Fallout: New Vegas Coming This Fall, Trailer Released

Bethesda announced today that Fallout: New Vegas is scheduled for release sometime this fall, and they released a trailer as well. Details are scant yet on the official site, but they had this to say: "Experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault: Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however — while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency,* in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay. (* Should not be construed as a legally-binding claim.)"

Comments

Political Advice

[c0mpliant]

Obama has advised people not blow money on Vegas, I think I'll follow that advice

Re:Political Advice

[JustOK]

save your money for the ncaab brackets.

Re:Political Advice

[SnarfQuest]

Obama has advised people not blow money on Vegas, I think I'll follow that advice

After blowing up Vegas with a nuke, I don't think that blowig a little money before your head rots off is that big a deal.

No one expects the zombie apocolypse.

Re:Political Advice

[JustNilt]

Actually, the way I heard it, he used people blowing money in Vegas or buying a boat when they can't afford to do so as an analogy for the way the US government is spending money. Apparently he should have used a car analogy instead.

Back on topic, I was a little disappointed in Fallout. It was a great game but I'd hoped for a grittier feel. Hehe ... no, seriously, I can hardly wait. I love post-apocalyptic stuff like this, especially when there's humor involved.

Re:Political Advice

[LrdDimwit]

Yeah! If you didn't like Fallout 3 because they changed things, I can't imagine why you'd want to play a Fallout game made by the creators of the original games.

That is fast!

[santax]

I don't think I even did everything that is possible in Fallout 3. Not that I want to complain! Looking really forward to this one. Fallout 3 has kept me on the edge of my seat for many many hours! But I am a bit confused by the article calling it fallout 3.5. Is this standalone? Or New dlc?

Re:That is fast!

[mykos]

I do believe that it is its own game.

Re:That is fast!

[djsmiley]

Stand alone...

What worries me now is the word "simulation" in the middle of that statement. I loved fallout 3; played through 3 times (twice for both karma routes + once for all dlc). The only DLC I didn't really enjoy was anchoridge simply because it was a "simulation" and a game for me is a simulation, so you get one inside the other, which then only limits more of what you can do/what is acceptable.

In anchoridge I didn't really care about the person I was controlling as it wasn't "now". Sounds stupid I know as its still a game but I didn't have the connect with the chara. I'd built up over 30 or so hours...

Re:That is fast!

[santax]

I know what you mean. It is hard to roleplay someone who is roleplaying. Had the same thing (and i found it awfully linear) but, that Chinese suite rocks :D Thanks for the quick answer btw.

Re:That is fast!

[dredwerker]

I don't think I even did everything that is possible in Fallout 3. Not that I want to complain! Looking really forward to this one. Fallout 3 has kept me on the edge of my seat for many many hours! But I am a bit confused by the article calling it fallout 3.5.

Is this standalone? Or New dlc?

It can be new and standalone but not revolutionary enough to be fallout 4 Is my guess. They will get the game engine and put some new graphics,characters,storyline,weapons and objects in.

I loved fallout 3 so I am not necessarily complaining.

I actually found this to be the most addictive single player game ever. I have a short attention span and this nearly didnt cut it for me as it took more than 60 secs to actually do anything but I am glad I persevered. I am now left wondering what other games I have missed out on due to this attitude. Just giving mass effect 2 a go.

Re:That is fast!

[mlk]

The phrase "Vault-Tec America’s First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation" was used in the PR for Fallout 3 as well. I think it was even on the back of Fallout3s box.

Re:That is fast!

[santax]

I have mass effect 2 and also a short attention span. Personally I liked fallout 3 better, but this due to some insane battles you will be doing right from the start in Mass Effect. For me fallout 3 was more convincing. However, be sure to give it a try! The story is very nice. (although I only played for about 6 hours) Dragon Age could also be interesting, but it was to much text for me. And you are probably right with the engine and all.

Re:That is fast!

[RogueyWon]

Noted and agreed. However, I don't think we need to worry too much.

Looking at the Fallout 3 manual, you can see that it's also written in Vault-Tec style, but also refers to Fallout 3 as "simulation" in places. I think the implication is supposed to be that Vault-Tec is real world coroporation, and the game we have bought is the simulation.

Oh, and for the record, I thought Operation: Anchorage was basically... well... ok. Adequate, I guess. If there was a real stinker among the DLCs, it was surely Mothership Zeta (which was pure monotony). I also didn't care that much for the new areas or missions added by Broken Steel, though I did like having the level cap raised to 30.

Re:That is fast!

[dredwerker]

I have mass effect 2 and also a short attention span. Personally I liked fallout 3 better, but this due to some insane battles you will be doing right from the start in Mass Effect. For me fallout 3 was more convincing. However, be sure to give it a try! The story is very nice. (although I only played for about 6 hours) Dragon Age could also be interesting, but it was to much text for me. And you are probably right with the engine and all.

