Episode One: Fallout 3

In this week's episode, an interview with Todd Howard, Executive Producer of Fallout 3, and exclusive in-game footage. Plus, a preview of Zero Punctuation, and what happens when you level up in life? Find out!

This week's musical guests:

Ian Dorsch - "The Escapist Show Theme"
Frank Klepacki - "Kill"

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It's hilarious to me that not even a few miles from our office there's a wasteland near a nuclear power plant. The Future is Now.

Archon:
It's hilarious to me that not even a few miles from our office there's a wasteland near a nuclear power plant. The Future is Now.

Yeah, it's about a 30 minute drive from here. You can go out, get irradiated, and be back in time for lunch. I know this is possible because I did it. *glow*

I *thought* you and the video guys seemed particularly bright-eyed this past week, Russ.

Great work.

Russ's bit : I don't think you mentioned the Escapist enough.

Fallout 3 : Dammit. Stop making me want this game.

ZP : That is an astounding idea Yahtzee, I'd back the Genius game all the way.

Office Level Up : Good, but you didn't show the evil xp draining customers.

The_root_of_all_evil:
Russ's bit : I don't think you mentioned the Escapist enough.

I think if he tries hard he can get 4-5 more escapists into a sentence.

Kept me nailed to the screen from start to finish. Great video.

I look forward to more of these. Also, I HATE YOU PEOPLE! YOU GOT FALLOUT 3 TODAY AND THE UK HAS TO WAIT UNTIL HALLOWEEN!

That is all.

This sounds like it's worth a view, but I got to sprint off to work and bag folks groceries. I'll check out your video in a few hours.

PS: I PROBABLY wouldn't be watching this if not for Fallout 3, you should feature more popular new releases in your video's. Shameless pandering for the victory!

Well, don't forget, there's a Zero Punctuation preview in there, too!

Damn you all. Now I want that game even more. Also, what a great show.

Excellent video, guys. It seems it is possible for me to want to play Fallout 3 more.

great show the level up bit was great also this is one of your best videos Russ, dont let the camera man escape!!

Awesome guys. Anyone else think the Bethesda dude sounds like Steve Carrell?

Also, let's hope Square Enix doesn't sue for using Luca's Theme without attribution... those guys are insane sticklers about their IP

Good Fallout 3 interview. It was actually informative to hear why VATS was implemented the way it was and what their expectations were for people using it vs. real-time FPS.

The Office Level Up skit was great! I saw the whole "good sales pitch leads to leveling up" schtik coming, but the distribution of points and gaining of a minion made me laugh out loud. Excellent work.

The intro seemed a little slow and forced, but other than that, I enjoyed watching this.

Great job Barry.

Lvl 64 Klutz:
Awesome guys. Anyone else think the Bethesda dude sounds like Steve Carrell?

THANK you!! I've been trying to figure out who's voice Todd reminded me of for MONTHS, and that's exactly it--right on.

The level up part was particularly enjoyable. If you say "Level Up" in the same voice as "Power Up" from Altered Beast, it gets funnier.

I couldn't even get a minute and a half in before I had to comment on the nuclear power station bit. First of all, I'd be more frightened standing next to a coal-fired power plant, because according to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the United States Department of Energy, coal-fired power plants produce 100 times the population effective dose of nuclear radiation that nuclear plants do. Secondly, the chances of a modern nuclear power station (not the 1950s saurian throwbacks that they called the RBMK reactors, present at Chernobyl) suffering a supercritical failure are absolutely miniscule. Even then, nuclear power plants have killed less people during their entire operational time due to accidents than hydroelectric power has killed in a single accident, and one of those accidents was caused by gross incompetence in a fundamentally flawed and dangerous unshielded reactor. The Three Mile Island accident killed absolutely nobody.

Pedantry aside, I think I'll be spending my next few days in a huddled position, muttering the words "Fallout 3" to myself. I was always going to buy it - seeing as I've played the other two in massive depth, it wasn't going to be something that I'd miss - but my final concern has been answered: The dialogue doesn't look bad. Even this cynic, who's been watching the progress of Fallout 3 from an NMA perspective since its announcement, has been converted.

I liked it. Soon the Escapist will grow into epis proportions and host its own TV show and flavoured drink.

While I enjoyed it, I didn't like the Yahtzee bit too much. It felt like a way to market towards its fans or something. Just felt a bit cheap. Plus it takes the anticipation out of tomorrow.

