Gametrailers has put together a very comprehensive retrospective on Fallout that fans will very much enjoy, and neophytes will find educational. The 15-minute video covers the entire history of games set in post-apocalyptic environs, beginning with 1986's Wasteland, by Electronic Arts and Interplay. Then comes a very detailed look at the first two Fallouts, plus Fallout Tactics, mentioning everything you recall from the games. (Check out the Doctor Who phone booth at 4:35.) For those who will just be coming to the series with Fallout 3, this is your backstory primer.

The Fallout Retrospective [Gametrailers, thanks reader dayeight]

If you are looking forward to Fallout 3 but are either too young to remember the original or just fancy reliving a genuine no-messing-about classic, GameTap is offering up Fallout for free.

You will have to sign up with GameTap to get at the goods, and you can expect they will probably ask if you want to start paying for their premium service at some point.

There is a slight bug in GameTap's implementation of the game that means the screen will occasionally go blank (fixable with a few key presses) but whaddaya want? Its free, and its one of the games you need to at least pretend that you have played to avoid embarrassment at dinner parties.

Fallout [GameTap via Shacknews]

Publisher Interplay continues to pick itself up and dust itself off, hoping to turn our warm memories of Earthworm Jim, Fallout and Freespace into cold hard cash. While the announcement of a newly relaunched web site generally doesn't get us pumped for an on-the-20 minute mark update, the re-hiring of designer Christopher "Chris" Taylor does.

If you aren't familiar with Taylor's work, you've never played Fallout or Star Trek: Starfleet Command. (He's not to be confused with the more casual Chris Taylor, creator of titles like Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander.) Interplay says that bringing Taylor back on board is just one of the additions to its "growing development studio."

As long as we just leave Clayfighter alone, Interplay, remembering it was a cute curiosity for its time, we're on board with this whole shoring up thing you're doing.

Interplay launches new web site; adds Chris Taylor to growing development team [Interplay - thanks, Mr. Blah!]

Aged between, lemme see, around 22-40? Like spacemen and earthworms? Let's dance. Because Douglas TenNapel, the creator of Earthworm Jim, has just signed a deal whereby he'll act as creative consultant on not only a new Earthworm Jim game (Earthworm Jim 4), but also a new animated series and feature film as well. No details on timeframes or anything like that - for the game or cartoons - but publisher Interplay will no doubt have something to say about that come E3.

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I know, you're a little over the Virtual Console. Sure, pleasant surprises like C64 games get your attention now and again, but for the most part, you're done with it. Just...look, give it one more chance, OK? For Interplay's sake. Because, yes, they're releasing some of their classic titles onto the service, including Clayfighter, Boogerman and both Earthworm Jim titles. All four are due "later this year", and if this is a deal-breaker, they'll be the Genesis/Mega Drive versions.
Earthworm Jim, Clayfighter to Virtual Console [1UP]

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Interplay Entertainment sure is making a come back. Late last year they were talking about securing cash for their proposed Fallout MMO, then they set up a sexy new website and now they're gushing about their 520 percent jump in revenue and churning out sequels.

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Ahhh, now there is a sight for sore eyes. Up until recently, Interplay.com looked like this. Ugly, right? I wasn't kidding about he sight for sore eyes bit. Now they're getting ready to resurrect their website just as they have resurrected their intellectual property. All of the players are in place too, making my nostalgia gland pump out extra past-testosterone over images of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Earthworm Jim, Descent, Fallout, and the awesome MDK coil suit. Oh how I've missed you, Kurt Hectic. That's one damn fine lineup right there. Let's see what they do with it!

Interplay.com [Official Website - Thanks Patrick!]

The diehard, almost fanatical fellows over at the post-apocalyptic fansite No Mutants Allowed have released an impressive and extensive mod for Interplay/Black Isle Studios' RPG classic, Fallout 2. NMA considers it an expansion of sorts, as it fleshes out a lot of incomplete areas in the game and even adds entirely new places, such as a residential area in The Den.

I didn't think it was possible for Fallout 2 to get any better. It's like improving on perfect, or near perfection. The only thing more awesome would be melding dinosaurs with Transformers.

Oh wait, that's a Dinobot, right?

Fallout 2 Restoration Project (Unofficial FO 2 Expansion)
[No Mutants Allowed, via Blue's News]

GameBanshee has up an interview with an enthusiastic Jason D. Anderson, talking about his move back into the games industry with none other than old employer Interplay. It masquerades as a chat about Interplay's widely known plans (thanks SEC!) to build an MMO based on Fallout, but ends up being a catch-up with Anderson. Which isn't so bad.

According to Anderson, Interplay wants employees with attitude and skills:

As I am interviewing potential employees for Interplay, I am not only taking a hard look at people's skills, but at their overall attitude on game making and the gaming industry as well.

I also found out that Leonard Boyarsky's over at Blizzard Activision Blizzard now.

While I'm wishing Interplay all the best in its endeavour to make a Fallout MMO reality, it was not by a random act of God that the company almost went bankrupt and had to sell the Fallout IP to Bethesda.

Interplay MMORPG Interview - Part One [GameBanshee, via Blue's News]

The news yesterday that Interplay were looking to farm out some of their IPS for updates/sequels was good news. As a publisher, Interplay oversaw some pretty snazzy games before their finances went all pear-shaped. Games like Earthworm Jim. And MDK. And Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. And (hold me) Descent. Turns out those four games were named in an SEC filing detailing the company's quarterly financial results. Specifically. Ladies and gentlemen, you may turn over your papers and begin the excitement test...now.
Interplay SEC Filing [SEC, via 360 Fanboy]