Capital Wasteland:
live life as a vagabond
who's armed to the teeth
Additional Comments:
WOW!!
I can't believe I'm writing a post about Fallout 3; not because of the game itself, but because I actually finished everything and anything I could possibly bear witness too. This game has been on my backlog of incomplete train wrecks for years - literally years. Let's see - Fallout 3 came out on the 360 in late 2008 which means I must have gotten it sometime around early to mid 2009. I believe the first two DLCs were available by the time I got it, so that sounds about right. But more importantly, that means I've been humming along off and on since 2009. Well, maybe not off and on; more like steady play until one day I just put the game down and never returned. I'm not really sure why I put the game down to begin with because I was deeply enthralled by the dark, post-apocalyptic bedlam of the Capital Wasteland. I'm trying to wrack my brain over what may have pulled me away from the game. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion maybe. Also, there's the matter of Beat All Games starting up not too long after that which completely shifted my mindset on how I play games and what games I play. Yea, this godforsaken blog has ruined my carefree attitude of play whatever the heart desires; instead drilling into me the idea that games like Where's Waldo?, Hello Kitty: Happy Party Pals, and Shenmue are all totally worth playing from beginning to end.
I've had every intention of returning to Fallout 3 on multiple occasions over the years but just couldn't bring myself to it. A good part of that hesitation was due to my personal fallout with open world games. I both love and hate open world games, and interestingly enough, I think I can thank The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind for each emotional polar conviction. Ultima Online may have been the first game properly fitting of the term "open world" to truly introduce me to the concept, but Morrowind, a recommendation from a friend, was the game that made my jaw drop to the ground as I gasped an endless string of "Holy fucks!" as the total grandeur of the whole experience immersed me into a gaming world unlike any other, and did so like no other game had done before. I recall some extended plays from my UO days, but Morrowind was the first game that dragged me into the deepest hours of the night, unable to escape the computer monitor even for a quick forty winks. But it turned out to be nothing more than a passing phase. My love for Morrowind faded quickly and I returned to whatever other game may have occupied my time - Super Smash Bros. Melee, I think. My unblinking adoration lasted a mere couple weeks if I'm not mistaken and I'm certain any TES fan would thumb their nose in my direction upon hearing my claim that two weeks was all I needed to appreciate the game and then without regret walk away. Why I walked away at the time, I don't know the exact reasons; perhaps something better came along. Though thinking back, I can't recall spending a lot of time with games at that point of time.
What I do know, however, is my next rendezvous with open world brilliance would turn out to be one of the best games ever made, Fallout 3. Everything I loved about Morrowind, this game expanded upon, and everything that irked me about the former, Fallout 3 perfected. Sure, it's not without its issues, but those issues had to get down and dirty in order to show their face. But until that time came, and even after, Fallout 3 enthralled me like no other game. From the very beginning, in what I believe is one of the most ingenious introductions to a game ever, it just screamed perfection. Before this time, very few games impressed me to the point that Fallout 3 managed. Dark Cloud 2, Final Fantasy X, and Super Mario Bros. 3 may be the only games worthy of the title gaming perfection at that point in time - which is very important to note since a few new games have also managed to snag membership in that very exclusive club while my opinion of Dark Cloud 2 teeters dangerously thanks to my downtrodden experience with Dark Cloud. Nevertheless, Fallout 3 encapsulated the idea of perfection in gaming to me for a variety of reasons.
However, before I move forward with what may be one of my rarer overjoyed posts I want to make it very clear that I love this game because I love this game. Anyone familiar with me would understand that I'm very, very opinionated about games, but I'm very opinionated about games thanks to my own personal experiences with said games. I'm not a trend follower nor a fanboy when it comes to any game. Honestly, my pure hatred towards Shenmue should easily affirm any of this, but the point is, based on internet stupidity, there seems to be two distinct camps when it comes to the Fallout series: the "true" Fallout fans who favor the more tactical Black Isle games, and then the Fallout "fanboys" who favor the latter Bethesda games. Sadly, because I've never played any of the Black Isle titles, I have to accept the idea that I "don't get" the series, haven't earned the right to call myself a Fallout fan and am relegated to a large gaming populace of ill repute: the uninformed fanboy idiot, because, well, that's what the internet deems those of us who started the series with Bethesda's entry. Stupid, I know. Personally, I find it ridiculous that people get so caught up in such a ridiculous, not to mention pointless, schism. Who the fuck cares? As long as people are making informed opinions about why they like or don't like a game, who the fuck cares? Unfortunately, the internet breeds bandwagoners replete with uninformed douchebags. Like I said, I love this game because of my own personal experiences with it and all 400 some odd hours that I put into it or however many hours I managed to rack up - probably a lot more since I'm not accounting for the hours logged on my second run to obtain some of the stuff I missed out on on my first run thanks to some unwanted radscorpion kills.