Wow. It seems like the amount of videos on the Escapist has suddenly gone up ten-fold.

The video cameras are going to take over. Mark my words.

That and the inventions of crazy Batman villains.

is hatzee reviewing yakuza 2 this week?also people have apparently stolen yahtzees genius gone back 2 years in time and have made city of villians

ReverseEngineered:
The intro seemed a little slow and forced, but other than that, I enjoyed watching this.

That's a fair criticism. The fact is, I spent the whole half hour or so we were filming in that location terrified out of my mind that armed guards were going to show up and throw us in the slammer.

We had originally planned to shoot much closer to the plant than we did, but when I went to scout the location, it took about 90 seconds for a Suburban filled with dudes with guns to show up. I was "visually inspected" briefly before being allowed to go about my business. It was not fun. So we decided to move the shoot a little farther off.

Even then, it was hard to find a spot where we could see the plant and yet not be on government property. I'm still not entirely sure who owned the property we were on, but we did manage to get our footage without being frisked.

Next time, I'll try to grow a bigger sack so that I won't flub the delivery so much. That's my promise to you.

Russ Pitts:

ReverseEngineered:
The intro seemed a little slow and forced, but other than that, I enjoyed watching this.

That's a fair criticism. The fact is, I spent the whole half hour or so we were filming in that location terrified out of my mind that armed guards were going to show up and throw us in the slammer.

We had originally planned to shoot much closer to the plant than we did, but when I went to scout the location, it took about 90 seconds for a Suburban filled with dudes with guns to show up. I was "visually inspected" briefly before being allowed to go about my business. It was not fun. So we decided to move the shoot a little farther off.

Even then, it was hard to find a spot where we could see the plant and yet not be on government property. I'm still not entirely sure who owned the property we were on, but we did manage to get our footage without being frisked.

Next time, I'll try to grow a bigger sack so that I won't flub the delivery so much. That's my promise to you.

...And you accepted being searched by guys with guns, and the journalistic instinct within you didn't tell you to dig deeper?!

Wow. What happened to you Russ?

In today's hyperparanoid climate, the risk that some overzealous (or overworked) goon running a check somehow mistakes the name of an old classmate of Russ' with someone on a watch list, itself kept by and underpaid and overworked (or overzealous) government worker, resulting in detainment for association, just might not be worth what could be dug up. As part of the secret ninja squad whose job is to extract coworkers from lairs, compounds, facilities, and other non-productive areas... wait, you didn't see any of that.

Anyway, power plant security being beefier is hardly news. It's actually quite comforting to know that the facility nearby appears to at least be keeping a good eye out - I want to play Fallout, not experience it first hand!

Great video, guys, I'm looking forward to more of them!

And yeah I didn't know much about it before, but now I freakin' want Fallout 3 XD

And also, I bow to you and your awesomeness for the Chrono Trigger music for the charisma-up. Love it!

Aries_Split:
And you accepted being searched by guys with guns, and the journalistic instinct within you didn't tell you to dig deeper?!

Wow. What happened to you Russ?

Dig deeper? Um, it's not exactly a secret what happens inside a nuclear power plant. I'm not sure, exactly, where the line between journalistic integrity and stupidity exists, but I'm pretty sure that risking getting shot to "dig deeper" into the vast conspiracy that is the nuclear fission-heated, steam-driven turbine industry falls well on the stupidity side of it.

I smell a Saint's Row 2 review...

Russ Pitts:

Aries_Split:
And you accepted being searched by guys with guns, and the journalistic instinct within you didn't tell you to dig deeper?!

Wow. What happened to you Russ?

Dig deeper? Um, it's not exactly a secret what happens inside a nuclear power plant. I'm not sure, exactly, where the line between journalistic integrity and stupidity exists, but I'm pretty sure that risking getting shot to "dig deeper" into the vast conspiracy that is the nuclear fission-heated, steam-driven turbine industry falls well on the stupidity side of it.

Well...There could of have been something in there, but now we shall never know...Oh well, I suppose your safety takes precedence.

Video didn't seem to explain much

Aries_Split:
Well...There could of have been something in there, but now we shall never know...Oh well, I suppose your safety takes precedence.

I see what you did there, but I'm not falling for it.

Russ Pitts:

Even then, it was hard to find a spot where we could see the plant and yet not be on government property. I'm still not entirely sure who owned the property we were on, but we did manage to get our footage without being frisked.

And you didn't step on any landmines! I'd say that's a success.