Fallout 3: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying & Love RPGs

[Olas]

I never like V.A.T.S. It really felt out of place and ruined the immersion. It's like they didn't know if they wanted the game to be a shooter or an RPG so they crammed both features in together and left it up to the player to figure out.

The openness of the game was a problem too. What might at first seem like exploration soon turns to aimless wandering. The game throws a lot at you without providing much orientation.

Isn't that the point? Sure they give you a story quest and hints of where to go to follow them, but otherwise you're free to just do what you want. I love the aimless wandering - I play a Hardcore mode mod on Fallout 3, so each day I pack some food and medicine, go out the gates of Megaton, pick a direction and walk in it. I'm usually back 36 hours later with a bag full of loot.

I usually enjoy exploring, I love the feel of discovery. But it's better if you have dense world packed full of interesting areas and things to explore. Not to say Fallout 3 doesn't have plenty of stuff, but everything's sooooo spread out. The map is mostly just a gigantic field sprinkled with monsters here and there. I don't find that particularly interesting. Large open areas can be good for giving a game a sense of scale and general epicness, but they're best when they serve as simply a waypoint between destinations, not the centerpice of the game. Of course everyone has their own preferences.

I also tried the Wanderer's Edition mod (I'm assuming that's what you're talking about), it seemed fun in theory but it usually resulted in me walking a ways out of megaton, getting my arms and legs busted up by a bunch of monsters, and then slowly limping back to get healed. Realism can be a *****.

 

[Sofus]

Planescape: Torment -
Because you know it's the greatest game ever made and everyone who likes a good RPG should eventually play this one.

 

[FoolKiller]

If Obsidian wrote the story and Bethesda did the game world...damn son.

You would think someone would tell the fuckers to collaborate on this already.

 

[PunkRex]

Wow, really? New Vegas was so set on making you follow a set path around the wastes, it got unbelievably dull for me. Not to mention the bugs and i'm not talking about rad scorpions...

...or maybe it's your fault you were so set on the path to begin with. You can completely skip They Went That-a-Way and then hop back on the main story at your leisure. If there's one thing that nobody can argue about in New Vegas, it's the near-absence of linearity.

I admit it improved later but I still think 3 had a much more exploritive nature to it, in New Vegas you were very much the courier with their story fighting against/with the two big factions. 3 was complete blank slate which just appealed to me more.

I still really enjoyed Vegas, completed it twice, I just never felt like the character was me, not that that's a terrible thing I just thought that was what the games were going for.

 

[PunkRex]

Cool, now go play New Vegas. The good one

Wow, really? New Vagas was so set on making you follow a set path around the wastes, it got unbelievably dull for me. Not to mention the bugs and i'm not talking about rad scorpions...

It never really forced you onto the path, though. My first character arrived in New Vegas at level 7, having gone north directly after clearing Primm. It only took a little patience and judicious use of binoculars to sneak past.

As for the bugs, I had (and still have) a worse time of 'em with Fallout 3... but I never played either on a console, so this is very much a "your mileage may vary" observation.

Cool, now go play New Vegas. The good one

Wow, really? New Vagas was so set on making you follow a set path around the wastes, it got unbelievably dull for me. Not to mention the bugs and i'm not talking about rad scorpions...

That pretty much ends once you reach the Strip and even before that there is a ton of optional sidetracking.

My point was that the story never really felt like mine, it was the couriers. In 3, once you leave the vault you're on your own. It's up to you how you act and what you do, even though this is mostly true for NV, alot happened that HAD to happen and it was this that drove alot of the story. 3 had that stuff with your dad but that stuff was so few and far between I actually forgot about it alot.

Either way, I still really liked NV I completed it with both the Rangers and Caesar's Legion.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

The only thing I took away from this is that you killed Three Dog, you monster.

Fallout 3 is indeed a great game, though I did prefer Fallout New Vegas overall.

 

[Erttheking]

You know, how come people can't say that they like a certain game without flame wars breaking out? Someone likes Fallout 3 and you don't? So what? Someone likes Fallout NV and you don't? So what?

Seriously people, it isn't a big deal.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Consider this incredibly subtle and clever metaphor:

You have two amusement parks in your neighborhood.

One is apocalypse-themed, it's a few years old but it's still as fun as it was the day it first opened. It's big and you can go wherever you want and go on whatever ride you want to go on. Sure the big-ride they always advertise is a bit of a disappointment, and the park employees are a bit dull, but the place is well decorated and just walking around it is a joy.

