Why is everyone so down on Fallout 3?

[DustyDrB]

Lots of Fallout fans don't like it because it screwed with the lore (The Brotherhood as white knight heroes, The Enclave...exists, Harold, the GECK) and lost the humor that was always a part of the series.

Me? I hated Fallout 3 for different reasons, because it was my first Fallout game. Mostly, I'd say it just lacked a soul. The world just felt like random locations that have little to do with each other, and it was all visually bland or grimdark. It was an oppressively bleak game. The story was also very dumb and offered little meaningful choice until the very end (where you just pick the Stupid Evil option or the Good option). I don't think it was a bad game, but I just hated it.

I was apprehensive about trying New Vegas when it came out, but some things convinced me to play it. And I loved it. For one: I loved the faction system. It added a sense of continuity and consequence to the world. And I loved the overall story, especially how many of the side quests tied into it in some way. It had humor and interesting characters. It varied the landscape without sacrificing the post-apocalyptic or post-civilization wilderness feel. And it had things that were just there to help you immerse yourself in the world (hardcore mode, certain perks and traits, gear with a story behind it). It redeemed the Fallout series for me and made me want to try the first two games (and Tactics). That's why you hear a lot of older Fallout fans praise New Vegas and condemn Fallout 3. The latter is just a post-apocalyptic game without a soul. The former is a bona-fide Fallout game with a soul.

 

[PZF]

maybe i'm weird, but i don't know, i just found 3 to be more entertaining than NV. so *shrugs*

Also, never played 1 or 2, so.. that might help.

Can't be that weird, I'm the same way.

I like FO3. The story wasn't the greatest, but it did have cool thing like Liam Neesons voice, Point Lookout, the Pitt (i liked it), The Enclave (way cooler then the NCR/Legion) and you got to finish the story and be able to still wander around, unlike FNV.

 

[Dark Prophet]

I think it's called nostalgia. I have played all the Fallout games, well OK I haven't finished tactics and probably never will and haven't got to NV DLC either but other then that I know the games pretty well.

So let's get to the point, yes 3 does not really fit into the fallout universe but I rather like it it's mostly dark and grim like post nuclear holocaust world should be 2 was a little more grim then 1 but NV went back to the goofy fun territory.

Story, 1 and 2 had better stories then 3, maybe in strict story book way yes, but that's the thing it was like reading a book, it wasn't a living world NV has it story stained by the goofy fun other than that I have to admit it's somewhat superior to 3.

Gameplay 1 and 2 have one big problem for me, turn based combat, it sucks so much ass, but then again I understand that there weren't really any viable alternatives for the turn based combat, but I still can't understand how is that I have 80 something % chance to hit a target and all six shots miss and it happens three times in a row, 3 is a perfect middle ground NV has those annoying collecting and crafting thing that you only really need in hardcore mod if even there, weapon mods a are a nice touch.

Game world, 1 and 2 are small technical limitations I understand, but still small what I don't understand is that how is NV smaller than 3, I don't actually know that it is smaller but it feels a hell of a lot smaller, also it took me abot 25-30 hours less to do everything in the main game in NV.

Overall, 3 good not perfect but close NV some steps in right direction some in not so right 1 and 2 may have been good games at the time but are old and ugly and date now, just like 3 and NV will be in 10 years time.

 

[Hugga_Bear]

It just wasn't as good. I mean yes it messed with the lore a lot but there were caveats there to protect it, however stupid they were (looking atchoo BoS). My concerns are more that it's just...lesser. Especially when we compare it with NV FO3 is lacking, it has no DT which makes the most terrifying enemies a cake walk and makes armour at best mildly helpful.

On top of that we have overpoweredness to the max, even without Broken Steel a character rapidly became a god amongst men to a point far beyond BethSoft's normal approach where you CAN be awesome but don't naturally become it (a la 100% camouflage).

Oh and Broken Steel was so, SO broken. Enemies became sponges, bad ending made worse etc.

Most of all though, no real roleplaying, you were set a role. YOU ARE the kid from 101. YOU WILL find Dad. YOU WILL purify the wasteland and YOU WILL fight for the BoS for the majority of the game with only a ridiculously lazy possibility to swap at the end of the game for no discernible reason.

I liked FO3, I really did, still do. It just wasn't as good as the rest and that's why I push the others.

 

[robinkom]

How come noone mentions fallout tactics? loved that game even though it had more bugs than a bethesda game. feel like i may have missed out on something by not playing fallout 1 & 2 but...meh. FTR fallout 3 was garbage.

I stated earlier in this thread that I felt Fallout Tactics had the most polished version of the classic gameplay... the story just fell short when compared to the first two. I sincerely recommend you and anyone else who hasn't played the first two to do so at your earliest convenience. You'll easily see why Fallout 3's writing was so terrible. Interplay's Fallout Trilogy (1, 2 & Tactics) is still for sale on store shelves with updated Vista/Win7 compatibility for all the included games. And there's always torrents for the more shady individuals.

