Eurogamer Fallout 3 Review: 10/10

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Is there a nice list of unique items, and preferably where to find them?
 
DEATHMASTER said:
Answer to the Vault 112 thing
If you go to the abandoned house in Tranquility lane, you can select some objects right by the door that make noise, if you do them in the right order, you can access the good karma answer: chinese invasion. Quite frankly you getting good karma from it doesn't seem to make sense from the other way either, just less sadistic I guess
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That's not the point. The point is,

Why the **** do you strap yourself into one of those VR machines? There's no reason to do it, especially since most of the people in there look like ****ing drones.

Now my own question, a simple yes or no is all I request, has to do with Amata, probably spoiler safe for someone who has beaten the game already.
After she becomes overseer and tells you to leave the vault, are you ever allowed to interact with her again?
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No.

Also I read about the endings just having slight variations to them, you can get about 3 by just changing small things just before the ending part. I'll find out the others by playing again instead of getting spoiled about every single one but I have to say, I wish the game could continue after it, I mean...
Whether its death or you live, its "story ends." I'd rather go take Amata to Megaton and chill or something, Fawkes can be the royal guard :D (god damn he made the game easier). Well either way it seems there can definitely be a sequel (at least in the universe) with so much crap going on, and the last line being "war never changes."
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Fallout 4 will propably eradicate the last of the Fallout flavour.

Cerpin said:
Is there a nice list of unique items, and preferably where to find them?
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http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/file/939933/54617

I should begin my second walkthrough soon... urgh. The quality of the writing (or rather lack thereof) is goign to stand ouy. URKH.

And Fawkes not hitting the last button is an infinitely retarded design choice. Infinitely.
 
I finally got to Vault 112, and i wasn't too impressed with the way the story is going. I think I'll just kinda forget it exists and just do the side quests. Then I'll finish the game, restart, and go a different path than the good guy that I am.
 
http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=46717

I was bored:

newarmorrr3.jpg


My face + Burke's glasses + custom Combat Armour = Win
 
I'm probably going to be trading this in for either Gears this week or Left 4 Dead later on. It just isn't the game I thought it would be and I think I've seen enough.

It just feels identical to Oblivion. Alright, no, there is alot different such as the setting and the presenation, and a boat load of other time and aesthetic things, but the way the entire game has been designed and made reeks of Oblivion and Bethesda, and I loved Oblivion, too! Maybe it's because I can draw comparisons between the two in such linear ways that I don't enjoy this as much because I feel like I've done it all before. It feels to me as if I could go to the corner of the map and start tearing at the seems to reveal the rocky mountains of Bruma or I could cut a hole through a subway tunnel and come across a bunch of trolls aimlessly wandering around Generic Rocky Cavern 129.

It doesn't help when everything that was slightly off about Oblivion is here too - the way dungeons are straight, linear paths with enemies just standing around at every turn doing nothing in particular, the way all dungeons are all just doors carved into the side of a mountain, the fact that enemies don't feel as if theres any reason as to why they are there and are simply just an obstacle placed on the map to hinder you when you come across it, and same with any human characters you may encounter in the Waste, be them friendly or enemy. Speaking of which, just how lifeless everyone is in their presentation and character and how Oblivion-esqe the tasks some of these folk give you and how they are designed to fit in with the rest of the game often makes me think why it should be ME doing it when the liar of this generic collection of creatures that is bothering you is convieniently located just a few metres thataway. Oh right, it's a wooden door amongst a bunch of rocks. Surprise!

I'll tell you what I loved the most about Oblivion - the setting. The landscapes, the environments and the locations were all really cool places to me, but the Wasteland just feels so bleh, and I understand that it SHOULD look like desolation, but I just can't find myself wow'd by it at all. Alright, there have been a few cool locations which I won't talk about incase of spoilers, but the rest of the game feels like a chore to me which is annoying, because I love the post-apocalyptic wasteland theme and vibe, be it in art, film, music and some games have done it great (well, I can think of Half-Life 2 off the top of my head, but that isn't in the same boat) but I simply cannot get any enjoyment out of wandering the wastes. I think for the most part it's because of how static the enemies are when encountered but I dunno.

My real bother with the game is that it just doesn't feel human.

For the most part, all of those are real bothers to me because they feel exactly the same as Oblivion and I've done it all before. There are some cool elements to the game, but on the whole I just felt a bit 'meh' when playing it.
 
Watching the trailers/gameplay videos, to me it just screems bioshock.

I thought Bioshock sucked the big one.
 
Good ending sucked. Besides the good exploration, pretty disappointing game imo. Also, come back Dogmeat.

