Preview Hype Machine 1, Fallout fans Nil

[Mr. Teatime]

Complaining it's too much like FO1 is really shooting yourself in the foot.

Yeah, but keep in mind that there's a difference between complaining about the actual similarities to FO1 and accusing Bethesda of just being manipulative, by trying to copy the originals in all the aspects that basically don't mean shit (CGI, promotional artwork, etc.).

I'm not bashing them for the promotional images, or this teaser (which I think is very well done), it's just that this stuff doesn't make me trust them more with the actual game either.

By the way, The Inkspots were quite the one-trick pony, weren't they?

But the fact is, whether manipulative or not - and it's PR, of course it's manipulative - they're going for the FO1 feel in this teaser. Which implies that they either a) are genuinely worried about the bad PR the fans could create if they reveal their first person sci-fi Oblivibloom too early, or b) are genuinely trying to recreate Fallout. Either way, it's a good sign - both value the fanbase, and even option a) implies that they think that WE'RE their target audience.

I think that's what I can take away from this teaser. An idea of where the <i>target audience</i> is. This is the first big PR move for the game which will set the tone of every PR piece to come, and the way the game itself is going and, cmon guys, it really ain't that bad.

 

[Rat Keeng]

By the way, The Inkspots were quite the one-trick pony, weren't they?

Hehe, they found their sound and went with it

It might have been better if Bethesda had bothered to find a different 50's tune, rather than the god damn one that was supposedly in the running along with "Maybe", to be the Fallout 1 intro song. That would've really impressed me, that they might have bothered to go through loads of old songs to find the proper one.

That's kind of like just using Jeremy Soule over and over again oh wait...

 

[Araanor]

Whoopee-doo. I see they tried to go for inoffensive (as in, inoffensive to the Fallout-aware). Fallout 1 copy. Inoffensive but uninspiring, I'll give them a star for effort.

Expect an Oblivion-style buildup from now on up to fall 08 - as little gameplay as they can possibly slip out, but loads of teh grafix, soil erosion, radiated AI, SEAN CONNERY!

 

[MountainWest]

The thing is (for everyone saying this was a good trailer): the finale of the trailer didn't have to be a cool looking guy in a power armor, holding a big ass gun. But that's what Bethesda chosed. And I'm not surprised since that's exactly the kind of mentality I'm expecting from them.

 

[stargelman]

Which implies that they either a) are genuinely worried about the bad PR the fans could create if they reveal their first person sci-fi Oblivibloom too early, or b) are genuinely trying to recreate Fallout. Either way, it's a good sign - both value the fanbase, and even option a) implies that they think that WE'RE their target audience.

The real question is how far that extends. Do they actually care/understand what the strengths of FO were? I mean sure, getting the art right is nice, but if the dialog is all Oblivion like or they recycle their "do everything with one character" model, it's still not going to be a worthy sucessor.

 

[Imbecile]

Slow pull back revealing a ruined city? Check.
Vault Voy? Check.
Inkspots? Check.
Ron Perlman? Check.
T-51b (almost)? Check.

They either have no fucking idea at all, or they have no faith in their ability to show something "fallout-y" without directly aping it. Or I guess it could be a cynical move on their part because they know anything they haven't directly mimicked just doesn't look like Fallout.

And I think worst of all, this reeks of "safe and inoffensive". The very philosophy that brought us such great moments in creative expression as the horribly tepid Oblivion, or Matchbox 20.

Aren't fans almost entirely to blame for this? Literally any change at all is immediately leapt upon and savaged. Every time I venture onto the official site I see posts saying it needs to keep the music, keep Perlman, keep the perspective, the setting, the armour, the weapons, the system, the feel. Is it any wonder that Bethesda want to play it safe? Are they in a no win situation with this IP?

 

[sqeecoo]

It looks solid but unispired. Quite meek too. And reminds me of HL2 and other FPS games.

 

[Foamhead]

Sinking feeling

I am usually the first guy to give someone a chance. Bethesda is privately owned and is rpg focused. Just because they made Oblivion does not mean it is the only type of game they can make. I also couldn't give a shit about where the camera is pointed or realtime vs/ Turn based WITHIN REASON.

However...

At this point the fact the Bethesda still refuses to show or discuss any gameplay this late into things is a pretty good indication that most of us are not going to like where they took Fallout. When people play their cards this close to the chest you know something is up.

This "teaser" rather then building anticipation has made me wash my hands of the franchise.

Pete, Bethesda, whoever, just put up or shut the fuck up.

 

[Amasius]

The only thing to complain about is the lack of any real content to complain about.

 

[Fez]

Nothing to shout about yet. It was a bit lame considering the wait. I was hoping for more with all that build up and drama they were fuelling. The PA was maybe not quite right, but it was okay. It doesn't really say what the game will be like though. A good or bad intro won't make or break the game.

