Fallout 3 at E3 - The Escapist

[Brother None]

The Escapist has its E3 bit on Fallout 3 up:<blockquote>It's been a decade since the original Fallout was released, and so much has changed about gaming, and games, that a new Fallout made like the originals would be largely unplayable, and deeply disappointing. And before you start saying "Van Buren" remember that that game, too, was made almost ten years ago. It would not be the same game today.</blockquote>...Van Buren was ten years ago?<blockquote>"At this point, I've worked on this game as long as anyone who's made any Fallout game," he replied. Admitting that, while it might be desirable to receive a "blessing" of sorts from the creators of the series (as opposed to simply buying the license and running with it), at the end of the day, as creators, they felt they needed to own their own creation, even if it is based entirely in someone else's world.

(...)

Then look (the vault is surprisingly familiar), feel (guns, ammunition and violence all have the same "grit" as before) and humor (Mr. Handy calls you a stupid git behind your back) of the Fallout world has survived, been updated and made new. Although the new game is in 3D, and features a first-person perspective, it's still Fallout. It's the same world. It is new, but the same. I can't say this enough. Change, in this case is good.

Still, to the chagrin of some, it is, in fact, much like Oblivion meets Fallout. It is first person, NPCs do feel more like Bethesda NPCs than Black Isle NPCs (although the dialogue options are still hilarious and wonderful) and the world feels much more malleable.</blockquote>One other must-quote bit:<blockquote>Set in 2072, two hundred years after a nuclear war devastated the Earth (...) [this mistakes seems to have been corrected now - ed]</blockquote>The nuclear war was in 1872?

Link: The Escapist: E3 2007: Fallout 3.

Thanks VDweller.

 

[Brother None]

Another "if you think this isn't Fallout, you're wrong" editorial. Seems to be a gaming press status quo, a shame to see the Escapist lower itself to that level, especially if they're going to spread misinformation too.

Pete Hines' remark on length of working on Fallout must be one of the most ass-backwards things I've ever read.

 

[the4thlaw]

...Van Buren was ten years ago?.

I was thinking the exact same thing, if Van Burren looked like that 10 years ago I would have required a change of pants.

 

[VDweller]

As a marketing piece the article is brilliant. It has everything.

It starts by explaining why Fallout 3 had to be changed. It mentions changes, but reminds throughout the article that it's still Fallout. It says that the original Fallout world was dead and static because of the technology limitations, and quickly explains how these two aspects will be improved by Bethesda - this time quests would have consequences! And NPCs will be truly alive! And then it ends with one last reminder - in case you missed it - that it's the most faithful Fallout game evar! Perhaps even more faithful than the original Fallout, which clearly sucked.

 

[hordespawn]

Another miss...

The majority of these "Bethesda did Fallout Right" articles seem to turn me off to the game. I cringed a little when I read the bit about humor.

humor (Mr. Handy calls you a stupid git behind your back)

I don't think that sounds very much like Fallout's humor; in fact, I don't think that sounds like humor at all. Even with a dry sense of humor, I just find that inane.

Basically, I think these articles confirm our expectations: Bethesda failed. I can only conclude that their Fallout game will not be worth my time.

 

[Makenshi]

Worst editorial so far. Not only they suck balls, like the others, but they also did not bring any usefull or clarifying information. At least the other sources highlighted some points, like the lack of INT based dialogues, and the presence of gangs into Vault 101 and The Enclave radio station.

All hateful, insulting, bad news. But news at least news, not the usual ball sucking...

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Admitting that, while it might be desirable to receive a "blessing" of sorts from the creators of the series

Yes, it is not as if some of the original creators of the series offered their skills or suggested to be some kind of advisor to the FO3 development team.

(as opposed to simply buying the license and running with it), at the end of the day, as creators, they felt they needed to own their own creation

Which actually happened instead, liar.

 

[RhymeBomb]

You know what they say about assuming, but I'm going to go ahead and assume the hell out of this one. There is no way the person covering this has ever touched a Fallout game.

I doubt he's alone, too. While this one is obvious in his ignorance, the others at least took the time to pick up on the hot topics from the official forums in order to parrot them back when the time came to preview Fallout 3.

*sigh*

 

[Nim82]

This is about as weak an editorial as you can get, sad to see the Escapist sink to such lows.

After their fringe group's article I had hoped they would at least try and be neutral about F3, oh well.

 

[Dougly]

It's been a decade since the original Fallout was released, and so much has changed about gaming, and games, that a new Fallout made like the originals would be largely unplayable, and deeply disappointing.

You know... Aside from being a Fallout fan, I'm also a big fan of some of the old Sierra adventure games. Particularly Space Quest, which my father and I played when I was fairly young.

Seeing what's happening with Fallout 3, seeing how the "times have changed" talking point is repeated over and over again to justify removing key elements of Fallout game play, makes me glad that Space Quest is dead.

If someone tried to make a new Space Quest game today, it would probably be multiplayer, and a first person shooter. Because, you know, "times have changed."

 

[Tora]

If someone tried to make a new Space Quest game today, it would probably be multiplayer, and a first person shooter. Because, you know, "times have changed."