If I had played either of the Black Isle titles, perhaps I can make an informed opinion about one versus the other, but I can't and the best I can do is focus on why Fallout 3 works as a game and why I believe Bethesda crafted the perfect game. Whether or not it works as a Fallout game, for me, is moot. Fallout 3, along with New Vegas, is all I know. Perhaps in the long run, should I ever manage to get around to playing Black Isle's games, that'll work against me, but for now, it's all I need. Now, to be fair, because of my own ridiculous rules I imposed with Beat All Games, one of the reasons Fallout 3 has been shelved for so long was that I had every intention to go back and play the first two titles, at least, before finally finishing off this game. As time passed, the idea became less and less likely, especially since I had no real desire to slog my way through a couple PC games that never exactly piqued my interest. Besides, based on the aforementioned rift between the stylistic and mechanical choices taken by each developer, I got the sense that they can almost be considered two separate franchises that happen to follow the same general backstory.
And with that, a return to what may be my all-time...eh, one of my all-time favorite games. I brimmed with excitement knowing that after several years I was finally returning to this game. Again, why did I ever put it down to begin with? I will never know. What I love most about Fallout 3 is the freedom. Not just the open world, but the freedom to choose how to play. Being a huge fan of stealth games, despite playing very few stealth games, I loved the fact that I could play Fallout 3 as one. I think Grand Theft Auto III first instilled my love for the sniper rifle, and this instantly became my gun of choice here which additionally dictated my play style which turned out to be my comfort zone. Even late in the game when I had a super mutant overlooking my shoulder playing linebacker rushing across the great expanse of the Capital Wasteland, the gameplay began to feel a little hollow compared to the intense waiting games introduced by my voluntary covert operations. Then again, any hollowness is really a result of the same god complex that can be found in any RPG. Unfortunately, Bethesda's two mainstays, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, seem to suffer from this more than any other game. But unlike most games that quickly loose their charm once Hulk-like superiority kicks in, Fallout can make due since there's still very much an instilled since of freedom running through its veins. As such, even when the typical tropes of RPGs begin to surface, you can easily escape them if you so choose. With other RPGs, it either takes a herculean effort to try and bypass the inevitable and/or is outright impossible to avoid.
Next on the long list of praise is the controls. Very rarely do I have nothing to squabble over when it comes to controls, at least when it comes to modern gaming. With so much to do and a bountiful set of buttons at your disposal, it's not uncommon for games to sometimes get it wrong; asking us to perform absurd finger acrobatics. Or, what turns out to be a more frequent issue, the developers will map the controls in some of the most maddening configurations. Fallout's, on the other hand, feels so natural. Sure, on odd occasion, I accidentally pulled the R trigger as I lay quietly in the shadows waiting to pick off a group of raiders only to blow my cover with a misfire, but that was more down to game or system transitioning between play sessions. Obviously, the argument can be made that any control mapping eventually comes natural with time - Neverwinter on Xbox One has certainly proved that, though Shadow of the Colossus or Fable might beg to differ. But with Fallout 3, there was no teething era. Everything just made sense.
