PCGZine’s Fallout 3 Interview

[Makagulfazel]

Of course, from this perspective, when can't take conclusions, but I'd say AoD's going to be a much better game than Fallout 3... I don't know, gotta play them and see.

Which is really sad on Bethesda's part... AoD has about 1/100th of the manhours behind it that Fallout3 does, but I figure AoD will be a great addition to the turn-based RPG genre. Fallout3 will be hyped as the next "Riveting First-Person Experience," but like Bioshock, will probably rest on people's shelves after the first 15-hour-long play through.
I love watching people play the end of a game (Assassin's Creed comes to mind) and at the credits screen say, "Wow, that was a gay game," just because they expected more.

 

[Brother None]

I love watching people play the end of a game (Assassin's Creed comes to mind) and at the credits screen say, "Wow, that was a gay game," just because they expected more.

How about when people go "Wow, that was a great game, but what a faggot-ass ending," like with Gothic 2?

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Hello Morbus,

Well this is pretty much the same propaganda Bethesda has been feeding the press since that Game Informer article several months ago.

How V.A.T.S. will work. What Interaction with the NPCs in the game will be like. How cool the Fatman is. How much they are in contact with the community.

Some time ago I wrote in another topic that it felt that Bethesda wanted to convince the community how great their Fallout 3 will be and silence any opposition to the whole different direction by continuously repeating themselves, never really giving any new facts at all.

Perhaps this is the most effective strategy, most people who dislike Fallout 3 have 'spit all their venom' and have moved on to other products, leaving the group behind Bethesda wants to appeal to.

Fallout 3 is perhaps not so much a game design success but a marketing success in the end; a constant repeat of the same information, rephrasing it here and there to make it a little different from the last magazine interview, but never really giving any new details.

I think someone needs to give Pete Hines a good shake, his needle seems to be stuck.

 

[Morbus]

I think someone needs to give Pete Hines a good shake

A good snake? Sure, like a viper, or an anaconda... something like that. Anyone from maryland here? Please remember pete when it's time for christmas gifts and eating turkey...

Seriously though, I'm not sure Fallout 3 will be a marketing success... I'm still on the "wait and see" stance... I mean, it's just so cheesy in so many aspects, and the core fanbase don't like it, how worse can one get? They may do a lot of hype, but will the sales (damaged by all the crap they are throwing at the core fanbase's face) cover for all the money they'll have to spend hyping their shit up? Even if it goes ENTIRELY to the gutter, they don't really care. They have enough money to spare, and if, by any chance, Fallout 3 is a disaster, they WILL go for a Fallout 4 with similar design strategies, and they WILL throw the same kind of shit at gamers' faces AGAIN... Of that I have no doubt.

 

[Brother None]

Fallout 3 is a disaster, they WILL go for a Fallout 4 with similar design strategies, and they WILL throw the same kind of shit at gamers' faces AGAIN... Of that I have no doubt.

Do you mean a financial disaster? I doubt it. If Fallout 3 fails, financially, ZeniMax will refuse to give Bethesda the ok for another title, and probably license it out.

 

[Morbus]

If that's what you think, I think our choices are clear.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Do you mean a financial disaster? I doubt it. If Fallout 3 fails, financially, ZeniMax will refuse to give Bethesda the ok for another title, and probably license it out.

But will it fail?

When I see all the Oblivionites on Gamefaqs who have focussed their little Xbox hearts on Fallout 3, because "Oblivion set the standard for RPGs, didn't it?", I have the feeling that Fallout 3 will be successful.

 

[Brother None]

But will it fail?

When I see all the Oblivionites on Gamefaqs who have focussed their little Xbox hearts on Fallout 3, because "Oblivion set the standard for RPGs, didn't it?", I have the feeling that Fallout 3 will be successful.

Are you talking about the same GameFAQS? Because this forum isn't exactly full of people happy about this game, with threads like "Fallout3=Fallout for Dummies?"

It's kind of hard to say right now, it's got a lot of red flags going up when it comes to the consumer reaction that point towards failing, but they have a good PR office, the media is on their side and Bethesda hasn't failed since being bought by ZeniMax. So you can't really tell yet.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Hi Brother None,

Yeah, I do check that forum sometimes.

But to say it crude, when you read the posts of some of the posters you really have the idea that they have their head up their assess.

 

[Makagulfazel]

But will it fail?

