Fallout 3
- Thread starter Caeili.Draziw
- Start date
Harbringer
Your A One Flower Garden
You cant mod A.I with the G.E.C.K, it doesn't cover those kinds of things.
Harbringer
Your A One Flower Garden
Which the G.E.C.K doesn't cover.....
Heretic_Cata
We're gonna live forever
And that time is now.I guess I will have to wait for a month for your review
I played the game for a bit. I finished up in Megaton (the quests that didn't involve me going too far into the wastes) and explored around it a bit - Gravesomething, something Mall, Spring something school.
So i will base my opinion on what i've played so far. It may change by the end of the game. (if i even get to it)
The game is not a fallout game. This much is clear. This is as much a Fallout game as X-Com Enforcer is an X-Com game. And in that case - i played through it being horrified and what abomination could have the name "x-com" in it's title. HOWEVER, i did enjoy the game a little, it's ********-ness actually worked in it's favour. Same goes for F3 (only not in such an extreme manner).
I keep getting the feeling of horror as i play through the game and see how it feels like something else that has elements from fallout forced into it. Those elements are what is making me want to play F1&2 again.
Anyway let's discuss some stuff.
Atmosphere/Feeling - let's just put it this way. It doesn't fail miserably, and it doesn't succede admirably. First of all, the vault was not like how i imagined it to be: a clean looking place that contrasts greatly with the wasteland and with the corruption from the vault dwellers. The absence of this contrast killed the feeling from that part of the game. But this tutorial part of the game was cute anyway. What adds a lot to the atmosphere is the radiation which is very well implemented in the game. The music from f1-2 was an important part of the game which gave it a very nice feel to it. In f3 - you get radio, which is much more realistic ... but, ironicaly, this annoys me instead of making the game better. Why ? It feels like i'm walking down the street listening to an ipod. Which i hate. So half the time it's turned off. And another bad thing: safety in travelling. For a wasteland full of perils, it sure feels like teleporting between safe-zones and "dungeons". You just click on the map and bam you're there. (unless you haven't been to that location before). Of course i'm refering to the random encounters from F1-2 which could have easly been implemented (or maybe i didn't teleport enough times to actually catch an encounter
) along with a fly-by "animation" instead of the teleport. Combat - ah the combat. Probably the worst thing in the game. If you're not using VATS It feels like a FPS made by people who never made one before. I can't even explain what's wrong with it. It feels bulky and awkward. If you're using VATS then once every few enemies you get a bit of "Fallout Tactics" (played in real time) in F3. Of course, that's only the first few times you use it. For you in the game, it is usefull if you're too lazy to aim. But for YOU it's boring as hell seeing the same decapitation scene or vaporisation from laser. Maybe i'm just not affected by it nowadays, but the gore in the game might as well be missing altogether - it'd be same boring crap to me. (unlike the gore in games like Dead Space for example)
Characters & Voices - the character graphics repeat themselves a LOT. Even in Megaton which is small-ish, i saw the same characters a few times. What's worse is that their voice is the same too. Despite this, the voice acting is not bad (even tho the voice sounds the same).
Dialogue - well, i'll say this. This game has complex dialgoues for a FPS ...
Leveling up - i have to say that i love choosing perks. This part of the game was very nicely taken from F1-2. (even tho you get perks every level)
Can't think of other stuff. So let's get to the conclusion:
Fallout3 is not a bad game. I might even go as far to say that - i guess it could be some sort of ATTEMPT at making a fallout game. However the "3" in the title burns my eyes. If it was named Fallout:Wasteland or Fallout3D(?) it's very likely it wouldn't get such harsh reviews from the fans. What is certain is that if this had another name i would have had a better opinion of it.
Also, i'm not sure why i'm still playing the game - is it because it has fallout in the title ? Or is it because the game is fun/addictive ? I really can't tell. I hope it's the second.
EDIT: long post is long
Serutan
Eatibus Anythingibus
OK, I have played almost to level 7, have completed some side quests,
and have started a full scale map exploration. Given what I've heard and
read about the main quest, I doubt I will complete it. It just sounds too lame.
After reading Heretic's review, I decided I'd put my $.02 in...