One of the improvements over The Elder Scrolls series is the V.A.T.S. system, a sort of active tactical system used for combat. Though I call it an improvement in consideration to the engine itself as I imagine a V.A.T.S. like system would be horribly out of place in an Elder Scrolls game. While the combat is downright despicable in Morrowind, I rather enjoyed it as presented in Oblivion and only envisage V.A.T.S. as a nasty deterrent. In Fallout, however, it feels like a match made in heaven, though I completely understand the arguments against it; the most prevailing being that V.A.T.S. nerfs the entire game. I find that to be a baseless argument, however, since again, freedom to choose how you play seems to be the core ideology behind the game. V.A.T.S. is entirely optional much like the first person camera is entirely optional or my own personal choice to play it like a stealth game is entirely optional. To me, this allowed for Fallout 3's success by opening doors to fans of RPGs and FPSes alike. If V.A.T.S. had been mandatory, I could see myself aligning with those who decry it as it can unnecessarily slow the game down at times or break immersion, but it serves its purpose well and does so as a proper option to help enliven to game through additional optional game mechanics. The difference between Fallout 3 and a number of other games that attempt to add optional "improvements" is that V.A.T.S. works and seamlessly fits within the context of this game. I emphasize "this" as I'm aware of Black Isle fans disagreeing wholeheartedly with V.A.T.S.'s integration as anything less than meaningful but Fallout 3 should be viewed as its own beast.
Another aspect of the game that instantly grabbed me was the setting. The idea that technology and design peaked in the 50s is key. It gives proper meaning to the term "nuclear family" all over again and it's heavily underscored throughout the game. There's something so perfectly fitting between a nuclear holocaust and a 1950s motif timestamped firmly on the world. On top of that, the game offers a vaguely familiar environment, even if you've never been to Washington D.C. Fallout 3 offers just enough landmarks interspersed with decaying, post-apocalyptic mayhem that the setting becomes easily passable for the real thing, no matter how many liberties are clearly taken. As a result, even with its parallel dimension 1950s notion, there's an uncanny comprehension that the game isn't exactly displaced from reality to the extent that most games are. For me, this constantly produced an unnerving sensation rattling around in the back of my mind. Fallout 3 touched me psychologically in a way. If anything, it's the first game that instilled a bit of fear in me, at least in my early days of play several years ago as I stayed up until 3 or 4 in the morning on some nights traipsing around the abandoned subway tunnels. But it wasn't so much the darkness or the sudden run ins with a pack of ghouls. It was the combination of everything coming together in this weirdly familiar yet obviously fictional, safety of the nuclear family 1950s D.C. It really fucked with my head. Of course, as the hours slowly added up and the immersion faded as the mechanics of the game became more "mechanical", the fear faded as well. I found this to be an unfortunate drawback as the fear helped keep the immersion alive, and never was this more true than in the Point Lookout DLC.
Over the years, I often heard and read very critical reviews or opinions regarding Fallout's DLC. Some of the criticisms, I agree, namely The Pitt and Operation: Anchorage. Actually, I was gutted over The Pitt because when I first stepped into the world of post-apocalyptic Pittsburg, I was blown away. The Edgar Thomson-esque mill was such an imposing beast, and though the ingot hunt felt juvenile for Fallout 3, I welcomed it as a chance to explore every nook and cranny of the monumental behemoth representing yet another poignant piece of history much like the Washington Monument or Arlington Cemetery did for the Capital Wasteland's D.C. Sadly, that was the only appreciative moment in The Pitt, feeling swindled by a rather lackluster product in the end. But then, that may be because I ventured through Point Lookout's content first and as such, all subsequent DLCs were held to what turned out to be a rather high standard,
To me, Point Lookout proved to be the definition of additional content. The map was large and retained Fallout's proper open world design and carried a sufficient amount of questing and exploration. And, returning to my original train of thought - that of fear - it contained the most provoking quest throughout the entire game when you had to retrieve the Punga seeds. I found the subtle manipulations of environment far more evocative than if the game resorted to the usual tricks evolving cut scenes or general lack of interactivity on the player's part like most games do when the character suddenly finds themselves locked within a vicious bender. As a result, I was both mesmerized and terrified by everything that was going on. It reminded me of the scene in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when Raoul and Dr. Gonzo are stumbling through Circus Circus...er, Bazooko Circus - excuse me - on an ether high. I felt trapped within a maddening fever dream, and for a while, I thought I plain fucked up and grossly glitched out the game. But by the end, the emotional response was magical, akin to the sparsely distributed moments of supernatural phenomenon that caused me to jump in my chair such as some of the abnormalities throughout the Dunwich Building. I fucking hated that place the first time I went through it. But that's what amazed me about this game. Without being a survival horror game or relying on cheap scare tactics, it perfected mood and environment to create just enough of an unnerving experience at times, and I loved it for that.
