Gamasutra interviews Jason D. Anderson

[DexterMorgan]

"Lying" is such a harsh word. Telling little white lies is more along the line with what I'm thinking.

And rather than comparing JA with Mozart, I was drawing a parallel between a work of art and a product.

Fallout - commercially viable work of art
Fallout 3 - commercial product with 0 artistic value

 

[Crni Vuk]

...
Fallout - commercially viable work of art
Fallout 3 - commercial product with 0 artistic value

exactly my thinking.

 

[Hellfate]

OK the reason we find it so hard to believe that he liked it is because he like many of the original devs has stated that he loved the originals. Now as someone who loves the originals you cant play the 3rd without comparing it to the originals...That is why fallout 3 fails. As a sequel its a horrendous travesty. You can tell this because if u take out the direct fallout references you would still have a mostly complete game....that would not feel like fallout at all....try that with fallout 2....doesnt work. Fallout 3 isnt a horrible post apocalyptic rpg....still not great but mediocre definately. But as Fallout 3 it just sucks. Thats the nature of the beast when dealing with sequels, they are going to be compared to the originals. Its true of movies books and games. On a side not i find it hard to believe that anyone who plays games as more than a OMG THAT IS COOL feeling or a timesync would not enjoy fallout 3 either. It lacks so many essential things such as a good story good characters and a well thought out system.

 

[Crni Vuk]

OK the reason we find it so hard to believe that he liked it is because he like many of the original devs has stated that he loved the originals. Now as someone who loves the originals you cant play the 3rd without comparing it to the originals...That is why fallout 3 fails...

Of course a professional can. Thats what seperates the "crowd" that can say what ever they want "how" they want. Its somewhat like politic.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Itagaki is a well-renowned douchebag

Indeed, while the classy guys are certainly the "most of the critics" who's reviews read like the advertisements on the back of the game's box.
I do feel like in the twilight zone in this world, really, when honest people are considered douchebags. I don't know, to me a douchebag is someone who tells you how wonderful is the thing you did and then goes behind your back to say the complete opposite.
But hey, let's promote mediocrity, that's what we're best at. We wouldn't want to hurt someone's feelings.

 

[Eyenixon]

...
Fallout - commercially viable work of art
Fallout 3 - commercial product with 0 artistic value

exactly my thinking.

I don't see it that way since I don't see any game as a piece of art, it's just interactive media that hasn't even scraped the refuge off the bottom of the expressionistic barrel left by the other mediums such as film, music or literature.
However, Fallout 1 and 2 are both very well made games, although buggy, while Fallout 3 is a poorly balanced, badly made, and obnoxiously marketed piece of junk. It's like a fine piece of furniture compared to a cheap alternative, I keep my antique mahogany table with a marble top because I've built up a fondness for it and it's sturdy and functional, I still use it to this day, but I'm not going to buy or enjoy a cheap knock-off sold in Ikea made by a bunch of machines in a factory that will break in a few year's time.

Fallout 1 and 2 are like that antique table, Fallout 3 is the cheap knock-off, at the end of the day I'm not going to call either of them art, but I sure as hell like one over the other.

That being said, Jason's opinion is not parallel with the majority opinion of this forum. Just because he was a developer on the originals doesn't mean that he's as avid and stoic a gamer as many of us are, perhaps he just looks for fun in Fallout 3 and whether or not Bethesda managed to pull off the Fallout feel, which is something entirely subjective.
If he liked it, that's fine for him, Fallout 3 is definitely entertaining if you're willing to play it casually and overlook it's flaws and that's what most developers do since they don't have time to explore the nooks and crannies of each and every game they play and then analyze them fully, they do have to work on their own games after all.

 

[Bofast]

So, would you prefer playing Super Smash Bros as a super-mutant, a Vault-Dweller, a raider, or a BOS paladin?

You, sir, may wish to put aside any need you may be carrying around for ridiculing posts from people who do not see the world with your eyes, then attempt to read my post once again with a little less prejudice.

Did I say I want Super Smash Bros with Fallout characters? Not that I noticed, but you are quite welcome to correct me if I am mistaken.

What I said was:

at least a Fallout game (if similar to 1 and 2) on the Wii would have been able to have a decent control scheme and less focus on "next-gen" graphics.