I shall give Dragon Age a go then - thanks for that. I shall have to play it when the other half isn't around as I dont want her thinking I am a geek :)
Shooting things or driving fast is manly right??? :)

Re:That is fast!

[santax]

True but in this case I would suggest to keep the other half there... I know ms. Santax fell in love with both dragon age and mass effect. Then again, I think she is a nerd :D (can you believe it, she collects star wars-dvd's and has those things on the front that we manly men all love so much)

Re:That is fast!

[Asclepius99]

I really liked all the text in Dragon Age, but then again I really liked the characters and love just spending time talking to them. I thought the game had some of the most fleshed out characters I've ever seen in a video game. My only real problem with the game was that I've found that mages aren't really as fun or powerful as the other classes.

Also, for those missing it in Fallout 3, Dragon Age does give you the opportunity to kill a small child.

Re:That is fast!

[JosKarith]

My other half bought Dragon Age the day it came out. Though I completed it first, so it's all good. She did beat me to the end in Fallout 3, but that's cos' I dodged the main quest as much as possible to get as many side quests in as I could.

Re:That is fast!

[bangthegong]

Right - either that, or Bethesda is going to release an actual nuke, so that we can all run around the blast zone shooting at mutated wildlife.

Re:That is fast!

[Nasarius]

The characters in DAO are goddamn amazing. By far the best in any game I've played. They genuinely feel like people with consistent personalities, who react very differently to each other, to your actions, and to your words. You can't get away with mindlessly tapping the "positive" dialogue option (like you can in the Mass Effects) if you want, say, Morrigan to like you.

Re:That is fast!

[SuiteSisterMary]

On the other hand, I did appreciate being able to even talk to some random schlub, let alone find their missing whotsit, without Morrigan bitching incessantly about it.

Re:That is fast!

[Theoboley]

Nicely said. I played through DA:O The first time, and being that this is my first time playing a game of this type, (choose responses and it affects love/hate relationships) I found it very interesting that each set of characters has things that they feel and care about.

That said, i'm on my second round playing through and I'm as enthralled by the story as the first time. you miss things playing it only once.

Re:That is fast!

[Draek]

Watching ladies making out with each other is manly, but the womenfolk tend to complain when you do it in front of them for some reason.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy Dragon Age, I know I did :) though I'm of the kind that's easily obsessed, I spent about four hours on the Character Creator alone before playing, so my experience may not necessarily relate to that of anybody else in this thread.

Re:That is fast!

[dredwerker]

Watching ladies making out with each other is manly, but the womenfolk tend to complain when you do it in front of them for some reason.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy Dragon Age, I know I did :) though I'm of the kind that's easily obsessed, I spent about four hours on the Character Creator alone before playing, so my experience may not necessarily relate to that of anybody else in this thread.

I am not sure whether the experience was making out with other men,womenfolk complaining or something about dragon age now ;)

Re:That is fast!

[WuphonsReach]

The problem with Broken Steel raising the level cap to 30 was that it basically trivialized the portion of the game with regards to "it's better to be a specialist then a generalist" aspect. With 10 more levels, it was pretty easy to get to 90+ in all skills.

MZ was basically a big piggy-bank in the sky, completely out of place in the FO3 universe. The only interesting portion of it was the audio recordings of the captives. Definitely the least favorite of the expansions, even if some of the puzzles / events were interesting. Such as the infinitely spawning shooting gallery or being rushed by reinforcements while you cause an alien craft to bang into powered poles.

Re:That is fast!

[chadplusplus]

Mass Effect 2 > Fallout 3 > DA:O

After a certain dramatic event in Fallout 3 that changed the course of the game, I just didn't care enough about the general population to keep "fighting the good fight." DA:O became incredibly boring for me while in the dwarven caves - I wish I would have stuck with it, but I would sit at my PC and just yawn and wonder what was on the tele. ME2 has been non-stop action through about 30 hours (except the tedious, ridiculous mineral searches).

Re:That is fast!

[TheGeniusIsOut]

All Fallout games have been referred to as simulations in their respective manuals, the premise from the original Fallout being that these were simulations experienced by Vault dwellers to prepare them for life outside the vault.

Re:That is fast!

[Anonymous Coward]

Also, for those missing it in Fallout 3, Dragon Age does give you the opportunity to kill a small child.

That's one copy of Dragon Age sold. Bioware should hire you.

Re:That is fast!

[interkin3tic]

I didn't really enjoy was anchoridge simply because it was a "simulation" and a game for me is a simulation,

I think that what was wrong with Anchorage wasn't how they framed it in the game, it was the lack of plot, characters, sidequests, or creativity in that DLC. Mothership Zeta wasn't a game-in-game "simulation" but still sucked worse than Anchorage for the same reasons.