Now there is this other, high-tech amusement park around the block. It's western-themed and just opened up and is getting praised by all your friends. Not only is it bigger and there are more rides, but each one adjusts depending on your personal taste; if you want it to go faster it goes faster, if you want there to be more loops there are more loops. The place is not as well decorated and the park employees are a bit monotone but you can tell they're interesting people and are trying their hardest.

The catch is there is a field of landmines between the entrance and the best rides. Also every once and a while the rides stop, the lights go off and you're yelling at the employees to let you out as their head gets stuck mid-way into a steel girder.

If you missed my incredibly subtle and clever metaphor, what I'm saying is that while Fallout New Vegas is better written and has more and better quests then Fallout 3, Fallout 3 has a better environment and embraces the exploration aspect of a sandbox game. They're are plenty of good reasons to prefer one game over another, and it really comes down to personal preference and what you prefer to do in an RPG: carve your own role or take an already existing role and make your choices from there. Most people tend to prefer New Vegas just because they're more things to do, is better written and acknowledges your choices a lot better then Fallout 3, but there is no shame in enjoying Fallout 3 either.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Guys, chill! This was his introduction to RPGs, coming from tiny, linear shooters where everything is decided for you. If he liked Fallout 3, that's great! Compared to an FPS, Fallout 3 is a shiny golden buffet of story, character, and choice. Yeah, its story falls a bit flat when compared to other RPGs, but you have to do these things gradually. You can't just go from mindlessly shooting dudes in first person straight to the tippy top of the best RPG (isometric or otherwise) list in one move.

Schuyler--Fallout 3 is a great game. The amount you can explore and do and decide over in the game is all wonderful. Why not try New Vegas, experience a new story where you can make even more choices with a similar armament? Was it just VATS you liked, or did you find yourself into the lore? Was it the change to open world that you didn't know you could have, or was it the myriad and varied characters? Everyone here is dumping the RPG list on you without thought to whether it was any one aspect that made you like it so much, and not all RPGs play or feel equally, regardless of how great of a game they are. There's a harsh change in gameplay between Fallout 1 or 2 and Fallout 3 or New Vegas, and that distinction doesn't work for everyone. But hey, glad you liked Fallout 3, at least. You could do a lot worse as an introduction to the genre.

 

[Imbechile]

This was his introduction to RPGs

And then he immediately goes to state that Fallout 3 "is a gateway to further RPGs", the template that future RPGs should be built upon.
This would be like if someone who's never played a FPS before, play the newest COD and then declare it a landmark title in the FPS genre.
Someone who is new to a particular genre should not do stuff like that.

 

[Wesley Brannock]

This is the type of article I like to read. That too which gaming has opened the mind of someone else. Yes I realize insecure gamers will nit-pic over their choice favorite installment into the fallout series. However this is just immaturity and will be seen as such.

 

[putowtin]

Cool, now go play New Vegas. The good one

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

It's true, but also funny!

OT, I get that this was a turning point in your gaming life, but was an editorial really needed? That's like making a new forum post everytime you hit a new level in Mario!

 

[Blackpapa]

Conclusion: Fallout 3 was intended to reach a very broad audience, the COD and NLF people. The audience Fallout 3 targetted was deliberately very different than the F1/F2/Black Isle audience.

Mission accomplished. Marketing and business department wins. This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[Banzaiman]

Glad Fallout introduced you to the much more environmental aspects of a videogame. You should try out some other touted RPGs like Skyrim, though that particular one isn't with guns. In fact, I can't think of any other games that mix the RPG and FPS genres like Fallout. Well, here's hoping the next generation will bring some more!

 

[zinho73]

I realized with Fallout 3 that an RPG didn't have to be full of impractically sized weapons or crazy hair but can depict a "real" world that didn't rely on fantasy or outlandish plot twists.

Are you serious? Sit down and think for a minute here about what nonsense you've just written. Fallout is a parody of the unrealistic notions people had about the future in the past while remaining steeped in purposefully overdone americana.

It's got mutants. And laser guns. And a giant mechanized statue of liberty.

As for the plot, it's pretty much nothing BUT a long series of outlandish plot twists. None of the characters have a coherent motivation and the whole thing is closer to the peyote-fuelled night terror of a madman than anything reasonable.

Fallout 3 isn't a bad game, but your expressed reasons here don't make a lick of sense.

You are obviously right, but the thing is that, in comparison to some J-RPGS Fallout might as well been a documentary as far as realism is concerned. I guess that's what he meant: a post-apocaliptic scenario is a little bit more grounded than talking dragons and somersaulting teens full of angst and giant swords.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

The amount of people complaining about the OP's choice of Fallout game, and deriding his limited experience with RPGs need to just grow up. "You think FO3 is an RPG? I started back with [insert older CRPG]! That's a 'real' RPG, man." Please, people. This just reeks of a "Stop Having Fun!" guy mentality. Heaven forbid someone enjoy something you don't.

