I really don't know where to begin tearing their article du imbecile apart. I know this is a rather harsh thing to say, but I believe it is well deserved since the author posts some incredibly misinformed garbage. I will use "misinformed" to be marginally kind. Perhaps when they go to write their second article, then they will bother to do a common thing in journalism called research.
Here is a few good tidbits:<blockquote>
...brings a slightly altered gameplay mechanic to the Fallout world, along with some sexy new 3D graphics.
Interplay has undergone some re-arranging and internal company shifts in recent years, but it seems that, despite all the brou-ha-ha, someone managed to remember what is perhaps the company's best-known franchise and hand it off to Vivendi Universal to develop*. And it looks like they're very much on the right track, making the needed adjustments for the console market. Not only is the world of Fallout (which is set post-World War 3) now rendered in gorgeously gritty 3D, it's also now more action oriented, with around 50 weapons to choose from, complemented with nearly a dozen types of armor. The game is aimed at the more casual market, with the goall of allowing players to jump easily in and out without having to spend time re-orienting themselves.
The RPG elements will still be in place for these characters, however, allowing you to level up as you progress through the game, which has a projected 20-25 hour playing time. This may not be much in comparison with the original, perhaps, but the beauty of the Fallout games has always been their almost infinite replayability and the way in which the player can impact his or her environment. You can customize your character, yes, but more importantly, every choice you make affects the world around you, making Fallout a game of choices.
Gone are the "Action Points" and turn-based elements, replaced with a more on-the-fly RPG feel, similar to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance or Diablo. You'll start off with a piddling 9mm pistol, firing at evil junkers packing flamethrowers and terrorizing the local, mutant villagers.
And, luckily, the atmosphere remains extremely recognizable for fans of the series. You'll blast through bombed-out towns, infested forests and overrun factories, each with its own rusty, post-apocalyptic feel. And with the addition of the new 3D engine, these environments are looking even grittier and uninhabitable than ever.
Then again, the combat system is tried, tested and true, the graphics look great, the gameplay will almost surely rock, and it is set in the world of Fallout, so short of the two companies both being taken over by brain-eating leprechauns**, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel should certainly have a big presence and give us all yet another game to look forward to at the end of the year.
</blockquote>Thanks to Dule for pointing this out. Yes, the game is made specifically for stupid people like those who wrote the UGO article.
Now off I go to flush that crap out of my browser's cache...
* - The author of the article is hereby nominated for The Clueless Wonder 2k3 Award, earning said nomination for continuing one of the biggest problems in gaming journalism.
** - Two of them have been taken over already. One is called "Titus". The other one is called "UGO".
EDIT: Shortly after posting this, every page at UGO gave a 404 Error. I think, in some way, it actually makes a vast improvement to their rather laughable preview.
Here is a few good tidbits:<blockquote>
...brings a slightly altered gameplay mechanic to the Fallout world, along with some sexy new 3D graphics.
Interplay has undergone some re-arranging and internal company shifts in recent years, but it seems that, despite all the brou-ha-ha, someone managed to remember what is perhaps the company's best-known franchise and hand it off to Vivendi Universal to develop*. And it looks like they're very much on the right track, making the needed adjustments for the console market. Not only is the world of Fallout (which is set post-World War 3) now rendered in gorgeously gritty 3D, it's also now more action oriented, with around 50 weapons to choose from, complemented with nearly a dozen types of armor. The game is aimed at the more casual market, with the goall of allowing players to jump easily in and out without having to spend time re-orienting themselves.
The RPG elements will still be in place for these characters, however, allowing you to level up as you progress through the game, which has a projected 20-25 hour playing time. This may not be much in comparison with the original, perhaps, but the beauty of the Fallout games has always been their almost infinite replayability and the way in which the player can impact his or her environment. You can customize your character, yes, but more importantly, every choice you make affects the world around you, making Fallout a game of choices.
Gone are the "Action Points" and turn-based elements, replaced with a more on-the-fly RPG feel, similar to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance or Diablo. You'll start off with a piddling 9mm pistol, firing at evil junkers packing flamethrowers and terrorizing the local, mutant villagers.
And, luckily, the atmosphere remains extremely recognizable for fans of the series. You'll blast through bombed-out towns, infested forests and overrun factories, each with its own rusty, post-apocalyptic feel. And with the addition of the new 3D engine, these environments are looking even grittier and uninhabitable than ever.
Then again, the combat system is tried, tested and true, the graphics look great, the gameplay will almost surely rock, and it is set in the world of Fallout, so short of the two companies both being taken over by brain-eating leprechauns**, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel should certainly have a big presence and give us all yet another game to look forward to at the end of the year.
</blockquote>Thanks to Dule for pointing this out. Yes, the game is made specifically for stupid people like those who wrote the UGO article.
Now off I go to flush that crap out of my browser's cache...
* - The author of the article is hereby nominated for The Clueless Wonder 2k3 Award, earning said nomination for continuing one of the biggest problems in gaming journalism.
** - Two of them have been taken over already. One is called "Titus". The other one is called "UGO".
EDIT: Shortly after posting this, every page at UGO gave a 404 Error. I think, in some way, it actually makes a vast improvement to their rather laughable preview.