Re:That is fast!

[Anonymous Coward]

I never read the manuals but the Fallout 2 protagonist grew up outside the vault.

Re:That is fast!

[Anonymous Coward]

Please learn to spell Anchorage. It's difficult to read your post with such a basic misspelling repeated.

Re:That is fast!

[Satan Gave Me a Taco]

The problem with Broken Steel raising the level cap to 30 was that it basically trivialized the portion of the game with regards to "it's better to be a specialist then a generalist" aspect. With 10 more levels, it was pretty easy to get to 90+ in all skills.

Fallout 3 Wanderers Edition fixes this with its "level 30 balance" module, you get a lot less points to distribute. FWE also uses skill books to give you perks instead of skill points. The end result is that you actually have to specialize in certain skills.

What really annoys me is the "almost perfect" perk added by BS. Why did I waste my perks doing all that Intense Training, when Broken Steel comes along and all my SPECIALs can go up to 9 at once? It also makes it way to easy to max out your character, just wait until you get the perk and then grab the bobbleheads.

Re:That is fast!

[Fieryphoenix]

Which has exactly zero bearing on it being a simulation or not. A simulation with a protagonist growing up outside the vault is still just a simulation.

Re:That is fast!

[Anonymous Coward]

DA:O became incredibly boring for me while in the dwarven caves - I wish I would have stuck with it

hehe, same here. My savegame is bit-roting in the dwaren caves. I go back to it every once in a while but I can't do more then two or three fights until I lose interest. Maybe I'll get out of the caves one day :)

Re:That is fast!

[mlk]

The key part of the phrase is "Vault-Tec". The Fallout 3 the manual (and various bits of PR) are written in such a way that it is not a game released by Bethesda, but a simulation released by Vault-Tec for people living within the vaults.

Re:That is fast!

[elrous0]

I'll learn it just as soon as Sarah Palin does.

Could be good

[Anonymous Coward]

Think Vegas turned into holy city in post apocalyptic future. Survivors must have seen all the chapels in Vegas and rightfully figured it must of been an holy city in the past. Big kicker is that pope has to dress like Elvis.

Excellent

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm really excited about New Vegas, especially since Jorge Oscuro is on board.

This should be awesome.

Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[francium de neobie]

While Fallout 3 was not bad I was always feeling something is amiss, most probably because Bethesda's team is still different from the original Black Isle.

Now we're finally seeing the day the Fallout license is back on the original Black Isle developers' hands, in their new company. This game is seriously going to rock.

Re:Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[ergean]

Same here. I miss the feeling from fallout 1 & 2. Somehow Fallout 3 feels like Oblivion with new toys. :(

While I enjoyed the Alien DLC... there is something missing in all of that.

And the ending was not that great. I remember finishing the 1 & 2 a few times just to see the ending. Now I don't even care to start the game again. Even Mass Effect felt more enjoyable.

Re:Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[Supurcell]

But Obsidian's only done sequels. Sequels that didn't live up to the originals(KotOR 2 and NWN 2). I agree that Black Isle was a great company and made some great games, but the same magic was not present in Obsidian, or Troika for that matter.

Re:Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[meringuoid]

Sequels that didn't live up to the originals(KotOR 2 and NWN 2).

KOTOR 2 was terrific, up until near the end when everything fell apart because it was just not finished, because the publisher insisted they just ship immediately to make Christmas rather than actually writing an ending. Hence the long optional dialogues at the end with Darth Traya filling in a bunch of loose ends of the plot for you. Otherwise, it was essentially Planescape: Torment in a Star Wars setting.

Re:Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[MattLees]

Agreed NWN2 was just not as good as the original. Oh it added a some shiny graphics but at the expense of requiring a supercomputer to run properly. You could run a server and a client of the original on any old machine without a problem.

Re:Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[jgtg32a]

Funny thing is if you follow the Black Isle guys around you'll quickly find out that all the games they are apart of have amazing stories and the best writing, with is then off set by a lot of bugs, and glitches.
 
However it seems this time it'll be a bit different Obsidian has hired Oscuro, from the modding community.
Oscuro is damn good with the Gamebryo Engine which powers Oblivion and FO3. Because admit it Bethesda isn't really know for releasing well polished game, there are a lot of bugs on release and even more balancing issues.
 
Basically we're getting a Obsidian game, with Q/A; that news alone puts it very high in the running for GOTY

Re:Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[revlayle]

Sans Alpha Protocol - that is an original game that Obsidian is making (to be published by Sega)

Re:Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[default luser]

WOW, that's a good pickup by Obsidian. I consider OOO Lite to be an absolute necessity for playing Oblivion. Bethesda created the world, and Oscuro made it a deep, enticing experience.

If he's involved in this, I will be buying. I liked Fallout 3 better than Oblivion, and adding OOO into the mix just SCREAMS quality!

