Fallout 3 reviews round-up #8

Brother None

This ghoul has seen it all
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Aux fontaines les vieux - bardés de références - rebroussent leur enfance. A petits pas pluvieux ils rient de toute une dent pour croquer le silence autour des filles qui dansent a la mort de Fallout. bit-tech.net 9/10.<blockquote>Fallout 3 is a tough nut to score because, on the one hand we think it’s utterly enthralling and breathtaking, but on the other we can see that it hasn’t been designed with the PC totally in mind and that really holds back the experience. Yes, mods will probably come out to rectify that - but should we be made to rely on modders to correct poor game design?

It’s a shame. Fallout 3 is a game from a company with a strong heritage on the PC from The Elder Scrolls series and Fallout is a recognised and highly regarded PC franchise – but this latest instalment is clearly made with the consoles as the primary platform. It’s just the way the market seems to be heading unfortunately.

Still, interface issues aside, there are a lot of things that Fallout 3 does excellently. </blockquote>Telegraph 5/5.<blockquote>To say that Fallout 3 is one of the most anticipated titles of 2008 is something of a gross understatement. The latest installment in this impeccable franchise from Bethesda Softworks has been had fans clamoring for information ever since the developer announced it. Following the promising previews, trailers and gameplay clips viewed by millions online, Fallout 3 arrives creaking under the weight of its own hype.

Well, fans will be happy to know Fallout 3 will probably exceed their expectations while staking a claim to being arguably the best game released in 2008.</blockquote>GamingHeaven 97/100 Xbox 360, 92/100 PS3.<blockquote>The main storyline is superb and clearly masses of time was pushed into the development and creation. Without ruining the final impact, the end scenes are so damn impressive I went to replay the entire game before writing this review, just so I could take a different path and see the world and the people within from a different angle. You can lie, kill, cheat, charm, hack and fight your way through a plethora of situations, so the alternative routes are varied.</blockquote>PSX Extreme 9.6.<blockquote>Fallout 3 is essentially Oblivion set thousands of years in the future. Instead of having swords, shields, and heavy chain armors, you have guns, reinforced military armor, baseball bats, pipes, and a slew of other modern-day and futuristic weapons. Just like Oblivion, Fallout 3 will also give you the option of choosing between good and evil, or an in-between, so you have the opportunity to approach situations from various angles, and directly affect your future. A Karma system exists in the game that'll affect your encounters with NPCs in positive and negative ways; regular NPCs will often find themselves disgusted with your presence if you've strayed towards the evil side, while raiders are more likely to ally themselves with you. On top of that, comes what Bethesda calls Limitless Freedom. Do you see something off in the distance? Go on and walk to it, because whatever you see in the world you can visit. And in Fallout 3, you'll see a great deal of ruined monuments and structures, all of which you'll be able to gander at.</blockquote>Demon Coffee Reviews 9.5.<blockquote>Weapons are certainly not hard to come by in the Wasteland and with enough knowledge you can even make your own. While you don’t have to make any weapons yourself (I myself never actually made one and instead opted to only use what I found) there are bonuses for making your own as you can use what miscellaneous and otherwise useless items in the wasteland into your own personal ammunition. Weapons do degrade overtime and must be repaired over time. I did find this particularly annoying due to the fact that weapons degraded at a much faster rate than they would in real life (then again this game takes place in 2277 and isn’t trying to be realistic by any means) yet it did add a sense of realism that sets it apart from other FPS games.</blockquote>Associated Press via MSN Entertainment, 4/4.<blockquote>That said, "Fallout 3" is much too grim and violent for the kids. Bethesda has created a vivid depiction of what America might look like two centuries after the end of civilization, and even hardened gamers are likely to find it quite disturbing. If you have the stomach for it, though, "Fallout 3" is one of the most absorbing and addictive video games in years.</blockquote>GamePro 5/5.<blockquote>THE BOTTOM LINE: The first two Fallout titles are classics in their own right but Fallout 3 might just be the best one yet. Heck, it might just be the best console RPG of all time. It's deep, complex and tremendously addictive. From the amazing character development system to the engaging and satisfying combat, Fallout 3 has everything you could want in an RPG experience. Play this game. Seriously. Do it.</blockquote>Gaming Age B.<blockquote>My issues with the game lie within the fact that whilst playing it, I wished I were playing something else. I wanted to play Bioshock for its heavy atmosphere and compelling story, or Mass Effect because I finally appreciate the dialog trees and voice acting. In Fallout 3, most of my decisions could be argued for the inconsequential feeling I associated with them. That's never a good thing, so it either means Fallout 3 wasn't my particular cup of tea or that it is actually that boring at times. However, I can appreciate that eventually the game had gotten its hooks in me, although it was mostly due to the fact that since I was reviewing I ended up actually play up through the initial five hours it took before I began to invest myself into the virtual world around me. After that, I managed to find things that interested me, which is at least an honorable mention that the game had redeeming qualities for someone who at first didn't care much for it.