COME BACK.
 
What? It is absolutely nothing like Bioshock. Not even a little bit.

Also, you dont need to spoiler bioshock hate on this website.
 
It seems pretty mediocre. My friend said he'd bring over his copy for me to try, I'll hold serious thoughts until then.

I do have a few questions:

Is interface handled better than Oblivion? Does V.A.T.S. get repetitive? Also, I'm somewhat curious as to if the story manages to be coherent and engaging enough for at least one play-through. These are gripes I had with Oblivion.

Oh, also I couldn't stand the animations in Oblivion but it seems that's carried over (according to reviewers all over the interboobs)
 
Played this at a mates house last week, and it was pretty much what I was expecting - a Fallout Oblivion total conversion. I'll still give it a rent and a playthrough eventually though. I think how Oblivion-esque everything is puts me off big-time too.

I only really played it myself for about an hour but the whole time I couldn't help but think how great this game could've been on a decent engine. Imagine the wasteland with Far Cry 2 visuals/gunplay, full dyamic lighting, proper animations and character models/movement. Pitch-black metro tunnels with some STALKER-style flashlight action going on. I'd probably piss myself with joy.
 
TheAntipop said:
My real bother with the game is that it just doesn't feel human.
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Hmm, all the surprised positive feedback had been thawing my dubiety about the game, but fear of this kind of feeling is exactly the reason I'd been harbouring doubts...
 
Like I said, it's the enemies that are just dotted around at random, the mechanical, souless humans, odd, cluttered and messy quests and repetetive Oblivion like dungeons and locations that make it all mechanical to me. I can have fun with all of this, and I sort of am, but on the whole it isn't something I'm really overjoyed by or feel really excited to play.

It's been a fun game, but right now I've no cash and two more big games on the horizon to play, so I'm going to leave this for now. I'm pretty far into the game anyway, and maybe I'll pick it up next year when it comes down in price.
 
Antipop has it in one. Summed up my feelings beautifully. I'm going to keep playing though cos I haven't explore all of the map yet and shiznit like that. The really big killer is definitely NPC interaction - it doesn't feel right. It feels horrible.
 
power armor isn't exactly standard issue, only the enclave and brotherhood carry it
 
French Ninja said:
I mean pre-war though.

I remember the one opening cutscene for FO 1 having two US soldiers in Power Armor.
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Power Armor was standard issue in Alaska and during the annexation of Canada(which is what you saw in the cutscene), however, during the end of the Resource Wars(which were the precursor to the nuclear war) they began to saw deployment internally for managing internal rioting etc.
 
I wanted to see the chinese stealth infiltrator armor. I've heard they are called Hei Gui or something like that.
 
Anybody knows where Burke buggers off to if you solve Megaton peacefully? He doesn't seem to be in Tenpenny Tower.
 
Is it just me, or is this game (and many others recently) just so . . . . . boring.
 
That's just you. I'd suggest taking a break from playing anything.
 
Jintor said:
Anybody knows where Burke buggers off to if you solve Megaton peacefully? He doesn't seem to be in Tenpenny Tower.
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He has an apartment named 'Burke's Apartment' or something near the bomb.
 
Does he hide in there, even after you deactivate it?

I've noticed something about this game. Some of its best moments are like little setpieces that tell you what went on here before the bombs came. I found a human adult skeleton, clutching at a teddy bear, sitting on the now-dry docks and staring towards DC. That was goddamn depressing.

The mood is horribly ruined whenever anybody opens their mouth, though.
 
A lot of people who post in this thread don't quite understand the actual complexities of game design and what is truly achievable given present technology esp when it comes to open world games. If you measure Fallout 3 against 'what ifs' then certainly it's not going to measure up, but if you measure it against 'what is' then overall it's pretty favourable. FC2 and FO3 are entirely different beasts (FPS vs RPG) it is pointless to compare them tbh, despite outward appearances.
 
While true, it's still depressing. :3

A lot of these problems you find in Fallout 3 could never have happened in Fallout 1 + 2 because of the very nature of their presentation. But that doesn't stop them being problems in Fallout 3.
 
French Ninja said:
If so, then what was Powered armor for?
If not, then who was it made for?
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http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Power_Armor

Combat Armour was the standard infantry armour before the War. Powered Infantry Combat Armour was designed to fill in the gaping hole in the American arsenal following fuel shortages and scrapping of tanks. Essentially, a walking tank designed to carve through the enemy lines and obliterate them.

It isn't well done in Fo3, as the damage system is insanely simplistic. In the original Fallouts, Power Armours really made you a tank - here, it's a different outfit and raider 10mm Pistols still hurt you.

