Has Fallout 3 become a legitimate topic of discussion?

[J_C]

Its such a relief that playing bad video games does not make one lose their heterosexuality.

It depends on how many bad games you play. After FO3, you would probably turn into bisexual.

 

[Twinkle]

Well, FS does post-apoc shootan much better than these two Oblivion TCs combined. So yeah, Bethesda managed to make the proper Fallout FPS back in the day.

The towns certainly are not lifeless

Just wait until you hit the Strip.

it's a post-apocalyptic wasteland!

So the whole PA thing is just an excuse to not to bother with making at least somewhat believable environments?

 

[Orgasm]

It's been a sad, steady decline ...

 

[Achilles]

At least we all hate DA2...

Right?

Right!

 

[Excidium]

At least we all hate DA2...

Right?

Right!

Wrong.

 

[Sceptic]

Well, it has been a few years...but the hoi polloi still remembers the game, so it's not Kodex Approved yet.

To paraphrase Shannow: There is no Codex hivemind, the end.

I don't see what people find so good with ME2's gameplay. Surely there are much better games of that type if you're declined enough to enjoy the popamole?

Alpha Protocol

Actually I'm not even sure I'd consider it to be of the same type. They might be if you play AP as a popamole shooter, but there's no reason to do that.

Why exactly?

Because it isn't as good as well written as Michelangelo's David is sculpted.

 

[1eyedking]

*GASP* I'd probably log out of the codex in pure rage and butthurt of course!

I was just curious what exact statement you stated in your review that makes 1eyedking sad.

Curious minds and all that....

No statement in particular (there are many), it's just sad to read that a review from the Codex praises F3. In fact it's not even praise, it's a kind of conformist "thank God you didn't make it too sucky, Bethesda!" that makes me cringe inside, and feel pity for its author who was once a much more critical mind.

It's a game with bad writing, bad voice acting, bad (overall) quest design, bad art direction, bad gameplay mechanics, background lore abuse, etc., etc. And when it does seem to have some saving grace, there's actually none since the bad writing overrides fucking *everything*.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Well, it has been a few years...but the hoi polloi still remembers the game, so it's not Kodex Approved yet.

To paraphrase Shannow: There is no Codex hivemind, the end.

Then make a thread praising the intrincate moral dilemmas in FO3, and how it was nice of Bethesda to throw a bone to the old fans by sneaking in that homage to FO1's ending during the Trouble in Vault 101 quest.




I'll stay nearby to deliver your remains to the Dustmen.

 

[Topher]

Well, FS does post-apoc shootan much better than these two Oblivion TCs combined. So yeah, Bethesda managed to make the proper Fallout FPS back in the day.

The towns certainly are not lifeless

Just wait until you hit the Strip.

it's a post-apocalyptic wasteland!

So the whole PA thing is just an excuse to not to bother with making at least somewhat believable environments?

The strip was definitely the low point of NV for me.

 

[Serious_Business]

*GASP* I'd probably log out of the codex in pure rage and butthurt of course!

I was just curious what exact statement you stated in your review that makes 1eyedking sad.

Curious minds and all that....

No statement in particular (there are many), it's just sad to read that a review from the Codex praises F3. In fact it's not even praise, it's a kind of conformist "thank God you didn't make it too sucky, Bethesda!" that makes me cringe inside, and feel pity for its author who was once a much more critical mind.

It's a game with bad writing, bad voice acting, bad (overall) quest design, bad art direction, bad gameplay mechanics, background lore abuse, etc., etc. And when it does seem to have some saving grace, there's actually none since the bad writing overrides fucking *everything*.

Tell me more about superior Critical Thinking that enables you to engage in metadiscourse about everything. Im here to listen and learn

Why The Witcher Is An Intelligent Game

 

[1eyedking]

Click the link, asshole.

 

[Black]

Absolutely, it's a great example on how not to make rpgs and video games in general. Also very good for "the miracles of marketing".

 

[OSK]

DID SOMEBODY SAY FALLOUT 3?!

