Fallout 3 reviews round-up #71

[moyogo]

Look, reviews have to be more than a subjective "I like it" or "I don't like it". When humans communicate we're talking about a shared reality - which is why reviews should focus on expressing as clearly as possible what that reality is without (or at least before) making value judgments based on that reality. The best reviews are descriptive and comprehensive.

Now I haven't read everything Per links to - I have a job/gf/family. Okay so I don't have a job. But I'd rather be playing Arcanum. Point is, the ones I have seen are low on information and high on superlatives.

 

[Crni Vuk]

...
Now I haven't read everything Per links to - I have a job/gf/family. Okay so I don't have a job. But I'd rather be playing Arcanum. Point is, the ones I have seen are low on information and high on superlatives.

Mental masturbation isnt it!

 

[Buxbaum666]

Game Parrot, 9.34/10.<blockquote>When the game some call Fallout 3 was announced by software developers and impala drovers Bethesda Softworks, some irascible old gamers loudly feared the end product might not turn out the sort of game they enjoy. Now, fourteen years later, I can say with absolute certainty that they were wrong and slightly foolish to take this view! Because I like that sort of game just fine, and in the end is not this what matters.</blockquote>

This is probably the funniest thing I've read all day.

Well it's his opinion so that's all that matters in his review. He doesn't have to justify it to anyone. I happen to agree with him.

You didn't just agree with an ironic "review" that Per made up, did you?

I find it rather disturbing that many so-called reviews read like an advertising rather than a review.

Combat here is tough and you have to find things to kill in order to get anywhere so there is no random multitude of animals to pick off for a few easy level ups. Lock picking, bartering and quest completion will fulfill your level requirements but you actually have to work at leveling up here.

This seems like a blatant lie to me. Or I probably just don't know what easy leveling up would mean to this particular reviewer. You level up so easy it's quite ridiculous. I probably explored a third of the map when I hit the level cap. And I didn't do much random exploring, I basically just followed the quest markers. I didn't even enter many buildings I didn't have to because I grew tired of tedious combat without any reward other than XP and some broken hunting rifles.

 

[jamesmcm]

You level up so easy it's quite ridiculous.

If that's your major issue, there are mods to fix it. The F3C compendium mod could make the game much, much better by padding out the good quests and making the dialogue trees better. So, yeah, there are problems but some people are working on fixing them.

 

[Buxbaum666]

You missed the point completely, james. I didn't say that's my "major issue", I brought it up because a reviewer basically said "levelling up is hard". That just isn't true.

 

[jamesmcm]

You missed the point completely, james. I didn't say that's my "major issue", I brought it up because a reviewer basically said "levelling up is hard". That just isn't true.

Perhaps, but you have to remember the reviewers don't play the game for long.

 

[Buxbaum666]

I would expect a reviewer to play the whole game. I at least expect that he plays long enough to level up a couple of time.
I think that's standard procedure, or am I mistaken? It'd be pretty useless otherwise. Imagine a film review written by a guy who only watched half of it. It doesn't make sense.

 

[jamesmcm]

Yeah, but that's what most game reviews are like. They don't have long, FO3 is a huge game so they only play through a bit of it. Besides, if you played it badly, leveling _could_ be hard. Perhaps if you didn't fight much and spent ages doing little quests like Moira's.

 

[Buxbaum666]

I found it very hard to finish any quest without killing lots of enemies.

Yeah, but that's what most game reviews are like.

So you do in fact agree that reviews aren't unsusceptible of bullshit?

 

[Ausir]

I wouldn't even call an article written by someone who hasn't finished a game a "review".

 

[Crni Vuk]

You missed the point completely, james. I didn't say that's my "major issue", I brought it up because a reviewer basically said "levelling up is hard". That just isn't true.

Perhaps, but you have to remember the reviewers don't play the game for long.

Which even disqaulifies their oppinion even more.

It is really fun to see all this rewievs praising the game, even giving awards (some at least) but actualy never really playing the game. Though people who had a more critical oppinion toward the game were just "purists" and "old-school".

So its alright basicaly, to form a oppinion of awesomness "from 5-20min" of playing, but someone with eventual concers (which at some point even proved to be true ... see vince and his review) is just a idiot of some sort ... and that is how it has been for quite some time.

 

[jamesmcm]

Well I don't disagree that lots of reviews are rushed.

But I've played Fallout 3 for a few days and finished the main quest, and despite it's flaws I'd still say it's at least 9/10 and GOTY.

 

[Patton89]

So, the awful writing fo the MAIN story, bad NPCs, simplistic dialogue with few skill checks, non-important stats, non-importance of skills in combat, low replay value ,huge amount of bugs, simple and EASY combat and world and setting that makes no sense on its own context, doesnt hurt your experience ?

Well, it hurt mine, and im being neutral here, im not dwelling on the issue of it being called and marketed as a sequel. As a game, its not 9/10, at MOST it was in some of the best parts good, but the mediocrity and incompetence of it was what dropped it to lower level. Sure, radio stations were nice, so was the beginning , but further i got, more the quality dropped. Combat had its moments, same with the quests, but these moments were few and far between. A okay game, but nothing amazing here. The fact was, my skills were more important than my characters skills, in combat, and outside it. Minigames tend to do that. Overall, a game that has its moments, but in the end fails to deliver what it tries , and feels like a compendium of lost opportunities. 7/10

Thats a review. You know, it has actual review of a game in it, not just positives, but the negatives.

 

[jamesmcm]

Yep, despite the bad ending to the main story, shallow quests and few and far between RP elements.. it's still GOTY.

The VATS system is great, but I agree with you that there are a lot of wasted opportunities and it makes the game feel very rushed.

But despite that I'd still give it 9/10 and GOTY. Most games now are just so completely terrible.

I'd give Fallout 2 probably 9/10 also 'cause while it got the deep story and RP parts right, the slow combat is frustrating.

 

[Crni Vuk]

Well I don't disagree that lots of reviews are rushed.

But I've played Fallout 3 for a few days and finished the main quest, and despite it's flaws I'd still say it's at least 9/10 and GOTY.

Well no ... its definetly not 9/10. Well frankly to clarifiy. Maybe in your personal rating. I can agree. That is a opinion. But if we consider the quality Fallout 3 wants to have as AAA title ... it definetly in general doesnt deserve a rating fron 9/10. 7/10, at best and that is even ignoring the fact that it has some big difference compared to Fallout. A game that has animations, writting, AI and other parst that get surpased by games older then 5 years is not what I would consider a 9/10 game, not by AAA standarts which Bethesda is trying to make. And that is even without all the bugs which som were left overs even from Oblivion!

when it comes to Game of the year. Yes it deserves it. Cause there was no competition this year. So if Fallout 3 might have not been releasd this year Far Cry 2 might have become RPG of the year if they would have sold it as such ...

I'd give Fallout 2 probably 9/10 also 'cause while it got the deep story and RP parts right , the slow combat is frustrating.

I really wish I would have playded your Mainquest ... I mean it must have been a totally different extremly deep story-driven role playing experience ... where I only got this shallow, boring and combat oriented linear mainquest full with plot holes

Can you lend me your copy?