Feargus Urquhart Comes Home

[Russ Pitts]

Feargus Urquhart Comes Home

The Black Isle Studios veteran talks to The Escapist about his return to the Fallout franchise with Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas.

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[CosmicCommander]

...or Star Wars, that's what Chris Avellone did, he's the designer for Knights of the Old Republic 2.

*Spontaneously bursts into flames*

That man is worse than Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco all put together; he made a pretentious, confusing, and unfinished sequel to one of my most favourite games of all time.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

or Star Wars, that's what Chris Avellone did, he's the designer for Knights of the Old Republic 2.

*Spontaneously bursts into flames*

That man is worse than Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco all put together; he made a pretentious, confusing, and unfinished sequel to one of my most favourite games of all time.

A guy is worse than genocidal dictators because... he made a videogame? Get off of it. KotOR2 was better than the first one in every possible way except for the shitty hacked-up ending.

OT: 'We over-document everything. We're like "Here." And they're like "Stop writing."' had me laughing out loud because it's so recognizable.

 

[raankh]

Oh no, now I'm getting a slimmer of hope up for Fallout again. Just let it die, please? There's nothing wrong with new post-apocalyptic settings. It's not like there isn't endless variations on the theme.

 

[CosmicCommander]

or Star Wars, that's what Chris Avellone did, he's the designer for Knights of the Old Republic 2.

*Spontaneously bursts into flames*

That man is worse than Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco all put together; he made a pretentious, confusing, and unfinished sequel to one of my most favourite games of all time.

KotOR2 was better than the first one in every possible way except for the shitty hacked-up ending.

...

Thank you for making me lose my faith in humanity, sir.

I loved the first KotOR because it was exactly like the Original Star Wars films, it was accessible, yet intelligent. There was revelation, and a tale of redemption and sacrifice.

I have the restoration mod for KotOR 2, where the ending is 'fixed' and most of the cut dialogue and scenes are restored, I even played the game around a month ago. The only concessions I will give to it is the combat, levelling, and item customization. The characters are confusing and melodramatic, the story is pretentious and confusing, and it goes back in time and shoots the happy ending from KotOR in the balls.

 

[thenamelessloser]

or Star Wars, that's what Chris Avellone did, he's the designer for Knights of the Old Republic 2.

*Spontaneously bursts into flames*

That man is worse than Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco all put together; he made a pretentious, confusing, and unfinished sequel to one of my most favourite games of all time.

KotOR2 was better than the first one in every possible way except for the shitty hacked-up ending.

...

Thank you for making me lose my faith in humanity, sir.

I loved the first KotOR because it was exactly like the Original Star Wars films, it was accessible, yet intelligent. There was revelation, and a tale of redemption and sacrifice.

I have the restoration mod for KotOR 2, where the ending is 'fixed' and most of the cut dialogue and scenes are restored, I even played the game around a month ago. The only concessions I will give to it is the combat, levelling, and item customization. The characters are confusing and melodramatic, the story is pretentious and confusing, and it goes back in time and shoots the happy ending from KotOR in the balls.

So, Let me get this straight, it is appropiate to say a video game designer is worse than evil dicators but it causes you to lose faith in humanity that someone has a different perspective on a video game (I would say the same thing for books, movies or any other kind of art) than you?

P.S.- I liked KOTOR II more than the first one as well! But I'm not a Star Wars fan.

 

[Billion Backs]

I don't care too much about Fallout (aside from the first 2 games) but seeing how this is all a huge argument about KOTOR2...

I'll pitch in!

I liked KOTOR2. I find it MUCH better overall in comparison to KOTOR1, if you ignore the shitty hack-up ending (and I haven't played the "restored" game, so I can't say if that's any better).

 

[CosmicCommander]

So, Let me get this straight, it is appropiate to say a video game designer is worse than evil dicators but it causes you to lose faith in humanity that someone has a different perspective on a video game (I would say the same thing for books, movies or any other kind of art) than you?

I was trying to make a joke, I don't think Mr. Avellone is a horrible person, I just think he did a bad job with KotOR 2, and I was trying to make a joke on the loss of faith in humanity thing.

Every person has their own opinion, and you are entitled to that. But I also have the right to think that your opinion is bollocks.

I'll let you off this misunderstanding here since you are an adorable young little scamp to these forums.

I liked KOTOR II more than the first one.