Other decisive factors include the obligatory mention that there are no trophies or custom soundtracks supported within the Playstation 3 version. But if you really care then it shouldn't be a big deal, ya wimps. </blockquote>BigPond GameArena 95.<blockquote>Enemy levels in the game remain consistent within certain areas - so if you stumble across... say a town full of Fire Ants which routinely whoop your butt at level two when you return at level 10 they won't be any issue. You start to feel like a real hero - while at the same time ever watchful of your surroundings. You can still explore at early levels, you just have to be careful. I got wind of the Brotherhood of Steel (one of the military-like factions in the game) base "The Citadel" being located on the remains of The Pentagon (the game is set in the ruins of Washington D.C.) so I used Google Maps on my PC to get a map of the city, located The Pentagon and travelled there in-game. Low-and-behold there's The Citadel. When I arrived I promptly found out I wasn't allowed in, and I was sent off into the Wasteland. Where a Supermutant Master annihilated me. </blockquote>
 
I'm sure we'll all hug the Gaming Age guy because he's the first sub-8 review (B = 7.5 according to MetaCritic), but honestly, someone who plays the game with absolutely no frame of reference? It's like he lucked into the right call (if that is what he made)

GamePro said:
The first two Fallout titles are classics in their own right but Fallout 3 might just be the best one yet.

Look, journos, I have no issue with you slobbering all over this game if that's what you want to do, but fuck off with this shit, willya?
 
Brother None said:
Aux fontaines les vieux - bardés de références - rebroussent leur enfance. A petits pas pluvieux ils rient de toute une dent pour croquer le silence autour des filles qui dansent a la mort de Fallout.

Pardon my French, but what the freaking hell does that mean??
(except for the dancing on the corpse part)
 
syllogz said:
Brother None said:
Aux fontaines les vieux - bardés de références - rebroussent leur enfance. A petits pas pluvieux ils rient de toute une dent pour croquer le silence autour des filles qui dansent a la mort de Fallout.

Pardon my French, but what the freaking hell does that mean??
(except for the dancing on the corpse part)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMJXD9XIJK4[/youtube]
 
"The latest installment in this impeccable franchise from Bethesda Softworks"

not to be a nitpicker, but doesn't it sound like they're implying bethsoft made the previous games?

"Other decisive factors include the obligatory mention that there are no trophies or custom soundtracks supported within the Playstation 3 version."

these things do matter after all.

also, nice vid BN
 
junkevil said:
"The latest installment in this impeccable franchise from Bethesda Softworks"

not to be a nitpicker, but doesn't it sound like they're implying bethsoft made the previous games?

"Other decisive factors include the obligatory mention that there are no trophies or custom soundtracks supported within the Playstation 3 version."

these things do matter after all.

also, nice vid BN

"The creative genius behind The Elder Scrolls and Fallout" - G4 on Todd Howard.
 
So when is the official NMA review coming out? I was seriously expecting to see something on day one. Any plans on letting us know whether to play it and everyone else know what NMA thinks about it?
 
maximaz said:
So when is the official NMA review coming out? I was seriously expecting to see something on day one.

You want us to rush in and review a game on the day we get it? Jeesh, what low standards do you hold us to.

Let's Play article - tomorrow or day after
Impressions piece by staff - a week or so
Official NMA Review by Vince D. Weller - a month

People who are waiting for our opinion for buy/don't buy will have to wait a bit.

Expect other editorials in the coming time.
 