Re:Yes! Obsidian (Black Isle)!!

[jgtg32a]

fo sho

Recommendation

[QuoteMstr]

I fondly recall playing Fallout and Fallout 2, but still haven't tried Fallout 3. Between that game being 3D and real time on the one hand, and moralistically limiting actions (no killing children, for example) on the other, I'm afraid it won't be the same, or even that it'll somehow ruin the first couple games.

So, I'm asking anyone who's played all three games: is Fallout 3 really Fallout? Will this new game be?

Re:Recommendation

[Denihil]

Honestly, from my experience, nothing will be the same as the original experience, even if it was back to isometric tiles again. Though honestly i don't think that's the producers fault, but more along the lines of growing up a bit, changing individual values (i.e. nowadays we expect something different in a game we buy subconsciously) and other factors which everything said make us just not like a franchise as much as we used to.
I mean, this is all personal experience, don't get me wrong, but i'm 25 now. I was 17'ish when i got into fallout 1 and 2, and i absolutely loved it. Hell, i still play it from time to time. But as far as loading up a game from the beginning, and testing out situations as they occur, simply wandering a map, awestruck in the multitude of options available? Not so much anymore. Maybe i'm old now. Maybe games in general don't mean as much. But trying to find that aqua vitae of gameplay experiences is a red herring, and needs to be approached differently.
Apologies for the rant, btw. Plus, it was really lame not being able to shoot the kids in FO3. Thanks for helping ruin the game, government.

Re:Recommendation

[Anonymous Coward]

You can shoot the kids all you want. You just couldn't kill them. I, personally, thought that made it even more fun ;-)

Re:Recommendation

[DoctorFuji]

Just finished playing Fallout and Fallout 2, after playing Fallout 3 (twice). I think there is continuity in the story line and the "world" of Fallout is maintained in Fallout 3. The biggest difference is playing from a different perspective since FO3 is first person. The biggest improvement IMO is that travel in FO3 is better. I had a few random encounters in FO and FO2 where I got wiped out, whereas in FO3 you can better manage when to run away. Just started FO Tactics with much improved graphics, but not much of a storyline. If only they would go back and upgrade the graphics to the first two....

Re:Recommendation

[Beefmancer]

Personally, my answer in "no". Fallout 3 doesn't showcase the intelligent writing of the first games, or immerse the player in the same way. It feels uninspired to me (the old "Oblivion with guns" critique sounds right) and suffers from some poor design choices, despite a ton of great work going into the visual environment. So as you guessed, it's not the same. Fortunately I can see it as a work from different people, so it doesn't ruin anything for me!

Re:Recommendation

[Anonymous Coward]

I actually discovered Fallout 2 pretty recently but never completed it and have been playing Fallout 3 (but not that far due to time constraints). I have never played Fallout. I found it easier to get into Fallout 3 then Fallout 2 mostly from the perspective standpoint and the fact that getting into combat didn't break flow in Fallout 3. I think Fallout 3 is dumbed down but what do you expect from a modern game? I will say that there are points in Fallout 3 that had me more on edge because I could hear something but couldn't find the creature which is only really possible from a first person perspective. I think the implementation of the skills in Fallout 2 was better but the way it is done in fallout 3 isn't a deal breaker. I will say that in FO3 ammo is too common so I always looked forward to getting into a fight to collect more weapons, ammo and armor to keep or sell.
I will say that at least the PS3 version when you have too many quests open things can get a bit buggy but not badly so. All and all I've been enjoying Fallout 3 more then FO2. I don't think it ruined FO2 but it was definitely a different feel.

Re:Recommendation

[LtGordon]

I fondly recall playing Fallout and Fallout 2, but still haven't tried Fallout 3. Between that game being 3D and real time on the one hand, and moralistically limiting actions (no killing children, for example) on the other, I'm afraid it won't be the same, or even that it'll somehow ruin the first couple games.

I know, right! The inability to ruthlessly murder young children is what stopped me from buying Uncharted 2.

Re:Recommendation

[thepotoo]

Exactly. If you cared about the writing and characters in the original Fallout games, you will be sorely disappointed with FO3. However, combat was better in FO3, the world was neat to explore, and it felt just right - until you started talking with the NPCs.

Re:Recommendation

[oneiros27]

I've played through Fallout 3 twice, and each of the first two more than that. I've even played Fallout: Tactics.