-SHIT YEAH FALLOUT 3 THE BULK OF THE GAME IS SIDE-QUESTS FUCK AWESOME
-FUCK YEAH I LOVE CLUNKY GAMEPLAY IT MAKES THE GAME HARDER IT'S A FEATURE
-AMAZING ANIMATIONS AND CINEMATIC SEQUENCES
-FUCK YEAH LOTS OF VOICE ACTORS: MAN WOMAN CHILD LIAM NEESON
-FALLOUT 3 HAS A COMPLETELY NEW ENGINE WITH STUNNING NEW FEATURES AND EXCELLENT STABILITY AND OPTIMIZATION
-FUCKING STORY DRIVEN MISSIONS- YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY MAKE DECISIONS THAT IMPACT THE FALLOUT WORLD
-EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF KILLING THE OWNER OF AN EXPENSIVE TOWER IN FRONT OF HIS GUARDS WITH NO CONSEQUENCES
-EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF PROVIDING WATER TO THIRSTY HOMELESS PEOPLE

FALLOUT 3 IS NOT OBLIVION, IT DOESN'T RELY ON MODS AS A CRUTCH:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/

FALLOUT 3: IT'S LIKE I'M REALLY PLAYING A GAME:

FIRST YOU PRESS V:

THEN YOU CLICK HEAD UNTIL YOU HEAR A NOISE:

THEN YOU PRESS E:

FALLOUT 3: IT'S LIKE I'M REALLY GOTY

 

[1eyedking]

Hooooooooly shit

That's gotta be the best post in ages

 

[JagreenLern]

This thread requires Exterminatus.

 

[sea]

Let me put it this way. Fallout 3 is a great topic for discussion. I just made some very lengthy posts on Shamus Young's blog Twenty Sided that I feel are quite analytical and speak truly to the kind of game Fallout 3 is.

That doesn't mean Fallout 3 is good. It's, for the most part, fucking awful. However, it serves as a great case study in "how not to make an open-world RPG", and it's got so many flaws, makes so many mistakes next to games both in and outside its own genre, and is so large a title, that dissecting it can actually be pretty intellectually engaging and informative.

Remember, good game designers and critics learn just as much from things that are bad as they do from things that are good - if not more. Sometimes understanding what not to do is far more crucial than understanding what one should do. We can deny it was ever made, and just refuse to talk about it, and maybe that's valid in a case where a game is just so terrible it can't be expressed in words, but we'd be doing a disservice to ourselves to just pretend it doesn't exist (though the psychological scars might be a high toll to pay).

 

[Clockwork Knight]

-EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF KILLING THE OWNER OF AN EXPENSIVE TOWER IN FRONT OF HIS GUARDS WITH NO CONSEQUENCES

?

The guards attack you if you kill him.

edit: then again, I never tried to kill him silently, if there is such a thing in vanilla. If yes, I assume they don't notice because he never comes out of his room.

 

[Sceptic]

No statement in particular (there are many)

Ah of course, the nebulous "no one in paritcular, just so many of them!" that does away with pesky wastes of time like providing any evidence that your claim is true.

it's just sad to read that a review from the Codex praises F3

Out of the 3 Codex reviews, there is exactly one that praises FO3. It was written by Chefe. Make of that what you will.

Oh, you mean the NMA review? I'm sorry, I didn't know that "one review on NMA" = "current state of Codex forums".

 

[1eyedking]

nebulous "no one in paritcular, just so many of them!" that does away with pesky wastes of time like providing any evidence that your claim is true.

I already went there, old chum. Feel free to search for the thread.

 

[BLOBERT]

BROWS THIS TOPIC HURTS MY HEART

MOST BROS HERE DONT HAVE ENOUGH BRIANS TO DISCUSS THE TOPIC LOLLOLOL LIKE THE SHEEPLE THEY CRITICIZE THEY FEEL SUPERIOR BECAUSE THEY HAVE FALLEN IN WITH THE EDGY CROWD WHICH HAS LESS PEOPLE IN IT WHICH TO UNDERDEVELOPED PEOPLE MEANS BETTER

LOLOLLOLOL AND THE AWESOME EDGY CRITICS HERE PLEAY AND REPLAY AND REPLAY SHIT AND PLAY NEW SHIT THAT EVERYONE KNOWS IS A PEACE OF SHIT BUT WONT TOUCH BROS LOLLOLOL MOST BROS HERE WOULDNT KNOW A REAL RPG FROM ZELDA AND LOLOLOL THEY WOULD PLAY FAGGOT AGE EFFECT SCROLLS 234323 BEFORE A REAL RPG AND THEN TALK AOUT HOW SHIT IT IS

FALLOUT 3 WAS A FUN ENOUGH ARPG FOR ME TO PLAY THROUGH ONCE

 

[Vault Dweller]

No statement in particular (there are many), it's just sad to read that a review from the Codex praises F3. In fact it's not even praise, it's a kind of conformist "thank God you didn't make it too sucky, Bethesda!" that makes me cringe inside, and feel pity for its author who was once a much more critical mind.

