My main problem with most FO1/2 "references" in FO3 seem more like ripoffs, as if they couldn't make up their own setting or system and went with what BIS did for them. A lot of it is just eyecandy - same names for weapons, perks or monsters, similar settings etc.
So, uh, did anyone like it?
- Thread starter BarackSays
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the vault experience was cool, the lockpick mini game was nice, but as soon as I entered megaton til the minute I stopped playing one thing was always in the back of my head 'Ive played this game before...oh right, Oblivion.' From the minute I stepped out the vault the entire game feels like a 'Wasteland' Mod placed over Oblivion. Despite all that crap that Bethesda said about ' oh we played Fallout too, we love it too' it seems, like any company out to make money, they used a tried and true template and applied to the next game in production. I was both very suprised and very disappointed at the end result, considering how many people would be watching to see how they pulled this off. Apparently the RPG genre is now based on graphics and action instead of story and gameplay.
No I wasnt expecting Fallout 2.5 in isometric turn-based combat, (but OMG I would have loved it) but I also wasnt expecting Oblivion with Guns, which is what this is and there is no question about that.
No I wasnt expecting Fallout 2.5 in isometric turn-based combat, (but OMG I would have loved it) but I also wasnt expecting Oblivion with Guns, which is what this is and there is no question about that.
i liked it until i beat the main quest (shitty) and reached level 20.
I still had (have) a bunch to do in the wasteland but there's very little incentive. Just loot for loot's sake. The design holdovers from the originals are at complete odds with the new ones. They cap your level so you're forced to specialize, but that just doesn't work in an open world sandbox game. They use the storyline as incentive to move you forward, but make it about 10% of the actual game, possibly less.
So even after modding it to raise the level cap I'm like "Well okay but there's still no REASON for me to run around exploring caves. It's not like I'm building towards something here" Instead of going out with a bang, Fallout 3 just kind of chugs to a halt as you get bored of wandering.
Furthermore, I can't see myself replaying the game anytime soon as I know that the main quest story is awful and I managed to do literally all of the quests my first time around. The best I could hope for is going through as an "evil" character which can't change a huge amount if I completed every single quest as a good guy.
I still had (have) a bunch to do in the wasteland but there's very little incentive. Just loot for loot's sake. The design holdovers from the originals are at complete odds with the new ones. They cap your level so you're forced to specialize, but that just doesn't work in an open world sandbox game. They use the storyline as incentive to move you forward, but make it about 10% of the actual game, possibly less.
So even after modding it to raise the level cap I'm like "Well okay but there's still no REASON for me to run around exploring caves. It's not like I'm building towards something here" Instead of going out with a bang, Fallout 3 just kind of chugs to a halt as you get bored of wandering.
Furthermore, I can't see myself replaying the game anytime soon as I know that the main quest story is awful and I managed to do literally all of the quests my first time around. The best I could hope for is going through as an "evil" character which can't change a huge amount if I completed every single quest as a good guy.
AstroManLuca
First time out of the vault
You know, I think FO3 would have been better if Oblivion had never been made. Well, scratch that, Oblivion's release allowed Bethesda to make some changes based on people's criticisms of that game. But I never played Oblivion and I rather enjoyed FO3. If you never played Oblivion, it probably helps make the game seem more fresh.
AstroManLuca said:
Thats an interesting way to look at it, but it wasnt just one aspect of FO3 that reminded me of Oblivion it was the the 'feel' of the entire game. Case in point, when Kotor feels different from Mass Effect which feels different from NWN, I never mistook one for the other.
I feel that Bethesda took a cookie cutter approach and since Oblivion made them lots of money, why on earth would they risk the formula, esp with FO3. A real shame, imo becuase they had the money to make something different and memorable and instead took a franchise that they knew already had a following and decided to cash in on it.
Thing with Oblivion was: You (well at least I) knew nothing about the lands or the lore or the background, so everything in the presentation of Oblivion was totally original to me. The one thing that always comes to mind is the way those NPC faces zoom right in on you from no matter what angle you approached at first encounters and when you initiate convo afterwards. Also, all that constant and useless items strewn all over the place and how one wrong bump (aka bull in a china shop) ruined all the pretty placement: That to me was an oblivion first. Seeing that again in FO3, especially with totally totally useless sh*t that was more weight that value ...sucked. Meh, anyway I knew I wasnt crazy when I thought this game wasnt very good *despite* all the 11s from the sites they clearly paid off...or maybe the RPG genre is changing...I dont think so but to me FO3 is an action adventure with RPG elements tossed in at the last minute
Tom_Sawyer
First time out of the vault
I had high hopes
If I pretend its just a crappy Stalker rip off I can run and gun and enjoy killing the same old raider, super orc, over and over.
