Are the Originals... Overrated?

Ben Soto

Ben Soto

Professional Salt Shaker
dun dun DUNNNN!

Personally, I feel Fallout 1 and 2 are overrated. I liked Fallout 1, but I don't agree that it's this all-mighty example of a perfect RPG, and Fallout 2... Let's just say I have choice words about Fallout 2. Namely;

FUCK. THAT. GAME.

Both games suffer from poor graphics (even for the time,) bad gameplay, and an overall lackluster atmosphere. Fallout 2, in my mind, suffers from a rather lackluster story that unfortunately permeates the entire experience for me.

At the very least, 1 had a good story.

So, how about it? Are the original games overrated, or am I being Mary Quite-Contrary and they're actually totally perfect?
 
Short answer: No. They are underrated.
Long Answer: Both games have their flaws, heck, every game has their flaws, they need to.
I've not played so much of F2 but the first game hit an emotional spark for me a few years ago. I believe it's one of the reasons I want to make games now. Today, we get crap like Fallout 4 shoved in our face like it's the saint of all games. Yet F1 was just a few guys coming together and making something they love.
Hell, F2 and NV was made out of love too. You think Obsidian likes being screwed by Bethesda? They just want to make more Fallout games (which breaks my heart to know they never will), and it's why they helped bring back the Wasteland I.P.
So no, they are underrated because they showcase the very best of gaming. They show us how games should be made.
And they tell us that we should be taking risks. You think Bethesda are taking risks with Fallout 4? They aren't, they are playing it safe which is the problem as they have so many talented people working on their games that we don't see their true potential.
But I'm getting off-track. Point being, Fallout 1&2 deserve more fans. I would love for F4 to bring in more people who will play the older games. But sadly, only a small percentage will.
 
Nope, they are not overrated. The graphics and gameplay were comparable to Baldur's Gate. They weren't perfect, either. The story was well written enough that I felt engaged by it; shooting stuff wasn't the primary draw of the game. There were plenty of enjoyable moments... like when you climb down into the Modoc outhouse and think "Sulik, put some shoes on!" If you don't like turn-based combat and isometric views, then I guess that style of game just isn't for you. I hope you didn't waste any money on Wasteland 2 or Pillars of Eternity.
 
No I'd say they are rated just about where they should be and quite honestly we are almost to a point where they will soon be underrated by all but the core fans.
JYWM4ZQ.jpg


zROMRIi.jpg
 
Ben Soto said:
dun dun DUNNNN!

Personally, I feel Fallout 1 and 2 are overrated. I liked Fallout 1, but I don't agree that it's this all-mighty example of a perfect RPG, and Fallout 2... Let's just say I have choice words about Fallout 2. Namely;

FUCK. THAT. GAME.
Click to expand...
Go home. You drunk.
 
I hate the word overrated. Its a word that people throw around to invalidate a person liking a certain thing and as well use to justify their hatred towards a certain thing instead of describing why they don't like that certain thing. Its lazy, arrogant and pointless. TotalBiscuit has a good vid on why he hates the word overrated and why he wants it to be retired from gaming discussions, start at 24:40
.
 
I reject the notion of "overrated" and "underrated." Simply because, ontologically those terms imply that there is a "correct" rating of a work of fiction (that the general perception of which deviates from) and that's frankly nonsense.

I think what we see though is that people who adore your 90s isometric RPGs for being exemplars of what they value in games have trouble impressing this upon people who value completely different things in games. I imagine it's much the same as when people can't get across to me how awesome the competitive multiplayer modes are in whatever the manshoot of the day is.

But basically we can only view games through the lenses of "what we think is important/unimportant" in games and no two people are going to have precisely the same priorities regarding fiction (or alternatively that anybody's set of priorities regarding fiction is just as valid as anybody else's.) When it comes to a values clash when discussing fiction, those works which are exemplars of what one party values tend to get brought up disproportionately often as the speaker is simply not especialy interested in defending an average example of what it is they like. If you're going to impress upon someone how wonderful Mexican food is, you're going to bring up the best taco you ever ate, not the 37th best taco.
 
I can honestly say that I have never used the word overrated to 'rate' a game, I try to find more childish and creative ways of telling others they have bad taste.
 
I think the games are pretty underrated too considering people keep talking about the Bethesdian Fallouts and thinking those were the games that started the series when in fact that's quite the opposite.
They're by no means perfect but they're really good RPGs. As for the graphics, I think they hold up really well considering if you look at games like Deus Ex and other 3D games you realize how much they've aged as opposed to say a 2D Isometric game.
If there's any game that's "overrated" it's that piece of shit Fallout 4 that everybody keeps praising even though it's a shoot everything up walking simulator.
 
MercenarySnake said:
If there's any game that's "overrated" it's that piece of shit Fallout 4 that everybody keeps praising even though it's a shoot everything up walking simulator.
Click to expand...

I think most games conventionally termed "walking simulators" are a lot more interesting than Fallout 4. Since they give you time and space to notice and think about things, whereas Fallout 4 is throwing another asshole or mutated animal at you to murder about every 25 seconds.

I mean, contrast how much Firewatch gives you to think about and makes you feel to how much Fallout 4 does. The 4.5 hour game laps the 100+ hour game here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top