Fallout 3's Legendary Windows Live Crash Fixed After 13 Years
Some bugs are so iconic, you could write a whole article about them. Just like MissingNo. in Pokemon, the Donkey Kong kill screen, and GoldenEye 007's spinning guards, Fallout 3 has been added to the history books thanks to its Games For Windows Live crash - well, it's time to be removed.
While we sit and wait (very patiently) for Fallout 5, it's time to look back at the earlier days of the Wasteland, and arguably, where the series really found its feet. For those of you who are a certain age, Fallout 3 was an icon of the '00s. The problem was, it was largely unplayable for most of us.
What was the Fallout 3 x Games For Windows Live drama?
Before Fallout 3 was released in 2008, Microsoft tried to bridge the gap between PC and console. The massively unsuccessful endeavour led to the birth of Games For Windows Live. Although it helped the likes of the multiplayer Halo 2, the single-player Fallout 3 ended up being a victim of the service's many gremlins.
Most of us were forced to load Fallout 3 through the Games For Widows Live launcher, but worse than this, it had a game-breaking glitch. Many would get about 1/4 of the way through Bethesda's apocalyptic adventure, only to be struck by a glitch that ended the game there and then.
Because the PC port was so janky, most settled on the idea that the easiest way to play Fallout 3 was to mod it into Fallout: New Vegas. Maddening, isn't it? Still, the "Tale of Two Wastelands" mod was a huge hit and helped keep Fallout 3 alive.
How has the bug been fixed?
Windows Live inadvertently made Fallout 3 one of the most famous entries in the series. Some 13 years after Fallout 3 was cast out into its own wasteland, a small patch on Steam has finally stripped the title of its Windows Live dependency.
Buried in the notes for the 5.4MB Steam patch, there's a small snipped that simply says, "If Fallout 3 was previously installed on Steam, we suggest uninstalling and reinstalling the title." Uninstalling is a pain in the backside, but if it finally banished Windows Live to the recycling bin it belongs in, we're here for it.
The most baffling aspect is the fact Games For Windows Live has been defunct since 2014. When it first launched, there was a $50/year subscription, which immediately had players laughing it off. Microsoft changed tack and made it free, but it was already too late.
With Bethesda games now being part of Game Pass, you might question why anyone would still be playing the old way. Still, the modern version requires you to download a 43 GB language pack. Also, playing the Steam game lets you add the plethora of mods that are the main reason many of us still play. Either way, we're more than happy to say adios to Fallout 3's toxic relationship with Games For Windows Live.
