Bethesda gets Fallout

[Yegolev]

I'm still angry of principle. I'm tired of the Australian review board telling me what I can play. >_<

Actually this is why I was angry, not because of the actual name change since it's insignificant.  I feel like the Australian government is landing those choppers in my yard.

[Sky]

Your homeworld is under attack by hostile forces!

[LK]

Goes to show what is in a name.

[Yegolev]

Yes, or in the brains of idiots.

[lamaros]

I've been reading up about this game. And looking at the media around. While I still have reservations on the whole they're pretty well offset by the feeling of "shit, this could be great".

It's not often I feel that about a game these days.

[Azazel]

Spore had that feeling of potential as well.

Just sayin'.

[lesion]

Spore doesn't let you place explosive boobytraps in people's pants. I need this.

[Bzalthek]

I'm really looking forward to a more current Fallout.  I'm one of those rare people who missed the whole Fallout craze back in the days of yore, and when I tried to play them a little while ago I just couldn't appreciate the way the game handled.  I love the lore and reading about the game, but actually playing them was pretty harsh.

[lamaros]

Spore had that feeling of potential as well.

Just sayin'.

Not for me it didn't. I never felt Spore would be anything better than B&W with less fail. (by that I mean in terms of delivering on expectations, not in content and game style).

My only concern is with the character aspects of the system. I wonder how willing they are to cut off people from aspects of the game if they have low speech skills, low science, etc. I think that unless a lot of these skills are integrated well it could actually ruin a bit of the RPG aspects and make it feel more tactical-actiony rather than tactical-actiony-character strategic.

But then they've made a few RPGs so maybe this won't be an issue. I haven't played any since Morrowind though, so I can't compare.

[Yegolev]

I'd say your concerns are warranted, having played Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion.  While I am almost uncontrollably excited about the combat, I'm trying very hard not to think about the "fiftieth-copy of Michael Keaton from Multiplicity" RPG elements.  If it's going to be Oblivion After The Bomb, it will be in the RPG sections.  Which is fucking sad.  They are already showing how they are going to attempt to bandage over the missing organs with the inclusion of Not Dogmeat, as I plan on calling him.  I'm hoping that they will at least use two different voice actors than the ones who voiced 98% of Oblivion.  Will it have Adult Language?  Doubtful.  Will you be able to work as a fluffer?  Doubtful.

I'm all excited about Bloody Mess, though.

[bhodi]

So I never read anything detailing what Bethesda is going to do - is fallout being modified globally for a better rating? Are they removing all the 'naughty bits' and re-applying?

[lamaros]

I'd say your concerns are warranted, having played Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion.  While I am almost uncontrollably excited about the combat, I'm trying very hard not to think about the "fiftieth-copy of Michael Keaton from Multiplicity" RPG elements.  If it's going to be Oblivion After The Bomb, it will be in the RPG sections.  Which is fucking sad.  They are already showing how they are going to attempt to bandage over the missing organs with the inclusion of Not Dogmeat, as I plan on calling him.  I'm hoping that they will at least use two different voice actors than the ones who voiced 98% of Oblivion.  Will it have Adult Language?  Doubtful.  Will you be able to work as a fluffer?  Doubtful.

I'm all excited about Bloody Mess, though.

I've been reading more about it since I posted above (this is useful procrastinating) and I can say the following:

1. They seem to have a lot of skill related stuff. From skill related lines of dialogue (can only get to say certain things if you're strong, or great at science, or a great repairman/doctor, etc supposedly over 40,000 lines of dialogue in the game) to skill checks on a number of quests and other such things. They have said that one character won't be able to do everything in the game. I still have some reservations, but overall I'm much more confident.

2. They supposedly had 40 different voice actors.

3. It still has strong language. (You will hear fuck-lots-and shit, hell, god damn, etc in the second video linked below)

4. Los of drug use around. Some sex. You cannot kill children in Fallout 3, though.

Check out the videos if you havn't already. http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/downloads/videos.html

They are really very good and I think show a whole lot of why this game could be fucking awesome. I've watched them 3 times each now.

I think I've read nearly everything on the game easily around on the web at the moment, and I'm setting myself up for a big fall. But I'm going to predict the game will be fucking awesome.

[Azazel]

Not for me it didn't. I never felt Spore would be anything better than B&W with less fail. (by that I mean in terms of delivering on expectations, not in content and game style).

Not that I have superlove for Will Wright, but anything related to Molyneaux these days (and for quite a few years now) has had pretty low-to-non-existant expactations from me.

[lamaros]

http://www.prepareforthefuture.com/ launched. My PC at work is retarded and has no flash, so I can't see if there's anything new or useful there as yet.

EDIT: According to forum fanboys it has stuff on there that is "awesome". I will remain  until I get home and see for myself.

[NiX]

Whatever it is, I can't see it. After clicking "US" it changed my URL to this: http://www.prepareforthefuture.com/?fbid=BQNhHv. Somehow I think the fbid = forbidden. Maybe?

Deleted cookies, refreshed and picked UK. It's loading something big...