It's not the same game, but it's still very good. Some of my major complaints:

• The humor's just not the same. Yes, there's humor there, and I had hope in Bethesda (the lead on Oblivion was also an author of the RPG Paranoia), but it's not what I would've hoped for
• The morality aspects are massively simplified -- there's a whole *one* karma meter; there's no concept of factions. (for those who didn't play the originals -- you'd have to develop your reputation with the Brotherhood of Steel, the Bandits, each town you came to, etc.)
• Most of the perks are pretty boring -- and if you go to level 30, it's even worse. The original allowed you to take disadvantages to get more points to spend on other things.
• It's too easy to max your skills ... tag skills are just +15 to a skill. I wanted to say that in the original, it was harder to get skills up to the higher levels (like it started costing 2 points per skill point, but it only cost 1/2 for tag skills)
• Fast travel is lame ... you never have the random encounters in-transit, although they do make it so you drop right into the middle of the area you're going to fully populated with people (I regularly go to Wheaton Armory to make some fast money). And the times are completely unrealistic -- the time that passes on the clock is negligible compared to walking it. (which wasn't even possible in the originals)
• And when walking it -- you have something that just magically tells you when here's areas worth investigating nearby? I guess that gives you a reward for walking about, but they could've at least done it so you don't know about everything when you're 5mi away. (some areas are going to be noticable from miles away; some aren't)
• VATS was well done, but I miss shooting out the eyes -- even if it didn't kill, it gave you a chance to even the odds.
• There's now variant weapons, but no variant ammo to give you a slight boost, but have to conserve. And ammo gets to be *way* too plentiful. (I used it like caps, as it had no weight -- and anyone who's ever carried around a case of 1000 rounds of anything (other than 22, perhaps) for an extended amount of time knows that's not true)
• They screwed up on what's of value ... caps inside a safe? Sure, if it's an area that's in use ... in an old vault, they should be in trash cans. And any time you find old money in trash cans, that's just stupid.
• The explanation for mutants doesn't fit the original story line

And then, there were some other issues that just didn't make sense to me:

• A can of pork and beans weighs a pound. An empty can weighs a pound; The same holds true for bottles of stuff and empty bottles.
• It's set *much* later than the earlier two -- This means that just about any pre-prepared food isn't going to be safe. Any food stores would've been raided years ago. (a soda machine that still has soda in it?).
• The Washington Monument is made from *stone*. There is *no* metal framework on the inside that would've resulted in it looking liked it did in the game
• Vendors suddenly just have more money every couple of days ... wouldn't they slowly make other sales, especially the traveling vendors?

All of that being said, I still played through twice, and I even started a 3rd play-through. (just put it down 'til I finish another project ... and was debating Mass Effect 2, but was told it sucked without an HD TV). It's a good game. It's got some of the personality of the original, and I might be biased as I lived in DC for years, and still live in the metro area, so I got a lot of the places and references. Fallout 3 was well done, and it's a good game, but it could've been better, based on the heritage of the original. As it was, it's more like a ne

Re:Recommendation

[jgtg32a]

Obsidian has a majority of the Black Isle crew the guys who made FO1/2. This will be a proper FO game.
 
There was a mod that allows you to kill kids BTW

Re:Recommendation

[Ranma-sensei]

Yeah, the humor issue bugged me, too. The originals were more... british, if I might say so.

Most of the rest... Well, I have like 30 Mods running to fine-tune the look and feel - ever died of radiation poisoning trying to disarm the nuke? Or how about shooting a Death Claw with a dart gun and then killing it with BBs while dancing around it? No problem with correctly calculated crippling effects.

Additionaly, I definitely use the original FO music files.

However, they did get one thing right:
In FO1, 2 and Tactics, you'd have to be suicidal to rely on close combat. I think BethSoft handled that really nicely (OTOH it's no wonder, since their engine seems to usually prefer melee types).

Oh, but one more thing: Could I have my soul back? I lost it killing Harold with a flamer.

Re:Recommendation

[Ranma-sensei]

Yeah, pretty damn unlogical when they just run off...

Re:Recommendation

[nine-times]

My main complaint is that it's a little too violent. I don't mean in the "I don't want my kids to play violent games" sense, nor do I mean, "Ewwww... blood and guts, I don't want to see that!" What I mean is, my recollection of the previous fallout games was that you could go from town to town without really fighting anyone. When you did run across some kind of adversary, you could usually find some way around actually fighting them. Often enough, if your character's communication skills were good enough, you could just persuade them to do what you wanted.

I haven't finished Fallout 3 yet, but I feel like there were a bunch of situations where I didn't have much of an option except to fight. It's a minor complaint, I guess, but it added to a vague sense that I had of Fallout 3 somehow not having the depth of the previous games. What you were complaining about with the humor probably also added to that feeling.

Re:Recommendation

[Redlite]

Fallout 1 and 2 are superior games in terms of story and overall mood. Fallout 3 is a weak adaptation with nice graphics. However if you judge Fallout 3 on it's own merits without attempting to compare it to the original two then it's a decent game.

Re:Recommendation

[flabordec]

And the times are completely unrealistic

They screwed up on what's of value ... caps inside a safe? Sure, if it's an area that's in use ... in an old vault, they should be in trash cans. And any time you find old money in trash cans, that's just stupid.

