[kjpmkjp]

I'll probably buy it once I have more money, or when it becomes less expensive.

I feel so cheap

 

[flamerz]

It's so fun.

Edit: just read the responses in this thread, and decided I'd give my input on the game.

Yes, it's Oblivion with guns. But it's so much better. Better setting (I love the setting and Galaxy News Radio makes it so much better), and better quests (I actually care more than just to get it done!). There are much less serious differences, but those are the two that stick out the most, by far. The others aren't even really worth mentioning, they're just differences you'll notice if you play both. The streamlined combat system (guns or big guns, and a couple melee weapons) makes all the quests fit together better, and they aren't split up into groups like the guilds split Oblivion's storyline. Not sure what else to say. Energy weapons are good. Lockpicking and science are pretty important. Pick your perks/stats wisely, and keep in mind you'll find books and bobbleheads to increase stats.

 

[ZepFloyd]

ign gave it a 9.6...which is rare...i got it...i've only played for about 30 minutes...amazing so far

 

[reemixx]

It should be out in Australia in a couple days. As much as I'm absolutely dying to play it...... I'm going to do the sensible thing and finish Fable II first. There's way too many huge game releases all in one hit at the moment.

I don't really see how folks could compare it to Oblivion. Sure, it has the free roaming elements, but so do many other games, and they're not necessarily alike. Oblivion, to me, felt like an incomplete game; like the main story was just tacked onto a sandbox style game. It wasn't necessarily bad... just missing something. Anyway, I highly doubt Fallout 3 will be anything like that. The original two had an emphasis on story and just genuinely good gameplay elements. I doubt Bethesda would be able to butcher that and get away with it. I have faith.

For those who've picked it up already, or are going to soon... Have fun!

 

[flamerz]

It's definitely based on the same engine. The game works the same. Fast travel, map markers, steal from the dead, pick locks, pickpocket, same dialogue menus (Fallout adds a little bit new to it. When you're going to take a risk in talking, make sure you save first!), etc.

Fallout is like Oblivion in that you can do whatever you want, but there are quests available to you. The story does matter a lot more than Oblivion, though.

 

[Khanate]

I'm really loving fallout 3, I've never played Oblivion, but this game got me hooked for 10 hours straight today.

 

[synaesthetic]

Bethesda still sucks at character models and animations. This pretty much turns me off of almost every game they've ever made after Daggerfall.

I was really excited about FO3 but the animations bother me so much in a really weird OCD way, that I am just not able to play it.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Ugh, it reminds me too much of Oblivion. Also, it seems to have that graphical stuttering issue that dates back to some of the developer's earlier games, and it's a real pain having other step you take slow down, then speed up.

The game has a great concept, but the feel of it (aside from the awesome landscape) so boring and flat that I had to uninstall it.

And by uninstall, I mean re-install Windows, because FO3 decided to not install something in a random folder, so the uninstall process refused to budge.

 

[jonathanjong]

Question: Is Fallout 3 still a Fallout game?

To elaborate: When pressed, I always say that Fallout 2 is my favourite game of all time. No idea how many times I played that game. When I picked up Fallout later, that was phenomenal too. And my worry is that if Fallout 3 is "Oblivion with guns", then it's not really a Fallout game anymore. Am I making sense?

 

[GlendaleViper]

I'm an old-school Fallout vet and this is NOT Oblivion with guns. As mentioned, the engine is much the same (if not identical) to Oblivion, but that doesn't come across in the theme, story or even the gameplay, unless you can't see past the free-roaming role-playing elements as being something that can apply to any relative modern game.

The game is heavily story based, with what appears to be a different ending depending on your alignment (good/neutral/evil). The decisions you make impact your character directly, opening and closing opportunities later in the game, some of which impact the entire story. Dialogue is deep and rewarding. There are numerous "free-form" quests which garner XP and loot galore, but aren't really linked to the story. This is a massive world, but it's heavily populated with things to do - despite the barren landscape, there is always something fun to dig into right around the corner.

Where Bethesda REALLY nailed it, however, was with the Main-, and secondary-quests. There are 12 main quests and 17(?) total side quests available, each of which ties directly to the plot and alters the game-world. The secondary quests are fun, casual (you can take breaks at key points), LONG - so far about 3-4 hours each, and are excellent distractions to get the best loot, develop your in-game persona and can really wreak havoc on later decisions. There are numerous decisions in the game that are damn hard to make. Especially if you're taking the moral low-ground.