Once I touched the main quest, horrible dialogue choices, and realization that karma was a joke, kids where immortal, level 20 caps, and somehow everyone knows what you did who you are I was just pretending it was anything BUT fallout.
Sorry in the Fallout canon war never changes, its a bleak bleak world filled with monsters, drugs, ruthless factions that will use you as a pawn and then arrange for your death with a smile.
Beth in order to make sales took anything that might make the game AO or even a strong mature rating and hurt the bottom sales line out. Maybe that is not entirely true, there is alot of gore. Makes the console kiddies go yeah, head shot. But shooters dont want a deep dish plot, they just want more ammo.
I was hoping for a strong RPG, I got a teddy bear launcher
If I pretend its just a crappy Stalker rip off I can run and gun and enjoy killing the same old raider, super orc, over and over.
Once I touched the main quest, horrible dialogue choices, and realization that karma was a joke, kids where immortal, level 20 caps, and somehow everyone knows what you did who you are I was just pretending it was anything BUT fallout.
Sorry in the Fallout canon war never changes, its a bleak bleak world filled with monsters, drugs, ruthless factions that will use you as a pawn and then arrange for your death with a smile.
Beth in order to make sales took anything that might make the game AO or even a strong mature rating and hurt the bottom sales line out. Maybe that is not entirely true, there is alot of gore. Makes the console kiddies go yeah, head shot. But shooters dont want a deep dish plot, they just want more ammo.
I was hoping for a strong RPG, I got a teddy bear launcher
BarackSays said:
well... i think its a disapointing abomination that is one of the fine examples of why i am slowly loosing faith in modern video games. its like bioshock to me.... i played both system shocks and consider them some of the greatest games of all time, and bioshock was supposed to be a "spiritual sequel", what we got was a crappy game full of gimmicks and no real horror, where the first two were fantastic gameplay wise, plot wise and in thrill/horror. i saw what happened in bioshock not really a different company scewing it up or anything like that. i saw it as an abomination brought on by the console tard's endless siege against quality gaming.
"console tards" are my reference to the "uncultured uncivilized" gamers who play consoles such as the x-box because they simply cannot figure out how to boot up their computer and the "massive" ammount of buttons and keys seem to confuse them. since the drunken 20-30 year old age group has entered the market the console has exploded onto the scene and now a title aparently isnt mainstream unless its released on either the 360 or the plastation3.
the issue is that modern gaming companies are rarely interested in creating dynamic creative video games. they much rather cater to the "safe market" by designing their game so a drunken monkey can understand it. system shock 2(which actually in many ways was a departure of the original) was a dynamic stat based adventure filled with horror and things to discover. there is even a sub plot that carries throughout the whole game as you find the "footsteps" of two lovers fighting their way out of the ship and to happiness though audio logs and various other things, INCLUDING actually seeing them launch off in an escape pod hopefully to safety. the original system shock is one of the earliest examples of a video game with a true inventory system(it also had one of the most creative and useful huds out of ANY video game) and is the earliest title i know of that had full audio logs in the game.
what did we get in bioshock? a linear adventure with little customization options, shallow characters, no imagination in enemies(or variation) and pretty much crappyness all round.
fallout 3 is much the same, save that it was developed by bethesda whom believe it or not actually try to make their games polished and good products. the problem is that it shares the same concept of oblivion(as opposed to morrowind), ITS DESIGNED SO A DRUNKEN MONKEY CAN PLAY IT. god, thats what makes it such a distastefull piece. dont get me wrong, i beat the damn thing and was largely entertained to the end but that lasted like a day and a half. fallout 1 and 2 gave me true good feelings(and not just something to do) for YEARS, every now and again i still go back and play them. fallout 3? itl just sit on my shelf like oblivion and i'll continue to play the earlier titles that were made for intellegent human beings, like fallout 2, morrowind and system shock 2.
AstroManLuca
First time out of the vault
Funny, in my case, I never played Oblivion and I had a hard time getting interested in it at all when I tried it at a friend's house. But the Fallout setting helped me really enjoy FO3, at least for some time. I've put in about 50 hours now and, while I have started a new character (this one a melee expert who achieves neutral karma by being a friendly kleptomaniac cannibal), it is already sort of wearing off. I doubt I'll put hundreds of hours into this one like I did with FO2.
But yeah, having not played Oblivion, the formula did seem more original to me, so I didn't have any "this sucks because it's exactly like Oblivion!" moments.
But yeah, having not played Oblivion, the formula did seem more original to me, so I didn't have any "this sucks because it's exactly like Oblivion!" moments.
Nullifidian
First time out of the vault
I've beaten both Fallout 1 and 2 dozens of times and played each a different way each time.
That being said, obviously I love both of those games.
I also played Oblivion and didn't enjoy it until I modded it into a nearly unrecognizable form. I enjoyed Morrowind rather thoroughly however.