When two of your biggest complaints are that time is unrealistic and pickups are random, then you know you have a great game

Re:Recommendation

[Micahsa]

Great review above and I also agree with the violence aspect. It is much more of a FPS with RPG aspects than a true RPG like the first two. I understand the reasons for this, as you can reach into both camps with this type of hybrid, but playing through a second time maxing the difficulty, it reminded me more of Halo on legendary than a RPG.

Re:Recommendation

[Anonymous Coward]

I recall that FO2 was less pronounced, but in FO1 the best character I created, by far, was a melee character. With the right perks and attributes you can swing the super sledge for 1 action point. Get high enough agility and the perk that makes all of your melee attacks critical, and you can kill anything in 1 round. You just have to be smart about positioning so you don't waste all of your AP on chasing down knocked back foes. On top of the huge damage, it's just a fun character to play. Oh, and give them a good throwing skill so you can lob gernades at enemies you can't reach on the current round.

Re:Recommendation

[Fallingcow]

Short answer: no, it's not Fallout.

Long answer:

I was initial worried about the idea of a first-person Fallout game, but after playing the (excellent, excellent) STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl became more hopeful for the idea, and resistant to others' concerns that it would be Oblivion with guns.

Then I played it.

It's Oblivion with guns.

It missed the mark big time on two of the key elements of a Fallout game, which are the leveling system and the branching side quest arcs.

1. The first two Fallouts encouraged actual role-playing in their leveling/skill systems. Unless you've got massive amounts of time to waste, or slightly less time and a guide, you're probably not going to be maxing out many skills (hell, probably none). You have to pick a play style and stick with it.

In Fallout 3, you are almost guaranteed to max out most or all of your skills. If you don't max one out, you'll be damn close to maxing out on it. This is more like Morrowind/Oblivion's "you are a god by the end of the game" style of character development, and takes away a lot of the Fallout feel.

2. The quests are total shit compared to the first two Fallouts. There are three cities of note, and none of them have much more to do than Klamath did in F2. Let that sink in for a second.

There's nothing that could even be called a shadow of the vast political struggle in Fallout 2. Gone, consequently, are many of the decisions you got to make in the earlier games. Again, actual role playing is severely diminished.

Other things you may miss are robust companion systems (yes, you can call the mediocre one in prior Fallouts robust in comparison to this one--it's that bad) and a main story line that doesn't completely suck ass.

That said, the game's not a total disaster, if you can forget it's supposed to be a real Fallout game and pretend it's some kind of alternate-universe fan fiction. The fighting is satisfying (for a while at least--it gets goddamn dull about half way through) and there are a few cute one-off quests. The beginning part of the game is solid gold, too, up until the point where you realize the first town you find isn't intended as a little starter town, but rather is about the best this game's going to have to offer.

I'd give the game a 3/5 taken on its own. As a Fallout game, though, it's a complete failure. For fans, I'd say the only reason to play is one minor, heart-wrenching quest related to Fallout 2, the one or two other decent serious quests, and the half-dozen or so humorous quests (I'm convinced they stuck their best writer on the one-off side quests, actually). I'd say just borrow (or *ahem* you know, whatever) it rather than buying.

Re:Recommendation

[Rayonic]

The explanation for mutants doesn't fit the original story line

These mutants are from a different strain of the same virus. Sure its a bit of a handwave, but its perfectly acceptable.

The Washington Monument is made from *stone*. There is *no* metal framework on the inside that would've resulted in it looking liked it did in the game

The game does have an alternate history. Its not like the rest of DC is 100% accurate either.

It's set *much* later than the earlier two -- This means that just about any pre-prepared food isn't going to be safe.

Said food is sealed and thoroughly irradiated. (With the Fallout universe's unrealistic radiation.)

The humor's just not the same. Yes, there's humor there, and I had hope in Bethesda (the lead on Oblivion was also an author of the RPG Paranoia), but it's not what I would've hoped for

Honestly I thought that Fallout 2 was a little bit too wacky.

Re:Recommendation

[Miseph]

You couldn't shoot the kids, your gun immediately went into "safe" position if you aimed at them (which actually got me killed a couple of times, trying to shoot around kids... dammit kid, get out of the way!). You could hit them with indirect fire (ie. explosives), but it had no effect whatsoever.

Re:Recommendation

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, so what you want is a video game devoid of video game elements, and complicated to be "like real life". You know what they say about people who want their video games to be like real life... Get a [real] life.

Re:Recommendation

[Nazlfrag]

It works in FO2 as well, and while a little tricky early is great fun once you get going.

Re:Recommendation

[OrangeCatholic]

>If only they would go back and upgrade the graphics to the first two....

Graphics? I thought the graphics were fine. They should upgrade the bugs.