 

[ilion]

...or Star Wars, that's what Chris Avellone did, he's the designer for Knights of the Old Republic 2.

*Spontaneously bursts into flames*

That man is worse than Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco all put together; he made a pretentious, confusing, and unfinished sequel to one of my most favourite games of all time.

Well, you re right about the end and confusing storyline, but if he had time kotor 2 would be much more rewarding philosophically and in gameplay. But I guess the star wars he envisions is much more like Dune...

 

[Valiance]

Wow.

I can't think of any worse topic derailment I've seen recently. Even though 90% of the joy I had from reading this article has been sucked away, I guess I might as well thank the Escapist for getting an awesome interview from an awesome man.

I hope FO:NV is gonna be twice as awesome as FO:3, and it certainly is shaping up to be. I'm glad the old team is gonna have a chance to have some fun with the new engine.

70 years later sounds good - Maybe we'll see a few more characters from Fallout 2, like Myron as an old man.

I loved the hilarious Fallout 2 vibe full of references to Monty Python and other pop-culture icons, and I hope New Vegas has plenty of hilarious fun stuff. I'm sure they'll live up to their vibe.

"TE: Are you ready for the inevitable mixed reaction from people expecting something they aren't going to be getting?

FU: Yeah. There's going to be a couple of fan sites that will vilify us, but that's the way it is."

It's too bad, but it's true. Hopefully, people will appreciate the work of art being made here.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

or Star Wars, that's what Chris Avellone did, he's the designer for Knights of the Old Republic 2.

*Spontaneously bursts into flames*

That man is worse than Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco all put together; he made a pretentious, confusing, and unfinished sequel to one of my most favourite games of all time.

KotOR2 was better than the first one in every possible way except for the shitty hacked-up ending.

...

Thank you for making me lose my faith in humanity, sir.

I loved the first KotOR because it was exactly like the Original Star Wars films, it was accessible, yet intelligent. There was revelation, and a tale of redemption and sacrifice.

I have the restoration mod for KotOR 2, where the ending is 'fixed' and most of the cut dialogue and scenes are restored, I even played the game around a month ago. The only concessions I will give to it is the combat, levelling, and item customization. The characters are confusing and melodramatic, the story is pretentious and confusing, and it goes back in time and shoots the happy ending from KotOR in the balls.

It's mostly a matter of preference. the first KotOR has a big, easy to understand "save the galaxy" story, easily recognizable characters, and a spectacular plot twist for those who didn't see it coming from miles away. The second had a much more personal storyline, deeper multi-faceted characters, and a far more philosophical tone concerning the nature of the force and good vs evil. There were a lot more details to miss in the second game, which means it can be either a confusing mess or an expertly-crafted story, depending on your point of view.

The way I see it, KotOR2 is the undercooked five-course dinner to KotOR1's almost-perfect mac-and-cheese. There's something to be said in favor of both of them, and which one you'll get more enjoyment out of is entirely up to personal preference.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

I hope FO:NV is gonna be twice as awesome as FO:3, and it certainly is shaping up to be. I'm glad the old team is gonna have a chance to have some fun with the new engine.

70 years later sounds good - Maybe we'll see a few more characters from Fallout 2, like Myron as an old man.

I loved the hilarious Fallout 2 vibe full of references to Monty Python and other pop-culture icons, and I hope New Vegas has plenty of hilarious fun stuff. I'm sure they'll live up to their vibe.

"TE: Are you ready for the inevitable mixed reaction from people expecting something they aren't going to be getting?

FU: Yeah. There's going to be a couple of fan sites that will vilify us, but that's the way it is."

It's too bad, but it's true. Hopefully, people will appreciate the work of art being made here.

Myron died in the F2 epilogue, so I doubt he'll show up in New Vegas.

The pop-culture references are actually one of the things I'm a bit scared of. They were ok in F1, but they went way overboard with them in F2 in my opinion. I wouldn't mind some references, but too much of them turn the setting into a parody of itself, which doesn't help the atmosphere.

Still, I'm gonna buy NV and I'm 99% sure I'll enjoy it, so I guess it's not that big a deal.

 

[thenamelessloser]

So, Let me get this straight, it is appropiate to say a video game designer is worse than evil dicators but it causes you to lose faith in humanity that someone has a different perspective on a video game (I would say the same thing for books, movies or any other kind of art) than you?

