The Elder Scrolls V: Fallout
I should preface the coming diatribe by saying that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of my favorite games of all time. I’ve played nearly the whole canon: Arena, Daggerfall, Battlespire, Redguard (Voodoo graphics only!) and Morrowind (+expansions).
As good as those games are (well, Battlespire not so much) there comes a point when playing, once you’ve mastered the mechanics and methods of achievement, that eventually there are no more surprises. You know exactly how every NPC is going to react, you realize how wooden they all are. You’ve seen the gamut of loot containers - crates, barrels, etc. The underlying gameplay structure has become transparent, so you start screwing around, killing everyone, stealing everything just to see what happens. Then boredom sets in - except for the bastion of players who, despite the ungodly repetition, are determined to complete all quests and explore every nook and cranny of the game world. That’s not me. I’m obviously of the former ilk; once the true suprise has faded I usually shelve the game. Right now I’m facing this dilemma with Fallout 3, the latest exceptional RPG from Bethesda.
It’s been mentioned - ad nauseum - that Fallout 3 is almost exactly the same game as Oblivion - of course with a newly-designed game world and ever-so-slightly modified combat mechanics. Any fan of Oblivion will notice the similarity instantly.
It’s not without improvements: The textures look considerably better than those in Oblivion - although everything from cracked pavement to piles of rubble looks as if it has been liberally shellacked. And the new V.A.T.S. targeting system is a godsend for me, since I’m terrible with frenetic firefights.
But back to my gripes with Bethesda’s RPGs. I’m hoping that if I get some of these out of my system I’ll be able to play Fallout 3 for just a little bit longer than I would normally.
First off: containers. Now, I understand that with a game world so enormous it would be nearly impossible to litter the game with a ton of absolutely unique objects. Endless load times and horrible frame rates would be unavoidable.
But how can you hope for a true sense of immersion if every NPC in the world owns the same exact barrels, crates (ugh, can we quit with the crates already?), desks, and foot lockers? Does everyone shop at the same medieval Crate and Barrel?
I can almost forgive Oblivion, since a barrel is a barrel pretty much no matter where you go. But shame, shame on Fallout 3.
Fallout 3’s post-apocalyptic (I’m really sick of that phrase) world is a horribly fractured, decimated place in which people are scarce, spread out and living in small, unique enclaves. Yet, every single location - houses, bars, subways, anywhere - is filled with exactly the same containers. The metal box seems most popular, followed closely by crappy, bent-up lockers, desks, first-aid kits (in the most unlikely places), toolboxes and lunchboxes.
And let’s talk about the contents of those containers. Atually, Oblivion takes the cake in this area. For instance, you come across a couple of huge crates - in one of them is solitary spoon, and in the other you’ll find just a broom, or an hourglass. There must be hundreds of unused hourglasses in the land of Cyrodiil! Not to mention the inkwells, folded cloth, quills, tongs, calipers, hand scythes and yarn - there’s a helluva lot of yarn in good old Cyrodill.
From Megaton to Rivet City to Raiders’ hideouts, every blasted place contains the same crap. I mean, Shopping carts are perfectly fine in and around the Super Mart, but on a wrecked boat in the river? in the bowels of an aircraft carrier? How about all those identical cameras, hammers, and all that damned scrap metal?
And what’s with all the firehose nozzles? Also, judging from the heaps of identical, rusted cars everywhere, it appears that just prior to the apocalypse there were only two models of automobiles in circulation. And why is it that every woman in the game has a pencil moustache?
One last gripe before I wipe my brow and relax. The world of Fallout 3 has been praised for its wide open environment but let me tell you, the game has plenty of dreaded invisi-walls to foil your ambulation. For instance, you’ll see lots of huge piles of rubble between buildings. These piles are not so high that you couldn’t climb them easily and hop over to the next street. But just try to take that shortcut and you’ll come face to face with the invisible forcefield of death. I can’t tell you how pissed off I get when I encounter that. My blood pressure is rising just thinking about it.
And though it’s technically correct, the dichotomy of CapitAl Wasteland vs. CapitOl Preservation Society sticks in my craw. I can’t help it.
I feel a little better now. I just arrived at Rivet City.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
the worst part of Fallout 3 for me has been Wrath of the Lich King. With all that new WoW content, 10 more levels and a ton of new gear to grind for, I will not be having time to get much further into Fallout 3 for a while. The good thing about Fallout 3 though is that I can put it away for a year or more and I wont have to catch up with a bunch of new content or friends that have levelled faster than me.
Maybe I will finish it (and WoW) about the time Interplay reveals Project V13…a Fallout based MMORPG with all the shmarmy humor (which Fallout 3 really lacks) would really good if it was done properly.
December 5th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
So your major gripe is one that you understand is impossible and not actually worth bothering with?
What about the disappointing storyline or lack of any traditionally wonderful Fallout humour?
December 6th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Thanks for the feedback. I’m not a Fallout purist. No video game IP exists that is so sacred it can’t be changed. I admit, I get bored with games easily, precisely due to the elements that you feel are not worth bothering with. Storyline in a good game is created by what you do, your actions, much more so than any backstory behind it all. The original Fallout titles were what they were: isometric point-and-click fests with lots to read. Fun enough, though I’m not sure the word wonderful really applies.
(-Editor, 12/6)
December 17th, 2008 at 11:55 am
once a new system is released after up to a decade of research and development, “true” gamers marvel briefly at the expected advancements in graphics capabilities and processing power. I stress “briefly.” Then a game, which also may have been in R&D for up to a decade, is released at which point these true gamers waste no time shredding the game to pieces with nitpicking gripes and bull**** about repitition in a game with over 100 hours of valuable, jaw-dropping gameplay. Assuredly, the hit piece they write will be prefaced with an article of praise: “Don’t get me wrong, I value the perks of this game as much as anyone,” or “Remember, I speak as a die-hard fan since the beginning,” or “I should preface the coming diatribe by saying that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of my favorite games of all time.” This somehow allows them to trash the game with impunity. Honestly, though, enough. Fallout is an excellent game. Oblivion is an excellent game. These gamers have to be some of the whiniest breed of fan in existence. I can’t imagine someone trashing their favorite band like this, or their favorite movie. This is just another article as such, so just get over it and buy another game. There is no game on this planet that you can play indefinitely, for years and decades without break. They get old- everything does.
Oh and btw, i agree completely. WTF is with all the damn folded cloths?
December 17th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Wow, you have an interesting way of agreeing! btw, I’m playing Dead Space now, and I can easily say it’s the best title I’ve played since the System Shock games. Can’t think of a complaint on this one!
(-Editor, 12/17)