Fallout's finest charm is the combat takes place in discrete space. All of your units are standing on tiles, with different distances and angles from each other. This is like X-Com, any "tactics" game, and even the original Wasteland. In particular, I never had friendly fire be such an issue in a game besides Fallout. (Granted, X-Com had a lot of FF incidents, but it felt far more random. Rocket launchers and the like.)

The graphics did a fine job of conveying this. But Fallout has so many bugs, it's almost not worth playing. The strategy guide reads like, "Well, you should do this, but since there's a bug...you don't have to."

I play it for the charm, but they should tighten up the game and make it a real challenge.

Re:Recommendation

[Ranma-sensei]

Thank you, I didn't know that; I never got the hang of melees in FO - maybe, because I prefer snipers and pistoleros... *whistles inconspicuously*

Re:Recommendation

[justinlee37]

Actually I felt like Fallout's radiation was pretty realistic. Remember, it was the Forced Evolutionary Virus that caused the mutations, not radioactive fallout.

Mmm

[Dunbal]

Well, Bethesda is going to learn that there's a price to pay when you release a buggy piece of shit like Fallout 3.

Re:Mmm

[Qlither]

I hate people that mod posts down purely because, it contradicts their own views.

The game was buggy on the pc version at any rate. I am not surprised it is a huge game and would be impossible to completely test it. Under the conditions they had, they did a reasonable job.

On topic: It will be interesting to see which way they choose to take the game. I can only hope it does not take the text movie/game approach like Mass Effect (1),i want a game not a book with shooting pictures.

Re:Mmm

[djsmiley]

Its modded down due to the form it was put accross in, not the content of the comment.

Simply put, if you can complain about something without having to resort to swearing, your point is more likely to be heard, and concidered as valid. Start swearing and your just another 12 year old who managed to get on the net before growing a pair.

Maybe it was buggy on the PC, I dont know, I played it on the 360 and it was/is amazing. It has lots of bugs in the DLC, even on the 360 version. I got annoyed at times at the random freezes but my enjoyment of the game itself has over come these short fallings.

Re:Mmm

[dtolman]

It was more stable on the PC compared to a lot of other recent games I've played...

Re:Mmm

[Qlither]

I understand his lack of basic English skills is annoying, however why waste the mod point? Trolling to me is implying they are looking for an argument without reason. That guy just didnt like the other game and worded it badly.

On the pc version it was unplayable for me, until the first patch was released.

Re:Mmm

[JosKarith]

Considering some of the things Bethesda has released I didn't think it was that buggy. Anyone else remember Void Rangering in Daggerfall?
Don't get me wrong, I love how open and sandbox Bethesda's games are. They've stolen literally thousands of hours of my life between them. I just would like to be able to play for more than a couple of hours without getting stuck on scenery, or falling through the floor. Hell, in Battlespire there were places you could jump over the world walls and land in the water that the whole map rested on, swim around and get into places you hadn't unlocked. Fun, but slightly sloppy coding IMHO.

Re:Mmm

[Logical Zebra]

There were a lot Of issues on the PS3 version, though. Two of the DLCs (Point Lookout and Broken Steel) were so buggy on my system that they were essentially broken. I had to hard reset the game over 10 times just to get through the last mission of Broken Steel, and I flat-out could not play Point Lookout--the framerate would continuously drop to below 1 FPS, VATS would cause the game to freeze, and going into some areas would simply give you a black screen. It's a good thing I saved before embarking on that DLC.

That being said, Fallout 3 was a very fun game. If this new one actually works, I just might buy it.

Re:Mmm

[garyok]

Its modded down due to the form it was put accross in, not the content of the comment.

You've posted to this thread, so how would you know why it was modded down? Telepathy, collusion, or a sock puppet account?

Re:Mmm

[Dunbal]

Simply put, if you can complain about something without having to resort to swearing, your point is more likely to be heard, and concidered as valid. Start swearing and your just another 12 year old who managed to get on the net before growing a pair.

      As the owner of the original comment: That's your opinion and you're entitled to it. And I will swear when I damned well want to. That's called free speech, yes? I think swearing is far more honest than, say, inferring that someone is a "12 year old who managed to get on the net before growing a pair". When I swear, I am emphasizing a point. When you make a personal attack, you're just venting some of the anger you have lurking under the surface towards - get this - a TOTAL stranger! Yeah, like you know me at ALL. But don't worry, I by no means take anything said on the internet personally.

      Frankly, I don't care about being modded up OR down. I don't expect anyone to read what I write. I look on it as a form of "journalling", and it helps me deal with MY issues. And Fallout 3 STILL sucked.

      Have a great day!

Re:Mmm

[Anonymous Coward]

I've gotten stuck in potholes and rubble on the 360. Probably not technically a bug, but I also found it irritating to wander into a new area and find all the mobs dead because they killed each other.