I love Fallout 3. I have 2 characters I'm playing in parallel. I've made other posts about things I wish the game had, but I love it as is. I find it amazingly satisfying as a gaming experience and also satisfying as a Fallout fix. Yes, I said it, I feel it deserves to be called Fallout 3.
I feel like ragging on Fallout 3 is like ragging on Metroid Prime. Both are sequals that ditched an older playstyle technology and adopted FPS style play. And both are amazing games worthy of their franchise name.
That being said, obviously I love both of those games.
I also played Oblivion and didn't enjoy it until I modded it into a nearly unrecognizable form. I enjoyed Morrowind rather thoroughly however.
I love Fallout 3. I have 2 characters I'm playing in parallel. I've made other posts about things I wish the game had, but I love it as is. I find it amazingly satisfying as a gaming experience and also satisfying as a Fallout fix. Yes, I said it, I feel it deserves to be called Fallout 3.
I feel like ragging on Fallout 3 is like ragging on Metroid Prime. Both are sequals that ditched an older playstyle technology and adopted FPS style play. And both are amazing games worthy of their franchise name.
The difference being that Metroid Prime was exactly the same thing as Super Metroid except in a 3D environment. Enemies respawned when you left a room, there were familiar corridors, jumping puzzles, even the weaponry worked in almost the exact same manner. Morph ball puzzles were at times directly borrowed from older Metroid games.
Not only that, but the whole game was based on exploration, and just like the older games there were random moments were you were locked in a room, dramatic music would pump up and a new enemy or boss would be introduced. The emphasis was never on combat.
Fallout 3 completely removed the emphasis on NPC interaction and exploring towns and altered it to be more in line with the typical Elder Scrolls game, which is wandering around in the environment and discovering things. There's nothing wrong with that, but when you consider the fact that every map square in Fallout 1 or 2 was essentially just empty space it's logical to conclude that the games were entirely about towns and their inhabitants, not the surrounding wastes. As it is, Fallout 3 compromises that decidedly Falloutish element to place emphasis on what Bethesda knows best and that's a dungeon crawling combat based exploration game and not something based on NPC interactions and the depravity or hopelessness of mankind in their poorly established societies in a desert waste.
Sure Fallout 3 may have a few of those moments, but when you consider the fact that most of your time is spent getting a single quest (if even that) from most towns and then ignoring it for hours, it really dampens the whole Fallout effect.
Not only that, but the whole game was based on exploration, and just like the older games there were random moments were you were locked in a room, dramatic music would pump up and a new enemy or boss would be introduced. The emphasis was never on combat.
Fallout 3 completely removed the emphasis on NPC interaction and exploring towns and altered it to be more in line with the typical Elder Scrolls game, which is wandering around in the environment and discovering things. There's nothing wrong with that, but when you consider the fact that every map square in Fallout 1 or 2 was essentially just empty space it's logical to conclude that the games were entirely about towns and their inhabitants, not the surrounding wastes. As it is, Fallout 3 compromises that decidedly Falloutish element to place emphasis on what Bethesda knows best and that's a dungeon crawling combat based exploration game and not something based on NPC interactions and the depravity or hopelessness of mankind in their poorly established societies in a desert waste.
Sure Fallout 3 may have a few of those moments, but when you consider the fact that most of your time is spent getting a single quest (if even that) from most towns and then ignoring it for hours, it really dampens the whole Fallout effect.
very good disection... i remember the countless joyfull hours i spent playing morrowind exploring and working for money. some of my favorite memories of that game were running in terror from something like a hunger with my level 2 character because i just happened to step into the wrong place and possibly at the wrong time too. it was esquisite....
where fallout.... well i spent A LOT of time talking to people. i did that in morrowind too, not because i enjoyed it, but because i dug for every scrap of information there was to be had. fallout the objective was the same in talking to everyone, but it genuinely brought things to life and was a pleasure to do, especially with dialogue options like....
bounty hunter: what do you want?
character: a doughnut
it was just a joy to talk to people.... oblivion i guess inhereted the straight forewardness of the dialogue in the elder scrolls series but it lacked ANYTHING that was good about it. in morrowind you could usually ask someone about just about any keyword you learned. often you would get a "i dont know anything about that" but it still was very pleasant, very useful and in a few cases it kept you guessing on who would have the information you needed. without that oblivion feels pretty hollow.... like i was PISSED off when they chopped the journal which really was a trove of all the knowledge you'd ever need. though the addition of the waypoints and compass softened the sting by quite a bit....
the issue is that the same thing happened to fo3 as with oblivion, that is that they made the game so a drunken monkey could play it in the name of pleasing the console tards....
Radioactive
First time out of the vault
I'm a long time fan of the series and I love Fallout 3 and consider it to be very much worthy of the name, and very much worthy of being considered a proper entry in the series.
Honestly, I think it's a fantastic game, the more I play it the more I like it.
