Media Consumes Me: Fallout Series History and Review Part 2

[The Vault Dweller]

The entertainment critique website Media Consumes Me which graced us with a previously well-written article about the history of Fallout has just delivered a second part by author Ethan Quin. This continues right where the first left off covering the downfall of Interplay, Bethesda's Fallout 3, and any potential future for the series. It's just as verbose and awesomely detailed as the first part was and is strongly suggested reading.

The History and Review of the Fallout Series Part 2 by Ethan Quin.

 

[UnidentifiedFlyingTard]

I agree that Bethesda tried, but they just aren't good at making games.

 

[4too]

"The Color Purple"

"The Color Purple"




Referring to text around video, here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Color_Purple

AND here:

http://www.mediaconsumesme.com/2009/11/the-history-and-review-of-the-fallout-series-part-2/

...
The graphics are immense, rendering the post apocalyptic landscape with numerous amounts of rubble and debris, and although I would have liked to see the long expansive deserts of the American southwest, you have to admit Bethesda did a perfect job in bringing the environment to life. The only real problem regarding graphics is the color palette, which never really leaves the boundaries of its dusty grays, yellows, and greens. ...

For those in First Person Shooter TEXTING mode, I will repeat this fragment:

...
The only real problem regarding graphics is the color palette, which never really leaves the boundaries of its dusty grays, yellows, and greens. ...

Best laugh of that day!

After that psychic palate purging, I understand some of the historical shorthand, but I don't have any suggestions to sharpen accuracy.
Plenty of more organized intellects lurking here to do justice to 'truth and beauty'.


Best laugh of that day!

Why?

"The Color Purple" ..."The Color Purple" I am pinging is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Color_Purple

AND here:


http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52867

Oh noes, I ""sense a rift in TEH FARCE""!!!!1!

Pure lulz worthy of bubbling laughter and gentile prodding mockery.

Teh Fan, Teh FO Fan never changes ....

/////////////


GET OFF to the polls America!




4too

 

[Deadman87]

He definitely makes an interesting read, and that video was great. Still, he seems to be a bit forgiving about FO3, with quotes like:

Finally players got a chance to board an alien spacecraft

The dialogue is good, but not necessarily on par all the time

 

[SharkClub]

Finally players got a chance to board an alien spacecraft

Worst thing is, that the Aliens in Fallout 1/2(?) were actually Easter Eggs, not part of the main plot-line like in Failout 3. The things named Aliens in Fallout 2 were actually F.E.V. experiments nick-named Wanamingos and weren't actually Aliens at all. Thus Bethesda have fucked up another portion of the canon with their Mothershit Zeta. (Though the majority of you don't need me explaining this, eh?)

 

[Lexx]

Well, it could also be possible to handle the DLC as "easteregg" or so. Don't know if it is done that way...

 

[Continuum]

Worst thing is, that the Aliens in Fallout 1/2(?) were actually Easter Eggs

Well, maybe if original designers did not include those stupid and retarded Easter Eggs then Toddler wouldn't re-use them in Fallout 3. Who knows... Who cares about Fallout 3 and its DLCs anyway...

not part of the main plot-line like in Failout 3.

But they're part of the game. Stupid and retarded, but still... WTF?! Aliens crashed in the Wastelands!

 

[ethanquin]

Every talking point about Bethesda's Fallout 3 has pretty much been discussed to death (or as a deleted post mentioned in emoticon form, beaten like a dead horse). That was really the hard part making a history and review about the Fallout series, especially Part 2. There isn't much said that hasn't been said already, but I needed to finish this and move on. Hopefully it will inform the uninformed. It is also a platform in which for me to get into the habit for my series. I thought I knew a lot about the Fallout series having played all of them (except Fallout: BIS) when they were released. I used to check out mods here at NMA years back when I was replaying Fallout 2. The fans here though are very devoted and I accept any criticism from everyone with open arms. If some of you are fans of other turn based strategy games, I will be featuring X-Com in my next two articles.

Also, I don't try and come off too much against F3 or for it, since that is how I felt through much of the game. My biggest gripe was it was extremely easy and really didn't add anything except a FPS view and tons of redundant action (esp Op Anchorage and Zeta) to the series.

To me Bethesda makes games that feel great at the start but sink into a mediocre stew and can only be spiced up by community mods. At least they give fans an editor.

 

[shihonage]

I like your videos, Ethan, they're very polished. Sure, you didn't mention how Fallout3's dialogue never breaches the IQ roof of a slightly retarded 12-year-old, but at you didn't sing it non-stop praises either, which is always refreshing.

I am still waiting for a total conversion which makes F3's dialogue non-vomitous and gives color to the textures of its seemingly urine-soaked landscape. Apparently, when nuclear war happened, millions peed themselves in horror.