When I see all the Oblivionites on Gamefaqs who have focussed their little Xbox hearts on Fallout 3, because "Oblivion set the standard for RPGs, didn't it?", I have the feeling that Fallout 3 will be successful.

Fallout3 will likely be a financial success due to the hype machine that is already winning awards for the title. There is a small glimmer of hope, however, that someone pointed out several months ago. Some anticpated console games are set for a Fall '08 release(GTA IV, Fable 2, etc.), which will hopefully defer sales from Fallout3 enough to make Fallout4 a bad financial investment.

 

[PlanHex]

There is a small glimmer of hope, however, that someone pointed out several months ago. Some anticpated console games are set for a Fall '08 release(GTA IV, Fable 2, etc.), which will hopefully defer sales from Fallout3 enough to make Fallout4 a bad financial investment.

GTA IV is due for Spring 2008 and has been for a long time, don't know about Fable 2...
But seriously, look at the stupid amount of highly awaited console titles that has come out these last 3 months or so and their sales and you'll see that it doesn't really enter into it that much.
We've got Bioshock, Orange Box, Halo 3, Assassins Creed, Mass Effect, Guitar Hero 3, Rock Band and Super Mario Galaxy (and various sports/racing games like Skate, FIFA, Need For Speed and whatever) that have all been released around the same time and still sold really well.
There's probably even more that I've forgotten!

A simultaneous release with Fable 2 might satiate the x-box crowd long enough for FO3 sales to slow down, but since Fable 2 will probably be about as long and as difficult as the first one, FO3 sales willl only be slowed by a week or so (not counting the many people who won't even finish F2).

 

[Makagulfazel]

A simultaneous release with Fable 2 might satiate the x-box crowd long enough for FO3 sales to slow down, but since Fable 2 will probably be about as long and as difficult as the first one, FO3 sales willl only be slowed by a week or so (not counting the many people who won't even finish F2).

Yeah.. Well.. But.. Shit!

 

[SuAside]

Fallout 3 is a disaster, they WILL go for a Fallout 4 with similar design strategies, and they WILL throw the same kind of shit at gamers' faces AGAIN... Of that I have no doubt.

Do you mean a financial disaster? I doubt it. If Fallout 3 fails, financially, ZeniMax will refuse to give Bethesda the ok for another title, and probably license it out.

there's no way FO3 will become a financial desire... just not going to happen, Morbus.

 

[LuckyOasis]

Two things:

[1] I hear a lot on these boards about Bethesda alienating the "Core Fanbase." How are you defining the core fanbase? I consider myself to a part of the core fanbase, and I'm really excited about where Bethesda is going with Fallout 3. I don't feel alienated at all. Or, am I not allowed to be a part of the core fanbase because I feel that way?

[2] I saw a reference on here that compared Fallout 3 to Bioshock. I loved Bioshock, and I don't think Fallout 3 will be anything like it. I loved Mass Effect, too, and I think if anything that is out in stores right now will wind up being similar to Fallout 3, Mass Effect is probably that piece of software.

Have you guys played Mass Effect? It's pretty awesome. The choices you have to make in Mass Effect are very black and white (or, it should be said, "paragon" or "renegade"), but some of the decisions the player is forced to make were among the most memorable I've ever experienced. There were a couple of times where I honestly got up off the couch and paced around my apartment for half-an-hour to forty-five minutes trying to decide what choice to make.

I realize that Mass Effect and Fallout 3 are two very different games in some ways, but I just wanted to illustrate that a Real-Time w/ Pause system can provide very visceral and tactical combat while also offering extremely memorable player choices and storylines.

I'm a part of the core fanbase, and I'm really excited for Fallout 3.

 

[Morbus]

I consider myself to a part of the core fanbase

You do? I don't mean to sound presumptuous, but let's get the facts straight. Have you been supporting Fallout for the past 10 years? If no, have you at least been following the development of the franchise since, like, Van Buren was being designed? Are you one of those (oh yeah) "fallout fans" that existed BEFORE Bethesda showed the world how FOE looks like? If so, then I think you are part of the core fanbase. I'm none to tell, but I think you are. Of course, just because you are, doesn't mean you think like the others, it doesn't mean you don't like FOE. Fact is, Bethesda is alienating the core fanbase by wholly shifting the design of the series, and by shifting the very target public. How more alienating can it get?

and I'm really excited about where Bethesda is going with Fallout 3. I don't feel alienated at all. Or, am I not allowed to be a part of the core fanbase because I feel that way?

