NMA: Fallout 3 impressions

Dionysus said:
In my mind, FO3 just needs enough story and dialog to support the gameplay.
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I might agree there, if we were talking about Super Mario or just a roguelike. Seeing as Fallout 3 is supposed to be a RPG where interaction with NPCs through dialogue and shaping the story through your choices comprises a huge part of the gameplay (or even its entirety, depending on how one plays it), the shitty writing becomes a major flaw that can't just be overlooked as if one was playing a dungeon-crawler.
 
PhillyT said:
I would rather have this game than nothing at all, which was the other option.
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Bullshit. You would've gotten TES 5.

It's difficult for me to fathom how so many people find FO3 entertaining. For me, it was one the most boring and empty gaming experiences I've had over the last several years. It reminded me most of Hellgate: London, same kind of feeling while playing. I took absolutely nothing away from it. Nada.
 
Ravager69 said:
blah blah blah Mr. Freeman,You guys seriously liked this game? How long did you play it?
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45 hours, and I loved it.Except for fucked up levelling (reached lvl 20 way too soon).My other beloved games are Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Vampire Bloodlines, Deus Ex and Planescape Torment.Oh and I liked Oblivion, so that surely invalidates my opinion completely, right?
 
Thanks to the previews/reviews from NMAers, I think I've made up my mind to either rent this game or buy it when the price gets cut in half a year or so from now. If I never played it, it wouldn't be the first Fallout game I've totally skipped (didn't play that crappy console spin-off).

However, I think that FO3 has enough redeeming features to warrant at least some of my time, despite the obvious flaws and the fact that I didn't like Bethesda's previous RPG, Oblivion. If I hate FO3, at least I'll know that I can probably safely ignore any future Bethesda products. If they can't make a Fallout game that I can at least somewhat enjoy, I don't think I'll ever enjoy a BS game. Kudos, NMA.
 
Forhekset said:
buy it when the price gets cut in half a year or so from now.
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I recommend waiting. The game is great as it is, but the work of modders will be priceless. SPECIAL needs rebalancing, gaining levels needs rebalancing, item descriptions, texture mods....and I hope someone will figure out a way to stop that idiotic combat music. I love Zur's ambient music (never thought I would, but I do), especially in the interiors, but the combat music is immersion breaking and horrible...

Its still a great game, but it does have a lot of flaws. Hopefully most of them will get fixed once SDK is out.
 
Anyway, with my last post being removed for obvious trolling (I suspected as much, nevermind), I think people are too easy on this game, so much is broken....nothing of previous games remained, nor depth, nor atmosphere....

And Paul_cz, I am truly amazed that you found it entertaining for 45 hours - I gave up when I killed an Enclave soldier with 4 shots from my Combat Shotgun (Perception 5, Small Guns 50%) and realizing that you get railroaded with the main storyline all the time. Dialogues are nowhere near entertaining and quests can't be solved in more than 2 ways (kill mobs or lie that you killed them).

I suppose I can't understand anyone who truly liked this game, but hey it's your time and money. I've wasted mine and try to sway others from doing it.

But perhaps in time you'll see things my way.
 
Ravager69 said:
But perhaps in time you'll see things my way.
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I won't. I love this game's atmosphere too much for that to happen. Plus I am sucker for exploration, hence my love for a flawed FarCry 2, Fallout 3, Stalker...

plus...

wasteland in the morning: http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/710/favovy7.png

wasteland in the evening: http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/5795/favlo8.png

Yeah, in movement with great ambient music, I think this game delivers in atmosphere department.
 
The first game was made in a time where hardware issues significantly constrained design. Hell, Fallout wasn't even the best Isometric game to that point, but it had character (Crusader No Remorse did it better two years before). Yes, Fallout 1 and 2 are in my top 5 games ever, and Fallout 3 will never have the same level of replayability, choice or depth. That is unfortunate. But I think Bethesda did a good job trying to capture the feel of the old while embracing the economics of now.

Fallout as a brand wasn't all thae strong, so the idea that waitin longer would somehow produce an isometric version in todays environment is unrealistic. There is nothing wrong with the 3D perspective in itself, the ain flaws from the game are inconsistent quest design and flawed character interaction. That is still not enough to make for a bad game. To straight up claim that the game is bad is more a fact of shattered dreams and heart break than the judging of the game on its merits.

Is it flawed? Of course, all games are, but it is at worst a good game.
 
Paul_cz said:
I hope someone will figure out a way to stop that idiotic combat music. I love Zur's ambient music (never thought I would, but I do), especially in the interiors, but the combat music is immersion breaking and horrible...
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I think replacing all of Zur's music with Mark Morgan's music from the original games would probably be a good idea. Just seems to fit the mood better.
 
