GamingExcellence previews Fallout 3

Brother None

Brother None

This ghoul has seen it all
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We're on the threshold of full-fledged review wars, but GamingExcellence has a preview of Fallout 3 up just now.<blockquote>I was also privy to the lockpicking and computer hacking mini-games. While both were challenging, I found neither particularly fun in comparison to the main game, and likely would have been happier with a simple skill roll. The lock picking game used the two thumbsticks on the controller as the lockpick and screwdriver, where each has to be turned at precisely the right moment to succeed. The hacking game was basically mastermind, which means your mileage will vary depending on you love of old-school board games. Search through some computer code for a password, and the computer would tell you how many letters of the password you got correct. I yearned for an opprtunity to shoot something.

Despite it's flaws and differences over the previous entries, this is a significant departure from the Elder Scrolls universe, and "Oblivion with guns" is a disgusting simplification of this promising game. While on the surface, it's easy to marginalize a game like this as re-invented to a flaw. I'm sure many people were aching for an overhead perspective and turn-based combat. I'd be lying if I didn't say that at some point, I was one of them.

Still, as much as I tried to dislike Fallout 3, I would start playing to find how many of the old audio cues are pulled from the first games and think "this is Fallout". I would score a critical on a bandit, blowing his head clean off and think "this is Fallout". I would come across a Brotherhood of Steel outpost, see a hulking set of power armor and think "this is Fallout".</blockquote>
 
Minigames. Generally, they suck. Anachronox did a decent job with them, and it fit the gameplay. Bioshock's version was simply stupid and rendered meaningless after the first few attempts (very easy to master), not to mention the unrealistic time freeze which has no place in a shooter. Oblivion's Simon-Says conversation minigame may be the worst of all-time.
 
GE said:
Still, as much as I tried to dislike Fallout 3, I would start playing to find how many of the old audio cues are pulled from the first games and think "this is Fallout". I would score a critical on a bandit, blowing his head clean off and think "this is Fallout". I would come across a Brotherhood of Steel outpost, see a hulking set of power armor and think "this is Fallout".
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Audio cues. Bloody mess. BoS armor.

Typical misconception of "this is Fallout"

Dialogue? Quest structure? Choice and consequence? Dark ironic humour?
 
Brother None said:
Audio cues. Bloody mess. BoS armor.

Typical misconception of "this is Fallout"

Dialogue? Quest structure? Choice and consequence? Dark ironic humour?
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Well said.
 
Well this was one man's opinion so if those aforementioned features made Fallout 'Fallout' for him, then so be it.

Gameplay and environment made Fallout 'Fallout' for me - but I'm sure other people have different reasons.
 
Ugh. I hate minigames. If you have a good enough game, what's the point? Bioshock was really dragged down by the constant pipes.
 
Brother None said:
I was also privy to the lockpicking and computer hacking mini-games. While both were challenging, I found neither particularly fun in comparison to the main game, and likely would have been happier with a simple skill roll. The lock picking game used the two thumbsticks on the controller as the lockpick and screwdriver, where each has to be turned at precisely the right moment to succeed. The hacking game was basically mastermind, which means your mileage will vary depending on you love of old-school board games. Search through some computer code for a password, and the computer would tell you how many letters of the password you got correct. I yearned for an opprtunity to shoot something.</blockquote>
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When did minigames become essential part of RPG-s? I havent met a single person who thought that minigames are worthy addition to any RPG and still developers implement them insted simple skill rolls, which is easier and time saving for players and developers.
 
marko2te said:
When did minigames become essential part of RPG-s? I havent met a single person who thought that minigames are worthy addition to any RPG and still developers implement them insted simple skill rolls, which is easier and time saving for players and developers.
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I think it's part of the trend of making RPGs less about the character, and more about the player.
 
Leon said:
I think it's part of the trend of making RPGs less about the character, and more about the player.
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And stupid me thought that RPG-s are about character and not player.
 
Brother None said:
GE said:
Still, as much as I tried to dislike Fallout 3, I would start playing to find how many of the old audio cues are pulled from the first games and think "this is Fallout". I would score a critical on a bandit, blowing his head clean off and think "this is Fallout". I would come across a Brotherhood of Steel outpost, see a hulking set of power armor and think "this is Fallout".
Click to expand...

Audio cues. Bloody mess. BoS armor.

Typical misconception of "this is Fallout"

Dialogue? Quest structure? Choice and consequence? Dark ironic humour?
Click to expand...

Well, it's obvious he's not the 'look deeper into what made a game series, and defined it' type. His main reaction to the mini-games was a yearning to do yet more shooting.
 
