Preview Yet another Fallout 3 preview

[JarlFrank]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Fallout 3

Yes, this time it's Gamespot and they give us an <A HREF="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/fallout3/news.html?sid=6189021&tag=topslot;title;1">"updated impression"</A> of Fallout 3. Most of it is the same as in all the countless other previews [I begin to wonder why they keep previewing that game when there's no new information on it], but there's also some new stuff.
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<blockquote>Our updated tour of the game started with the very beginning--how you create your character by being born to your mother, Katherine, and your scientist father, James (voiced by actor Liam Neeson). Through a hazy first-person cinematic sequence from the perspective of the operating table, you can choose your character's gender and name, as well as preview your character's adult appearance by way of the vault's computer system...then become dimly aware that something has gone terribly wrong with your mother during the childbirth.</blockquote>
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So you can't even change the name of your mother and father, they have pre-defined names! What a huge disappointment, you can change their face, but you cannot change their name! I hope at least the voice actors pronounce the names of your parents in an awesome way, so it's worth it.
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<blockquote>You then jump forward a year later to the age of a toddler, where you use a basic movement tutorial to crawl out of your playpen and access the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. book--a book that lets you choose your character's abilities by way of the classic attribute system from the Fallout games (strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck). You then jump ahead nine years to your 10th birthday, at which point you gain the ability to speak with other characters (such as the other children at your birthday party) and use the PipBoy 3000 portable wrist computer, which is given to you by the vault's "overseer," or head administrator.</blockquote>
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I don't know why, but somehow the idea of creating your character by playing him as a kiddo sounds rather interesting to me, and yet I know that the way Bethesda makes it, it will be completely stupid and will become as annoying as the "Fight through the first dungeon together with the Emperor before creating your character!" system of Oblivion. It's just something you have to do over and over again when starting a new game to try out a different char, and it's even more annoying than a lame starting town because you can't skip it.
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<blockquote>The dog is none other than Fallout's Dogmeat, the swift-moving, loyal, pugnacious pooch from the original 1997 game. After disposing of the raiders yourself, you can invite Dogmeat to join you, and from then on, although you can't have any meaningful conversations with him or have him carry a ton of inventory, you can give him plenty of orders, such as having him go out to search for food, medicine, or even fallen weapons (if there are none nearby, Dogmeat will disappear for an hour or so of in-game time before returning). You can also praise or scold him--this won't affect his morale or loyalty, though it will reflect whether your character is naughty or nice</blockquote>
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So, basically Gamespot hasn't understood anything. It's not the fucking same dog from Fallout 1, it's just a dog with the same name, and wasn't he called Dog Meat last time I checked? Hell.
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Also, you can tell him to search for weapons and he disappears for an hour before bringing you some weapons from somewhere? I don't know how that will work, but the way they say it it sounds like it will be some kind of cheating. Like, send the dog out and get weapons, for free, which you can later sell for teh moneyz.
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Oh, and what's with the praising and scolding? Do you get +1 evil point whenever you scold him and +1 goodness point whenever you praise him? The way they write it it sounds like praising/scolding your dog can affect your alignment. What. The. Fuck.
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Thanks for the news to <strong>SantAnder</strong>.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.gamespot.com/">Gamespot</A>

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

Do you get +1 evil point whenever you scold him and +1 goodness point whenever you praise him? The way they write it it sounds like praising/scolding your dog can affect your alignment.

What. The. Fuck.

Exactly my thoughts.

 

[Suchy]

So you can't even change the name of your mother and father, they have pre-defined names! What a huge disappointment, you can change their face, but you cannot change their name! I hope at least the voice actors pronounce the names of your parents in an awesome way, so it's worth it.

Dude, are you serious on this one or does my sarcasm detector need a burst of curative fluids?

 

[gc051360]

Do you get +1 evil point whenever you scold him and +1 goodness point whenever you praise him? The way they write it it sounds like praising/scolding your dog can affect your alignment.

It's Bethesda's shades of grey.

 

[VonVentrue]

I don't know why, but somehow the idea of creating your character by playing him as a kiddo sounds rather interesting to me, and yet I know that the way Bethesda makes it, it will be completely stupid and will become as annoying as the "Fight through the first dungeon together with the Emperor before creating your character!" system of Oblivion. It's just something you have to do over and over again when starting a new game to try out a different char, and it's even more annoying than a lame starting town because you can't skip it.

