read more

preGAME 02: Heavy Rain

This week on preGAME, we're joined by CNET editor Scott Stein as we jump into a LIVE demo of Heavy Rain for PlayStation 3 a whole two weeks before the game hits stores! Joining us over the phone to talk us through the demo is Petro Piaseckyj, the game's managing producer.

Before we fire up our Heavy Rain demo, we discuss the reputation dogging movies adapted from video games. We thought the Prince of Persia Super Bowl ad looked decent, but we remain skeptical.

Want a first look at the new Fallout game? We've got the brand new trailer for Fallout: New Vegas. Watch with us as we examine it live!

Want to be a part of our live taping? Make sure you head to http://cnet.com/live/pregame every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern. If you missed any of the stories we talk about on today's preGAME, make sure to check out our links below.

Perfect game in MLB 2K10 = $1 Million Kiss original Xbox support on XBL goodbye Apparently Fable III will piss you off… Read more

Fallout creator gets sued for alleged infringement

Bethesda Softworks, the current rights holder for Fallout, has sued franchise creator Interplay for alleged trademark infringement.

Back in 2007, Interplay signed over to Bethesda the rights to the Fallout game franchise for $5.75 million. That agreement required Interplay to provide Bethesda with packaging and promotional material prior to the release of any Fallout game that Interplay developed.

After Bethesda's successful Fallout 3 launch, Interplay saw the opportunity to release the Fallout games it had developed--Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics--in a package called the Fallout Trilogy.

According to court documents that Bethesda filed last week in … Read more