Huh... bleh... You are entitled to your own opinion. But just because you like what they're doing doesn't mean you weren't alienated in the first place. I like StarCraft. And I like RPGs. If Blizzard had turn starcraft 2 into a RPG I'd feel alienated, even if I'd like what they'd be doing (I probably would). Do you see my point?

Have you guys played Mass Effect? It's pretty awesome. The choices you have to make in Mass Effect are very black and white (or, it should be said, "paragon" or "renegade"), but some of the decisions the player is forced to make were among the most memorable I've ever experienced.

I've played the game for a while. From what I was able to see, it's pretty much as you put it: t3h epikzorz choicerz t3h ebul/imma do smoe mity good... 1337 speak included. Not ingame of course. Yet another biohazware fine product. I'll live well without playing the remaining storyline...

I realize that Mass Effect and Fallout 3 are two very different games in some ways, but I just wanted to illustrate that a Real-Time w/ Pause system can provide very visceral and tactical combat while also offering extremely memorable player choices and storylines.

KotOR COULD have offered some tactics, but it boiled down to watching the game play by itself. Mass Effect is THE real time with pause, just like FOE will probably be, and it plays like every other shooter out there. Only know, instead of having hotkeys (you don't have a keyboard, whaddya think?) you have to pause the game and issue commands and whatnot...

 

[Brother None]

I hear a lot on these boards about Bethesda alienating the "Core Fanbase."

They're alienating the old, traditionalist fanbase. To whine about semantics because some people might get their feelings hurt is a real timewaster, call it whatever you want, they're alienating people.

I loved Mass Effect, too, and I think if anything that is out in stores right now will wind up being similar to Fallout 3, Mass Effect is probably that piece of software.

That's probably true.

I realize that Mass Effect and Fallout 3 are two very different games in some ways, but I just wanted to illustrate that a Real-Time w/ Pause system can provide very visceral and tactical combat while also offering extremely memorable player choices and storylines.

That, I'm afraid, is not true, for several reasons...

1. BioWare has years of experience with this kind of storytelling. It's not my thing, and I don't think BioWare is very good at it at all, but I do know they are better at it than Bethesda, who don't have any experience with decent storytelling, at all.

2. Mass Effect has a third person RTwP system also based on years of experience with these kinds of systems and kind of hacked down but still functioning from KotOR. Bethesda doesn't know what the heck they're doing and, even worse, they're working from the basis of first person, not third person, and that allows for significantly less tactics. The only "tactics" we know off so far is you can aim the game to pause. Big whoop.

 

[Makagulfazel]

There were a couple of times where I honestly got up off the couch and paced around my apartment for half-an-hour to forty-five minutes trying to decide what choice to make.

I'm sorry, but I have to drop this one on you:
Nerd!!!!!

Hell, I wouldn't take more than 50 seconds to make a decision in Fallout 2, and the dialogue in that game is about one billion times more eloborate.

But, in the end, to each his own. If you like the direction Fallout3 is going, you have the right to, but you can not argue that Bethesda is not "alienating the 'Core Fanbase.'" If you're definition of the core fanbase is the small swarm of console users that invade the Bethesada forums, I think the term you're looking for is "New fanbase".

 

[Wasteland Stories]

they WILL go for a Fallout 4 with similar design strategies, and they WILL throw the same kind of shit at gamers' faces AGAIN...

No. I doubt about Fallout 4 from Bethesda (from Bethesda, not other developer).

 

[13pm]

No. I doubt about Fallout 4 from Bethesda (from Bethesda, not other developer).

man, if you think they've paid so much to acquire the franchise just do make a single game, you're completely mistaken. They WILL do Fallouts 4,5,6 etc. You see the response to even those few bits Bethsoft is throwing to media. Their hype machine is doing incredible things. So they will continue making Fallout, even if Fallout 3 fails (which I doubt).
The most likely scenario is: Fallout 3 is a mainstream success, old-school fans say "It's shit". But who cares about the old fans, when they acquire new ones? So Fallout 3 will be a success and they will make at least one more game.

 

[Wasteland Stories]

They WILL do Fallouts 4,5,6 etc.

As I say previously - no.

if you think they've paid so much to acquire the franchise just do make a single game

First - not SO much. Second - *somebody* can buy license too.
You know what I mean. If *somebody* succesfully launched *something* before April 9 2013...