Indeed, it is a pretty good idea that is bound to end up being ruined by terrible execution unless a miracle happens.
To make matters worse (or what is the most retarded about that kind of character creation), the book which allows the player to add/substract points to each attribute does not provide him with any kind of information regarding the effect said attributes have on character's skills.

 

[JarlFrank]

So you can't even change the name of your mother and father, they have pre-defined names! What a huge disappointment, you can change their face, but you cannot change their name! I hope at least the voice actors pronounce the names of your parents in an awesome way, so it's worth it.

Dude, are you serious on this one or does my sarcasm detector need a burst of curative fluids?

It's so retarded that it kant b sirius. So, yeah, sarcasm.

 

[someone else]

Here's a preview from gamespy:

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/fallout-3/865644p1.html

The Fallout series is iconic, storied, and means a lot to a lot of people...
There are certain elements that, if absent from a Fallout game, would cause its obsessive fanbase to bust a few crucial synapses.

So when Fallout 3 is finally published, will we be seeing people having fun posting, quoting(& bashing) the good reviews?

 

[Colt_Seavers]

So you can't even change the name of your mother and father, they have pre-defined names! What a huge disappointment, you can change their face, but you cannot change their name! I hope at least the voice actors pronounce the names of your parents in an awesome way, so it's worth it.

Even if that's supposed to be sarcasm i can't see what it's trying to accomplish,really. A typical piece of spiteful rambling over second-hand information on a game which has yet to be finished, perhaps?
Quite frankly, it would be best to just wait until each and every one of us can actually build up something like an "objective" opinion, as soon as that game is available.
Of course, that won't keep some "fans" from not buying the game and still complain about it or compare it to Oblivion or whatever nonsense.
It's hard to tell how many people would actually enjoy Fallout 3 for its own right, but ruin it for themselves and others beforehand. Goodness forbid that F3 might actually turn out to be...fun?

I don't know why, but somehow the idea of creating your character by playing him as a kiddo sounds rather interesting to me, and yet I know that the way Bethesda makes it, it will be completely stupid and will become as annoying as the "Fight through the first dungeon together with the Emperor before creating your character!" system of Oblivion. It's just something you have to do over and over again when starting a new game to try out a different char, and it's even more annoying than a lame starting town because you can't skip it.

"Know" as in...guess? Based on what? There's not exactly a large pile of proof to be found anywhere around here, nor anywhere else, for that matter. Facts can only be presented once there's a piece of solid evidence, which would be sadly missing, since the game is not yet available.
I would like to pick up that thought however, since i have just finished another walkthrough of Fallout 2. There's also something terribly annoying in there, right at the beginning. Something you have to do over and over again for each new game....the Temple of Trials. It wasn't that breathtaking for the very first walkthrough and it didn't get any better with each new one.
Not everything that shines is necessarily made of gold, i would say. However, this "childhood prologue" does seem to add a nice touch to the game, even though you can't expect it to arouse the same amount of interest after each subsequent walkthrough.
At some point everything will be "seen that-done that".

Also, you can tell him to search for weapons and he disappears for an hour before bringing you some weapons from somewhere? I don't know how that will work, but the way they say it it sounds like it will be some kind of cheating. Like, send the dog out and get weapons, for free, which you can later sell for teh moneyz.
Oh, and what's with the praising and scolding? Do you get +1 evil point whenever you scold him and +1 goodness point whenever you praise him? The way they write it it sounds like praising/scolding your dog can affect your alignment. What. The. Fuck.

Who knows? It might be quite worthwhile to have the dog fetch you some stuff. There may be lots of restrictions and exceptions to that feature.
I didn't get the feeling that praising/scolding the dog would impact your alignment. I think it's just a feature to accomodate to your style of gameplay. Ultimately it will be Beth's call, wether they want a cause&effect scenario for everything the player does in the game.

 

[Brother None]

It's hard to tell how many people would actually enjoy Fallout 3 for its own right, but ruin it for themselves and others beforehand. Goodness forbid that F3 might actually turn out to be...fun?

Uh...ruin it for others...how, exactly?

 

[crakkie]

Now that's good sarcasm. He even did the "you don't know anything until it's released so draw absolutely no conclusions" thing! Fantastic work.

