RPGWatch Feature - Fallout 3 Review: Corwin's View

Dhruin

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Now it's Corwin's turn to examine Fallout 3 in our second review of Bethesda's entry to this revered series. From the intro:
What’s in a name? If we listen to the hype, or the controversy surrounding the title of this game, we’d have to assume a name means a great deal. Let’s deal with this issue immediately so we can address the far more important aspects of this game.

No-one argues that the game contains many of the same elements we find in the earlier iterations: Pip Boy; Super Mutants; Vaults; BoS; etc, but many are complaining that the differences are too great. Rubbish!
Read it all here.
More information.
 
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Very nice review Corwin ... I find it interesting that with you, me and Dhruin a core theme is 'vased on what I've said you might think I hate this game, but ...'

:D
 
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It sounds like Corwin acctually likes the combat system, but almost everyone I heard who played the game complained how they hated it, and how tired they get of VATS after a couple of 100ndred of kills.
 
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If for you it’s not a ‘true’ Fallout game, then my advice is to "get over it" and enjoy it for what it is
I'll try.
Great review a bit too positive for my taste but I guess you know better.
 
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A good review and I hear what corwin says about the poor quality of manual. Good riddance, a quality manual used to be part of the experience. They weren't only usefull, but very artistic and fun to read through. Usually they contained lots of back lore and detailish descriptions of the weaponry, tactics etc. Nowdays if you desire the same stuff you'll have to get the official strategy book or whatever they call it. Luckily gamefaqs does it for free. :)

As for the review itself. It was pretty accurate, just like Txa's main review, so no complaints there. f3 has so much potential but at the end its just a fun (and damn addictive) game while it could have been so much more. With quality dialog and mainquest this could have been an instant classic. Hopefully they'll hire decent writers for their next game because gameplay elements they got 'right' and I wouldn't change much. I enjoyed the combat, hacking, exploring etc. Sadly the roleplaying stuff isn't simply same caliber.
 
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In the preamble, you left Ultima 9 out of the canon consideration--the buggy 3D third person one with the terrible ending. I'm just sayin'.
 
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I'm heartily with you on game manuals, Corwin. My personal pet peeve is those which use a dark grey font on light grey paper with tiny print--impossible to read and I seldom even bother unless I have something major I want to check on.

I found both this review and txa1265's to be very informative and also to give a good feel for the game to someone like me who hasn't played it.. I kind of lost interest in the Bethesda template after Morrowind, and I remember the original FOs fondly but without deep commitment. Dhruin's comments also summed up some of what I think my own reactions would be. So now I don't have to feel guilty or that I've really missed anything by skipping this game. :)
 
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The funny thing about the writing in Bethesda's games is that it wouldn't seem so bad if they got competent voice actors. Or more to the point, an actual director. So the lines are usually simple, yes. But delivery goes a long way.

Moira's lines for instance aren't terrible but the way in which they are delivered - not sure if this is Bethesda's idea of humor or just incompetence. Just like many other characters in Fallout 3 (& Oblivion), the actors sound as if they're reading for a 2nd grade classroom. There is no range of feeling or emotion, no depth, no actual "character", just lines being read as if from a teacher reading a story book to a class full of 7 year olds.
 
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By the way, the RPGWatch score is making more sense now in light of this 2nd review: 8/10. :)
 
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Considering you cared so little for the "true sequel" angle, it might have been more advisable to just let the issue lie, rather than half-heartedly deal with it in the intro and then do a belly stab at the fans in the extro. Good review otherwise.

It sounds like Corwin acctually likes the combat system, but almost everyone I heard who played the game complained how they hated it, and how tired they get of VATS after a couple of 100ndred of kills.

The combat system isn't horrible in my opinion. The FPS action isn't FPS-quality, nor is it FPSRPG quality. The RTwP system isn't inspired but I've seen worse. The gory scenes do indeed get boring after a while.

So if you're looking for a combat system that carries the game, don't look here. I don't think it's bad enough to ruin the game either, tho'. It's decent, nothing more, nothing less.
 
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By the way, the RPGWatch score is making more sense now in light of this 2nd review: 8/10. :)

Every review has a link to the scoring system on RPGWatch.

Multiple reviews of the same game shouldn't be considered as cumulative. 4/5 and 4/5 does not equal 8/10. It's simply, 4/5 and 4/5.
 
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Multiple reviews of the same game shouldn't be considered as cumulative. 4/5 and 4/5 does not equal 8/10. It's simply, 4/5 and 4/5.

Korplem, 'twas a joke.
 
