The Fallout 3 Question

[DaveW]

This year's E3 had one big title missing from it; folks in the know were allready aware that Bethesda were keeping a tight lid on Fallout 3. No-one was expecting to see this poster at E3 though.


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/davew/fallout.jpg

So that's really hit it home: Bethesda have Fallout. They own Fallout 3. Bethesda who just made a lot of money from Oblivion. Bethesda who, let's not lie here, know how to make a pretty looking game.

Unfortunately, Fallout isn't a pretty game; even in it's day, the graphics were only reasonable. Most of the idiot Fanboys are demanding an isometric game with various other flaws that, while endearing in the originals, would spell the end for any modern game.

The thing people fear most is that the great dialogues will be lost, as will many of the in-jokes, silly Monty Python references, and so forth. But is that what made Fallout great? I'll be damned if i know.

I don't even think that the amazing team at Black Isle new: which has led me to the conclusion that Bethesta can do this. They can make Fallout 3. The one the fanboys want? Probably not, but let's face it, no-one could keep them all happy.

I've come to accept the truth, and it's allowed me to focus on the single important issue: Fallout 3 is finally coming.

I know most of the guys on the board have heard of this game, and if you haven't, don't worry: it's a game where you play it and love it, but it dies into obscurity anyway.

So i wanted to know what you thought of Bethesda owning Fallout 3: will they screw it up? Do you think that it needs a facelift to make it a game acceptable in the days of dual graphics cards and other technical bibble-babble? Is Fallout doomed, or like a pheonix, will it rise from the flames?

If you liked Fallout, let me know what you think.

-Dave (The other chosen one)

[Rankenphile]

Actually, this isn't the first hint that it was coming. I was at last year's E3, and snagged a couple Oblivion T-shirts from Bethsoft's booth, where they were showing the teaser trailer for Oblivion. On the wall, they had the Fallout 3 poster that just had the iconic radiation sumbol and the words "Fallout 3". Nothing else. Then this year, they bring out this poster, which hints more strongly, but that's about it.

I wish I had a copy of a really, really great post made by one of the developers for this that was put up on the No Mutants Allowed forum (cesspool of fanboy-ism that it is) that basically put the fanboy mentality in it's place. He basically came out and said, "Yes, we're working on it. Yes, it will be awesome. No, we're not going to make it to your exact specifications. Yes, we give a damn. Yes, you're a bunch of nitpicking freaks that need to come up for air. No, we don't care if you start a flame war. Now go outside and don't forget your sunscreen."

I personally can't wait, and trust BethSoft to make a pretty faithful adaptation of it in their own vision. They've proven they can make incredible RPGs with a huge scope, and that they truly care about the gamer community, and the fact that they would even consider making a sequel to one of the most beloved series in PC gaming history shows that they've got some serious cajones.

I just wish I knew more about it, but time will reveal all.

[DaveW]

the fact that they would even consider making a sequel to one of the most beloved series in PC gaming history shows that they've got some serious cajones.

Hear hear!

I knew about the silly little poster they had last year, but Black Isle had the game 60% finished when they were all laid off. So I wasn't going to take a 3 second photoshop half-effort as proof of the game's development state.

Not after the game's apparently cursed "You shalt not make me" status.

-Dave

[Rankenphile]

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/DukeNukem.jpg

Huh?

[OvRiDe]

It'll be done .. when its DONE! :)

[Rankenphile]

riiiiiiiight.

[Mr_Happy]

As a fallout fanboy im very happy & exited that fallout 3 is FINALLY being made and it will be a grand event, as was the release of Oblivion. and there seems to be allot of worries amongst the NoMutantsAllowed forums as to what the game will look like. personally i found the whole isometric/turnbased thing a bit tedeous after playing the most recent fallout PC game, Fallout Tactics: BOS, made by Intrplay & Macro Forte. FT:BOS is still the 3rd person we all know & love but its not isometric (dunno how to explain it... like from C&C1/RA1, the units/buildings were confined to squares. in generals its all... build where ever-ed-ness :p ) and its either turnbased or active turn based (ATB). the way it works is you have a max # of actionpoints & when you use them to do an action, they regen to the max again. so it in effect becomes realtime. HUGE improvement to gameplay. the gfx are improved, the movement is improved, the action is improved.

hopefully Bethesda makes a similar improvement to the game & not a complete makeover. coz that would be pretty crap:eek: to be honest. (just like C&C renegade, where the RTS we all love was turned into a FPS everyone hate)

but i guess well just have to wait & see.

[DaveW]

Do you think it would make a difference if Fallout was 1st Person? I don't think it would be quite the same thing.

I agree that the TB strategy is a system that can be confined to the past: It was good in it's day, but people expect action and interactivity these days, not waiting 3 minutes to see your guy get blown up just before your turn finally comes.

Just like Ian in the orignal, Bethesta have a decent chance at shooting us all in the back: due to their history as a developer, i've come to trust them. Let's hope my trust isn't misplaced.

-Dave

[Redbeard]

Wow, thanks for putting up the poster DaveW. After what happened with Black Isle I gave up on following NMA's rants about any hope for Fallout 3. I'm with you Dave, I trust them, and I personally think the game will be much different in gameplay than 1 and 2. I personally even enjoyed Tactics (don't hate me though) and even though it had many flaws I still played it hours on end. I think one thing, at least for me, that makes fallout stand out is how it always felt right. The game is vile, crude and disgusting and therefore completely appropriate given the setting. I love the fact that if you walked into the wrong place you would get your face shot off, I loved how most people were just barely hanging on, surving any way they could and if one thing goes wrong then they all could die. In a way the games felt real, believable, and solid. Fallout is one of those games that leaves you feeling like you were there and not just playing a game. Aside from silly jokes, movie references and random encounters, the game simply created one of the best worlds any video game (or movie for that manner) would dream of creating.

[DaveW]

Interesting fact: Mobygames is a website with the aim of cataloging computer games, and goes back all the way to 1977. Both Fallout 1 and 2 are in their top 25 games of all time (http://www.mobygames.com/stats/top_games/k,all_time_best/) list. Note that Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time, which most websites agree is the current best game of all time, hasn't even made it onto that list. That's because the current 'best game of all time' lists tend to use average scores from multi-format websites, and when fallout came out, there weren't many multi-format websites around. Interesting, eh?

Redbeard, I couldn't agree with you more!

-Dave

[Pimptimus_Prime]

I love the Fallout series (Brotherhood of Steel doesn't count.) and I love Bethseda Softworks games. If anyone can capture the Fallout spirit AND update it to fit with most people's concept of a modern game, I would have to say Bethseda is number one on my list of developers who can pull it off. Number 2? That would be Bioware.

P.S.: I'm stoked!