I’m a naturally suspicious guy. I don’t pet stray dogs, never walk under ladders, and never, ever accept candy from strangers. So when the gaming media pumps up a game to be “THE AWESOMEST THING IN THE UNIVERSES!11!!1!” I become wary, like a jungle cat – which I most certainly am.
Games like “Lair” or “Too Human” have been lauded by the gaming media and then on release, stunk so bad my neighbors complained. Or complained more than usual. Lair was beautiful on the PS3, unfortunately the “terribad” six-axis controls made playing the game an exercise of your futility muscle. “Too Human” was another example of hype, which turned out to be one of the most panned games this year. Note to self: never play games with Norse gods that look like Tron’s estranged family.
This is the scenic route to a point that I want to make concerning the press hype for forthcoming Fallout 3. I was a skeptic. Having played the previous incarnations, I was filled with doubt concerning just what I would be seeing as the intellectual property had changed hands to Bethesda. Would they doom the franchise? Would they crank out an inferior knock-off of a beloved title? The mind recoiled in horror, and I admit that there came a moment where I was so worried about the future of this game that I could not continue to feed or bathe myself.
That all changed at PAX when I spent an hour on this game.
It started out much like the videos you’ll see in this post: Pete Hines himself booted the game for me and told me the basics of what I was about to play, then left me to my gaming. I started out waiting for the Vault doors to open up, letting me out into the post-nuclear world my character had been sheltered from since birth. The door opens, you walk outside and are blinded by the sunlight.
At this point the musical score kicks into gear, and I have to say it was impressive and blended well with what you were seeing and experiencing. The bulk of what I heard was an orchestral mix that picked up tempo at just the right time. Whomever composed and edited the music to the game deserves a raise. Or at the very least a gold star. The music changes, and you can even use your PIP Boy to tune in to a radio station.
I began to wander about, aimlessly. The little things impressed me. The junked cars and the wear on the paint, the signs scattered about added subtle humor. Make note that you can play this game in third or first person, and your gear and garb is reflected on your person to the tiniest detail. My first task was to visit the city of Megaton, but to tell you the truth I could give a toss. I wanted to experience something independent of what other game journo’s had, so I took off away from Megaton, looking for a mutant to pummel.
The landscape is post-nuclear throughout. There has been some criticism of the game for its landscapes – the dreariness of the environment.
Pardon me, but it’s a game based around an irradiated and bombed out Washington D.C. Do these people really expect that the game is going to have lush, thriving landscapes with sunflowers and kittens frolicking about? Honestly… this is a game in which survival is paramount, an apocalyptic scenario where kittens do not exist. And if they did, they would be mutant kittens the size of a elephant with two heads and a scorpion tail. I actually own one. His name is “Skippy.”
But the environment looked great, exactly what you would expect. Broken bridges and shattered freeway onramps, dilapidated buildings and looted gas stations. The feeling was positively atmospheric, lending to a certain level of immersion that was very gratifying.
At any rate, I found an old high school down the road and started to make tracks. Surely there would be an encounter of some kind.
The only thing I found was trouble.
Evidently a gang had holed up in the high school and of course I stumbled into it, and a shoot out began promptly. This was when the combat shined, and the VATS system took off – though not in the spectacular effect that I was craving.
Combat is what you expect: lots of brutal rushes from melee types as well as the sporadic gunfire of ranged opponents, the ganger’s were hulking brutes with multi-colored mohawks and wielding an array of sharp, pointy things – much like Bumbershoot last weekend.
The rush was difficult, especially since all I had was this wimpy .45 and harsh language, so as they came at me I hit the VATS – Vault Assisted Targeting System – and suddenly the rushing mob wasn’t so tough.
VATS allows the player to target a specific body part of the mob, telling you your chance to hit and how much health that area may have. Center mass is the clear favorite, limbs are next but shots to the head are tough. Although depending on your weapon, you would be better off with a sharp, pointy stick.
So I decided to break the target down, a hunting trick when going after large game. Taking out the legs, knees and feet to arrest its locomotion so you can administer the coup de grace at leisure.
Did it work this time? Hmmmmm… not so much.
The videos that show various body parts flying about after a VATS shot must have been done with a superior weapon, because when I shot the ganger he stopped, hopped around a little yelping, and then proceeded to rush me, intent on introducing his nail-studded baseball bat to my face.
Cowardice being the better part of valor, I ran away as the mob chased me, trying to hide in a bathroom from my tormentors – a survival skill I acquired in third grade and still use at The Herald when deadlines loom – but they caught up with me. Panicking, I just blazed away with The Little Automatic That Could.
Surprisingly, they went down quickly enough though I had burned a magazine of precious bullets.
My thoughts on combat: it’s fun, but needs a little getting used to. I played the demo on an Xbox 360 – I’ll be playing the game on my PC – and found the controls a little frustrating, especially with mobs that didn’t really care if I had only just started to play the game. A lot of game journo’s have stated that VATS is necessary with all combat, but I disagree. With any game there is a learning curve associated with play. If I had three hours of in-game play, I would have made a better accounting of myself during combat without use of VATS.
After looting the bodies and putting on enough leather to look like The Gimp ala Pulp Fiction, I scurried out of the high school never to return, taking a grand tour of the countryside.
In true sandbox style, the setting was enormous. In fact I was worried that I’d get lost sooner or later, but that all took a backseat when a wild dog decided that my face would make a nice midday snack. Out of ammo for my pistol I started hitting it with my fists which seemed to only encourage it. I selected a nightstick and started swinging, but again, the dog just seemed to take it as a sign that I wanted him to continue attacking me. So I ran. I ran so far away.
Right into yet another mob.
I just kept running until I found Megaton, and by that time the mobs had lost interest. I was greeted by a robot in front of the town and entered the city, ready to look for signs of my long lost father, whom I had left the Vault to look for in the first place. I was approached by Megaton’s mayor-slash-Sherriff, who walked up to me chatting merrily away. Unfortunately, his lips weren’t moving, revealing that the game wasn’t as polished as it could be yet. Once the dialogue began, the conversation turned south and suddenly he became rather hostile.
So I decided to give him an early Christmas present and, using VATS, tossed him a grenade.
While I reveled in my Mad Max moment, the sudden dispatching of their beloved leader and riled up the townsfolk and they formed a crowd, then came after me. This, if nothing else, impressed me with the function of the social and AI mechanics of the NPC’s. In other games you can pillage like a Viking with nary a repercussion, save a slap on the hand later. Please note: if you would like to see the story sequence from entering Megaton, watch the videos in succession.
While combat was fun, if not frenetic, I was impressed by the PIP Boy system attached to the arm of your character. The PIP Boy is basically your inventory, statistics, and customization interface – which I found to be intuitive. There is a wide array of skills and bonuses you can select that will help you as you play the game.
In closing, I am really looking forward to this game. While I don’t believe that anyone can accurately give an opinion on a game they played only for an hour, what I did play impressed me enough that I encourage any and all who are fans of the franchise to give it chance.
I for one expect that my social life will come to a sudden and abrupt halt when this game finally drops – not that really had one to begin with.
Please note: the following videos are rated “M” for mature. View at your own risk.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