 

[ethanquin]

Sure, you didn't mention how Fallout3's dialogue never breaches the IQ roof of a slightly retarded 12-year-old, but at you didn't sing it non-stop praises either, which is always refreshing.

Yeah the dialog to me was okay, but felt greatly improved from Oblivion as far as delivery. Plus, there are just so many instances where they could have put the player in the midst of a real predicament, but instead went the easy route where you could easily see how things would occur. There were only a small handful of events that felt memorable. Maybe if they concentrated on storytelling and having the character really make the hard decisions the dialog surrounding these choices would have been infinitely better.

I work my day job as a event and production photographer, and I am contracted for editing independent films in the Dallas area. I come across terribly written dialog, and horribly acted scenes all the time in which I have to cut to make the performances more engaging and believable. Maybe I was cutting Bethesda some slack?

 

[rehevkor]

Ohh, I like the use of Nasopharyngeal - A Funeral Dirge For B.R. [VB tech demo] in the video.

 

[Paul_cz]

These were two great great videos/articles, thanks for them!
Personally, I love all three Fallout games, first and second for dialogues, story, choices and consequences and the setting, third one for its immersive atmosphere and the chance it gave me to explore very well crafter postapocalypse Fallout world from first person perspective, which is something I wanted to do ever since I played Fallout 1 in 98 (and back then I had no idea how far would technology go of course).
Sure, dialogue is not as great and combat can get stale, but overall it DID entertained me for shitload of time, not to mention the mods and DLC.So all is great for me.

 

[Deadman87]

If some of you are fans of other turn based strategy games, I will be featuring X-Com in my next two articles.

Alright! I'm greatly looking forward to that (at least part 1 is bound to be good)

 

[ethanquin]

Part 1 will be good, but I actually have some surprises in Part 2, and they have nothing to do with Apocalypse, Interceptor, or Enforcer.

 

[cdoublejj]

Finally players got a chance to board an alien spacecraft

Worst thing is, that the Aliens in Fallout 1/2(?) were actually Easter Eggs, not part of the main plot-line like in Failout 3. The things named Aliens in Fallout 2 were actually F.E.V. experiments nick-named Wanamingos and weren't actually Aliens at all. Thus Bethesda have fucked up another portion of the canon with their Mothershit Zeta. (Though the majority of you don't need me explaining this, eh?)

well i wasn't to sure about the wanimingos but, i knew the ufo was an Easter egg, i have read most of the F.E.v tapes i guess i slipped up pretty good. how ever that doesn't mean i agree with Mothershit zeta and never have.

oh btw i downloaded the mp4s from youtube to my hdd, i liked them that much.

 

[brfritos]

He definitely makes an interesting read, and that video was great. Still, he seems to be a bit forgiving about FO3, with quotes like:

Finally players got a chance to board an alien spacecraft

The dialogue is good, but not necessarily on par all the time

The main problem is calling the game "Fallout 3", isn't?

I think if Bethesda released the game with other name, 90% of the bashing would not happend.

Imagine the name like "The Under Ripper of the Post Apocalyptic World" (yes, I suck on this! 8O ).
I bet you say that's an average so-so game.

But as a Fallout sequel is a pure POS.

[ ]'s

 

[Arr0nax]

No it's shit, deep shit, I'm tired of hearing people say it would be a good game if it wasn't for its fallout ancestors.

Visually, it's boring and without style
The story, and character interactions are badly written
The main storyline sucks balls
The twists of the secondary quests are predictable or uninteresting
The interactivity and life of the world you go through is close to 0 (nothing ever change after you fix something)
The action... well is not worth that of a real action game, nor a FPS

So, what does this game have compared to other things I could do in the same time ?
If i'm in the mood of being a Vegetable and sticking to my PC, I'll prefer a hundred times to watch one of the hundred of good films or series I still have to watch, or play a sane relaxing action game...

If I'm in a more intellectual mood or if I need to escape this tiny little world, I'll play a strategy game, or one of the Adventure games or RPGs I still didn't play, read a book, or work on my own game.

I'm having a hard time figuring a situation where I would *want* to wander again through this dead and shallow world, speaking boring things to dumb NPCs and shooting on ugly always-the-same super-mutants in a sort of FPS spin-off.

Because frankly, at least if you make a Diablo-like "click-click-click-click" game, make a solid character/items/monsters progression model to keep the player thirsty.

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

I am still waiting for a total conversion which makes F3's dialogue non-vomitous and gives color to the textures of its seemingly urine-soaked landscape. Apparently, when nuclear war happened, millions peed themselves in horror.

new vegas,