Fallout 3

[BloodGoul]

As far as humor, I liked the teddy bear with the med-x sticking in his arm, a pack of smokes under one paw, a bottle of whisky in the other, and a 10mm pistol resting by his head before he went under the final machine.

There is a lot of easter eggs and humor in the game, but most of it seems not so obvious. You almost have to really look for it. I especially liked the Dunwich building which was based off of Lovecraft lore.

[Feyd]

Finally got a chance to play this for a while, here's what I have to say:

I feel like Oblivion offered much, much more in terms of customization, sandbox, and free-form decision making. I understand that Fallout does not equate to Oblivion, but since they're based on the same engine with largely the same mechanics, I feel like it's hard NOT to compare the two.

Oblivion had multiple guilds with incredible storylines. Still to this day I'd replay the Thieves, Dark Brotherhood, Fighters and other questlines and enjoy them almost as much as I did the very first time I played the game. I just don't feel that way when I play Fallout. I felt almost nothing as I annihilated Megaton. (I did however feel incredibly frustrated that the ONE person I actually wanted dead in Megaton didn't die...). Having a little angel or devil pop up every time I do something inherently good or evil is kind of confining - as if I'm going off of someone else's moral compass rather than my own. I understand that it's really only a barometer of how people in general view you, but when I steal shit while completely hidden, I shouldn't be losing Karma. If I start murdering people in public however, I of course should.

I think VATS was a good idea, even if it leans more to the "casual" side of gaming because it stops the action and aims for you. VATS gives the game a much more RPG type feel - my stats determine how well I'm shooting, and I can specifically try to cripple a body part instead of trying to hit the bouncing 5x5 pixel box that represents someone's arm when I'm 60 yards away. Sure you can min/max it and just cruise through the game using it, but overall I think it was a good idea. Like Lhur said, it's kind of hard to top decapitating a dog from stealth in slow motion with a lead pipe.

Speaking of stealth, that brings me to the skills. Wow, how far we've come from Morrowind where every weapon type had it's own skill level and there were dozens of ancillary skills. Oblivion simplified this list, and it feels like Fallout 3 went a step further in the same direction. Your weapons are limited to 3 Types of firearms and 2 types of melee weapons, one of which is no weapon at all. While I don't think consolidating the weapons was a bad idea, I wish there was a little more variety and sandbox capability when it came to the ancillary skill system. The only skill that actually lets you somewhat create anything is Repair, and even then the quality of the item is the only thing your skills dictate. Even leveling medical or science won't let you create your own brews of chems or meds. Maybe include something like a place where I could make poisons, steroids, anti-mutagens and other shit if my skills are high enough - same thing with repair too. If I find a bunch of parts and my skill is high enough, I should be able to tinker without a blueprint or schematic - at the very least attempt to upgrade a weapon with a chance of failure or something.

Bottom line, I feel like Fallout 3 improves on many aspects of the Oblivion mechanics that were included...however the removal of most of the free form content / sandbox stuff really makes the game feel constrained, linear and dumbed down for a brisk console playthrough.

[Nurg]

Rock-It Launcher + Plunger ammo = funneh!

[Pizdets]

I like the choo-choo sound the Railway Rifle makes!

[Lhurgoyf]

Gotta love the big guns!

Eugene is my sweetheart!

[Azmodion]

Originally Posted by Pizdets

I like the choo-choo sound the Railway Rifle makes!

I'll bet you do!

[Nurg]

Fallout 3 de-nuked in Japan - News at GameSpot

Yeah .... didn't see this coming!

[kewlio]

Plunger ammo was good, but after you find the teddy-bear factory, there's a certain joy in having an ad-hoc teddy bear gun.

I think that the best piece of advice for this game is to avoid the main plot. The game finishes a bit too quickly, and once you've gotten through that content the rest of the game is a bit too easy even if you opt out right at the end.

Really great game, though.

[Nurg]

The G.E.C.K. and DLC announced today.

GameTab - Viewing External Article

Just released a few weeks ago, this is certainly sooner than expected -- Bethesda has decided to detail its first plans for Fallout 3 downloadable content for both PC and Xbox 360.

There will be three downloadable packs (detailed below) available for both Xbox 360 and PC, release across the first three months of 2009. There's no word on pricing.

* Operation: Anchorage. Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.
* The Pitt. Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.
* Broken Steel. Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

The official modding tools for Fallout 3 have been revealed as well. Cleverly called G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation) kit, the tools will allow players to modify the game in almost any way they desire by creating modifying, or editing any data for use in the game.

There's a press release with some more info and quotes after the jump, but the bottom line is this: just when you thought you were finished exploring the capital wasteland, there's plenty more on the way.

Bethesda Softworks Announces Creation Kit and

First Downloadable Content for Fallout 3

Editor to be Available in December; Downloadable Content coming for January, February, and March

November 25, 2008 (ROCKVILLE, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced plans to make both its editor and downloadable content available for its award-winning game, Fallout® 3 in the coming weeks. The official editor for Fallout 3, called the G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit), will be available for free download in December and will allow Games for Windows® users to create and add their own content to the game. In addition, the first official downloadable content, Operation: Anchorage, will be available exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® in January, and more downloadable content coming in February and March.

“We’ve always seen the original world of Fallout 3 as a foundation for even more content. Some created by us, and a lot more created by users,” said Todd Howard, game director for Fallout 3. “It’s fun to create your own character, but it can be equally fun to create your own adventures. We can’t wait to see what the community does with the G.E.C.K.”

The release of the G.E.C.K. provides the community with tools that will allow players to expand the game any way they wish. Users can create, modify, and edit any data for use with Fallout 3, from building landscapes, towns, and locations to writing dialogue, creating characters, weapons, creatures, and more.

Three downloadable content packs will be coming to Xbox 360 and Games for Windows Live starting in January that will add new quests, items, and content to Fallout 3.

* Operation: Anchorage. Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.
* The Pitt. Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.
* Broken Steel. Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

Released on October 28 in North America and in Europe October 30, Fallout 3 has been hailed as one of the most anticipated games of 2008, and received a 10 out of 10 review score from Official Xbox Magazine, a result then repeated around the world with perfect scores by some of the industry’s most influential and respected critics including: Gamespy, GamePro, UGO, the Associated Press, MSN, The Washington Post, Guardian, FHM, G4-TV, The Toronto Star, and Eurogamer. MSNBC’s review offered the observation that it viewed “Fallout as a no-brainer for game of the year.” The Daily Star in the UK echoed that conclusion, saying “You can hold all bets on game of the year – I think we have a winner.”

[Duvii]

Screw you XBox and PC!