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I came away from this feeling I had a handle on the game. After so many attempts by so many writers to put their fingers right on it, to define and present the perfect case for judging Fallout 3, somehow (yeah, somehow) I still didn't have that sense.

Up until now, the picture I had in my mind of Fallout 3 was still too sketchy and a little too sterile. There were dissatisfied blanks in it demanding to be filled. Now I have the colors I need to fill them in.

IMO, Corwin used himself very well as an example of someone playing the game for the first time. That provided me with the reference point I needed and a perspective I can use. I finally feel I'm ready to make my purchase decision.
 
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The combat system isn't horrible in my opinion. The FPS action isn't FPS-quality, nor is it FPSRPG quality. The RTwP system isn't inspired but I've seen worse. The gory scenes do indeed get boring after a while.

I take back what I said, indeed the combat system isn't really terrible just lackluster.

I think Bethesda used their basic "please EVERYONE" philosophy and so gave us half-assed versions of FPS & RTwP. The funny thing is they could have used their Vats system and gone full TB and it would have been better.

Would have helped to make the "slo-mo" only for crit shots or for 1 out of 5 combat instances. Sure heads exploding into bloody chunks looks cool the first few times but after that, who cares. It's just pointless.
 
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Although in todays gaming land , Fallout 3 is superb compared to most of what we get. A lot of gaming for the money and interesting setting. Voice acting by AAA actors help it as did Oblivion have some good actors. yes...could of been better but still I am very happy with this game.
 
Good review, and pretty acurrate:) Corwin you didn't let me down.

Get over it, classic.
 
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In the preamble, you left Ultima 9 out of the canon consideration--the buggy 3D third person one with the terrible ending. I'm just sayin'.

That was deliberate on my part; I don't really consider U9 as part of the canon, but I don't think we can put U9 and FO3 in the same basket.
 
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From BN: "Considering you cared so little for the "true sequel" angle, it might have been more advisable to just let the issue lie, rather than half-heartedly deal with it in the intro and then do a belly stab at the fans in the extro. Good review otherwise."

For me, these were 2 different, though related issues. The most common reasons given for FO3 not being a 'true sequel' were the number of changes in both gameplay and location. My point is that these didn't seem to matter with Ultimas 5,7,8 which were totally different, especially 8 which I didn't personally care too much for. The question surely is what constitutes a sequel. If U8 is considered a sequel to U5, then why the uproar when discussing F3 to F2?

My second issue at the close was aimed at those who disagree with me certainly, but the point was that if we agree to disagree on whether the game is a true sequel, can't we still agree that it's a fun game, so let's enjoy it for what it is, rather than complain about what it isn't.
 
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My point is that these didn't seem to matter with Ultimas 5,7,8 which were totally different, especially 8 which I didn't personally care too much for. The question surely is what constitutes a sequel. If U8 is considered a sequel to U5, then why the uproar when discussing F3 to F2?

By that token, you should have included U9 :)

I haven't played many of the Ultimas (just the first 3, ages ago) but there must be a substantial enough thread that links them together and makes them feel as a complete series. Did the later ones all have the same developers?

I think it's different with Fallout - first, you're not dealing with a series that's 9 games deep. It's only the 3rd in the series and it wouldn't have been too difficult to match the qualities of the first 2 games.

You take the main things that mattered in the originals: setting, depth of characters, dark humor, good writing and update it. The only thing Bethesda got right was the setting and even then they screwed up a bit. The world looks less habitable than it did in Fallout 2, 200 years EARLIER. You'd think a modern civilization would rebuild in 200 years.

But that's easy to overlook I guess. They screwed up BIG TIME with the writing. It's really inconsistent, going from embarrassingly poor to decent to occasionally being good. In the first 2 games the writing was good throughout.

The characters in Fallout 3 are nowhere near as interesting or deep as they were in the earlier games.

Anyway I could go on but my point is that mentioning the earlier games SHOULD be important in any review of Fallout 3, they should be compared. The earlier games are considered classics after all.

Of course the sad thing is that I'm sure a huge part of the Fallout 3 fan base or rather those who purchased it are doing it based on Oblivion's success. I think Bethesda implemented more choices and dialogue checks only because they were expected to somewhat live up to Fallout's reputation in the industry but I think the next Elder Scrolls game will probably be even more dumbed down than Oblivion.
 
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Using that analogy, try comparing U4 to ANY of the first 3 Ultimas!! :) There really is NO comparison. Don't get me wrong, there's heaps Beth$oft could have done better in keeping the game 'true' to the first 2, but since LB didn't with his creation, why should they be held to a different/higher standard than one of the most famous/influential series in gaming?
 
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