Here's a challenge for the Fallout 3 fans, posted earlier in the thread - the Plinkett Character Challenge. Describe the character by their personality and how it affects those around them, without naming their explicit role in the story or what they do/look like. If you can name them then obviously the description was accurate enough to apply to that single character.
FO1:
This character is impatient and overly aggressive, probably as a cover for Short Man Syndrome. He puts up a mask of bravado, but when it comes down to the reality of the situation, he exposes himself as afraid and unsure of himself. A businessman at heart, he has a low tolerance of tangents and distractions and prefers to get to the meat of the issue. His chosen field of action also implies a sense of ruthlessness and tact, which help him succeed in his endeavors. Abrasive and rude, it is easy to see why this character is a leader - no nonsense and an eye on the prize lead to success.
FO2:
This character is pensive and wise, carried through many years of experience. Previously headstrong and idealistic in his younger days, he has since mellowed out and is content to judge every situation by the basis of the facts. He has developed a sense of fairness and justice which leads him to believe in the moral equality of all sapient beings, and chooses to appraise a person by the content of their character, instead of the condition of their skin. While he seeks to be helpful and kind, that does not mean he is a pushover - instead, he is a character willing to act on his convictions once made.
FNV:
A tormented soul. This character is haunted by survivor's guilt and self-loathing, though he has never stopped believing that he did the best he could under the circumstances. He tries to remain distant to the people he knows, for fear of losing them and having to suffer the same sense of loss that currently plagues him. He internally desires closure, but does not seek it, prefering instead to be numb to the pain and soldier on. Slow to warm to the company of anyone, he exposes himself as a steadfast and loyal companion with a sense of duty and obligation to those who infiltrate his defenses.
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Could you do that to very many characters in Fallout 3? I'm not so bored to do it, but believe me, I could do that for a dozen more characters, for each game.
The problem with Fallout 3 was that characterization of this type rarely exists. Beth instead chooses the placeholder route - almost every character you come across is "Good/bad guy who exists to advance the plot" or "Good/bad guy who is good/bad for no reason, with no backstory". The only exceptions I can think of and remember would be the (agonizingly annoying) Moira Brown, and the Doctor who engineered the fire ants (though what his motivation and history was, I don't know.)
What Fallout 3 doesn't do is give humanity to the characters. They exist so the Lone Wanderer has things to do, not because they are people with history and emotions and qualities. Some are mad, sad, angry about a current situation that the Wanderer needs to solve, but what about them as a character? Nothing. Zip. Nada. This is where Fallout 3 fails, and, being Beth, Fallout 4 will likely fail as well.
It's like a film. You can have the coolest, most intense story on the face of the earth, but if you have characters that are boring, uninteresting, hated, then your story means shit. No one cares unless they care about the people, and in Fallout 3 there were very, very few "people".