Having not played the original Fallout games, I can't comment on that per se, but I will say that Fallout 3 is largely Oblivion with a sci-fi skin.
I respectfully disagree. I think the atmosphere is actually quite good, better than Oblivion.
You'll never have an encounter while fast travelling. While I see the point here, I like the fast travel feature because it saves a lot of (IMO) wasted player time running back and forth to Megaton (or wherever) to sell things/sleep.
QFT
A close second in this department for me is the beginning of the game. It's
just too bloody drawn out and tedious.
Not just the characters, a lot of the animals/people are animated in the exact same way as their counterparts in Oblivion. I know it saved the
software folks time and money, but it reinforces the impression of a
re-skinned Oblivion rather than a successor in the Fallout series. I also would have been happier with a bigger map with more exploration possibilities.
One thing that Bethesda resurrected from Morrowind that I like is that not all the mosters are scaled; before you get high level or are well equipped you
can run into stuff you can't handle, especially if you're not following the main quest.
Overall, though, I find myself liking this game and getting immersed in it
despite the flaws. Even though it is a sci-fi Oblivion, there is enough difference between that game and this one (especially in the levelling up/skills) that I don't feel like I'm merely replaying Oblivion. Of course, this
may well be because I don't have the memories of the previous Fallout games
to affect my expectations - MOO3 comes to mind...
and have started a full scale map exploration. Given what I've heard and
read about the main quest, I doubt I will complete it. It just sounds too lame.
After reading Heretic's review, I decided I'd put my $.02 in...
Having not played the original Fallout games, I can't comment on that per se, but I will say that Fallout 3 is largely Oblivion with a sci-fi skin.
I respectfully disagree. I think the atmosphere is actually quite good, better than Oblivion.
For a wasteland full of perils, it sure feels like teleporting between safe-zones and "dungeons". You just click on the map and bam you're there. (unless you haven't been to that location before). Of course i'm refering to the random encounters from F1-2 which could have easly been implemented (or maybe i didn't teleport enough times to actually catch an encounter
You'll never have an encounter while fast travelling. While I see the point here, I like the fast travel feature because it saves a lot of (IMO) wasted player time running back and forth to Megaton (or wherever) to sell things/sleep.
QFT
A close second in this department for me is the beginning of the game. It's
just too bloody drawn out and tedious.
Not just the characters, a lot of the animals/people are animated in the exact same way as their counterparts in Oblivion. I know it saved the
software folks time and money, but it reinforces the impression of a
re-skinned Oblivion rather than a successor in the Fallout series. I also would have been happier with a bigger map with more exploration possibilities.
One thing that Bethesda resurrected from Morrowind that I like is that not all the mosters are scaled; before you get high level or are well equipped you
can run into stuff you can't handle, especially if you're not following the main quest.
Overall, though, I find myself liking this game and getting immersed in it
despite the flaws. Even though it is a sci-fi Oblivion, there is enough difference between that game and this one (especially in the levelling up/skills) that I don't feel like I'm merely replaying Oblivion. Of course, this
may well be because I don't have the memories of the previous Fallout games
to affect my expectations - MOO3 comes to mind...
Leonel
Breakfast Connoisseur
Heheh I encountered a behemoth mutant after investigating a super mutant camp. 
Needless to say, I died.
Needless to say, I died.
philippe
FYI, I chase trains.
bwah, they aren't that hard actually, just be smart and use bottlecap mines if you are low-leveled.
Heretic_Cata
We're gonna live forever
Well i agree with you. When i tried Oblivion it had no atmosphere whatsoever - it felt like i was playing a really bad MMO (in regards of feeling).
However in comparison to the other Fallouts this game is seriosuly lacking in this area. Keep in mind that anything hinting to an atmosphere in F3 was probably copied from F1&2.
Wait? Oblivion didn't have fast travel ? Tell me you're kidding. It amazes me with how much crap some gamers can put up with.
If F3 didn't have fast travel i would have stopped playing at level3 or smthing.In F1&2 you could ONLY fast travel between locations. Howver it was far from a teleport like it is here.
They could have bothered to change them. The characters' shabby graphics contrast immensly with the detailed wasteland.