I was trying to make a joke, I don't think Mr. Avellone is a horrible person, I just think he did a bad job with KotOR 2, and I was trying to make a joke on the loss of faith in humanity thing.

Every person has their own opinion, and you are entitled to that. But I also have the right to think that your opinion is bollocks.

I'll let you off this misunderstanding here since you are an adorable young little scamp to these forums.

I liked KOTOR II more than the first one.

Well, it is sometimes hard to tell when people are joking online, I mean this is the internet. It is kind of insane some of the stuff people really think and do...

 

[Irridium]

As for the Kotor argument, I enjoyed the second one as much as the first. The characters were actually different and not the same archetypes like pretty much all the characters in a Bioware game... And the story was interesting.

But the ending and all the bugs made me want to kill something...

OT: Looking forward to this. I enjoyed Fallout 2 immensely, and as I stated in the New Vegas preview, if it has the same mod support as Fallout 3 did, its a definite buy from me.

 

[Valiance]

Myron died in the F2 epilogue, so I doubt he'll show up in New Vegas.

The pop-culture references are actually one of the things I'm a bit scared of. They were ok in F1, but they went way overboard with them in F2 in my opinion. I wouldn't mind some references, but too much of them turn the setting into a parody of itself, which doesn't help the atmosphere.

Still, I'm gonna buy NV and I'm 99% sure I'll enjoy it, so I guess it's not that big a deal.

I know what you mean. Sorta ruins the dismal apocalypse when all of a sudden you run into a patrol of brotherhood members looking for the holy hand grenade.

Also, I don't recall him dying in the Epilogue. Maybe because he was one of my party members? I know it's different depending on how you play the game, but it's been a long time.

 

[Galaxy613]

From the interview it sounded like they had to go to Bethesida for every minor detail and are at their whim for the design, story, and gameplay. Not exactly looking forward to New Vegas, I'll be more optimistic if they had a little more free reign.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

Myron died in the F2 epilogue, so I doubt he'll show up in New Vegas.

The pop-culture references are actually one of the things I'm a bit scared of. They were ok in F1, but they went way overboard with them in F2 in my opinion. I wouldn't mind some references, but too much of them turn the setting into a parody of itself, which doesn't help the atmosphere.

Still, I'm gonna buy NV and I'm 99% sure I'll enjoy it, so I guess it's not that big a deal.

I know what you mean. Sorta ruins the dismal apocalypse when all of a sudden you run into a patrol of brotherhood members looking for the holy hand grenade.

Also, I don't recall him dying in the Epilogue. Maybe because he was one of my party members? I know it's different depending on how you play the game, but it's been a long time.

If he's alive at the end of the game, the epilogue says something about him being stabbed to death by a junkie, and that soon after his death everyone forgets he was the one who invented Jet.

I think the game doesn't mention him if you avoided him, but I'm pretty sure there's no way to keep him alive in the epilogue if you had him in your party. There's no happy ending for Myron as far as I'm aware, but it's been quite a while since I played the game so I might be wrong.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

-snip-

I am pretty sure you are right about Myron. I vaguely recall reading (in the Fallout Bible) that the canon "end" for him was to be stabbed to death by a Jet junkie, and that he was quickly forgotten. Just as you said. Which is kinda sad, since it seemed that all he cared about was to be known for making Jet. As far as I can remember anyway.

I do have hopes for NV now, and it does seem like it will turn out good. Damn them. I wasn't going to buy that many games this year

 

[Brotherofwill]

Wow, the guy seems really great but the control that Bethesda has on the project is more than a little sad. Fallout 1 + 2 are fun games. They are satirical with lots of dark humour and just give you a good 'vibe' (like the guy said). Bethesda nailed a lot in Fallout 3, but the vibe they put on it just didn't fit. They completely fucked that part and light-hearted feeling up in my opinion.

Now they want to force their vision on Obsidian? That sucks. I wish Obsidian had a little more control over their game, that way some more outrageous stuff could be in it and everyone would benefit.

Actually...I wish they'd make a pseudo-3D (like Diablo 3) isometric Fallout (4?) where they could just let their creativity flow and nothing get in the way. A true succesor to Fallout 2. Not a shitty, half-Betheda, pseudo-FPS with muddy graphics and a restricted vision of a good game designer.

I liked KOTOR II more than the first one.

Hahaha. That had me laughing hard. I liked Kotor 2 a lot, never played the first part though. I couldn't care less about the story, I just liked the level up system.