4041

So what is the latest ETA on this?

4042

Last I heard, October 28th for North America, October 31st for Europe, and sometime this year for Australia. I have no idea when it officially releases in South Africa, but I assume you plan to import.

4043

At least we have Spore to tide us over until this comes out.

4044

Heard a nasty rumour that the Aussies will be getting a sanitized version of the game, because, OMG THINK OF TEH KIDS!?!.. and therefore, NZ will get the sames shitty version… any word on this from anyone else?? :(

4045

I doubt it.

4046

I think drug names are changed or something. I’ll look it up.

edit:

GameSpot AU has contacted the Classification Board, with a spokeswoman saying Fallout 3’s resubmitted version was passed by the board because “the reward and incentive” for in-game drug use had been significantly toned down. No further detail was available, however, on what exactly had been changed in the game. In the Classification Board’s original ruling on Fallout 3, the board stated that "the game contains the option to take a variety of drugs known as chems using a device which is connected to the character’s arm.

These chems have postive and some negative effects (lowering of intelligence, or the character may become addicted to the chem). The positive effects include increase in strength, stamina, resistance to damage, agility, and hit points. Corresponding with the list of various chems are small visual representations of the drugs; these include syringes, tablets, pill bottles, a crack-type pipe, and blister packs.

In the Board’s view, these realistic visual representation of drugs and their delivery method bring the ‘science-fiction’ drugs in line with ‘real-world’ drugs. The player can also select and use Morphine (a proscribed drug) which has the positive effect of enabling the character to ignore limb pain when the character’s extremities are targeted by the enemy."

Doesn’t sound that bad.

4047

Have they removed the limited installs copy protection yet? I was hoping the complaints about it in Mass Effect would get them to remove or seriously tone it down in Spore, since I don’t want to buy it if they’re still doing that.

4048

Here’s a direct partial quote from the last OFLC report:

“The drugs depicted are fictional; drugs are depicted as stylised icons on a menu with the drug use itself not depicted. Whilst navigating a post-apocalyptic futuristic landscape, players can invoke the use of a variety of “chems” listed by fictitious names which include “Buff”, “Rad-X”, “Psycho” and “Ultrajet”. Within the context of the game’s narrative, the player may choose to make use of these “chems” to alter the physiological characteristics of their character in the game.”

As far as I can see after reading both reports, real-world names (such as “morphine”) have been replaced with fictional ones. Doesn’t bother me, although I’ll import or buy a DD version if availability or price are favourable.

4049

Personally, if there’s no other changes, I’d rather have the version with the old Fallout drug names to one that tries to use real ones. Ultrajet? Woohoo!

4050

I can’t make the Spore-Fallout connection somehow.

I’ll just stick with Mercs 2 until Fallout, it fills my desires for creative violence. Maybe Force Unleashed.

4051

Should have gone with Crystal jet. ;)

4052

Yeah I just looked through it from the Shacknews link and I thought it was fantastic.

4053

Thanks for the info folks. Panic mode over!

4054

Tide us over? There’s so much to play between now and the end of October I doubt I’ll even notice the lack of Fallout 3 until it comes out.

4055

I’LL notice. I’m jonesing for this particular game, despite the staggering magnitude of my backlog.

4056

There’s some spectacular gaming this month, but how can’t you notice the lack of Fallout 3? It’s the same as the lack of Soul Calibur was, and the lack of Force Unleashed has been feeling.

Fallout is just, well, Fallout. Nothing quites matches up to that.

4057

Such as?

I can’t think of any games I really want except these 2 and Fable 2, which is even longer away.

Keep in my mind my game playing is not funded as part of my job.

4058

Off the top of my head I have my eye on Force Unleashed, Warhammer Online, Yakuza 2, Fable 2, EndWar, LEGO Batman, Rock Band 2, LittleBigPlanet, The Witcher: EE, De Blob, Dead Space, and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.

There are others that I’m interested in but semi-skeptical about, but even so, it’s a packed couple of months. Playing Fallout 3 at PAX kind of put me in a contented “It will be awesome” state, so I’m not worried about it until it shows up.

4059

Thanks for the reply. I’ll probably get it round about the time QT3 starts losing interest in it as usual.

4060

Sadly, not for the inventory system.
Still just as fucked as the console version was.