1eyedking can't into reading?

"Even though the box clearly states that it’s Fallout and adds a very convincing "3", it’s not a Fallout game.

... the setting doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Bethesda had an opportunity to craft a cohesive “living & breathing” world, but instead chose to build an amusement park with a bit of everything ‘cool’ they could think of. To be fair, some things Bethesda did are brilliant and atmospheric, but they are isolated elements that never form a coherent and consistent world that makes even the most basic sense.

... stats are less important, all characters' combat worthiness is about the same, and returns on stat investments are greatly decreased.

The main quest is one of the game's biggest weaknesses. ... ... the game hops on rails and takes you on a magical tour through one of the most idiotic game endings in the history of video games. Investing into a pair of good writers and story-tellers should be the top priority for Bethesda. The drop in quality, comparing the game to Daggerfall and Morrowind, is very noticeable and painful to experience.

... the writing. At best it’s passable, at worst it’s horrible, especially when it comes to dialogue stat checks. It feels like the writer had no clue what an intelligent or charismatic or perceptive person might say, so your intelligent lines often look absolutely idiotic.

Unfortunately, the combat system is mediocre at best and the only thing that could be described as "fucking hilarious" is Bethesda's failure to come up with something interesting and engaging.

Fallout 3’s karma is a busy little feature, constantly watching and judging you. ... Now, let’s add ridiculously easy ways to change your karma and watch the system as it departs the world of good design and flies straight out of the first available window. "

What seems to be the problem, officer? Oh, right, I was supposed to scream at the game and type shit, shit, shit, shIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHITTT!!!! I HATE YOU BETHESDA I FUCKING HATE YOU DIE DIE DIE!!!

My bad.

 

[Sceptic]

I already went there, old chum. Feel free to search for the thread.

You mean the thread in which you also made vague and unsubstantiated generalizations?

1eyedking can't into reading?

To be fair your review was slightly schizophrenic. The main body goes into great detail about exactly what's wrong with every aspect of the game, with the only sign of anything good being with the quests; but even there there's some odd statements, such as when you describe the first half of the MQ as "the best part", yet in the very same sentence you make an allusion to the "middle aged guy" bit (yeah, I admit that 3 years later I still can't figure out if you were being sarcastic or not there). And then the concluding remarks are that it's actually a "good and entertaining action RPG" if you can block out the Fallout bit. Wait what? you've just spent three long pages telling me in in-depth detail why it's in fact neither good nor particularly entertaining! But now it compares favorably with Two Worlds and Assassin's Creed, and Morrowind, and even Gothic (!)

That said, I'm much more comfortable cutting out the concluding remarks and taking everything else as your stance on the game, rather than cutting out the entire review and relying on 2 paragraphs, so calling your review a praise of FO3 would still be silly.

 

[villain of the story]

What?! There does not seem to be any voice acting nearly as bad as Moira's. The dialogue options certainly seem to be on par with Fallout 1 & 2. Ditto with the followers. The towns certainly are not lifeless; most of them actually have a reason for being there; yes, sometimes they are a little deserted, but come on, it's a post-apocalyptic wasteland! I have not beaten it, but I assumed it has the standard Fallout ending. Plus, the game has a lot more content than the first two, and it has even more C&C. In many ways, Fallout: New Vegas is superior to Fallout 1 & 2.

Jesus F. Christ...

I still have trouble understanding how people can think of F3:NV as lively, or having voice acting *better* than F3. The mind boggles.

"Here's a fine looking lady. Just needs to ditch the ROOOOOBES!"

I don't know about "lively" but most of the characters, not randomly generated NPCs sharing the same line, do indeed have good voice acting. The bigger problem is the distinct voices of the few voice actors whose voices ridiculously dominate the game as used for a wide selection of random NPCs and even some persistent ones.

 

[Secretninja]

1eyedking can't into reading?

Thank you captain obvious.

 

[Metro]

It's no less of an RPG than Witcher.

* Mediocre/poor combat? Check.
* Borderline non-existent itemization/gear progression? Check.
* Shallow character customization? Check.
* Lack of meaningful choice and consequence? Check.