This suddenly reminds me of the old lucasarts monkey island games. The first two were the best. The later attempts at 3D and what not sucked.

At least that franchise seems dead... I can't imagine a 'current gen' monkey island given that the times have 'obviously' moved on. It'd end up being a FPS all about shooting the 3-headed monkeys.

 

[pnutz]

<blockquote>It's been a decade since the original Fallout was released, and so much has changed about gaming, and games, that a new Fallout made like the originals would be largely unplayable, and deeply disappointing.</blockquote>

If Fallout had been a FPS-RPG and used the Daggerfall engine, it could have done pretty much everything they've described so far in Fallout 3, sans the pretty.

What has changed that this is suddenly the only way to go? Or perhaps the originals were just big mistakes that are now finally being rectified? These are really getting to stupid to read anymore.

 

[Vault 69er]

It's been a decade since the original Fallout was released, and so much has changed about gaming, and games, that a new Fallout made like the originals would be largely unplayable, and deeply disappointing.

Blatant, Bethesda ass-kissing lie.

And before you start saying "Van Buren" remember that that game, too, was made almost ten years ago.

Yes, it's true folks. J.E. Sawyer had a time machine.

It would not be the same game today.

Prove it.

"At this point, I've worked on this game as long as anyone who's made any Fallout game," he replied. Admitting that, while it might be desirable to receive a "blessing" of sorts from the creators of the series (as opposed to simply buying the license and running with it), at the end of the day, as creators, they felt they needed to own their own creation, even if it is based entirely in someone else's world.

That's hilarious. Time spent on a project with the same name gives him seniority?
Even though it hasn't even been released yet? Conceited moron!

Then look (the vault is surprisingly familiar), feel (guns, ammunition and violence all have the same "grit" as before) and humor (Mr. Handy calls you a stupid git behind your back) of the Fallout world has survived,

Because foul mouthed Mr. Handys with apparently more AI sophistication than ZAX have always been integral to Fallout!

been updated and made new.

Yes, in the way that you'd gouge holes in your car with a pick-axe to make it go faster.

Although the new game is in 3D, and features a first-person perspective, it's still Fallout. It's the same world. It is new, but the same. I can't say this enough. Change, in this case is good.

Almost the same argument given for FOBOS..

Set in 2072, two hundred years after a nuclear war devastated the Earth (...) The nuclear war was in 1872?

What has changed that this is suddenly the only way to go? Or perhaps the originals were just big mistakes that are now finally being rectified? These are really getting to stupid to read anymore.

It's utterly sickening. Bethesda's blatant dishonesty and conceit have led to this. As has been said, they won't admit that they're afraid to try anything different. That they are in fact the ones afraid of change. So instead they try to rewrite history.
They don't need to stay true to the original Fallouts! Why? Because they're mistakes! Relics! Bethesda's making Fallout into what it should've been all along! Fallout 3 is the true Fallout, the others were like.. demos or something, man (yes that's actually been argued).

 

[the.dlb]

Mr. Handy calls you a stupid git behind your back

Oh my goodness! Now that's vicious isn't it. It makes me feel sick. I'm sure we'll be finding out other lame things like this about the game as time goes on.

Bethesda is neither fun nor funny. If being called a git (behind my back no less) is their idea of comedy we're in for a lot of trouble.

As for all the shills (follow the money) writing these fluff pieces saying how great Oblivion is and how FO3 will be great because it's like Oblivion...they can be fed to the mutants.

 

[Sorrow]

That's fucking pathetic.

What a bunch of pathetic liars.
The same world? No. They can't even get the fucking Nuca Cola bottle right.

Fallout 3 as a cTRPG would be unplayable?
i.e. they got so dumb and primitive that they can't appreciate a stylisation on tabletop games?
What a bunch of fucking LARPers.

 

[Vault 69er]

I swear, merely thinking about the lies and the propaganda and the very notion that they're no longer even pretending to continue the series - they're replacing it - feels like it's going to give me an ulcer.
This above all else is infuriating to me.

 

[Joe Kremlin]

I don't understand their argument at all...

I wasn't aware that Fallout 1+2 are currently unplayable, as he seems to be saying. Since a true sequel would keep the same gameplay and improve the graphics and some other problems, calling it unplayable is calling the originals unplayable.


And I thought we were getting positive news on the dialogue. Guess we'll be seeing:
Bribe 10
Bribe 100
Bribe 1000

 

[Tannhauser]

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Waterchip dug this little fact up. Russ Pitts, associate editor of the Escapist, was the one responsible for this article. In his long and distinguished career at the Escapist, he was also responsible for writing "I'm Evil", which is an article about plants in online communities. An excerpt from that article:

These kinds of conversations are the stuff of legend in the advertising community. Getting a consumer so excited about your product that he'll tell others to buy it is essentially free advertising, and the most effective form besides. Marketers call it "buzz," and they track it as religiously as brokers follow the stock ticker. They even try to create it, by sending trained salespeople, or "shills" into places where normal people congregate in order to get those normal people talking about their product. These days, the tactic has moved online.

 

[Egis]

Someone just got nailed with that last quaote

 

[radnan]

Escapist -1