Forhekset said:
I think replacing all of Zur's music with Mark Morgan's music from the original games would probably be a good idea. Just seems to fit the mood better.
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I don't agree here. I tried it, but the original music is so connected with the places from Fallout 1 and 2 that it took away from my experience. Maybe thats because I finished both originals eleven times. But it definitely did not work for me. And since I really like Zur's music, I don't mind. I just wish it would be possible to completely switch off combat music, so that the ambient stuff would not get interrupted by that pompous Crysis-like crap.I had this problem with Oblivion and Morrowind as well, doesn't anyone in Beth find combat music a stupid idea, dammit? : /
 
It would be nice if someone made the old music a radio station. Then you could just use it when you wanted.

Phil
 
Paul_cz said:
I don't agree here. I tried it, but the original music is so connected with the places from Fallout 1 and 2 that it took away from my experience. Maybe thats because I finished both originals eleven times. But it definitely did not work for me. And since I really like Zur's music, I don't mind. I just wish it would be possible to completely switch off combat music, so that the ambient stuff would not get interrupted by that pompous Crysis-like crap.I had this problem with Oblivion and Morrowind as well, doesn't anyone in Beth find combat music a stupid idea, dammit? : /
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Yeah, I can see where the original music might pull you back into the old games too much and detract from the one you were currently playing. Still, Mark's music is just quintessentially Fallout for me.

Btw those are some nice screens you posted previously.
 
PhillyT said:
The first game was made in a time where hardware issues significantly constrained design. Hell, Fallout wasn't even the best Isometric game to that point, but it had character (Crusader No Remorse did it better two years before). Yes, Fallout 1 and 2 are in my top 5 games ever, and Fallout 3 will never have the same level of replayability, choice or depth. That is unfortunate. But I think Bethesda did a good job trying to capture the feel of the old while embracing the economics of now.

Fallout as a brand wasn't all thae strong, so the idea that waitin longer would somehow produce an isometric version in todays environment is unrealistic. There is nothing wrong with the 3D perspective in itself
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Fallout as a brand was worth MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to Zenimax.
seems pretty strong.

Having a 3D engine was never an issue.
See Van Buren.

Isometric games are still commercially viable TODAY as long as they are designed that way for a reason.
Fallout was.

That reason was not hardware limitations.
see many posts on this forum detailing the intentions of the original devs and you'll realize that they wanted to make a turn-based isometric-viewed RPG from the very beginning because it was intended to be very much an emulation of table top gaming (think Dungeons and Dragons) that functions, for all intents and purposes, in the exact same way.

I wont even touch on "the feel" that you think they tried very hard to retain..

:?
 
Paul_cz said:
Plus I am sucker for exploration, hence my love for a flawed FarCry 2, Fallout 3, Stalker...
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Uh, yeah, me too, but what's there to explore? Another safe house or an empty location with a couple of uninteresting NPCs that you will forget as soon as you'll done with the quest they give you? Sorry, but none of the games you mentioned are fun to explore in my opinion.

But I don't mean to discuss this no longer, as it's not exactly the place for it.
 
Forhekset said:
plus...
wasteland in the morning: http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/710/favovy7.png
wasteland in the evening: http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/5795/favlo8.png
Click to expand...

Oblivion (2006)
http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/987/landscape10pu.gif
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v733/Happyhannah/happywanderer_panther1.jpg

Lord of the Rings Online (2007) (yes, the MMORPG)
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh308/natedizzlepic/ScreenShot00004.jpg

The Witcher (2007)
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/games/2008/witcher/witcher-village-inn.jpg

Crysis (2007)
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2963/crysis64200802031303063dm4.jpg
http://lostmoya.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/crysis-screenshot-3.jpg
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/878/crysis3cva1.jpg

Assassin's Creed (2007)
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh167/r4yfong/DirectX10.jpg

Stalker: Clear Sky (2008)
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2008/030/942067_20080131_screen001.jpg

Far Cry 2 (2008)
http://img1.hugeup.com/f/05282008/2e06272b5.jpg
http://www.catchgamer.no/images/news/5685/FCRY2_PC_Dragunov.jpg

Empire: Total War (Feb 2009) (yep, an RTS)
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2008/197/942966_20080716_screen003.jpg

And here's Fallout 3 (2008), where for every 'wasteland in the morning', there's also one 'wasteland in the day':
http://www.consolemonster.com/media/0000000824/screenshots/0000000824-L-2fe6055.jpg
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/8936/1282_0007.jpg
Not that impressive, if you ask me.

Additionally, Ravager69 makes a valid point. What is there to explore exactly? Since I had no intention of playing it though the end, I run throughout the map with godmode on to see whether there was anything about it that did not look like [a browner version of] this:
http://static.flickr.com/129/319298351_724779cb39_b.jpg
There wasn't. Horribly looking urban environment aside, it all looked like one neverending garbage dump full of oversized insects with superpowers. At least the photo above has some greenery in it...
 
Hey, whatever floats your boat.

I like most of those games you posted, just as I like Fallout 3. How about you stop trying to convince me not to like it, huh? I spent there 45 hours already and loved most of them.

Oh and btw, those screenshots I posted are taken by me on my 2 years old machine. The one you posted is old promotional screenshot, and the second one is very decent (Megaton looks good imo).
 
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