Finally, combat is visceral and EXTREMELY tactical. This had me the most apprehensive since the Elder Scrolls series has passable combat at best. Let me confirm enthusiastically that this is some of the finest free-form combat I've ever had the pleasure of digging into. Fallout has always had a very tactical element to it's quasi-real-time combat systems and it's better here than it's ever been. I'd be happy to give examples.

At any rate, I'm going off on a tangent here, but this is, without a doubt, the most fun I've had with a video game (of this scope) in almost 10 years. It's dark, twisted yet funny and overall, brilliantly realized. It's not perfect, but any flaws I've come across have been nothing more than minor technical shortcomings.

If you're a Fallout fan, you must not miss this.

 

[2deadeyes]

I finally caved and got the PC version. I've only played 2-3 hours into the game and boom, hard drive on my main PC dies; there goes all my saved games. From what I've seen so far, it's an okay game but it doesn't have the allure that the original 2 Fallout games had. It seems to me that the game is "trying" to create a post apocalyptic atmosphere where it came naturally with the 2 originals. Only thing I like about combat is VATS - so far encounters for me involve strafing around an enemy until I have enough AP for VATS. Another gripe I have is the ambient music when you're out exploring the wasteland - it totally reminds me of LoTR and Oblivion.

Perhaps I'm still too early in the game, but we'll see.

 

[colonelkernel8]

Careful, don't rush through the main quest or you will be disappointed. Its both very short and very lame. I regret doing so, I wasn't even trying to...I was just playing and then all of a sudden the game was done, I didn't realize it would take almost no time at all.

Now I have to go back and finish Far Cry 2 and Dead Space and then I will try it again and do all the side quests.

 

[jonathanjong]

Damn, two contradictory reviews relative to Fallout/Fallout 2. I probably should get it...

 

[EyeAmEye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm an old-school Fallout vet and this is NOT Oblivion with guns. As mentioned, the engine is much the same (if not identical) to Oblivion, but that doesn't come across in the theme, story or even the gameplay, unless you can't see past the free-roaming role-playing elements as being something that can apply to any relative modern game. The game is heavily story based, with what appears to be a different ending depending on your alignment (good/neutral/evil). The decisions you make impact your character directly, opening and closing opportunities later in the game, some of which impact the entire story. Dialogue is deep and rewarding. There are numerous "free-form" quests which garner XP and loot galore, but aren't really linked to the story. This is a massive world, but it's heavily populated with things to do - despite the barren landscape, there is always something fun to dig into right around the corner. Where Bethesda REALLY nailed it, however, was with the Main-, and secondary-quests. There are 12 main quests and 17(?) total side quests available, each of which ties directly to the plot and alters the game-world. The secondary quests are fun, casual (you can take breaks at key points), LONG - so far about 3-4 hours each, and are excellent distractions to get the best loot, develop your in-game persona and can really wreak havoc on later decisions. There are numerous decisions in the game that are damn hard to make. Especially if you're taking the moral low-ground. Finally, combat is visceral and EXTREMELY tactical. This had me the most apprehensive since the Elder Scrolls series has passable combat at best. Let me confirm enthusiastically that this is some of the finest free-form combat I've ever had the pleasure of digging into. Fallout has always had a very tactical element to it's quasi-real-time combat systems and it's better here than it's ever been. I'd be happy to give examples. At any rate, I'm going off on a tangent here, but this is, without a doubt, the most fun I've had with a video game (of this scope) in almost 10 years. It's dark, twisted yet funny and overall, brilliantly realized. It's not perfect, but any flaws I've come across have been nothing more than minor technical shortcomings. If you're a Fallout fan, you must not miss this.

Thanks for your impressions. Based upon them, I think this one is right up my alley. Wasteland, Fallout & Fallout are my absolute favorite non-sports games. After seeing Bethesda was going the FP view (I hate it), I was thinking this one should be avoided, but I think I'll reconsider and grab it.

 

[vagarach]

That gamebryo engine they used in Oblivion and slightly fettled for Fallout 3 has never really looked good at low resolutions like 720p and medium textures, it has this weird 'pieced together' look. It must be the way they do lighting or something. It was fine in Oblivion, but this game needed a new graphics engine, because the look has carried through!

I am completely omitting, however, the fact that no one is a fan of fallout because of the graphics.