Bethesda

Disclosure: This post has nothing to do with gender, sexism, or the like.

Playing inFamous made me think of other games that I've played where I have the ability to make choices that effect the story or other parts of the game—to be "good" or "evil" so to speak. And after some thought on the subject, I discovered I was hungry and made a sandwich. After that, games such as Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, BioShock, Morrowind/Oblivion, and Fallout 3 came to mind. The question that I pose is this—what makes a good way to allow the player to "choose" their path while not pandering to ideological extremes and still providing an engrossing experience? Ideally I would be able to chose virtually any action I wanted, and have the game respond accordingly regardless of what I chose. Is this even possible? Or has it been done already?

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.

"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.

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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?

Bringing the fight to a much colder, less radioactive wasteland

HIGH It's more Fallout, for players like me who couldn't get enough.

LOW Getting warped out of an area before I was done searching.

WTF The battle near the end could have been a bit more epic.

Do you like to shoot things? We do! This week the crew engages in vigorous debate over two new run-and-gun games: Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ and Weapon of Choice. Find out if 2D shooters still have a place in a 3D world.

Plus, the premiere of our new segment "What Do You Think?" (complete with swanky echo effect) where YOU tell US what you think of Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage, and that...unique...control scheme in the Resident Evil 5 demo.

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

Please post your thoughts and impressions on the DLC for Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage here and we will discuss your comments in our podcast. Thanks!

The last few days have been absolute hell on my productivity. Fallout 3 was just released, and pretty much everything else going on has been put on indefinite hold while I make my way through the irradiated wastelands.

To be brutally honest, the game didn't make a strong first impression with me once I actually had the disc. I wasn't the biggest fan of Bethesda's Oblivion, and the first day or so spent in post-apocalyptic D.C. is guaranteed to seem like nothing so much as Oblivion with guns.