 

[Colt_Seavers]

It's hard to tell how many people would actually enjoy Fallout 3 for its own right, but ruin it for themselves and others beforehand. Goodness forbid that F3 might actually turn out to be...fun?

Uh...ruin it for others...how, exactly?

By constant nagging or trying to defend a questionable opinion with no proof in hand?
Just take a look around and then tell me how many people have already written off Fallout 3 as a failure before it was even released. The masses are easy to manipulate as long as you're the one to shout the loudest, i would think.
The majority of reactions towards newly leaked information is pretty negative, and most of the time i have to wonder why that is. Most of the time it does look like people are only complaining for the sake of complaining. Not because they are necessarily right about it, but because they want to see this project fail.

Now that's good sarcasm. He even did the "you don't know anything until it's released so draw absolutely no conclusions" thing! Fantastic work.

More like: don't draw conclusions out of your ass and present them as fact? Speculation is fine but it's only that, speculation.

 

[Brother None]

By constant nagging or trying to defend a questionable opinion with no proof in hand?

How does that ruin everything for anyone?

Do I go into your house, lean over your shoulder and whisper "Fallout 3 will suck" in your ear as a lover would sweet words? Not last time I checked. Hell, I don't even go to other forums to explain my views much. I'm sure there are some that do, but so what? That's what the internet is for.

If our opinions are so obviously questionable or have no proof, then what do you care? If we're so obviously wrong, why do we bother you so much?

The majority of reactions towards newly leaked information is pretty negative, and most of the time i have to wonder why that is. Most of the time it does look like people are only complaining for the sake of complaining. Not because they are necessarily right about it, but because they want to see this project fail.

Hmmm? I'm pretty sure the majority of reactions is positive or neutral. Negative reactions tend to be snowed under everywhere except in places like here or NMA or GameBanshee.

 

[larpingdude14]

yay, a fellow illiterate :D

 

[caliban]

The fact that stuff like that has been told many times before and arguments similar to yours have been brought up time and time again, and in the end things always turned out the same shitty way is telling, isn't it?

If most of the time you have to wonder why the majority of reactions towards newly leaked information is pretty negative, then perhaps you should consider the idea that there is something to it other than just unjustified whining, eh?

 

[Rulion]

Who cares about their names? It's obvious why they did it. The voice overs are probably dependent on them.

I like the idea of starting your character as a toddler and seeing small glimpses of his life as he grows up. I agree that it'll be annoying when starting a new game, but by the time you do that, you can download a quick start mod.

 

[Herbert West]

Here's a preview from gamespy:

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/fallout-3/865644p1.html

The Fallout series is iconic, storied, and means a lot to a lot of people...
There are certain elements that, if absent from a Fallout game, would cause its obsessive fanbase to bust a few crucial synapses.

So when Fallout 3 is finally published, will we be seeing people having fun posting, quoting(& bashing) the good reviews?

No, we will see Fallout nerdocre fanbase turn into gibbering brain-damaged retards, since those crucial synapses will be damaged when F03 comes out.

 

[Colt_Seavers]

The fact that stuff like that has been told many times before and arguments similar to yours have been brought up time and time again, and in the end things always turned out the same shitty way is telling, isn't it?

If most of the time you have to wonder why the majority of reactions towards newly leaked information is pretty negative, then perhaps you should consider the idea that there is something to it other than just unjustified whining, eh?

Or maybe not? You see, that's exactly the point, since most complaints are pretty much void of substance. There sure are some valid concerns about several design choices, but that doesn't have to mean everything will turn out bad.

 

[Lumpy]

This kind of beginning is pretty good, because it allows you to empathize with the character feeling like a stranger in a wasteland, after leaving the comfort of the vault.

 

[Texas Red]

The fact that stuff like that has been told many times before and arguments similar to yours have been brought up time and time again, and in the end things always turned out the same shitty way is telling, isn't it?

If most of the time you have to wonder why the majority of reactions towards newly leaked information is pretty negative, then perhaps you should consider the idea that there is something to it other than just unjustified whining, eh?

Or maybe not? You see, that's exactly the point, since most complaints are pretty much void of substance. There sure are some valid concerns about several design choices, but that doesn't have to mean everything will turn out bad.

Valid concerns on *several* design decisions? Did you happen to miss, by chance, how Bethesda practically stole the Fallout name from the rightful owners that are Troika, so they can cash in on already existing popularity? Did you forget how they raped Fallout in to an FPS for consoles because all they care about is expanding their potential market? Have you actually seen anything that resembles Fallout yet or did you only vitness a bunch of combat screens and videos?

