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• Screen Test: Fallout 3

  When the Ink Spots' "Maybe" was used as the opening theme to Fallout, players knew they in for something interesting (Pro Tip: They had originally wanted to use "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", but couldn't due to copyright issues). There are lots of things to like about Fallout, but my personal go-to accolade is its sense of place. From the moment we load the game, Fallout's post-apocalyptic world greets us a totally unexpected soundtrack, insane characters, all leadened with a peculiar deadness. Sure, there were post-apocalypic touchstones before, but Fallout stood (and stands) above the rest due to its retro-futurist aesthetic and gallows humor. Those who think Bioshock did it first better recognize. More after the jump. Read More... Posted Jun 26 2008, 12:00 PM by Cole Stryker with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: screen test, fallout 3, cole stryker, bethesda, oblivion

• Whatcha Playing: Another Slice of Cake

  Having never been much of a PC or Mac gamer, I’ve come into Valve’s games far later than most. I experienced the original Half-Life second hand through my college roommate and only played through it myself last summer, on the PS2 of all things, in anticipation of the Orange Box’s fall release on consoles. When I finally did play through Half-Life 2 and its subsequent episodes, I was more than impressed. Valve’s reputation as peerless storytellers is more than deserved and despite being four years-old at this point, Half-Life 2 remains a high-water mark for game making free of the language and tools of film narrative. Writer Eric Wolpaw’s most impressive work in the Orange Box, however, is the widely lauded Portal, a perfect mix of Half-Life’s menace with the humor of his work on Psychonauts. Up until last Sunday, I’d been waiting for a chance to race through Portal a second time for months. This wasn’t possible since my copy of the Orange Box had ended up in Korea. Damn roommates. Portal is a strange experience when you return to it. Read More... Posted May 16 2008, 10:00 AM by John Constantine with | with no comments Filed under: john constantine, whatcha playing, valve, portal, PC, fallout 3, orange box, half-life, mac, still alive