The Fallout 3 reflection thread... *** Spoilers ***

[Mp4]

i enjoy the first part of the game , when you are a baby etc and going to escape 101 , other than that i found the game quite boring and a disappointment , even though i cursed Oblivion , i actually prefer it now.

I found the gameplay to be okay, i like the vats system.

The graphics were just same and bland (in the wasteland) at least in 101 there was some Atmosphere.

You couldn’t get in-depth into the game. I found anyway. (feel sorry for chars / like Hl2)

No mounts!! , running gets VERY booring

A waste of £40 ... imo

 

[Streeteh]

Can you explain how? Nothing in these games is the same, apart from the fact you can explore, which other games can offer too.

It suffers from the same issues i had with oblivion, also it had more in common with oblivion than it does with the previous fallout games. A few similarities with oblivion i would list would be:

Very little attention to the main plot, the emphasis is on the open plan of the game, not the storyline itself. It just... ends.

Very frequently reoccurring NPC models, just like oblivion you can expect to see the same face multiple times.

Reasonably frequently reoccurring NPC voices, not quite as bad as the models, but you will hear the same voice actor playing the same guy several times

'The Famous Guy' Like oblivion it seems they invested a large portion of their cast budget into getting one famous actor into the credits who doesn't even stick around for long.

Annoying lock picking minigame; it's had reconstructive surgery, but it still there and still gets on my nuts.

First person; well, it is, oblivion was, fallout wasn't

Hand to hand combat pretty much exactly the same as oblivion but without shields, you can still block though.

Seemingly random monster leveling and very many seemingly random enemy encounters. Walking through the wasteland and oh, i'm getting attacked by an ogr... sorry i mean bandit.

The fact that combat is now largely real time with a bit o' turn based instead of just purely turn based, like fallout was.

Not all of those are criticisms, they're just ways in which the game is more similar to oblivion, technically a completely unrelated game, than it is to fallout 1 + 2, its predecessors. I know a few are nitpicking too, but once again i'm not trying to point out whats wrong with it, just why it doesn't feel like fallout anymore.

[EDIT] Oh and any of these i haven't mentioned:

Same engine, same levelling structure, similar (iffy) inventory systems, same voice actors, same quest structure, similar melee combat system, the default controls are practically identical, merchant system is similar.

They have a lot in common.

 

[EvilOne]

Same engine, same levelling structure, similar (iffy) inventory systems, same voice actors, same quest structure, similar melee combat system, the default controls are practically identical, merchant system is similar.

They have a lot in common.

Having said that, they're both GREAT games, it'd just be nice if they'd made more of an effort to differentiate the two.

Leveling structure is diffrent, you gain exp by killing stuff not using skills.

Inventory system is the same in a thousand games lol, dont see it as a problem.

VATS totally changes the combat system, even tho it doesnt seem that much like oblivian anyways. Oblivian melee was a lot easier then fallout 3 imo.

Merchant/Quest systems are inline with fallout 1/2, so you could say oblivian stole the idea for merchants from those

Cant comment on the actors, as i never payed that much attention to them in either game lol.

 

[KNiVES]

The game is good, but I agree with others that it really is Oblivion with guns. It's the exact same engine, with the exact same npc interaction and camera angles. The exact same voice actors too. Bethesda takes the mickey out of this once with the travelling merchant - 'all the finest quality junk, scrap and crap', in the exact same tone and voice as 'all the finest quality goods' in Oblivion. It might be a slight parody of itself, but it rings too close to home in my opinion.

Stalker, with this much openness would have been incredible. Instead, we got Oblivion with guns - and all the flaws and weaknesses that came along with it. The very premise of the world of Fallout and the story and atmosphere it brings is enough to save the game but I can't help but wonder how much better it could have been if it was a project reworked from the very bottom right to the top.

 

[B1gbeard]

Anyone who didn't like Oblivion was never going to be converted by it.

I loved Oblivion and in turn loved the improved Fallout 3. In fact I would happily put it in my top ten all time list.

The atmosphere it creates is stunning (easily up there with Bioshock, Thief and Dues Ex). The feeling of desolation is unparallelled. I enjoyed simply wandering the wastes from location to location soaking up the atmosphere and searching the ruins. Every place had a story to tell from skeletons in baths and beds to childrens toys.

The new, improved leveling system is much better than the half arsed one from Oblivion. The VATS system also re-vamped the flaky combat.

The main story was fine. It won't win any awards but the voice acting was good and it was fairly interesting (if short).

It does contain some of the niggles from Oblivion but what it gets right far outweighs the bad imo. I'm on about 50hrs played now and can see myself going for a while yet. Still so much to see and do.

 

[raz0rr]

Leveling structure is diffrent, you gain exp by killing stuff not using skills.

The layout of the skills themselves is very similar. Everything is 'out of 100.'

Inventory system is the same in a thousand games lol, dont see it as a problem.

Compare it to the inventory of RPGs like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights, and it's plain awful. It's clearly designed for best use on a console rather than a PC.

Merchant/Quest systems are inline with fallout 1/2, so you could say oblivian stole the idea for merchants from those

The design of the Merchant window is practically the same as Oblivion's, but a different colour. The whole Barter/Money system is practically identical, MINUS the influence aspect.