 

[EvilGenius224]

FO3 is a great game but h8ters always gonna h8te unfortunately.

With the mods that are out there for free download via the Fallout Nexus, FO3 becomes a brilliant game.

 

[sb666]

I've noticed it particularly on this site. Funny enough, it seems these same people love New Vegas though. They're like the opposite of me, I think Fallout 3 is easily one of the best games I've played on the ps3 whereas New Vegas was easily one of the worst (it was practically unplayable).

Yea, that's because, as people said before, Fallout 3 was inconsistent with lore, but Fallout New Vegas was not. Hardcore Fallout fans generally consider New Vegas to be the proper 3, and 3 is just a spin off you pretend never happened.

This is basicly my feelings towards Fallout 3. Lately i have been doing a Fallout marathon.

 

[MerlinCross]

Wow if this is how people react to Fallout 3 how do you guys feel towards X-Com?

As for Fallout 3,

I liked the story, the setting and the world. Now I haven't played the first two but better story? "Go find water. You did. K, go kill mutants cause they are danger. K thanks." Yeah. That's top of the list in story making.

I liked the level up system. And unless you planned out every thing you didn't end up as "uber" least not in my case. I was good at shooting energy and guns, but not hacking, explosives, and big guns.

Loved the open world. What's that building, oh a cave to look at, oh **** it's an ant nest run away! Only complaint was downtown was a pain to find my way around. Hmm they nailed that.

As for New Vegas, didn't like it as much. I didn't feel like I was playing my own guy with my own adventure planned out, combat felt clunky, crafting(hahhahahaahahahaahah) was so mind numbing, and I felt like I was forced down a more corrider path than in 3.

I like Fallout 3, and to a certain degree New Vegas. But the more I hear about "Blaah blaah blaah Fallout 1 and 2 were better" the less I want to actually try them.

 

[Blind Sight]

Fallout New Vegas did this much better and that's why bookish people like it more. It has great writing for a video game. Great choice in what you can do in the world, and a sense that there is a reason for how New Vegas come to be. In New Vegas it is nog so much the present that interested me. It is how it all happend, and what I could do to change it all, to my liking.

New Vegas also had very smart writing along with decent humour, in comparison Fallout 3's dialogue seems like the mumblings of a child. I remember when Caesar started talking about Hegelian Dialectics in a historical perspective I wondered if anyone who worked on Fallout 3 even knew what the Hegelian dialectic theory was.

 

[uc.asc]

As somebody who's never played any of the fallout games, imma chip in here because there's a trend that exists.

Whether or not something is good, when it becomes very popular it picks up a core of detractors who a) don't think it's all that great and b) are annoyed that everybody is shouting about how great it is and feel the need to make their feelings known.

This is true of everything extremely popular. Harry potter. Avatar. Mass effect. Bach. Shakespeare.

As an outsider who is peripherally aware of what people say about fallout 3, my feeling is that it follows this trend.

 

[Taerdin]

I'm not a fan of fallout 3 because the ending was terrible, one of the worst endings I've seen.

I mean, 20 min before the ending I met Fawkes, whose sole distinction is that he is a super mutant so he can survive in highly irradiated areas. So what the hell?

Fallout New Vegas was much better, imo.

 

[rangerman351]

Fallout 3 was easily one of my favorite console games, but man, the dark humor and references were astronomical.

 

[Sandernista]

I've noticed it particularly on this site. Funny enough, it seems these same people love New Vegas though. They're like the opposite of me, I think Fallout 3 is easily one of the best games I've played on the ps3 whereas New Vegas was easily one of the worst (it was practically unplayable).

Psst, that's why you don't play bethesda/obsidian games on the PS3.

I loved Fallout 3! But, the gameplay of New Vegas just ruined Fallout 3 for me.

 

[Machocruz]

Fallout 3 offers little reason for fans of Fallout 1 and 2 to play it. It's a step back to play a game with inferior writing, quests, and RPG implementation. A sequel that has less of what was is in previous games is redundant, a waste of time.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Long time fans hate it mostly because its not isometric. You can ignore them though since there ideas of game design have not evolved in over a decade and thus they are the old men of the games world (at least for this).

 

[Bobbity]

Never having played Fallout 1 or 2, I came into Fallout 3 as a big fan of Bethesda, hoping that it would be similar - in ways - to Morrowind or Oblivion.