My point was that the Wii is most likely better equipped than other consoles for a game similar to Fallout 1 and Fallout 2, since it's controls would be more easily used for clicking on things the way the originals were (at least to a large part) played. It wouldn't be quite the same as playing it on a PC with keyboard and mouse, but I would argue that Metroid Prime 3 showed the potential of the controls.

Also, The Wii's lack of "next-gen" graphics (even though it is in itself a nice thing for a game to have good graphics) could make it less focused on looking good and leave more time for actually making a game with decent gameplay, story and content. If such a thing were to happen it would, in my not so humble opinion, be quite far from 99 or so percent of today's games, ALL gaming platforms included.

Edit: Oh, and sorry if I'm helping to steer this slightly off topic.

 

[UncannyGarlic]

What did he said anyway? That he like the game and that parts remember him to Fallout in some way. Isnt that what a few other people say here as well? Isnt that what either BN or even VD said in his review? that Fallout 3 "has its moments" ? Doesnt mean anything regarding a "true" sequel though which is the real question and issue.

Indeed. This thread is really out of control and what needed to be said has already been said. He was put on the spot and, like most devs, isn't going to criticize the game because that's unprofessional behavior. That said, I'm sure he did find enjoyment with at least some of the game, like many have, and that he did get reminded of Fallout with parts of it (at the very least some aesthetic things). Lets just leave it at "We'll never know exactly how he feels due to his job and professionalism. What's said is said, leave it be." All in all, I don't see a lot of productive conversation made possible by his comments about Fallout 3, I just see a chance for people to yell at each other by pointing to his responses and saying "Told you so," or "He's a professional, he's just be courteous."

<Wii>

I'd tend to agree, though really any of the platforms could use a keyboard (and probably mouse) if they wanted to, they simply don't because of how they view their audience playing their systems (on a couch rather than in a chair with a suitable setup for keyboard and mouse). Really any platform could play a traditional-style Fallout but the PC is clearly the best and the Wii is arguably a step above the PS3 and 360, simply due to it being faster to point and click then use a joystick to guide a cursor (keep in mind that TRPGs for all systems have done fine as far as controls go).

 

[Crni Vuk]

I don't see it that way since I don't see any game as a piece of art, it's just interactive media that hasn't even scraped the refuge off the bottom of the expressionistic barrel left by the other mediums such as film, music or literature.
However, Fallout 1 and 2 are both very well made games, although buggy, while Fallout 3 is a poorly balanced, badly made, and obnoxiously marketed piece of junk. It's like a fine piece of furniture compared to a cheap alternative, I keep my antique mahogany table with a marble top because I've built up a fondness for it and it's sturdy and functional, I still use it to this day, but I'm not going to buy or enjoy a cheap knock-off sold in Ikea made by a bunch of machines in a factory that will break in a few year's time.

Fallout 1 and 2 are like that antique table, Fallout 3 is the cheap knock-off, at the end of the day I'm not going to call either of them art, but I sure as hell like one over the other.

That being said, Jason's opinion is not parallel with the majority opinion of this forum. Just because he was a developer on the originals doesn't mean that he's as avid and stoic a gamer as many of us are, perhaps he just looks for fun in Fallout 3 and whether or not Bethesda managed to pull off the Fallout feel, which is something entirely subjective.
If he liked it, that's fine for him, Fallout 3 is definitely entertaining if you're willing to play it casually and overlook it's flaws and that's what most developers do since they don't have time to explore the nooks and crannies of each and every game they play and then analyze them fully, they do have to work on their own games after all.

I see and respect your point (even if I dont agree completely with it).

But you have to admit that Fallout 1 and 2 even if it is somewehat borderline with art have more artistical value then Fallout 3. Or at least as games more chance to be seen "like" art then Fallout 3.

 

[Ausdoerrt]

So, would you prefer playing Super Smash Bros as a super-mutant, a Vault-Dweller, a raider, or a BOS paladin?

You, sir, may wish to put aside any need you may be carrying around for ridiculing posts from people who do not see the world with your eyes, then attempt to read my post once again with a little less prejudice.

You may wish to turn your sarcasm detector up. While your post makes sense, I do not expect any kind of serious game appearing on Wii. They're making most of its money of family games/arcades. I mean, how many R-rated Wii games do people know? Fallout would not make it to wii without being adjusted by Nintendo for the "general public" (including kids). Although then, again, it's not like FO3 fared much better with Bethesda (basically, *sigh*, an arcade game for older children).

