I tried to write my impressions in a organized way since I finally gave a small chance to this game, after I borrowed it from a friend. But I can't write about the entire game with clarity it seem, so I will just toss things as they come.
First, let's say that this game will always be a bethesda fan fiction to me, better known as bethesda 3. But don't think it's hate on my part, I actually went to the end of 'broken steel', and of point lookout and the pitt main quests, so hated I didn't.
Often I was tempted to just give up, but then I kept seeing some interesting potentials here and there despite all the slugs that the game make you go through. Ok, I was ultimatly disapointed at every turn, but to be fair I think at least someone on whoever people wrote this game tried a little. Maybe.
I don't want to rehash points made by other people, let's just say I might have been better prepared to deal with some of the writting in general. From the start, I had my mind set on mentally changing the 'super mutants' into completely different mutants, not FEV related, just something else.
Same with the 'brotherhood', they aren't the 'brotherhood', and they don't wear 'power armors', they are just completely different, unrelated people with only the common ground of having a better tech than most.
Insert something similar for the 'enclave' here. You must get the general picture but don't think I putted a lot of efforts into it, I didn't mentally rewrite things as I went along, not in a clear, good and organized way. I just improvised and it worked enough to keep me going.
For example, the famous mutants are the main reason for the lack of new civilisations around DC, they are litteraly everywhere and attack everyone after all. Which get old very fast, and their lack of other interactions with the world doesn't help I know, there is only so much you can do with live improvised 'rewritting' to make the setting tolerable.
Anyway, believe it or not but those weren't the hard parts to 'retcon' as I was going along, no.
I had a VERY hard time with all the pre war history and references, especially when coming out of characters who shoudn't know any of it, and shoudn't give a fuck. Even simple words like chineses, US, communists and america should be foreign, meaningless to almost everyone at best.
I gave up on my mental thing for this after running into a loony who seemed to know american history better than the real average american. I just proceeded to plug my hears, which took a lot more effort than the live retcon thing.
Moving on, I would like to describe how some quests gave me hope that they would turn out good, even very good, but it would take too much in this post so let me try to make it with a few examples:
1, Some very organized people apparently manage to attack and rob almost every fresh water caravans. Nobody seem to have the time or ressources to deal with it. So you think that there must be some interest, even a complex story there. Yet the 'brain' of the all operation is easier to find than a molerat and as predictable, and killing him resolve everything. The rest of his crew simply back out. Then you can blackmail a little protection money from the woman who sent you or not. The end.
2, You know what, I have a few more like that but let's cut to the pitt, the biggest disapointment of all. It had so much potential at first. Too much, because bethesda quikly drowned it in it's recuring pathern: Make two course of actions and lock the player in it.
Ok, just let me write a little more because it's almost funny. During the famous baby choice, I think that instead of following either of the two plans, I would better go after Ashur and his would be usurper to try and see if there is a other course. I exit the haven, and, whao, the game tell me that not taking the baby right away mean I chose my side already. I go back to the lab, Marie is still there but no, I can't change course anymore, not even that. This is lazy programming.
Speaking of which I decide to roll with it anyway, but I am not happy and in the mood to kill the little assholes want to be crew of Ashur. Further twist in the lazy programming, the rebelling slaves magically know I am not following Werner's plan anymore, and are all hostiles. Just like that.
Then I start wacking the raiders, and they DON'T go hostiles... They basically let me kill them one by one. Just like that. It was the first and only time where I was so unhappy about bethesda 'choices' that I had left the rails, but boy once I weren't on rails, the game sure showed it.
'Euh sir? You aren't supposed to look too much for alternatives ways we never programmed, thank you.'
Anyway let's end this. I killed Werner. Then Ashur, who didn't notice that I had wack every single member of his crew I could find during the riot, thanked me and didn't want to be reasonable about his 'workers'. He died too right after that. Then it was the turn of every remaining raiders and slaves.
Then the lone wanderer took the baby and walked off in the distance, after making sure that the pitt would remain shut and buried with a series of carefully planned explosions.
Yeah, that's my messy improvised ending but I like it at least, the absolute zero.
Well thanks for reading if you have, that sure was not easy to write. Final words, even if it might not show above, bethesda 3 do have fun and even intriguing parts here and there, they are just under developped. Way under. Might be worth a single try if you have a little time for it. It's not worth your money though, do like me, consider you payed for it with Vegas then find a friend to borrow it from.
Thanks again.