 

[Krafter]

The BOS is getting pretty overplayed at this point, but other than that, it was fine by me. So far so good, but I'm still expecting Morrowind with guns.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Bethesda have completely underwhelmed the gaming world's most notorious fanbase with an ultimately uninspired rehash of Fallout's intro.

Would it be too much of a stretch to assume that, if they had used Enclave armor and some Satchmo tune, then it would be labeled as a Fallout 2 intro rehash? They're working with a setting many of us know by heart - could they ever use any of its trademarks in a way we wouldn't bitch about it because it's been used - or shown - in a similar way before? Show some Deathclaw, too actiony. Show some BoS high-fiving each other, too gay or the armor isn't the exact same model that was never consistent to begin with, yay. Show some Raiders capturing tribals on a car or traipsing around and finding a Vault with an open door, and it would be non-canonical.

There's certainly a lot that could be nitpicked about the teaser concerning Bethesda's showcasing a somewhat safe vision of Fallout while trying to bring up their sense of epic through the imagery and the out-of-place orchestra in a setting populated with a bleak outlook of the human condition, but I wonder what, if anything, would have been acceptable.

For me the whole deal is somewhere between pure apathy and a double-edged sword. The Ink Spots' music isn't entirely welcomed in the sense that they could have opted for another artist with a similar musical tendency but there's nothing wrong with using the same band, unless we were into the 27th chapter in the series and they were still churning the same intro song.

New recordings from Ron Pearlman? Oh yeah.

 

[Fez]

It will be Oblivion with guns. Maybe they'll go the whole hog with it: Level scaling and lots of mutant and Brotherhood blasting action. Start off fighting tribals and then later on it will be all bandits in PA demanding ten caps to pass on the road.

 

[ricolikesrice]

....

compared to what starcraft fans got after their countdown was over, this is very very lacklustre.

why 30 days wait for this ? looks like something like this could be made in half a work day by one guy. oh yeah.... HYPE HYPE HYPE ... at least i spent the 30days wisely by each day reading and immersing myself in the deathclaw fanfic provided in these very forums.

the teaser is okay though, but then again, how many teasers are there that really manage to put you off a game ?

 

[Fez]

It might be worth downloading the HD trailer if you have only seen the small flash one as the Father of Lies did say it was using the engine, so it could give a rough idea of what the in game world will look like if they aimed for that art direction for the final. A long time to go yet though.

 

[SuicideBunny]

The real question is how far that extends. Do they actually care/understand what the strengths of FO were?

this reminds me somewhat of something sewyer said on the van buren boards, when everyone and their grandma complained that the concept art and ideas were too technological and un-fallouty..
was along the lines of "you might all think you know what makes a good fallout, but seriously, you don't."

the teaser was nice, lot more than i would have expected from them, now let's wait and see if the gameplay will be along the same lines.
the pa dude seemed kinda lame at first, but then i noticed how he looks even less high tech than the normal fallout pa, which made me happy.

 

[Helton]

Several people have said he's a BOS soldier. What makes you think that? I don't see their logo anywhere. Just a guy in power armor.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Several people have said he's a BOS soldier. What makes you think that? I don't see their logo anywhere. Just a guy in power armor.

Look closely.

 

[Redeye]

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

Looks like they crossed the T51B with this. And an Oblivion pauldron.

 

[Helton]

Look closely.

Ah, disregard then.

 

[Rohit_N]

Has this been posted yet? It's coming to PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

 

[Ausir]

In what can only be termed "tragically predictable", Bethesda have completely underwhelmed the gaming world's most notorious fanbase with an ultimately uninspired rehash of Fallout's intro.

Yeah, the Fallout game you worked on was so much different from FO1 and so much better...

 

[Thrym]

So let me get this straight, they paid Ron Perlman to say the exact same 4 words over again? I can just imagine him in the studio, "Hey, I just read this shit almost a decade ago, what do you want me to do this time?" "Just emphasize war, ok Ron? We just want everybody to know it's Ron Perlman doing it, make it a little gruffer, maybe more dramatic, whatever you like, go wild, we just want everyone to know that it's Ron Perlman on board, we don't cut corners here at Bethesda, we do this shit right."

 

[aboyd]

The trailer shows no gameplay. Even for those who think the trailer does everything right, in the end the gameplay could be Oblivion with guns. So the trailer shouldn't cause anyone to suddenly have faith that the game will turn out well. However, it does indicate that they're going for the Fallout 1 look & feel. So perhaps "Oblivion with guns" should be modified to "Oblivion with guns in a reasonably accurate environment."

That's at least some good progress.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

In what can only be termed "tragically predictable", Bethesda have completely underwhelmed the gaming world's most notorious fanbase with an ultimately uninspired rehash of Fallout's intro.

Yeah, the Fallout game you worked on was so much different from FO1 and so much better...