Re:Mmm

[Dunbal]

That guy just didnt like the other game and worded it badly.

      I thought I worded it quite succinctly, in fact :)

      I had the same problem as you with the PC version. It didn't work at all until the patch, and even now it crashes once in a while. But frankly who cares about moderation anyway? That's for Johnny Average who only has 5 minutes to read before his brain starts hurting because of all the big words. As the saying goes "real nerds read at -1"...

     

Re:Mmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Frankly, I don't care about being modded up OR down.

Cool.

I don't expect anyone to read what I write.

Ok.

I look on it as a form of "journalling", and it helps me deal with MY issues.

Aha.

And Fallout 3 STILL sucked.

That's your opinion, yes. Why not state it as such? You could simply write "And as far as I'm concerned, Fallout 3 STILL sucked." and be explicit about it and most wouldn't care.

Have a great day!

Thank you! Now fuck off!

Re:Mmm

[Dunbal]

You could simply write "And as far as I'm concerned, Fallout 3 STILL sucked." and be explicit about it and most wouldn't care.

      Firstly, well, yes I could write it differently. That's the beauty of language. 26 letters allow an almost infinite number of possible ways to express the same thing. However I don't really write to make you happy. I write to make ME happy. That's the whole point - I don't CARE if you care about what I write. Oh yes, once in a while, I end up in an interesting conversation or discussion and that's always nice. Sometimes I'm just passing the time. I'm a fast writer and an even faster reader. It gives me something to do at times like right now, while I'm waiting for the stock market to open.

Thank you! Now fuck off!

      Was that meant to offend me in any particular way? Shudder, I was told to "fuck off" on the internet. Mommy why is the world so cruel? :)

Re:Mmm

[CronoCloud]

Check your PS3's vents and placement. I see freezes and a weird choppyness glitch (you know how Oblivion would sometimes be choppy for a second when you crossed into a new cell, it's similar but lasts longer.), but only after my PS3's been running for hours on end.

Re:Mmm

[brkello]

You can get modded up and swear too. Just, the person didn't really bring anything to the discussion. If they talked about what bugs they encountered and their frustrations, others might empathize. Instead, they just came off as a troll. These open western RPGs are hard to pull of without bugs. That's why I prefer to get them a year after they have been out on the PC so a lot of them have been worked out. I have had no problems in my play through of Fallout 3. I guess as you get older, your expectations become more reasonable. At least mine have. Helps that I am also a programmer and know how hard the business is.

Re:Mmm

[MikeBabcock]

I have to say, I love Bethesda games. They make fantastic fantasy RPG games. However, they're ALL buggy. Morrowind crashed more than any other software on my PC. Oblivion died randomly on me too. They seem to have very very poor Quality Control people, but their writers and artists are pretty top notch.

Re:Mmm

[revlayle]

yeah like awesome sales records and lots of GOTY awards... THAT'LL TEACH THEM!!

Re:Mmm

[larry bagina]

there were a lot of bugs on the PS3 version. disappearing characters, getting stuck in rocks, walls that you could walk through, VATS mode slowing to a crawl or unable to pick the right target, getting stuck in vats mode while the fight continues, and the entire system hanging. The first few are a problem for all systems.

Re:Mmm

[BleemZ]

Start swearing and your just another 12 year old who managed to get on the net before growing a pair.

A 12 year old with a slashdot ID that low? ...

I think that would make him, umm, like 22ish by now? :p

Re:Mmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you kidding me? If they've learned anything, it's that they can release a buggy game and people will still buy it.

The players will fix the bugs themselves anyway.

Re:Mmm

[Anonymous Coward]

The truth is you were modded down by some FO3 fanboi because you criticised his favourite fantasy world. It can't be the tone of your post, as it is well known that everything from Bethesda is a buggy peice of shit.

Re:Mmm

[Anonymous Coward]

'Whaaaaaaaaaa'

Hey pal, No Mutants Allowed called, they want their crybabies back.

Oblig xkcd

[Anonymous Coward]

This conversation needs more xkcd:
http://xkcd.com/244/

Dangit, they're killing any chance of ...

[Ihlosi]

... further Wasteland references. Fallout 1 and 2 still had those.

I mean, Vegas, that was where you had to rescue an android (or rather - its parts) from cyborg robot-nappers ... and fought the terrifying Scorpitron.

Back to the beginning

[Anonymous Coward]

So now we're going back to the inspiration for the whole series? There better be Desert Rangers and Fat Freddy in this one.

Plastic molds

[Anonymous Coward]

Obama has advised people not blow money on Vegas, I think I'll follow that advice

Digitizing

Embroidery digitizing

Embroidery designs

Embroidery design

Rapid prototyping

Custom molds

Plastic molds

Hey, guess what?

[justinlee37]

You're an idiot. Please go back to watching reality television and reruns of 24.