Bethesda Softworks Inside the Vault Q&A

Bethesda’s latest “Inside the Vault” Q&A feature profiles Fallout 3 world artist and unique item creator Tony Greco.

What would you say is your personal favorite game of all time?

The short answer is (Saboteur II: Avenging Angel) for the IBM PC, because the game’s front cover consists of a ninja doing a wheelie on a motorcycle while fending off panthers with his sword while a huge explosion erupts in the background. I’d give you guys a link to the picture, but I don’t want to get sued for causing people’s head to explode.

The long answer is that I really have no ‘˜favorite game.) It is still reserved for that one game that will impact me the way a fantastic Oscar winner movie or a extraordinary classic novel can. So, instead I’ll list my favorite games by genre:

FPS: Call of Duty 4. I’ve been hooked on the multiplayer for six months with no end in sight. It’s rewarding, tactical yet action packed, and they nearly perfected the balance between the camper and the aggressor. The maps are not too big, not too small, unbelievably complicated yet not overwhelming. Despite the ridiculous amount of stuff and nooks in the maps, 95% of them are very well balanced. Then there are the more obvious 10 or so smart little things that just break this game off from the rest.

Action: Adventure: Zelda: A Link to the Past. Nintendo perfected the adventure formula with this classic and not even they have been able to transcend it since. The puzzles and concepts were clever and actually fresh at the time, too.

Adventure: Gabriel Knight 1. The game had the best story, dialogue and characters, but Sam and Max and Neverhood are the games I had the most fun playing. And yet Kings Quest VI’s scope and execution is still to this day very impressive to me. It’s a toss up.

RPG: Charles Barkley: Shut and Jam Gaiden. No joke. I’d explain myself but I’m too busy skating around shooting my gunz. If you can’t slam with the best, jam with the rest.

Sports: Blades of Steel. This game is so hot it melts the 8- bit ice, your cartridge, and your face all at the same time. Sching! Belaze od Steerl!

Puzzle: Tetris Attack. A master’s puzzle-game despite its kiddy appearance. It will probably never be topped.