Fallout

Yes, that's a Kick in the Head

HIGH Getting to the final boss and talking him out of a fight.

LOW The innumerable bugs and crashes.

WTF Man, where to begin? The gang of Elvises? The blond-wigged Nightkin in love with a robot? This whole game is screwy.

I've been going through some of my gaming backlog recently, partially due the to the magical appearance of a Nintendo DS Lite in my closet. I have no idea where it came from, I don't remember buy and none of my old roommates reported losing it. I've approached it somewhat apprehensively, lest it be the focal point of a plot by some supernatural force. Enough about The Lost DS though. I'm here to talk about something much different.

Many video games are escapist in one sense or another and have to deal with the maximum agency afforded to the player, and in most cases we're talking about agency in the idealized, physical sense.  If the protagonist is not physically attractive or physically "able" (and this is to say nothing of the marginalizing of the physically handicapped or disabled in video games... perhaps a topic for future discussion), at the very least he/she is youthful... iconic of the kind of template for change and dynamic narrative-based character shifts we all look for in the classic bildungsroman that forms the basis for games ranging from Braid to Fable 2.

Nevermind, Scotty... Don't bother beaming me up.

HIGH Thawing out the anachronous survivors.

LOW The repetitive, needlessly bloated mission design.

WTF The amount of wasted potential on display here.

After some quick Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen impressions, the crew takes a deep dive into The Conduit, Fallout 3: Point Lookout, and Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers. It's our first three-way, so be gentle. Featuring Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, and Tim Spaeth.

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Topic and Game References:

• Fallout 3
• Fallout 3: Point Lookout DLC Review
• Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers
• Halo
• Perfect Dark
• The Conduit

 

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Deliverance, Part 2

HIGH Vast and rich, it feels like a perfect extension of the main game.

LOW The ending loot is a disappointment.

WTF Why are these 'shine-swilling hillbillies so bullet-resistant?

"The absence of death in most people's early years creates a psychic vacuum of sorts. For many, thoughts of a nuclear confrontation are one's first true brush with nonexistence, and because they are the first, they can be the most powerful and indelible." The Wrong Sun, Douglas Coupland.

HIGH It's Oblivion... with guns!

LOW It's just—sigh—Oblivion with guns.

WTF How does putting on a lab coat make one better at science?

We're back! With Brad's and Tim's new sons safely extracted, the team reunites to discuss all the games they've been playing during the break: InFamous, Broken Steel, UFC Undisputed, Dead Space, Trino, CaveIn, Mithra and the Project Trico teaser. With Chi Kong "North/South" Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, and Tim Spaeth.

Download: Right click here and select "Save Target As..."
Subscribe: iTunes | Zune | RSS

Topic and Game References:

• Project Trico Trailer
• InFamous
• Prototype
• Crackdown
• Fallout 3: Broken Steel DLC
• UFC 2009: Undisputed
• Dead Space
• XBL Community Games: Trino
• XBL Community Games: CaveIn
• XBL Community Games: Mithra

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Can you really beat (a level of) a Game of the Year contender playing as a baby?

Rewriting history with DLC

HIGH Finally fixing the utterly illogical and contrived original ending

LOW Not enough new gear, though the Tesla Cannon is pretty fab

WTF Was there no way to save and carry over exp. from the last two add-ons?