Besides, all of you claiming "real" RPGs are things like the first Fallout games, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, etc. are failing to give respect to the source of said games: Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop games. This particularly bugs me when commenters are saying that "Game X really gives you freedom" and I just want to suggest they try a tabletop game with some good friends instead if they really want freedom.

My main point is simply this: Let people enjoy the things they like and stop telling them they're 'wrong' for liking it. Whenever someone discovers a new genre, it's our job to help them explore it further and not try to tear their choices apart.

 

[Lightknight]

What a fascinating story. It's interesting to see someone who was FPS and sports-only suddenly be converted by a game like that.

Fallout 3 also took me by surprise. But I have been an RPG player all my life. FO3 really showed me what an RPG world could be. As a fan of Bethesda games I was more prepared for such a game, but no less impressed.

 

[Michael Lapierre]

Well, here we go again... ;-)

I was born in 1947, watched the birth of video games, (Berzerk, anyone?), and I've watched this debate over and over again.
Tiresome...
You know, I have played one FO3 play through for more than 200 hours, and in fact, just bought a new copy, the GOTY edition, and I still don't understand one thing.
How people fail to see a miracle in front of them. Yes, there are bugs, yes, sometimes the world is not always 'realistic', but you know what?

You get to see a new world, new experiences, and new emotions.

I don't like the word 'entitled' that gets thrown around too freely in my opinion, but damn people...

Stop fanboy-ism, stop bitching, have fun, and enjoy the trip as the present becomes the future!

Game On!!

 

[wolfyrik]

Cool, now go play New Vegas. The good one

I totally disagree. Fallout Three is a far superior game in terms of story, pacing, atmosphere and relation to fallout universe. I much prefer it's addons, to the short arse NV faire, except for OWB of course. That was gold! I'll say that the New Vegas mechanics are superior, though. Armour means more.

The best way to play either of these games of course, is through Tale of Two Wastelands. That mod gives the best of both, in a pretty coherent format.

 

[Do4600]

So you primarily played FPSes and sports games.

Then you played a watered down action-RPG and declared it the future of RPGs.

If Fallout 3's """"""interactivity"""""" blew your mind, i don't even want to know what would RPGs that actually have some interactivity(Fallout 1, Planescape Torment) do to your mind.

This is my exact sentiment. I can't help but feel terrified that this opinion is really the baseline of video game culture and the primary reason Fallout 3 sold so well.

It just completely ignores the first 30 years of gaming. By the time the first FPS was released there had already been 22 adaptations of Dungeons and Dragons alone and that doesn't even count games that used the system but didn't credit TSR. That doesn't even begin to describe the weight of RPGs in gaming, before the Pentium all you had was either side scrollers, strategies or RPGs, because the resources weren't there to do anything else, that's why nearly every Avalon Hill war-game ever published was at some point committed to floppy disk. I wouldn't be surprised if western RPGs outnumbered Japanese RPGs by a ratio of 4:1.

You can go ahead and call me elitist if you want, but Fallout 3 just barely spoon feeds you RPG elements. I suppose if all you've been doing is running around those little wire cage levels in Call of Duty shanking people like a rabid psychotic hamster then the idea that killing someone in a video game can actually be programmed to have a consequence other than giving you 10 points must be like receiving a holy revelation of fire and thunder from Indra.

Fallout 3 is to RPGs what the radiation in Fallout 3 is to the fireball that consumed the earth. Fallout 3 is the afterglow of an era, it's barely a glint of light off the tallest spire from Atlantis buried below.

From my perspective you just burst in here yelling about your first kiss on the cheek from a teacher that felt sorry for you and I've been married to that woman for seven years, sure you got a little affection, but you will never experience the true depth and excitement that comes from that relationship.

It's unlikely RPGs will ever be that awesome ever again, because they had 30 years to sharpen the experience. It's no surprise that the best action-rpgs are at the very tail end of the reign of rpgs, just after Interplay. Games like Deus Ex and System Shock, there is a reason they are always mentioned, it's because they had the full depth and practice of RPGs behind them, things like branching stories, multiple play styles, endings, reliance on story and consequences. Since then RPGs have been dulled and the remakes of Deus Ex and System Shock(Bioshock) have no resemblance to the game play of the originals other than you point things at other things and they die. The blade is dulled and as far as mainstream gaming is concerned it's obsolete and it's going to be left to rust away because it's more worthwhile to run around a little wire cage shanking people and noobtubing until our eyes bleed than to have a experience in a world where your own actions and consequences can tell a story that isn't totally pre-scripted.