Gun play using the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or VATS, definitely seemed like 'easy mode' for my character, especially at close range. VATS uses action points, a self-regenerating 'time currency' which will be familiar to those who played the first two Fallout games. Prior to Fallout 3, action points governed how much you could move, fire, or really do anything while in combat. Now that the series is no longer turn-based, action points seem to regenerate whenever you aren't using VATS, regardless of whether or not you are shooting, running or using items.

What's more, is that with VATS turned on, you seem to become an elite killing machine. Even when I only fared a 60% chance of shooting someone in the face, I had enough action points for four shots, one of which would usually cause critical damage. While this did a good job of making me feel powerful despite having just started (early characters in Fallout 2 were terrible at everything), they seem to have taken this a bit far. Just to be clear, VATS does not replace or even approximate the turn-based combat of previous Fallout titles. It allows for effortless targeted shots, providing the best ammo to damage ratio you could hope for.

Additionally, VATS seemed to create the most ideal scenarios to see the various extreme death animations, usually consisting of a lost limb and a lot of blood. It was beautiful in a way my mother would not be comfortable with.
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What he has to say about VATS. I disagree with his last paragraph and would say that there are other games that do it better but it's fair that he likes it on it's own. All in all, he points out a lot of problems with the system.

Near the end of my trek, I spotted a few super mutants and decided to make a run at them. They attacked me on-sight, but two of the three were only using melee weapons. While there was a chance I could have blasted them unassisted, it was suggested that I employ the help of the various drugs and meds in my inventory.

A hit of Jet and a dose of Psycho later, I was able to use VATS to dispatch the mutants with ease. For the melee fighting hulks in particular, I found running backwards and jumping to be an effective strategy. After a few seconds of hopping in reverse, my action points had regenerated, and I was able to switch into VATS once more for a targeted shot to the head. I noticed that while I had gained the ability to fire at an enemy's weapon, I was no longer able to target the eyes, which was my organ of choice in games previous.

The drugs gave my character tons of action points, with various other stat boosts. I can easily imagine players taking advantage of them to force their way through particularly difficult fights. Case and point, I killed three super mutants armed with only a pistol. While addiction is an issue, along with the stat-reducing withdrawal, I am told there are a few ways to go about kicking the habit, including making use of doctors.
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A low level super mutant fight where he destroys them.

I was also privy to the lockpicking and computer hacking mini-games. While both were challenging, I found neither particularly fun in comparison to the main game, and likely would have been happier with a simple skill roll. The lock picking game used the two thumbsticks on the controller as the lockpick and screwdriver, where each has to be turned at precisely the right moment to succeed. The hacking game was basically mastermind, which means your mileage will vary depending on you love of old-school board games. Search through some computer code for a password, and the computer would tell you how many letters of the password you got correct. I yearned for an opprtunity to shoot something.
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Always good to see this noted. Whether or not the system is fine on it's own they distract from the game instead of add to it.

Still, as much as I tried to dislike Fallout 3, I would start playing to find how many of the old audio cues are pulled from the first games and think "this is Fallout". I would score a critical on a bandit, blowing his head clean off and think "this is Fallout". I would come across a Brotherhood of Steel outpost, see a hulking set of power armor and think "this is Fallout".

So while I can't really say if the game is the second coming of Sulik and the gang, what I can say with a fair degree of certainty, is that it is beautiful, it is fun and it is Fallout. Watch for it to be released on October 28th.
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Interesting opinion but he points out that it's less of a Fallout game than previous ones and that he likes it, both are fair and reasonable.

All in all, a good read, especially for people who think that you can't criticise a game and truely enjoy it.

Brother None said:
Audio cues. Bloody mess. BoS armor.

Typical misconception of "this is Fallout"

Dialogue? Quest structure? Choice and consequence? Dark ironic humour?
Click to expand...
Agreed, that's just really superficial things about Fallout but he did note that it was less of a Fallout game than the first two.
 
I'm starting to think that the Super Muties come in 4 types: Weak, Moderately Strong, Tough, and Behemoth. Might explain why some are killed so easily.
 
There's super mutant, super mutant brutes, super mutant masters (not to be confused with the Master) and the super mutant Behemoth, yes, so different types, though the first three don't seem to differ much in appearance.

Genma:TheDestroyer said:
Well, it's obvious he's not the 'look deeper into what made a game series, and defined it' type. His main reaction to the mini-games was a yearning to do yet more shooting.
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To be fair, the Oblivion lock-picking and dialogue minigames also made me year to just beat stuff up, and that despite how bad Oblivion combat is.
 
Brother None said:
Genma:TheDestroyer said:
Well, it's obvious he's not the 'look deeper into what made a game series, and defined it' type. His main reaction to the mini-games was a yearning to do yet more shooting.
Click to expand...

To be fair, the Oblivion lock-picking and dialogue minigames also made me year to just beat stuff up, and that despite how bad Oblivion combat is.
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Also it was a colourful way to make the point he later explicitly stated which is that it distracts from the main game.
 
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