Edit: It is . It's pretty much a TV with 9 stations each done in 1940/1950 style with the Fallout twist. There's some in-game footage at the end of each station too. Also, you can do the Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test.

[lamaros]

Pretty nice. Not much content really. But I think it demonstrates that thay've got a pretty good 'feel' for the game, even is it's not exactly the same feel as F1&2.

[lamaros]

IGN is doing a week of previewish stuff.

Day 1: Weapons, http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/911/911919p1.html
Day 2: Skills and Perks, http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/912/912469p2.html

[UnSub]

Not sure why I should care, previous Fallout games used all fictional drug names and didn't show me some dude shooting up.

This.  Tempest in a teacup ??

For the record:

Australia uses the same classification system for movies and printed materials as for video games (sensible). Unfortunately at this time, video games can only get an MA15+ rating and not the R18+ rating that films can get (not sensible). If the Office of Film and Literature Classification refuses classification on something, then it can't be legally sold within Australia.

If the shooting up of morphine was deemed graphic enough, it might have pushed Fallout 3 into R18+ territory and thus into the refused classification area. Of course, this doesn't mean much to anyone but Australians and we aren't a major market. But what is interesting is that the discussion worried someone in Bethseda enough to consider what would happen if the mass media got wind of a major game being released that let players shoot themselves up with known drugs. So an issue that started in Australia got rolled out world wide to avoid any kind of problems of 'video games corrupting the youth' that could appear on Fox with Fallout 3 in the starring role.

[bhodi]

I don't know why they would care, it worked wonders for Rockstar Games.

[lamaros]

I discovered this just now: http://gamesblog.ugo.com/index.php/gamesblog/more/fallout_3_vault_106_walkthrough
I must say that it is SPOLIERISH in a small way, so maybe don't read it, but I does make the game sound more fun. Unfortunately the third part of the IGN preview thingo has some stuff that sounds shit in it (giving water to a bum to redeem yourself from evil? wtf?) so overall my level of expectancy has stayed the same.

On the 'drug name' thing, really it's a bit of a stupid talking point. I doubt you would really get any big response to drug use in a game at this point, at least insofar as sales are concerned, and the Fallout thing was a dumb one anyway: why have morphine in a game where all the other drugs are fictional? It's just inconsistent and amateurish more than anything else.

[UnSub]

I don't know why they would care, it worked wonders for Rockstar Games.

I don't think having to yank all copies of the game with the Hot Coffee mod and replace them is considered "working wonders". All it takes is a Fox News crusade and enough people to yell to get the game reclassified and then Bethseda is looking at a recall to do exactly the same thing.

Remember: extreme violence is a-okay. Sex and drugs? BAD AND HARM OUR KIDS.

[Ironwood]

The more info comes out, the more stoked I get.

Please, please, please, don't be a fuckup like Oblivion.

[UnSub]

The more info comes out, the more stoked I get.

Please, please, please, don't be a fuckup like Oblivion.

You know what's going to happen. You know it.

[Ironwood]

 

I'LL BE GOOD MOMMY, I'LL BE GOOD.  DON'T LET THE BAD MAN HURT MY FALLOUT...

[lamaros]

Reading more on the Karma system today at IGN is making me annoyed. It sounds shit. You can kill half a town then leave and no one will chase you. Not ony that you can return 24 hours later and they'll have forgotten. That's just retarded.

Sigh. It was looking so good.

[Sky]

That's too bad. How cool would it be to roll into town and have old women closing up their shutters and townsfolk run screaming "OH GOD SAVE US, HE'S BACK!!!"

[trias_e]

You can kill half a town then leave and no one will chase you.

Well, that's ok.  I don't mind that so much.

Not ony that you can return 24 hours later and they'll have forgotten. 

 

[Khaldun]

Come on, in the post-apocalypse, badass mutant assholes are going to kill and rape half of your town every three days or so. It's the post-apocalyptic equivalent of dog bites man. How could you possibly keep it straight which crazy wanderer from the wasteland it was this time?

[Tebonas]

That crazy wanderer killing half your town is not the one you give a lip the next time you meet him.

Maybe, if the engine is good enough you might see the fear in their eyes.

[Shrike]

When I was playing the psycho-wanderer, I generally didn't leave half the town alive.

Like Lee Van Cleef said in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, I always saw the job through.

[NiX]

And it gets leaked.. 3 weeks in advance. I wonder if it'll be like GTA and I'll only use the original disc to play the ending.

 

[FatuousTwat]

And it gets leaked.. 3 weeks in advance. I wonder if it'll be like GTA and I'll only use the original disc to play the ending.

 

Bah, I don't have a modded 360.

[Ironwood]

It has ?

[FatuousTwat]

http://www.nfohump.com/index.php?switchto=nfos&menu=sections&sectionid=22

It is a review copy, but I'm not exactly sure what the difference between that and a normal copy is.

[Bungee]

http://www.nfohump.com/index.php?switchto=nfos&menu=sections&sectionid=22

It is a review copy, but I'm not exactly sure what the difference between that and a normal copy is.

Maybe the Blancocheck included?