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From Football to Fantasy - Bethesda's Long Journey

Posted by Zonk on from the learning-curve dept.

This week's Escapist (which is themed around luck and odds) talks about the unlikely path Bethesda Softworks took from GridIron to Oblivion . The article discusses the company's lengthy and mostly successful past, and touches on the future of the company - the next chapter in the epic and much missed Fallout series of games. The unique tone of the Elder Scrolls games has well prepared them for taking on this 'biblical' development quest. Executive producer Todd Howard comments: "I think the first Fallout's tone is brilliant, but then they start to drift in the sequel and subsequent games. When it comes to humor, I'm very anti 'jokes' in games. Most designers try too hard to tell a joke, and it just doesn't work. I think good humor for Fallout is dry, almost satirical. Like getting your leg blown off, blood starts spraying all over the place and you get the little [PIPBoy] interface image giving you the thumbs up - I find that funny. Horrible situations juxtaposed against cartoon mascots. But that's just me."

25 comments

  1. Bethesda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I actually live maybe 20 minutes from their central offices. It's awesome being that close. Yes this is offtopic. Bite me.

    1. Re:Bethesda by rblancarte · · Score: 1, Funny

      20 minutes from a game companies offices? Can I touch you?

      RonB

      --
      It is human nature to take shortcuts in thinking.
  2. Bethesda's past by dave-tx · · Score: 2, Funny

    To me, the pinnacle of Bethesda's works were in the early 90's, with the "Wayne Gretzky Hockey" franchise. This was the first hockey simulator that had decent intelligence and actually played like hockey rather than a videogame. My college friends and myself marveled at the quality of this game, and lost some much-needed study time with it.

    As a side note, the third version of WGH was so bug-ridden that for many years I refused to buy another Bethesda product. Of course, now I realize that shipping a buggy release is less than uncommon.

    --

    >> "What would the robut do? Frame someone!"

    1. Re:Bethesda's past by TheDreadSlashdotterD · · Score: 1

      Bethesda has always made it a point to ship buggy, incomplete games. It is only now that they can add in components after release for money. When the game manual has vast omissions and tells the player to save often, you know you've bought a buggy product.

      --
      I have nothing to say.
  3. One of the first "pure" 3D FPS's by halivar · · Score: 1

    If I'm correct, did Bethesda do Terminator: Future Shock? It was a very fun game, and the first I ever played with free-look.

    1. Re:One of the first "pure" 3D FPS's by tgd · · Score: 1

      Yup, that was really a fantastic game. Not just free-look but it had open maps. You could go into buildings, the game was very free-form.

      Unfortunately, they made it somewhat too free form. It was easy to do something that screwed you later in the game, like blowing up a bridge you would later have to cross.

    2. Re:One of the first "pure" 3D FPS's by DrugCheese · · Score: 1

      Yes I remember that because in Terminator (not futureshock but still Bethesda) in one of the post-apocalyptic city maps you were able to go inside an office building labeled 'Bethesda'. Great game. Yes it was almost too open, but I'd rather have something too open, then something so closed off it becomes a FPS mockery of a side scrolling game, which some games are. I remember in the vehicles you could start driving up very steep cliffs and just take off across the map.

      --
      *DrugCheese rants*
    3. Re:One of the first "pure" 3D FPS's by halivar · · Score: 1

      I agree wholeheartedly. One of the things I loved most about the old Ultima games, and more recently Oblivion (whaddya know... that one was Bethesda, as well. Go Fig.).

  4. Grim humor by zyl0x · · Score: 1

    I'm so relieved to hear that Howard appreciates the original Fallout-style dark humor. The big thing I was worried about when Fallout went to Bethesda, was losing Interplay's unique view on the Fallout universe. All hail PipBoy!

    --
    Blerg.
  5. "Print view" of article by falzbro · · Score: 2, Informative

    The article that's linked to shows up very strnagely in my browser. The print view has article text all one page:

    * http://www.escapistmagazine.com/print/83/12

  6. Let us not forget... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Star Trek Legacy. If they make the third (don't bother me with Tactics) Fallout game as mediocre as Legacy then I WILL buy a plane ticket to cross the pond and I WILL give them all Chelsea grins. That's some dark humour for you right there Mr Bethesda man.

    1. Re:Let us not forget... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Star Trek Legacy was published by Bethesda but produced by a third party (Mad Doc Software), retard.

  7. I think we now know... by FishWithAHammer · · Score: 1

    ...how screwed Fallout 3 is.

    I played both of the games as soon as I could lay my hands on them after release. I still play them today. And when I look at that interview, I shudder. Even Fallout 1 was filled with those kinds of jokes that he refers to! Those are a large part of what make the game good. Oh, wait...they had a good set of designers and writers. Betheseda doesn't, that's for sure (and for the record, Morrowind and Oblivion both suck when compared to Daggerfall).

    I knew it was doomed the second I heard it was going to be in 3D, but really--do you have to be obvious about screwing it into the ground? Why not just make it a goddamned MMO while you're at it?

    --
    "You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
  8. Fallout 3 by soccerisgod · · Score: 1

    3D, real time, and it will have the "bloody mess" perk. If that's Fallout enough for you, then full steam ahead.

    Everyone else, expect an average FPS with good design.

    --
    If a train station is a place where a train stops, what's a workstation?
    1. Re:Fallout 3 by Teddy+Beartuzzi · · Score: 1

      3D and real time? Aw fuck.

      And what's with this "got progressively worse" stuff? Fallout 2 was almost as good as Fallout 1. Certainly not a disaster like they're implying.

    2. Re:Fallout 3 by triffid_98 · · Score: 1
      Don't worry, it's all about the hot radscorpion mod.

      Everyone else, expect an average FPS with good design.
    3. Re:Fallout 3 by soccerisgod · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ghoul: I saw a radscorpion today. Nasty creatures
      Mutant: I avoid them whenever I can
      Ghoul: I've heard others say the same

      --
      If a train station is a place where a train stops, what's a workstation?
    4. Re:Fallout 3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess I'll be waiting for the equivalent of OOO for this then.

    5. Re:Fallout 3 by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      I really don't care how long this game takes to produce. All I want is classic fallout without all of the 'prettying up'. Give me great dialog, gameplay, and a solid story line. In other words; Bethesda, don't screw this up.

    6. Re:Fallout 3 by soccerisgod · · Score: 1

      I predict you will get exactly all of what you don't care about and none of what you do care about. Prove: Look at Oblivion.

      --
      If a train station is a place where a train stops, what's a workstation?
    7. Re:Fallout 3 by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately, I expect that you will be proven right. I was initially excited to hear that Fallout 3 was picked up for development, but Oblivion has made it difficult for me to maintain any hope at all. That and the fact that they have had over two years and we haven't heard a word.

  9. Bethesda by Daergeth · · Score: 1

    A title that I thought didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved was Magic and Mayhem, I loved that game. Great re-playability, and the music...just awsome. To me, that game is far superior to Oblivion.

  10. Convenient by C0R1D4N · · Score: 1

    Conveniently stops just short of discussing the release of the utter crap that was Star Trek Legacy.

    1. Re:Convenient by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll post this again, since you missed it the first time. Star Trek Legacy was published by Bethesda, yes... but was entirely produced by a third party, Mad Doc Software. Do you call Comcast to complain that American Idol is a stupidest show?

  11. Humour you like? by EdwinBoyd · · Score: 1

    Like getting your leg blown off, blood starts spraying all over the place and you get the little [PIPBoy] interface image giving you the thumbs up - I find that funny.

    Is it just me or did this never ever happen in either of the Fallouts?