And i agree, the map is too small. Even by Fallout1&2 standards.
The leveling up & skills is one of the best things that they kept from Fallout. That's the good news. The bad news is, that they are mostly pointless. In the older fallouts skills had a greater effect, and the Strength/Perception/etc were very important, while here they make little impact.
To me, saying that Fallout3 is an improved oblivion only makes me think of the horrors i might have experienced if i'd play oblivion for more than a few minutes.
What was really shocking for me is the reviews that F3 got on the major sites especially in comparison with the reviews from magazines that i saw. Sites say ZOMG BEST GAME EVAR, while magazine reviews from experienced editors say it's just an improved oblivion.
I actually picked up Oblivion again last night because I just couldn't be bothered to carry on with my new character in Fallout 3. My first impressions of F3 were very good as I was dying to have something new by Bethesda after how fun Oblivion was, but after a single play through it just can't keep my attention anymore.
Like you mentioned in your post, the F3 character creation is dire. Attributes are almost meaningless and everything revolves around skills - even most of the perks are boring as they just increase skill points rather than give unique bonuses. This is in contrast to what I think is strong character creation in Oblivion: attributes affect your overall abilities, while skills affect your competence (for example, a high strength means you can deal a lot of damage with swords, and a high blade skill means you can execute more advanced swordsmanship moves). Then you've got birthsigns, specialisations (for more rapid skill advancement in your chosen skill subset combat/magic/stealth), and selection of major skills (which govern your overall level). This is really watered down in F3, to the point where it is pretty much inconsequential how you set up your character. Also, small guns are everywhere and by far the best combat skill to have for the majority of the game, and the only choice at the start; dull dull dull.
Serutan
Eatibus Anythingibus
Yeah, you definitely have to take the major web site reviews with a grain
of salt; they seem to be more interested in getting the games to sell, rather
than actually analyze them.
I think the magazine reviews pretty much hit the nail on the head.
Maniacal
the green Napoleon
I don't read the magazines so I don't know abouttheir reviews, but I agree that many website reviewers are (well, come cross as anyways) idiots.
Chukchi Husky
Lone Wolf
I only played the game up until I got to the town with the bomb. I was expecting the vault to look like the interior of some sort of shiny futuristic space ship, instead it looked like the inside of a submarine. I didn't like the vault jump suits, they appeared to be made from denim. I don't know what else they should be made from, probably some sort of plastic fabric.
Heretic_Cata
We're gonna live forever
You're the first person i heard with this opinion. I'm not sure why this makes me happy. Because F3 might suck more than a game i don't like. Or because it might be better than it.
You're right, it does look like the inside of a submarine. When i played F1&2 i imagined the vault suits to be made of plastics ... Dunno if those actually exist tho. Yea they didn't look like they should in F3.
Harbringer
Your A One Flower Garden
I thought fallout 3 was fine except the attributes didnt matter and the skills didnt matter that much AND regardless of what I had heard the only things I couldnt kill at level one were behemoths and deathclaws......other than that everything was killable at level one...and thats very frustrating.
Harbringer
Your A One Flower Garden
philippe
FYI, I chase trains.
bottlecap-mines are seriously Overpowered.
Darth_Pugwash
wobble wobble
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2003
- Messages
- 2,873
I got this for Christmas but haven't been able to get into it... something about it just doesn't hook me. Doesn't help that it has one of the most boring opening sequences of any game I have ever played: I mean, thirty minutes in and I'm answering questions in a frickin' exam? Incredibly dull.
The world outside the Vault didn't really grab me either. I haven't seen an awful lot of it (just Megaton and the surrounding area), but it seems very drab and uniform-greyish. You would expect more vegetation to have grown in the two centuries since the bombs were dropped.. honestly in places it looks more like five to twenty years have passed than two-hundred (what's up with all those dead trees?)
The world outside the Vault didn't really grab me either. I haven't seen an awful lot of it (just Megaton and the surrounding area), but it seems very drab and uniform-greyish. You would expect more vegetation to have grown in the two centuries since the bombs were dropped.. honestly in places it looks more like five to twenty years have passed than two-hundred (what's up with all those dead trees?)