Honestly, I think it's a fantastic game, the more I play it the more I like it.
lord_hellraiser
First time out of the vault
I played Oblivion. It was great in a "kill-everything-that-moves" and "loot-moar-dungeons" kind of way.
I played Fallout 3 and found that it inherited the attributes of Oblivion. Sigh.
The half-baked way they did VATS probably did it for me. Cue epic slow-motion wall-shooting. /facepalm
They could have done better. Much better.
I played Fallout 3 and found that it inherited the attributes of Oblivion. Sigh.
The half-baked way they did VATS probably did it for me. Cue epic slow-motion wall-shooting. /facepalm
They could have done better. Much better.
bob_bastard
First time out of the vault
My only complaints are that the main quest was way too short, and that is no free play once you've finished it.
Exploring the map outdoors was something I think I genuinely enjoyed.
After the first two days or so, I started skipping any and all indoor buildings, settlements and subways. I stopped having conversations and doing quests. I just wanted to find locations and see if there was anything novel around.
The last couple hours for me was a rush to finish the main plot so I could stop playing and do something more fun. Like come here
Overall, I think sub-par core game mechanics, coupled with often C-grade dialogue ruined it for me. Plus the only perk I enjoyed was Mysterious Stranger, and only for comedic purposes. By the end, I felt that if I couldn't enjoy the game, I might as well try to get a laugh out of it.
After the first two days or so, I started skipping any and all indoor buildings, settlements and subways. I stopped having conversations and doing quests. I just wanted to find locations and see if there was anything novel around.
The last couple hours for me was a rush to finish the main plot so I could stop playing and do something more fun. Like come here
Overall, I think sub-par core game mechanics, coupled with often C-grade dialogue ruined it for me. Plus the only perk I enjoyed was Mysterious Stranger, and only for comedic purposes. By the end, I felt that if I couldn't enjoy the game, I might as well try to get a laugh out of it.
Robbie_Crash
First time out of the vault
Game is great.
Main quest is no worse than the main quest in the first one. Side quests are all fun. Third play through right now, and I'm still finding tonnes of new places and things to do. The Brotherhood's story is interesting and I'm really stoked to see what happens with it in future expansions and games. Enclave is still interesting. Commonwealth is intriguing too. I like that radiation sickness is such a big deal, and that I actually notice the effects of being an addict, or severely irradiated.
Leveling up is too easy and the cap is too low. Engine is outdated, and it shows in a lot of places (all of which have been pointed out by rabid crazies on this forum). Voice acting in games is annoying in 95% of games that I've played, Fallout 3 is no exception. Stupid things like conversation pausing combat are annoying. Ending sucks.
Combat is great for what it is; I don't see what the big whine fest about it is for, it's the best RPG combat system I've used in a while. The fleshing out of the world is great, but its a tad surprising that in places like Arefu and what's it called where every one is super friendly that there are still large chunks of car and broken down whatever in the middle of a civilized place, 200 years after the fact. You'd think street cleaning would be on the list somewhere in that time frame. The humour in the game is too sparse, it's everywhere in the other games, but only in locations that are few and far between in 3.
It's pretty much exactly what I expected. Not sure how it's not a Fallout game. I can't wait for more.
No I'm not someone who just picked up Fallout 3 and went back and played the old games. I bought 2 on release day, and 1 about 2 months after it was released. I've loved the originals as much as anyone on here.
Main quest is no worse than the main quest in the first one. Side quests are all fun. Third play through right now, and I'm still finding tonnes of new places and things to do. The Brotherhood's story is interesting and I'm really stoked to see what happens with it in future expansions and games. Enclave is still interesting. Commonwealth is intriguing too. I like that radiation sickness is such a big deal, and that I actually notice the effects of being an addict, or severely irradiated.
Leveling up is too easy and the cap is too low. Engine is outdated, and it shows in a lot of places (all of which have been pointed out by rabid crazies on this forum). Voice acting in games is annoying in 95% of games that I've played, Fallout 3 is no exception. Stupid things like conversation pausing combat are annoying. Ending sucks.
Combat is great for what it is; I don't see what the big whine fest about it is for, it's the best RPG combat system I've used in a while. The fleshing out of the world is great, but its a tad surprising that in places like Arefu and what's it called where every one is super friendly that there are still large chunks of car and broken down whatever in the middle of a civilized place, 200 years after the fact. You'd think street cleaning would be on the list somewhere in that time frame. The humour in the game is too sparse, it's everywhere in the other games, but only in locations that are few and far between in 3.
It's pretty much exactly what I expected. Not sure how it's not a Fallout game. I can't wait for more.
No I'm not someone who just picked up Fallout 3 and went back and played the old games. I bought 2 on release day, and 1 about 2 months after it was released. I've loved the originals as much as anyone on here.