Things weren’t looking good for Interplay earlier this year and, not much has changed since then. Even though the company had virtually no money, it still wanted to make the Fallout MMO, Project V-13. Well, Interplay’s got another hurdle now: Bethesda. According to court documents, the Fallout 3 developer claims that Interplay infringed on its trademark. Interplay disagrees, obviously, and says it still holds the rights to develop the title with Masthead Studios, even though it failed to commence the stipulated full-scale development by April 4, 2009.

The lawsuit also mentions Interplay’s licensing of the original Fallout games for digital distribution through services such as Steam, GOG.com and GameTap. Bethesda says this has caused “immediate, substantial, and irreparable harm.”

Source: Joystiq

Publisher: Activision
Developer: A2M
Genre: Platformer
Release Date: Available now

Like any children’s movie to come out in the last 20 years Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs has spawned a video game adaptation. The DS version attempts to capture the humor and fun of the film. It deviates from the main characters of the series and focuses on one of the new characters introduced in the film. While obvious that this game is made for children, can it be enjoyed by older gamers as well?

Buck is a swashbuckling weasel who is in short, insane. His humor and character come across in the film, but somehow do not translate as well into the game. The game attempts to tell the story through cut-scenes in between levels but falls just shy of this goal. The levels don’t convey the story either, as you are often just going from point A to point B collecting items. There is some dialogue thrown in there but nothing to truly push the story.

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Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Developers: Feel Plus, Brownie Brown
Genre: Strategy/RPG
Release date: Available now

The original Blue Dragon released back in 2007, exclusively for the Xbox 360, and was met with a somewhat bland response. At the time I remember being a little excited because I thought it was going to be an ongoing RPG series exclusive to the 360 and because the art style was done by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. However, after a short time playing the 360 version I just could not get sucked into the game due to its story and gameplay. Now, we have a new entry into the series with Blue Dragon Plus. This time it’s on a different platform and is in a new genre. Can it fulfill the promises that it’s bigger brother couldn’t?

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Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Genre: Action RPG
Release date: Available now

It seems like every month I’ve been sitting down to write a review for one of developer Bethesda’s DLC packs for Fallout 3. The company has been able to consistently deliver content for the popular action RPG and has somehow kept the game fresh and relevant. The add-ons have been received well for the most part, and everyone has had fun with them. With five now released, Bethesda claims they’re done with Fallout 3 DLC and are finally escaping from the Capitol Wasteland to move on to other things. The final release for the game, Mothership Zeta, transports you to a new setting and new story unlike anything experienced thus far. Could it deliver the quality of the previous offerings and end the saga on a high note?

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In Episode 40, Patrick Watts assumes the role of Billy, and this week’s guest is Mike Wilson from Devolver Digital. Mike candidly shares his history and perspective on how the industry has evolved from the long gone days of a bunch of dudes in their underwear to the executive suites of the corporate world. While the guys were required to edit out some of the details about his latest project, there should be enough clues left in to give you a pretty good idea. In addition to the interview the guys explore this week’s giveaway, Killing Floor, 1943 Battlefield, Patrick’s mug shot, WoW, Splosion Man, and the new Xbox Live beta.

Episode 38 explores casual vs. hardcore gaming, and Robert Norton from King.com came over to talk about their latest forays into the casual gaming market. King.com is a pay-for-play gaming site that just announced the release of games for both the iPhone and Facebook, and Robert wanted to make sure that we knew that their games are all about community.

In addition to the interview we explore EA Active vs. Wii Fit (the debate continues when Chris pays attention), Scruzzleword, Top Gun, Battlefield 1943, and Plants vs. Zombies (in Billy’s defense it is a bit on the buggy side for most of us).

Episode 37 includes a conversation includes the band Attack! Attack! UK, and our very own Michael Moody and Patrick Watts. The guys from Attack! Attack! UK competed against thousands of other up and comers to have a melodic punk song featured in Guitar Hero 5. According to the band, the game will release around the end of September.

In addition to the interview we explore Halo (of course we had to celebrate Bungie Day), 1 vs. 100 (there are real prizes in the offing, but would you pay to play), and Wii Fit vs. EA Active (Chris is trying to fit that bikini). Michael and Patrick came over to suggest titles that might wake Billy the $%&! up!

Publisher: Mommy’s Best Games
Developer: Mommy’s Best Games
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release date: Q4 2009

During my trip to E3 I was able to meet with Nathan Fouts from Mommy’s Best Games to discuss and play his next project, Grapple Buggy. Some of you might be familiar with his first game, Weapon of Choice, which won multiple awards as one of the best XBL Community games of 2008. As a follow up to Weapon, Grapple Buggy is looking to not only surpass Weapon’s success, but to be one of the best adventure games on XBLA.

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Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Developer: AQ Interactive
Genre: Puzzle/Action Adventure
Release Date: Available Now

The Nintendo DS is the highest-selling console worldwide, with a catalog that boasts some of the most unique titles available anywhere. The uniqueness of these games doesn’t guarantee that they are good or even worth playing, but there are some, however, that get lost in the mix and could be worth a look just for their fun gameplay and sheer charm. Boing! Docomodake is a stand-out game that might be too unusual to get a great reception from gamers. So what exactly is it that makes Boing! Docomodake different (besides its title)?

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We did a giveaway on Episode 32 of the Avault podcast for three of Lap Works’ Premier Gamer’s Desks. Since then, I’ve had some hands-on time with one, and in short, it’s cool. It has some neat functionality, and it protects your legs from that hot laptop. It does have some issues with stability, but overall, it could be a great addition to any living-room gamer’s hardware.

The Gamer’s Desk is just as its name implies – a desk that folds open to be placed on your lap and allows you to game. It’s made of strong polycarbonate plastic that the manufacturer claims will not break under normal use. The Premier version of the desk comes with two separate mouse pads. The smaller of the two is a 6-by-9-inch mousing surface that attaches to either end, and the other is the “Max MouzPad,” a 9-by-11-inch surface. Both can be purchased separately, but the “Max MouzPad” is definitely the preferred surface.

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