Review Section8 Explores Fallout 3

[inwoker]

Great review.
Why no pics?

 

[Longshanks]

Very nice review.
Prestige of the Prestigious Codex Magazine ++.

Particularly agree on dialogue choices and stat/skill checks. Nice that they're there, but the poor implementation and lack of strong or varied effect means the step up is not all that significant. More for flavour than anything.

Criticisms on theme exploration are spot on. Even their stated themes of "sacrifice and survival" were not explored in any meaningful way, and you get the feeling they just ripped the tagline from "The Road" because it sounded good.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Review from SP, pl0x

NEVAH

Actually, I'm getting murdered by work right now so.. Typically on a work day, I'm there for a minimum of 12 hours right now, so I sleep on my day off.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

- "Help, my (sibling/parent/child/friend) is in danger from (mutants/raiders/ants/vampires/slavers) and needs you to help them."

Oh shi...

There's cannibals and wannabe-vampires

Nice save.

Great review too. It was fun to read, and did the Codex point of view more justice than mine.

 

[Naked Ninja]

Nice review S8, I honestly didn't expect it to be so...balanced?

The only thing I don't get is the complaint about graphics. F3 stands up quite well in comparison to the other modern games I've played recently. Maybe it's just my eyes failing, heh.

 

[elander_]

I agree with the consistency criticism mostly. Different production values i guess. It's interesting to note that in Fallout exploration depends greatly on the world map with random and special encounters and every location in the game is unique and feels like it is part of a believable world. Main quests and side quests are almost indistinguishable from each other. They all have choices, a few quests have multiple endings, which is very cool. The player never knows if a quest will have something to do with his main goal or not.

The original Fallout team had different production values and a different role-playing culture. Bethesda is more concerned with focus groups and trying to put stuff in their game that pleases everyone. This obviously affects their games. Fallout 3 has a clear separation between side-quests, main quests and exploration, which IMO makes games more boring.

Having quest options is important but having a solid game and consistent crpg world makes those quest options have some meaning and purpose.

 

[Lurkar]

I find it kinda odd that I've seen roughly one review that mentions the ending. The ending is somewhat of the proverbial elephant in the room; everyone knows it's there, everyone knows it's horrifyingly bad, but nobody really seems to bring it up.

 

[DefJam101]

The only thing I don't get is the complaint about graphics. F3 stands up quite well in comparison to the other modern games I've played recently. Maybe it's just my eyes failing, heh.

Artistically, perhaps. As most reviewers have said, the game does have it's moments of post-apocalyptic art design brilliance, even if most of the game is procedural shit. Granted, a few moments of art design goodness is much more than many modern games have today. Technically speaking, the Gamebryo engine is just terrible. It makes those dull areas with no interesting art design look that much worse.

 

[EEVIAC]

In a way, it's almost anti-climactic. The cult classic Fallout has another forgettable iteration - I mean, at least Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel registers as a cautionary tale, while Fallout 3 can't even fail spectacularly.

That's a pretty good summation of the Fallout 3 experience. It does have its moments of inspired dumbfuckery, though. In a world where AI's are still situated in room sized mainframes, having self-contained/self-aware human analogues in handy human-meat-sized packages makes perfect Bethesdian sense. Or the Vault full of clones, the nuclear catapault, building a town around a bomb...

 

[St. Toxic]

Good review.

 

[Shagnak]

That's a pretty good summation of the Fallout 3 experience.<snip>

Woah, long time no see. Welcome back EEVIAC.

 

[Murk]

quite a few old timers returning, it appears

brave times are ahead

 

[Twinfalls]

- "Help, my (sibling/parent/child/friend) is in danger from (mutants/raiders/ants/vampires/slavers) and needs you to help them."

Oh shi...

There's cannibals and wannabe-vampires

Nice save.

In a world where AI's are still situated in room sized mainframes, having self-contained/self-aware human analogues in handy human-meat-sized packages makes perfect Bethesdian sense. Or the Vault full of clones, the nuclear catapault, building a town around a bomb...

They've gone for this relentless teenage-oriented comic-book sensibility which is a real shame. PA taken seriously would lend itself to all sorts of moving and contemplative scenarios and moments, but Bethesda seem deeply unwilling to go there, perhaps because they feel they're fundamentally incapable.

 

[EEVIAC]

They've gone for this relentless teenage-oriented comic-book sensibility which is a real shame. PA taken seriously would lend itself to all sorts of moving and contemplative scenarios and moments, but Bethesda seem deeply unwilling to go there, perhaps because they feel they're fundamentally incapable.

I think Bethesda are fundamentally incapable of realising they're fundamentally incapable. They never made mention of the tragedy or pathos of the original Fallout and its sorely missing from FO3. There's no depth to anything in the game beyond a few dialogue choices or a locked door. So many missed opportunities...

Woah, long time no see. Welcome back EEVIAC.

Heh. Thanks. :D

 

[Jaesun]

Very good review Section8.

 

[Pegultagol]

Thanks for a very balanced review. I agree with many if not all points, and wonder if GECK could help address at least some of the shortcomings to better suit the palate of the codex visitors.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

First FO 3 review that I agree with completely. :rebirthofthecodex:

 

[fastpunk]

Good review, professionally written and all that. Section8, you should do this more often.