 

[Roflcore]

Personally I think he likes it because he barely has time to play it. On the first walkthrough F3 appears a lot better than it actually is. It has no replay value and on the second run the massiv amount of grind/killing is far more annyoning than on the first. So if you don't have a lot of time and just play once, you actually might enjoy it, escpacially if you are hard-working and just want some wastelands with exploding heads.

 

[Ratty Sr.]

Since Jason's words appear to be causing a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding, I decided to give the man a phone call and ask him what he *really* said regarding FO3 in that interview. Here are his actual words, from the horse's mouth:

I absolutely fucking hated it. Though I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, in no way did I really feel that they captured the Fallout feeling. All things were opposite of what I expected from a Fallout game. That being said, I definitely understand that these things take on a life of their own. You know, kinda like a really nasty yeast infection. All in all, I felt it was shit. I hated it. Wait a second, is this going to be printed? What the fuck? No, no, no, don't print this, what if someone at Bethesda reads it? I have my career to think of! How will I ever face Pete Hines again? I mean, it's hard enough as it is, innit? That guy just won't stop smiling! Please... just... just print something else, OK? I dunno, use your imagination... brrr... Pete... smiling...

There you have it. No need to thank me, it was my pleasure to cut the Gordian Knot, so to speak.

 

[Bofast]

You may wish to turn your sarcasm detector up. While your post makes sense, I do not expect any kind of serious game appearing on Wii. They're making most of its money of family games/arcades. I mean, how many R-rated Wii games do people know? Fallout would not make it to wii without being adjusted by Nintendo for the "general public" (including kids). Although then, again, it's not like FO3 fared much better with Bethesda (basically, *sigh*, an arcade game for older children).

While I do not think your post was easy to see as sarcasm, I apologize if I misinterpreted your attitude.

As to serious games on the Wii; if by serious you mean games that address difficult issues related to morals and such, then I have yet to play any games which do that properly, apart from Fallout and possibly some old Star Trek game from sometime around the middle of the 1990's (amusingly, I think it was also published by Interplay). In my opinion it is not a matter of the Wii, but of games in general.
I would say that any game which stimulates the imagination, sharpens the mind, entertains and so on can potentially be considered serious.

I am guessing R-rated (not a rating I've ever come across in my country) means something like only for adults or so where you live? Considering that such rating are usually the result of nudity or large amounts of graphical violence, and that I've never seen any of the two mentioned elements being very useful (possibly apart from selling more copies), I don't see why one would need R-rated games on the Wii (especially since I would consider most of them anything but "intelligent" games). Most of the games which have received such a rating are complete pointless in my eyes, though I guess some might find them interesting in some way.
I think there could definitely be more "mature" and intelligent games on the Wii, it's more a question of studios wanting to release such games on that (or any other) platform.

 

[Pablosdog]

I agree, and there are "Some" mature games on the WII(I.e Madworld, but its unrealistic depiction of violence I guess could not constitute as "Mature") If by mature you mean just for adults period, then like the prior game I stated before, there are a few choices.


Most Wii games sadly are ports. If only the hardware was better, and the wiimote not so gimmicky, and truly utilized, and some you know, if there were actual decent "mature" games for it.

But I never would want to see Fallout on Wii.

Wasteland 2 hopefully will be a return to form.

 

[lugaru]

Since Jason's words appear to be causing a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding, I decided to give the man a phone call and ask him what he *really* said regarding FO3 in that interview. Here are his actual words, from the horse's mouth:

I absolutely fucking hated it. Though I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, in no way did I really feel that they captured the Fallout feeling. All things were opposite of what I expected from a Fallout game. That being said, I definitely understand that these things take on a life of their own. You know, kinda like a really nasty yeast infection. All in all, I felt it was shit. I hated it. Wait a second, is this going to be printed? What the fuck? No, no, no, don't print this, what if someone at Bethesda reads it? I have my career to think of! How will I ever face Pete Hines again? I mean, it's hard enough as it is, innit? That guy just won't stop smiling! Please... just... just print something else, OK? I dunno, use your imagination... brrr... Pete... smiling...

There you have it. No need to thank me, it was my pleasure to cut the Gordian Knot, so to speak.

Doesent this go in the Fanfiction section?