Sorry for this being such a long post...
Just to throw in my 2 cents: I'm a huge Fallout and post-apocalyptic fan in general, (I played FO1, FO2 and Tactics longer than anything else I ever owned) but I have taken issue with some of the more negative things said both here and in a couple of other places. I'm still looking forward to Fallout 3. It may be because I have never played anything (to my knowledge) created by Bethesda, and so don't have that same expectation of disappointment. I did go through videos and reviews of Oblivion (even considering buying it to fill some time) but in doing so, saw what many brought up; it's just kind of a funky game. I see why a lot of people like it, but I see why a lot of people don't, and finally I see why those who love Fallout would be afraid it would be the same thing. I wouldn't have been happy at all if it was either, and also didn't even bother playing Oblivion myself.
That being said, I think given what Beth has under their belt, they have tried hard to do a good job (most of the people anyway) with the knowledge base they hold. Do I think they could have done a little better? Sure. Do I wish someone else developed this game? Maybe...but as many problems that I, and others, might bitch about in Beth's version, another company, even a beloved one, could have easily made it COMPLETE trash. (post-apoc Halo, "Fallout: Starring Snoop Dogg", or "Fallout: Vault Boy vs. the Aliens". The music would be by Justin Timberlake and Lil' Wayne and you could buy bling and tune cars. )
Anyway, I'm just being silly, but you get the point. We might be waiting for "Fallout Cart" instead of FO3. I don't personally think Fallout has been completely blasphemed by Beth, and the choice to make it more available to a general audience, I don't think was a bad one. (to a point of course) Most of the core elements still seem intact, and unless there is a series of things so completely stupid in the final game that we haven't seen yet, I'm going to be happy to play it. As I said before on here: as long as it's as good as Tactics, that's OK. What it actually looks like is a 3D tactics and FO2 hybrid. Kind of interesting.
If I had to take issue with one thing in FO3, it's the animations. The lack of shadows and stuff, sure, that's annoying, but I saw that comparison with Oblivion animation/style and FO3. Even the fact that when you walk, you don't really look like your 'bouncing' realistically like you do in games like Killzone. It's more like a float. Same when you jump down on a ledge, you don't crouch briefly or brace yourself. Silly... Characters are also too stiff still. But yeah, that's annoyed me far more than the actual gameplay. I think the core game is going to be solid and enjoyable. (or so I hope)
Yeah, so I am sure I could sit here and make this post even longer, but in my heart, I believe Beth, for the most part, really did try to make this work and work well. If I had to hope for any benefit from appealing to a wider audience, it's that down the road, Fallout will gain a lot more support and you might see a better game. You are also, as has been stated on here, introducing A LOT more people to the originals, who, if become fans, will help to add input that's more along the lines of what we, the original fans, want for those future productions. If Interplay comes back on in full force (and Beth don't turn into complete A-holes) they might even start to work together. Hell, they kind of have to if Interplay is doing the MMORPG and Beth is doing the main games.
I won't pretend to be the most knowledgeable or deep individual by a long shot, but I think it's from this point we will see if Beth cares or are only out to make a buck, not in FO3 itself. If now we see horrid spin-offs similar to BOS or a new game that could be as horrible as Elder Scrolls: Planes of Fallout, introducing magic and wizards into the Fallout world, then we have a much bigger problem. I wouldn't touch sh*t like that if you paid ME. Anyway...agree or disagree, that's my feeling anyway.
" in regards to FO3. 
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