More story or more action?

[Guest]

After playing a little of Fallout Tactics I've decided what made both the previous Fallout games so good.

The Story.

A weapon can only kill in so many ways before it all starts to look the same. I totally agree with the way that 'real' weapons have been implemented in Fallout Tactics it's nice to pick up an AK-47\.44 Magnum\.45 Colt rather than an 'rifle' or 'pistol'.

BUT at the end of the day the reason that Black Isle got away with rehashing the old Fallout Engine for the second game was it's strong narative. People could accept that the graphics were essentially unchanged because the story caried the game along so well. So what does that leave us with? Hmmmm. I personally would like to see Fallout 3 set in say Europe, China or South America. This would no doubt harm sales in the US where most people can't see beyond the East or West coast (prove me wrong people...) but it would give the game a new lease of life.

OR

There is no reason that the story can't be told from another character's perspective. Think about it. Set between Fallout's 1 & 2, you are another wanderer. Different trials in the same world. That way you might encounter 'The Wanderer' from the first game before he\she set's up Arroyo or something like that. It worked for Half-Life with Opposing Force and the up and comming Blue Shift.

Which ever way that they choose to go the best thing would be to lease an engine like Lithtech 2.0 (or 3.0 if it's out by then), implement some simple squad control like Bullfrog's Syndicate and then go to town on the plot and character develoment. Maybe even get in some well know writers to script it... mmmmm, Stehen King, Arthur C. Clarke or Clive Barker adding depth to the game... That'd be cool.

 

[lockout]

Stolen from the pages of my own incessant ramblings (then "cleaned up, oiled, an shinin like a new cap", as a certain fictional character named "Ian" might say) -

Look! It's another worthless opinion! (Read it and wretch)

More story or more action? Well...

To suspend disbelief is why so many of us play, especially in the arenas of role playing. Unfortunately, too many of our junkets are winding up in the breakdown lane these days, while tomorrow’s search for A-1 transportation grows increasingly harder to locate. At the risk of soapboxing, as ever-faster CPUs, acceleration and graphics continue to dominate as the darlings of the gaming world, it seems to me as though scant consideration is being allotted for the element of human involvement in too many of these uninspired flash packs. There are exceptions, of course, but the supercharged fables in these rare prizes from corporate gaming gods arrive all too infrequently, needlessly delayed by glitzy sensationalism – by indecision over which “latest-and-greatest” engine to implement, or by how much splash is enough.

Wonderful, isn’t it? True; businesses are formed for the purpose of generating revenue – and to be profitable while they do so – but whatever became of using the basics to achieve that goal? In this person’s opinion, stunning visuals and dazzling eye candy in current-day RPGs are not only excessive (and expensive), they’re secondary to what really matters. Let the corporate masses say what they will, but when it comes to role playing, outstanding story lines are more than adequate compensation for middling graphics. The story is the game, period – it’s what makes for either a memorable gaming experience or a bad investment.

As proof, at the time of this writing, nearly four years have passed since its release, yet Fallout remains both a classic and a much-needed breath of fresh air. The graphics were never anyone’s award nominee, but its tale is the rare trophy (and a superb model for how to get it right). Cue the Inkspots’ Maybe, and then the prime stuff begins. From Ron Perlman’s haunting narrative at its introduction and the unfurling of its world map, to the defeat of the Master and the bittersweet flavor of its conclusion, this piece of plastic continually unearthed the best of the fictional jewels: feeling. This game’s ability to evoke emotion, to stimulate a sense of being there throughout every part of the adventure, was (and is) truly captivating. The sensation of being involved, of having accomplished something, was real…and that ain’t all bad, especially for something that came out of a box.

Anything more that needs saying? I hope so...the gaming world could use a few more gems...