What makes Elder Scrolls games special to me are the open worlds they contain, and the desire to explore and see this wonderful place. In Fallout, I didn't like the setting, and that really killed the game for me. I pretty much went "Okay, so it's desolate wasteland and mutant infested sewers. Why don't I just stay in Megaton?" There was no interesting plot, no memorable characters, and nothing particularly great to get me hooked. I never finished the game, barely making it to the Brotherhood of Steel.

I've heard that Fallout: New Vegas is great in all the ways that I thought Fallout 3 failed, but I never really had the chance to play it, and the original game did a very good job of putting me off Obsidian's sequel for a long while. Not to mention KotOR 2...

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

Long time fans hate it mostly because its not isometric. You can ignore them though since there ideas of game design have not evolved in over a decade and thus they are the old men of the games world (at least for this).

Bullshit. Why do alot of the long time fans like NV then ?

Because it's done by Obsidian (who have some better RPG minds in they're corner), not derpy ass Bethshitda and the Toddler.

Was that seriously an incredibly-misguided pun of Todd Howard's name? Like seriously? We do that here?

 

[darkfox85]

I agree with the OP.

It certainly seems to me that a lot of people outright hate this game and there are few people who at least ?like? both F3 and F3NV (a disproportionate amount seem to love one and hate the other.) It could just be in my head but this doesn?t happen to other favourites. A lot of flak seems to come from people who were mad on the first two (of which I haven?t played.) I?m surprised such a rabid fanbase and desire for consistency from a game released over ten years ago even exists but, hell, shows what I know.

Although Fallout 3 is in my top 10 there are indeed serious problems with the game.

1) Its too easy
Even if you?re not stealing everything in sight it?s very easy to find yourself with tens of thousands of caps, several hundred healing items, and enough stashed replacement weapons to keep you good for several times over what you?d need to finish the game. Not to mentioned the level cap is quickly reached (even with BoS) and most of the perks are rather OP or UP. I use the G.E.C.K. modding software to address all of these but I totally respect anyone who?ll seriously mark down the game because of these problems (esp ? console players.)

2) Its buggy as hell
I don?t know if the console players have this to complain about as well as (1), but Fallout 3 really put me through a lot of grief to get the bastard to work properly (if at all.) Unpredictable stuff and graphical anomalies are common and the game does stutter. Not even Black & White was this much of pain.

Other complaints I don?t give much respect to. Story and character are both solid, I?m prepared to forgive the tone given the sense of humour, some parts are unbalanced but never break the game, and although the DLC was a mixed bag, two of them in particular I?d consider exceptionally good by standards of both FPS and RPG.

I *adore* the Capital Wasteland. Pick a direction. Walk. Find adventure. Repeat. That feeling of death, emptiness, misery, improvisation, freedom, ridiculousness ? that?s magic for me. But I wonder if it?s because I?m some sort of wannabe composite of bad-ass lone explorer and a travelling salesman come scavenger. Okay. It?s not for everyone.

 

[Lederin]

What the bloody fuck is the difference between Fallout 3 and New Vegas? I couldn't get in to New Vegas because for all the differences between it an Fallout 3, it may as well have been a full-priced expansion pack. Gameplay mechanics exactly the same. Wasteland desert looks no different than wasteland DC. Story was still stupid in New Vegas, not that I cared much, I didn't like Fallout 3 for the story.

What Bethesda need to do is make a Fallout game with the visuals/world design/atmosphere of 3 but with the mechanics of New Vegas, that would be perfect

What exactly do you mean by "mechanics"? Because from where I stand, Fallout 3 had the exact same mechanics as New Vegas.

Maybe mechanics isn't the right word....I mean like the fact New Vegas gave you Iron Sights (finally!) crafting, more balanced menus and factions. I think if 3 had had that it would've been even better, hope that clears that up

 

[MerlinCross]

2) Its buggy as hell
I don?t know if the console players have this to complain about as well as (1), but Fallout 3 really put me through a lot of grief to get the bastard to work properly (if at all.) Unpredictable stuff and graphical anomalies are common and the game does stutter. Not even Black & White was this much of pain.

It's an open world game. I can name 5 games that are just as buggy. Heck, New Vegas is just as bad.

Maybe mechanics isn't the right word....I mean like the fact New Vegas gave you Iron Sights (finally!) crafting, more balanced menus and factions. I think if 3 had had that it would've been even better, hope that clears that up

Don't see the big deal with the sights, crafting is a bore(And I play Atelier games), the menus are basicly copy pasted, and the factions..., just give me a big meh. Just adds another layer to the quest line. "Go here, do something" is the normal route but now it's "Go here, please these people, then do somethng". Course you can just murder them.

And while I'm on the subject of murder, so what if you couldn't kill kids?!? Do you know the amount of media that would jump down their throats if they tried sneaking in that? Heck, Australia Fallout 3 from what I heard had to lose some of the drugs. Can you just picture trying to sneak a game that had kid killing in?