π’ Oblivion with GUNS! Oblivion with GUNS! π’
Oh, sorry about that, didn't see you there. I was just busy spewing a long-forgotten, not-all-that-inaccurate agenda. π€·ββοΈ I'm sure as a fellow internet user yourself, you are familiar with this tactic. π
On a more serious note, we're skipping the second installment of the series since I didn't have enough to say for an entire article's worth of words. However, I will briefly touch on Fallout 2 here.
But this Is a Fallout 3 article, and as such let me take you back to the year of our lord 2008. A time when open-world games were not commonplace, and war... well, you know what they say about war...
π’ It never changes?
Correct! And soβοΈ In this edition of Through the Lens π, we'll be taking a look at Bethesda Softworks's first person, post-appocalyptic, RPG from 2008: Fallout 3, Roll it! π½
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πΆ UP TOP πΆ
As we do. Time to take a gander or listen more like, to the Fallout soundtrack! π Catchy, listenable, and fitting of the game. This soundtrack is one of the series' betters. And honestly, Bethesda at this point has a track record of pretty good soundtracks across their games.
This one is no exception, take listen while you read why don't ya? π
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxM7soNJC1A
When Fallout 3 came out I was heavily addicted to The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. My grades had deteriorated and my sanity had become digital (don't ask π). Needless to say, I was itching to play another Bethesda RPG. And while people kept saying Oblivion with guns, those same people yearned for an RPG that was no more. And they were left at the mercy of this corporation - this... RPG-making-machine!
All things considered, there were some ups, and there were some falls. But all in all Fallout 3 succeeded. Let's see why, hmmmmm? π
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πΆ DIFFERENT TONE πΆ
Fallout 3's tone is more akin Fallout 2, or certain sections of Fallout 2. Granted, it takes those themes and runs with them. But I feel it to the point where it loses all semblance of plot and character and sense.
It treats the setting and its characters as a total joke. And hence, makes itself one. π
Sure, Fallout always had this 1950s happy-go-lucky vibe to it. But never to this extent. Never to the extent of common sense. Seems like the characters in Fallout 3 are wacky just cuz, there's no rhyme or reason to it. π€·ββοΈ
This isn't the case for all characters, and it's not even that big of a deal IMHO. But it is still a valid point worth bringing up. π― And like I said, this tonal shift is still more or less consistent with Fallout 2. So people claiming Bethesda hijacked Fallout's message and whatnot are just flat-out wrong. These elements always existed in the series, they just put an accent to it.
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πΆ DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE πΆ
The obvious topic of note is transforming the 2D CRPG into a 3D open-world RPG. And how Bethesda tried, and more or less succeeded, to remain faithful to the game's original systems. π₯οΈ
The combat in the previous games was unforgiving, to say the least. The VATS system when taken out of its natural environment just feels like a gimmick. Not that it wasn't one before; or that gimmicks are bad. It's just lost its purpose since now the game was in first person. So its nature kinda became superfluous and unrequited. Hence its "gimmicky" nature came to the forefront.
Stats in the older games also had a BIG IMPORTANCE. Arguably the biggest. Now, Bethesda tried to incorporate these stats into their new game but it just wasn't the same. π
You could literally beat Fallout 1 by talking with people. Needless to say, you can't do that here. So, the developers did the best they can to incorporate as many of the early systems as they can. Or as the technology permitted. All in all, they did the best they could, and I applaud them for it.
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πΆ NEW VEGAS πΆ
For many, this wasn't the real Fallout, although what even is a**" real Fallout game"** remains debatable. One thing was certain - the storylines and characters were weaker.
But the arrival of Fallout 3 was merely a precursor to what many consider the best Fallout game ever made, and one I wish I had enough to say to make its own dedicated article on: Fallout New Vegas. A standalone DLC/Expansion to Fallout 3 that would knock it, daddy, out of the park in every area.
Everything was more meaningful in New Vegas. Except maybe the open world. But apart from that? Characters, stories, interweaving plots? All masterfully executed by one of the best RPG developers in the business - Obsidian.
Apart from the change in color filter (from green to orange) and the better dialogue and more rounded storyline, more meaningful choices, etc. The combat and base experience is still the same. So Bethesda did what it had to do on the technological part. They just dropped the ball when it comes to the story experience. Which is quite understandable in a systemic, 100-person team.
I use New Vegas to explain that Bethesda was on to something, and more or less pulled it off, they just didn't try hard enough to bring us a memorable story and characters. Memorable might be the wrong word, since there are plenty of those in Fallout 3. But all of them felt like they were caricatures from outside the world placed in the wasteland just cause.
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πΆ LEGACY πΆ
Fallout 3 sold a $#!@ load of copies. And put the franchise on the map. Bethesda acieed what they sat out to do.
With Fallout 4, they simplified the RPG experience even more, and now Fallout is a household name.
Many yearn for the days of old when Fallout was a more hardcore game, and while Fallout 1 was superb, the second game kinda failed to hit that mark of excellence.
If you've never played a Fallout game before, then starting with 3 and going into New Vegas is your best bet.
Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) πππ
Shout-out to the πPIZZAπ gang, π€ gang. π€
So yes, we skipped 2 since I didn't have enough to say. But we aren't skipping 4! I would say Fallout 3 is still the third-best Fallout game behind 1 and New Vegas. For many, that might sound like heresy, but I really didn't like Fallout 2. π Sue me!
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Have a great start to your weekend! And watch out for them tactical nukes! πππ
Return from Fallout 3 π½ Through the Lens to ΠΠΎΡΠΊΠΎ's Web3 Blog
