When GameStop wasn't looking, Bethesda and Best Buy have teamed up to rock Fallout 3 midnight launch events across the country. Events will take place in Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Chicago, with lines beginning to form at 3 P.M. on October 27 leading the game's midnight release.
The biggest of the events will take place in Bethesda's hometown Best Buy in Rockville, MD with game kiosks, giveaways, and the appearance of the awesome Fallout trailer they brought out to PAX. D.C. station DC 101 FM will be on hand, broadcasting live, and game director Todd Howard will be (along with other members of the Bethesda team) will be kicking around, signing copies and chatting it up with fans.
Since it's in my own neck of the woods, I'm going to head out to Rockville to cover the event, and maybe get my copy of Fallout 3 signed. Hey, maybe I'll even bring back a little something for you guys.
A full list of Fallout 3/Best Buy midnight launch locations can be found after the jump.
Bethesda Softworks and Best Buy Bring Fallout 3 to Fans
with Midnight Launch Events Across the Country
Fans to Help Usher in One of Year’s Biggest Videogame Launches
October 24, 2008 (ROCKVILLE, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, and Best Buy Co., Inc. have announced that in response to huge demand for Bethesda’s award-winning upcoming game, Fallout® 3, there will be midnight openings at Best Buy stores across the country the evening of October 27. Best Buy customers at select stores in the Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas and Chicago metropolitan areas will be among the first to play one of the most anticipated videogames of the year.
“Fallout 3 has been a labor of love for the team at Bethesda and we can’t wait to get the game into the hands of consumers,” said Todd Howard, Game Director for Fallout 3. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the launch of Fallout 3 with the fans.”
The Fallout 3 team’s hometown Best Buy in Rockville, MD will serve as the flagship location of the midnight events, with special festivities including game kiosks, giveaways, contests and a live broadcast from the event with DC 101 FM. Game director Todd Howard will be on-hand along with other key members of the development team to sign copies of the game and chat with fans. In addition to the Rockville event, 11 Best Buy stores across the country will be hosting special midnight sales events.
Midnight sales event lines will begin forming at 3 pm local time, October 27 at the following Best Buy locations:
Washington, DC area
· Rockville, MD - 1200 Rockville Pike
· Tysons Corner, VA – 8449 Leesburg Pike
New York Area
· New York, NY – 44th And 5th
· Westbury, NY – 1100 Old Country Rd.
Los Angeles area
· Glendale, CA – 2909 Los Feliz Blvd.
· Pasadena, CA – 3415 E. Foothill Blvd.
Chicago area
· Chicago, IL. – 1000 W. North Ave.
· Downers Grove, IL – 1432 Butterfield Rd
Dallas area
· Plano, TX – 2800 N. Central Expy.
· Fort Worth, TX – 6750 West Fwy.
Minneapolis area
· Roseville, MN – 1643 Country Rd. B2
· Richfield, MN – 1000 W. 78th St.
Fallout 3 will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28, in Europe and Australia on October 30 and in the UK on October 31. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® – Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.
Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.
Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at E3 2008 and a perfect 10 out of 10 from Official Xbox Magazine.
Contest:
12:23 PM on 10.24.2008 | 
Ironically, I still have yet to play Elder Scrolls IV...hopefully ill get to it one day ha...
Thats how I (st)roll.
I remember when I bought MGS 4 and on my way home seeing all these people on line waiting for midnight.
Losers.
Just kidding. I think it's awesome that these things are so popular. I wouldn't be caught dead doing it mind you, but it's cool anyway.