Want to know what a Garden of Eden Creation Kit really does? How about "create and add your own content" to Fallout 3's bleak, brown-dipped world? Yep, Bethesda's releasing their official editor for Fallout 3 in December for free and dubbing it the G.E.C.K. after the in-game briefcase filled with seeds, fertilizer, a cold fusion power generator, and a basic replicator designed to let you begin anew after emerging from one of the game's underground vaults.

You won't need seeds or cold fusion generators to get your fingers dirty, of course, just a keyboard, mouse, and some creative brio.

Spend the game hunting down a G.E.C.K., use it to re-sculpt your particular slice of reality. Kind of a clever little meta-loop when you think about it.

That's not all. Come January, Bethesda's going to release three Xbox 360 and Game for Windows Live exclusive content packs. From the press release:

Operation: Anchorage.
Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe - the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.

The Pitt.
Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.

Broken Steel.
Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

PlayStation 3 owners: Don't worry too much, I suspect there's light at the end of the (slightly longer) tunnel for you, too, per this from the press release:

"...and more downloadable content coming in February and March."

Let Bethesda disavow it, but I read "February and March" as catch-up time for PS3 owners. Why Sony isn't being more aggressive about getting these deals first, however, is a mystery.

Fallout 3 had me smiling ear to ear until it ended with a whimper, so I'm tickled to see there may be a few more reasons to keep it on my hard drive after all.

Matt Peckham

Posted by Jan Birkeland at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thank you Rockstar, it's about time we're finally talking release dates for the Grand Theft Auto downloadable content you promised ages ago. We won't hold your tardiness against you, though you are rather tardy here. February 17, 2009? That's stringing things out a bit, no?

The first of two episodes, "The Lost and Damned" will be exclusive to Xbox 360 and include a new main character and plot that intersects with GTA IV's central storyline. Rockstar says it'll include new missions "that offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City with new multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles, and a diverse soundtrack with additional music."

"Making these episodes has enabled us to expand the narrative and the experience of interacting with a game world in really innovative ways," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "We hope fans of the game enjoy the new way of experiencing life in Liberty City contained in this first episode."

Great if belated news for Xbox 360 owners, but why no love for PlayStation 3 or PC (the PC version ships in just a few weeks on December 2nd)? Or is all this ballyhoo just a smokescreen for timed exclusivity?

By Matt Peckham

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Valve is now offering its entire back catalogue, including upcoming new release Left 4 Dead, for US$99.

Valve: The Complete Pack includes ten Half-Life games, three Counterstrike titles, and the Orange Box favourites Team Fortress 2 and Portal. The Day of Defeat series also makes an appearance in this 22-game collection.

The full list, which Valve says retails for US$234.81, is available at [the Valve website]. For the math-averse, that's a savings of $134.82. Not too bad -- if you love Valve games, that is.

Jack Loftus

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says he's "not sure" when the promised downloadable content will arrive on Xbox 360.

"It's going well, but we don't know a date," Houser told Variety in an interview published on Friday, speaking of the exclusive GTA IV expansion coming to Xbox 360. "We hope to be announcing that in the next few weeks."

Houser's comments are the latest in a long line of conflicting statements from Rockstar and Microsoft. In August, Microsoft said "the first episodes" of the GTA IV expansion would arrive on Xbox 360 this holiday.

A month later, amid rumours of a delay to 2009, Rockstar told GamePro, "We haven't announced a release date." The downloadable Xbox 360 expansion was originally scheduled for release this year.

Blake Snow (GamePro)

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A year after the fate of the fan-favourite game was [cast into doubt] due to the [Activision-Blizzard] merger, Ghostbusters: The Video Game has finally found a home with Atari.

"Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a fantastic addition to Atari's global line-up in 2009," said company president Phil Harrison in a prepared statement Friday. "The title has built considerable anticipation and excitement among game fans."

The game is being written by the original Ghostbusters writers, Harold Ramis and [Dan Aykroyd], and features voice work from the original cast, including both Aykroyd and Ramis, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts. It takes place two years after the events of Ghostbusters II (you know, the one where the statue of liberty walks through NYC) when Manhattan is once again overrun by ghosts and ghouls.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is scheduled for release in 2009 on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, and Nintendo DS. GamePro's latest preview can be [found here]. Anyone excited?

Blake Snow

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)