Why are we *whining*? Because the opposite of us, the professional journalism, blindly sucks Bethesda's cock. The true Fallout fans(who are never invited to write previews) are the only owns who criticise. There is no fanatical, biased nerdrage, just look at the approvals only in this thread.

 

[almondblight]

...and access the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. book--a book that lets you choose your character's abilities by way of the classic attribute system from the Fallout games (strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck).

Ahhhh, strength as an attribute. Classic Fallout.

 

[Lumpy]

...and access the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. book--a book that lets you choose your character's abilities by way of the classic attribute system from the Fallout games (strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck).

Ahhhh, strength as an attribute. Classic Fallout.

Um, yes, it pretty much is.

 

[BrainSquirmingLikeAToad]

hello world

 

[MetalCraze]

The fact that stuff like that has been told many times before and arguments similar to yours have been brought up time and time again, and in the end things always turned out the same shitty way is telling, isn't it?

If most of the time you have to wonder why the majority of reactions towards newly leaked information is pretty negative, then perhaps you should consider the idea that there is something to it other than just unjustified whining, eh?

Or maybe not? You see, that's exactly the point, since most complaints are pretty much void of substance. There sure are some valid concerns about several design choices, but that doesn't have to mean everything will turn out bad.

o rly? I feel that you will get nuked soon - go hide in the protective phone booth, don't worry, bethsoft put a toilet bowl there so you can drink from it in order to heal your wounds. oh and don't worry about muties - they are just evil and stupid - they also wear skulls on their belt and hold daedric maces - because they want to look like scary orks. and when the shit will start - don't worry - take your gun and from the first person view fucking shoot everything with a damage-per-second stat because that's how beth sees roleplaying. oh and don't worry for the children living in the city built in the crater of unexploded nuke - they are immortal. so go collect vault-boy statues and if you will run out of ammo - you can throw barbie heads at bad stupid muties. but I really suggest you to become a BoS paladin in the shining armor - and wreck havoc on those bad stupid muties with your flaming sword. got it? now gtfo before vault overseer will send his vault mafia to get you. and don't hesitate to press the A button - crying will add some dramatic moments.
p.s. and beware of the glowing ghoul hordes. they can shoot at each other with a glowing sperm healing wounds.

 

[Dire Roach]

Guys, don't knock FO3 till you try it! Wait till the demo comes out!

Wait... when was the last time Bethesda released a playable demo to the public?

 

[Colt_Seavers]

The fact that stuff like that has been told many times before and arguments similar to yours have been brought up time and time again, and in the end things always turned out the same shitty way is telling, isn't it?

If most of the time you have to wonder why the majority of reactions towards newly leaked information is pretty negative, then perhaps you should consider the idea that there is something to it other than just unjustified whining, eh?

Or maybe not? You see, that's exactly the point, since most complaints are pretty much void of substance. There sure are some valid concerns about several design choices, but that doesn't have to mean everything will turn out bad.

o rly? I feel that you will get nuked soon - go hide in the protective phone booth, don't worry, bethsoft put a toilet bowl there so you can drink from it in order to heal your wounds. oh and don't worry about muties - they are just evil and stupid - they also wear skulls on their belt and hold daedric maces - because they want to look like scary orks. and when the shit will start - don't worry - take your gun and from the first person view fucking shoot everything with a damage-per-second stat because that's how beth sees roleplaying. oh and don't worry for the children living in the city built in the crater of unexploded nuke - they are immortal. so go collect vault-boy statues and if you will run out of ammo - you can throw barbie heads at bad stupid muties. but I really suggest you to become a BoS paladin in the shining armor - and wreck havoc on those bad stupid muties with your flaming sword. got it? now gtfo before vault overseer will send his vault mafia to get you. and don't hesitate to press the A button - crying will add some dramatic moments.
p.s. and beware of the glowing ghoul hordes. they can shoot at each other with a glowing sperm healing wounds.

A perfect showcase of what i was trying to get across. While the "official journalistic department" may be sucking Beth's cock big time, we still have the very vocal and self-righteous and most of all infallible faction of true fans.
Funny thing is, i still look forward to playing that game. And only at that time will i decide wether it was good or bad or something inbetween.