I wanted to see the chinese stealth infiltrator armor. I've heard they are called Hei Gui or something like that.
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Petition Bethesda to finish Van Buren then.

A lot of people who post in this thread don't quite understand the actual complexities of game design and what is truly achievable given present technology esp when it comes to open world games. If you measure Fallout 3 against 'what ifs' then certainly it's not going to measure up, but if you measure it against 'what is' then overall it's pretty favourable. FC2 and FO3 are entirely different beasts (FPS vs RPG) it is pointless to compare them tbh, despite outward appearances.
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Two Worlds creates a rich, detailed world bigger than Fallout 3 with better graphics, better plot, better sidequests and better writing (although quite cheesy at times , but hey, it's fantasy). It's not so much problems with implementing design ideas, but rather, not having them. Not to mention failure to stick to the timeframe. I can understand a wooden shack surviving 200 years in the desertified Capital Wasteland. I can.

What I can't quite understand are jarring elements like the aforementioned Teddy Bear skeleton (gee, those pre-War guys really had some concrete bones, to sit for 200 years without falling over), military outposts somehow not scavenged for two centuries, psychotic Vault Dwellers in 106 after twenty decades, even though there's no possibility for a child to be raised in such an environment), bad writing (Eden's confrontation) and Fatman (infinitely retarded weapon).

I like many new elements introduced (cars, ruined DC, buildings, Virgo-II lander et al), but there are far too many inconsistencies to make this game exceptional. Bethesda really needs someone with a vision not a guy who (quote) accepts "what is cool".

And don't get me started on the tutorial. Seriously, WTF? You don't keep a freshly-born kid, covered in blood, guts, viscera etc. of his mom and talk to him, ESPECIALLY if you are a ****ing medical doctor. No wonder Kathryn got a heart attack, having such a stupid husband.

And please, Fallout 3 is not an RPG. It's a shooter with RPG elements.

EDIT:

In comparison to the earlier Black Isle Studios Fallouts, Bethesda's Fallout has: One-dimensional, illogical and forgettable characters with little to no personality. Simple, linear, unoriginal narrative. Poorly-written narrative. Poorly-written dialogue. Poorly-voiced dialogue. None of the series' trademark moral ambiguity. No real freedom (there are unkillable NPCs, unavoidable combat etc.). No real choices or consequences. Tactical combat has been removed. Importance of skills/perks/traits removed. Traits removed. Psychologically and emotionally complex quests no longer present. Nuclear power was a feared thing in post-apocalyptic Fallout, and the issue was dealt with intelligently with much subtle social commentary. In Fallout 3, you can shoot nuclear-powered cars with your nuclear catapult early in the game, in a town built around an unexploded nuclear bomb. Fallout 3 fails to deal with any of the interesting human issues that Fallout did. The game lacks any semblance of thoughtfulness. It's also shorter. And easier. The game abuses and contradicts established lore. Fallout 3 fails to even pathetically imitate it's decade-old predecessors' design, originality or meaningfulness. Let alone exceed it.

Even when considered, unfairly, outside the context of being a sequel, it is an exceptionally arrogant, incompetent and poorly designed game all on its own. The animations are clunky and awkward. AI is atrocious. Combat is awkward. World textures and character models are ugly and lacking. Art direction is poor. Much of the crowded "wasteland" is sloppily and lazily copy-pasted from place to place. The musical score is uninspired and in the style of LOTR-esque epic-fantasy - which is completely inappropriate in this game's setting. To top it off, the whole thing is buggy and poorly optimized. And Bethesda's attitude towards the original games' fans has been utterly pathetic. Not to mention their control-tactics over the complete facade that is gaming journalism.
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While a bit extreme in some parts (I like some of the texture work, despite it's low resolution and like the environmental style), it does cover most of my gripes.
 
Liam Neeson as my father? Malcolm McDowell as the president? Ron Perlman narrating? I Am sold!
This is no different from Oblivion besides the much better setting and gameplay. I never bothered to play any of the Fallout games even though i am a fan of turn based games such as Jagged Alliance 2 and Silent Storm.
By the time Fallout caught my attention,the visuals weren't exactly appealing to me. I know. Shame on me. I will get copies of both games once i am done with this. I promise! Anyway,i am enjoying this game very much so far. Exploring is a lot of fun even though traveling on foot can be somewhat of a drag. There's a lot of "ooh" and "aah" discoveries that you'll make and they add a lot of backstory to the game.
I don't why people are comparing this to FC 2.
V.A.S.T is basically a simplified and more faster paced version of the turn based combat mechanics.
Shooting at the enemy in the traditional fps way is futile and a waste of ammo. This is a RPG game with FPS elements after all. Not the other way around. Anyway,to keep it short and simple.
It's a great game and it's only going to get better with the mods that we'll see in the coming months.
 