 

[Glaucus]

hey guys where can you get ammo from, got to say I'm starting to struggle.

Moira has ran out of ammo and the armoury is of limits...

 

[Glaucus]

The layout of the skills themselves is very similar. Everything is 'out of 100.'

Compare it to the inventory of RPGs like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights, and it's plain awful. It's clearly designed for best use on a console rather than a PC.

The design of the Merchant window is practically the same as Oblivion's, but a different colour. The whole Barter/Money system is practically identical, MINUS the influence aspect.

Blah Blah Blah. who cares if it's like oblivion, it follows the fallout series. If it's like oblivion that's because oblivion nicked it's game play.

 

[Gecco]

I just started again (3rd time)

Best Game ever!

 

[raz0rr]

Blah Blah Blah. who cares if it's like oblivion, it follows the fallout series. If it's like oblivion that's because oblivion nicked it's game play.

 

[Flammy]

The layout of the skills themselves is very similar. Everything is 'out of 100.'

Fallout 1 was out of 200. Fallout 2 was out of 300. Fallout 3 is out of 100. Arbitrary numbers. Point still stands, the leveling up system is different to Oblivion.

Compare it to the inventory of RPGs like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights, and it's plain awful. It's clearly designed for best use on a console rather than a PC.

Its not meant to be compared to AD&D games, it is an action-based fast-moving RPG, not a turn-based, dice rolling, party based slower paced statfest like BG. As long as it works well, arguments like 'its clearly designed for best use on a console' are irrelevant.

The design of the Merchant window is practically the same as Oblivion's, but a different colour. The whole Barter/Money system is practically identical, MINUS the influence aspect.

Its the same system as in the original fallout games. Saying it has things in common with Oblivion is fine, but it isnt as if Oblivion was the first game to feature these things. Maybe Oblivion should be described as 'Fallout with swords' instead...

 

[RecD]

--

 

[HAz]

didnt play oblivion for long, but this game was brilliant. about to play i through again in evil.

 

[raz0rr]

Its not meant to be compared to AD&D games, it is an action-based fast-moving RPG, not a turn-based, dice rolling, party based slower paced statfest like BG. As long as it works well, arguments like 'its clearly designed for best use on a console' are irrelevant.

But the point still stands, the inventory is pretty inefficient.
I was using those games as examples because they have good inventory systems, which is completely unrelated to them being d20 based.

The inventory is just a huge long list, and it's plain cumbersome to navigate when you've got a lot of stuff. Oblivion had the same issue, although there were plenty mods out to help (Fallout will have plenty once the SDK is out, I'm sure).

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the game a lot, I just think it had some flaws that dampen it. It seems like Bethesda just plain ignored some of the criticisms of Oblivion.

 

[KNiVES]

Blah Blah Blah. who cares if it's like oblivion, it follows the fallout series. If it's like oblivion that's because oblivion nicked it's game play.

Spot the guy who's never played Fallout 1 and 2

 

[Flammy]

But the point still stands, the inventory is pretty inefficient.
I was using those games as examples because they have good inventory systems, which is completely unrelated to them being d20 based.

The inventory is just a huge long list, and it's plain cumbersome to navigate when you've got a lot of stuff. Oblivion had the same issue, although there were plenty mods out to help (Fallout will have plenty once the SDK is out, I'm sure).

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the game a lot, I just think it had some flaws that dampen it. It seems like Bethesda just plain ignored some of the criticisms of Oblivion.

its not the best system I agree, but its not a game-breaker for me, more of a niggly thing. I think we can all agree that the game isn't flawless by any means, I just don't think comparing it to Oblivion is very productive. There were lots of things in Oblivion which really irritated me but which didn't appear in Fallout 3 - for example the repetitive environments and quests, spongy flaky combat, and shallow NPC interaction. Fallout 3 had a great deal more identity and personality in its locations - burnt out towns, rivet city, lamplight caverns, oasis etc, much more interesting than oblivion's identikit caves and those godawful portal levels. It felt more focused and real, compared to Oblivion's world which could have come straight out of a random level generator.

Personally I can see certain similarities, that is undeniable, but the two games are different enough to warrant being judged on their own merits, rather than the lazy 'Oblivion with guns' cliche that is doing the rounds. By implying that it is just the same game in a different setting is doing it a massive disservice.

 

[EvilOne]

The end battle in fallout 3 was kinda weak. Walk into a room and head shot the main guy 3 time, bam its over. Oh well.

 

[Glaucus]

Although it's still a good game I'm disappointed by it.

There's a lack of ammo in the game until you find the capital building where talon are fighting the mutants.
there's no eye or crotch shot in vats.
There's not a huge range of differing weapons.
They removed the awesome map travel. where the map was blacked out and in sqaures. you could speedily travel any where but it would pull you out if you hit any bad guys. That was one of the greatest features of the game..

There seems to be less populated areas. Although I haven't explored everywhere. Where's the prostitutes and gambling dens..

 

[Gecco]

There is pleanty of ammo.
I have to sell most of mine as I keep getting overcrumbled.

But yeah, where are all the hookers.

 

[roid]

I miss the crotch shots too ;[