by 3 people |
Blast from the past
It has been nearly a decade since a true volume in the revered Fallout RPG series has hit shelves. Much much too long, in my opinion. That's going to change very soon, though.
In case you missed the games the first time around, I'll fill you in. The world of Fallout is that of a post-apocalyptic America, completed by the "innocence" of the American 1950s. You'll find a world complete with massive nuclear bomb shelters called "vaults" that housed anyone "lucky" enough to be participating in government-sponsored sociological experiments - before the bombs dropped.
Generations later, the vault dwellers, knowing nothing of the outside world, are eventually forced to face the wasteland that earth became. Well... not all of them, of course. A lone hero makes his way into the radiated desert to save the day...
Contents at a Glance
Turmoil in the real world?
Let me begin by saying that fanboys of the original Fallout series seem to have formed a "hate brigade" against developer Bethesda (responsible for the smash hit Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion). You see, the first 2 Fallout games were developed by Black Isle Studios. And they were genius. They were amazing, they were spectacular.Well, sometime after development had started on Fallout 3 started, Interplay Entertainment, which owned Black Isle, went bankrupt and sold the game's license to Bethesda for over a million dollars.
Well, Bethesda started work on Fallout after Oblivion was finished, and that's when the nay-saying began. Before even concept art had been shown, Fallout fanboys decried the next sequel as "Oblivion with guns". Sadly, after all the information that's been released, people still think this. (One hit to this page was from a Google search of "is fallout 3 oblivion with guns?")
I'd like to take a step back and say that, as a devotee to the Fallout series, I believe that this game is going to have everything that its predecessors had, and more. It should be noted that, though I love Oblivion, I was saying this before I had even considered playing that game.
... Moving on.
Official Fallout 3 Trailer
Official Fallout 3 Trailer
Visit http://www.Fallout3.ws for more information and forum. The official trailer for Fallout 3 released by Bethesda Softworks. I think it's safe to say that they have got the atmosphere of the teaser trailer spot on!!
Runtime: 2:25
54574 views
10 Comments:
Character Creation
This sequel will retain the SPECIAL character creation system, which lets you build your character in the areas of strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck.In past Fallout games, you could make a brutish monster character capable of using himself like a pack mule and able to take down enemies with his bare hands, adding the most points to the strength attribute. Likewise, you could create a character that could talk his way out of any situation with high intelligence and charisma stats.
Second is the perks system. Every other level, you get to choose a trait that will help your character in his quest, such as stronger poison resistance, etc. However, it is impossible to create a maxed out character. Every add-on that a trait gives you detracts something else from your character.
Gameplay
While Fallout 1 & 2 were turned-based in combat, with a hexagonal grid system, Fallout 3 will be much like Oblivion as a real-time combat game. However, as in the first 2 games, you will be able to freeze time and aim at specific body parts of your enemy, to cripple them quickly, or go for an instant kill. The system has been named V.A.T.S in this installment, or Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System.
Speaking of combat, all the ultra gory death animations that were seen in Fallout 1 & 2... Yep, they're back, in full 3D.
Added to this game is a system of radiation and.... thirst. What else is there to drink in a radiated wasteland but... radiated water?
Bethesda has revamped enemy and NPC AI to make for tactical shooting on their part, and also more intelligent conversation between NPCs.
All in all, Bethesda gets it. Regardless of what the drooling fanboys say, Bethesda has taken the best of both Fallout AND Oblivion is making a game worthy of the Fallout franchise.
Slated for release on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, October 7th of this year cannot come fast enough.
Feedback!
I want to hear what you think, of the game, the series, of Bethesda, of me, of this lens, just let me hear it!
SimeyC wrote...
I can't wait for this to come out. I played Fallout 2 many many years ago - nice bit of nostalgia!
Posted July 31, 2008
JoeTedesco wrote...
You really did a great job putting this together. I don't pretend to know a lot about Fallout, but it doesn't appear that you left anything out, and that is really important with this type of lens. Five stars...great job!
Posted June 18, 2008