TwwIX said:
V.A.S.T is basically a simplified and more faster paced version of the turn based combat mechanics.
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VATS. Is. Not. Turn. Based. It. Is. Real. Time. With. Pause.

For ****'s sake. When you're playing in turn based mode, you and the enemy take separate turns and your skills (Player's tactical sense and his characters abilities) are what determines success, not the ability to run up close to the enemy and VATS him in the head.

Shooting at the enemy in the traditional fps way is futile and a waste of ammo. This is a RPG game with FPS elements after all. Not the other way around. Anyway,to keep it short and simple.
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You obviously haven't played an RPG. Fallout 3 is an FPS with RPG elements tacked on, not the other way round. So far it's more like Deus Ex rather than Fallout.
 
Mikael Grizzly said:
VATS. Is. Not. Turn. Based. It. Is. Real. Time. With. Pause
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Mikael Grizzly said:
You obviously haven't played an RPG. Fallout 3 is an FPS with RPG elements tacked on, not the other way round. So far it's more like Deus Ex rather than Fallout.
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I agree. We have to face a fact: turn-based combat will not be anymore. People find it "boring". Maybe something in the style of KOTOR or Mass Effect, which is a sort-of. With 3d graphics and first/third person engines, real time is compulsory. Sadly, the days of old school RPGs are gone.
 
PaoloM said:
Maybe something in the style of KOTOR or Mass Effect, which is a sort-of. With 3d graphics and first/third person engines, real time is compulsory. Sadly, the days of old school RPGs are gone.
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That's hardly a new mechanic. Baldur's Gate had a 'hidden' turn based combat system like KOTOR and it was released less than a year after Fallout 1. There were even earlier games which weren't turn based.

You're confusing "old school" RPGs with "turn based" RPGs. The terms aren't interchangeable.
 
Mikael Grizzly said:
And please, Fallout 3 is not an RPG. It's a shooter with RPG elements.
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Correction STALKER is a shooter with RPG elements. Fallout 3 is a RPG with shooter elements. The distinction it quite comprehensive.

Also, it's a game set in a fantastical alternative universe. Replicating reality really isn't that big a deal to me personally. You want Fallout 3 in a realistic universe? then imagine a lot of empty buildings, bleached bones and not much else. Complaining about a lack of reality in a game is like complaining about salt in the Sea.
 
Eejit said:
You're confusing "old school" RPGs with "turn based" RPGs. The terms aren't interchangeable.
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Let me explain what I mean: in a "true" RPG, I want combat to be resolved by my brain (strategy) and by the stats of my character. My hand-eye coordination or my shooting skill with mouse/gamepad have to be irrelevant. OK, I am sort of a purist. In my opinion, real time is arcade. Arcade not = RPG.
 
Mikael Grizzly said:
VATS. Is. Not. Turn. Based. It. Is. Real. Time. With. Pause.

For ****'s sake. When you're playing in turn based mode, you and the enemy take separate turns and your skills (Player's tactical sense and his characters abilities) are what determines success, not the ability to run up close to the enemy and VATS him in the head.



You obviously haven't played an RPG. Fallout 3 is an FPS with RPG elements tacked on, not the other way round. So far it's more like Deus Ex rather than Fallout.
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Are you roid raging or something,boy?
I Am complimenting the game yet here you are insulting me for no reason.
For your information,i am very much aware of how turn based combat works. It's based on combat points which are spend on actions of your and your enemies choosing.
As i said,this uses a simplified and shorter version of that mechanic.
Sorry for not going into detail so that i could satisfy the anal retentiveness of assholes such as you.

And,yes! This is very much a RPG with FPS elements regardless its first person perspective.
Your pea brain is just unable to comprehend that,that's all.
 
I'm bored with FO3 now. Oddly, I prefer Oblivion. Partly because FO3's art direction/atmosphere is totally drab, also the main quest's story is really quite boring as are most of the side-missions. There doesn't seem to be any *depth* to anything.
 
I say its an FPS with RPG elements. Basically a Deus Ex game. I would play FO1-2 but I hate turn based with a passion.
 
Well, I had a chance to play a friend's copy yesterday and I was astonished. The game was an absolute blast to play. VATS is actually fun, quests so far are engaging with multiple outcomes and vulnerable characters, perks are useful and often times hilarious and exploring Megaton and the abandoned Subways was absolutely breathtaking. I'll be buying it.
 
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