BN it's (it was) like 4-o-clock in the Europes. :shock:


I, perhaps quite naively, always expect the more "respectable" mass media outlets (e.g. The Telegraph), to give slightly more... sophisticated critiques of the games they "review". Alas, the opposite often seems to be true (with notable exceptions). Reviews are only given column space because of the general mainstream relevancy of the form of entertainment, and not because of an (arguably undeserved) recognition as an art (by which I don't mean to be pretentious, but rather to say that games can be more than a mindless funneling away of time). Resulting, ultimately, in very shallow commentaries.
 
My issues with the game lie within the fact that whilst playing it, I wished I were playing something else. I wanted to play Bioshock for its heavy atmosphere and compelling story, or Mass Effect because I finally appreciate the dialog trees and voice acting.

Ugh. Haven't played Mass Effect, but Bioshock is such a massively overrated game. Fallout 3 >>> Bioshock.
 
You can see Vdweller's inital thoughts and his let's play thread over at Iron Tower Studios for an idea of what the final review might look like.

http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php?topic=577.0

Disclaimer

First of all, it's not a review. I'm simply describing what I see. If it sounds negative, it's because I don't see a lot of things to be positive about, unfortunately. I believe that the screens speak for themselves. So far:
 
junkevil said:
"The latest installment in this impeccable franchise from Bethesda Softworks"

not to be a nitpicker, but doesn't it sound like they're implying bethsoft made the previous games?

I watched some interview with Todd [link was definitely on RPGCodex, I am not sure if it was here also] where he directly stated that Fallout 3 game is meant for people who haven't played/known previous parts. And in fact he doesn't encourage to get acquainted with them at all.

And there is another thing - I noticed that Fallout 3 is often called just 'Fallout', without any number, as if there wasn't any other fallouts at all.

So maybe that's the line of thinking they would like to force upon their target group of customers.
Like: "there was some legend once, but nobody remebers well what was it exactly - some kind of mythical game and Fallout (3) is definitely its rightful and decent heir". Some kind of The Elder Fallout Scroll or something.
 
Brother None said:
GamePro said:
The first two Fallout titles are classics in their own right but Fallout 3 might just be the best one yet.

Look, journos, I have no issue with you slobbering all over this game if that's what you want to do, but fuck off with this shit, willya?

Translation: I'm intolerant of others' opinions. :lol:

For fuck's sake, it's just a game not a lifestyle. You need to accept that some people like Fallout 3 more than the previous two games, and that just because it's not isometric, turn-based, etc does not invalidate their opinion. If not, you need to get out more, Brother None.
 
Sagan said:
Translation: I'm intolerant of others' opinions.

That sounds like a fair translation.

Except for the fact that on the one hand we have two classics that stood the test of time for 10 years, and on the other we have a game carried by hype and already under fire for its flaws. Hell, doesn't the BigPond GameArena review right under the one I quoted make exactly that point?

Sagan said:
You need to accept that some people like Fallout 3 more than the previous two games, and that just because it's not isometric, turn-based, etc does not invalidate their opinion.

Indeed it does not. But "I like it more than" does not equate "it is greater than" - if you personally like accessible gameplay more, that's fine, but - especially as a journalist - if you're going to declare a game "objectively" better just because of personal preference, you're way off the mark.

Sagan said:
If not, you need to get out more, Brother None.

Oh man zing.

Jabu said:
BN it's (it was) like 4-o-clock in the Europes. Shocked

7.

I'm a very irregular sleeper.
 
I used to subscribe to GamePro many years ago and then I let my subscription end. A few years later I got a "free" subscription with becoming a "VIP" GameCrazy customer and was disgusted at what I read. They were never great but they had fallen into the abyss (this was something like three years ago), enough so that the only articles I read were ones for things that I was interested in (which usually disgusted me and prompted me to check elsewhere). Sounds like the descent has continued or hit bedrock.
 
Well this might cheer up those of you who are bummed about Fallout 3 not living up to the old games...

There is a working T51b Power Armor in the game, so you don't have to go walking around in that ugly Bethesdian PA while you're wandering around the game looking for something even remotely interesting.
 
Brother None said:
You want us to rush in and review a game on the day we get it? Jeesh, what low standards do you hold us to.

Not at all. I didn't expect an actual review on day one, just some kind of a first impression of the finished product.

It would be nice if all the admins did personal opinions too.
 
Not all admins are playing it.

In fact, pretty sure most admins or not. Pretty sure most staff is not. But we'll get together with those who are.
 
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