Mothership Zeta pleasantly surprised me. Of the five DLCs, through my internet travels, Mothership Zeta seems to get the most flack. This is one of the reasons why I hate to read reviews before I play anything, but for this situation, I think it helped me because I went into this DLC with very low expectations. Outside of the anger stemming from the recordings achievement because I missed the one recording that is locked withing a side area in which you only get one chance to enter and I missed that chance; having to revert back to a far - and I mean far - earlier save where I had to replay all of the fucking Pitt again, I really enjoyed my romp through the interstellar craft blasting the hell out of those green goo masochists.
On the flip side, Operation: Anchorage was a fucking joke. If I wanted to play an intelligence sapping FPS that holds my hand the entire way, there's games out there that do it much better. I don't exactly understand the point of this DLC when you consider how all of your freedoms - the absolute essence of Fallout 3 - are suddenly stripped away. Fortunately, Operation: Anchorage can be knocked out in a single sitting, but I'm not sure it even deserves that much of my attention.
And finally, there's Broken Steel, but before I talk about Broken Steel, I first need to wrap up some loose ends regarding the core game. As I've stated multiple times already, Fallout 3 is a perfect game, but it's not without it's problems. General glitchiness, object bugs, texture deficiency, collision misappropriation, repeating deathclaw rockets, and weird rubber banding infinite object stretches run rampant throughout the game, but most if not all of it is rather inconsequential to the greater good that it can all be easily overlooked. Random radscorpions killing key NPCs on the other hand? That was strike number one. Both Strictly Business and Election Day got totally botched because of unwanted radscorpion kills. Strike two came in the form of endless lockups. Most of these occurred after the main game was complete becoming more and more frequent with each passing hour. Strike three, which happens to be the number one reason I stopped playing Oblivion years ago, was a save corruption which cost me roughly 40 hours of game play. Admittedly, I should have learned from Oblivion regarding my save habits and the need to frequently set manual saves. As such, I can accept blame, but not all of it since it is a known bug found within Bethesda's games and in my opinion is totally unacceptable.
Together, these three issues are very hard to overlook, the last two causing me to rage quit on multiple occasions. The save corruption nearly caused me to walk away from the game for good. As a gamer, I'm well aware that video games have no beneficial value outside of pure entertainment, and as such are arguably nothing but a waste of time. However, I certainly don't enjoy when a game clearly exhibits just how much of a waste of time they really are. When you realize how many hours have just been wasted with nothing to show for it, you suddenly realize how sad it is to be a gamer. Gamers should never be subjected to the reality of their situation by the very enterprise their using to escape reality. Save corruption has got to be the single most dispiriting thing that can ever happen in a video game. The will to carry on from such a setback - fuck... Why bother?
But sadly, between quest breaking kills that I had nothing to do with, constant freezes, and a disheartening corruption, Fallout 3 managed a far more severe misdeed: the ending. My first attempt at the ending, I had literally no clue what the code was therefore succumbing to explosion or whatever the hell happened. Cut scene rolled, thought nothing of it and loaded my last save. Before proceeding any further, I first had to thumb through a plethora of notes and excerpts trying to find something that might have a code. Unfortunately for me, I obtained that information half a decade ago, so forgive me if my memory's a little fuzzy, or rather absent completely. Eventually, I figured out the code, punched it in, and.... Uh.... Wait. What the fuck just happened? That was the end!? Are you fuckin' shittin' me!? I felt like I just got slapped in the face. This is an insult to my intelligence as a gamer. I managed to skirt what should have been a pretty epic battle without a trace of damage nor a shot fired, made amends with the enemy, punched in a code on a rather controller unfriendly interface, and poof...the same shit I saw when I died in the explosion. Why'd I even bother...with anything? I found it to be totally unforgivable, and easily the worst ending I've ever seen in a video game. In fact, I felt so betrayed by the ending that I didn't even bother giving Ron Perlman's narration the time of day, and frankly, he doesn't deserve that sort of treatment.
With the aforementioned killjoys partnered up with an atrocious claim at closure, how can I manage to continually heap boatloads of praise? Sometimes the good is just that good. Despite its flaws, I could go on for days, weeks, probably even months wandering around the Capital Wasteland; finding some interesting little raider's alcove tucked between some rocks that I've failed to find no matter how many times I've traversed the map. Along with freedom comes endless exploration within a massive landscape that continues to turn up never before seen locales - some of which appear to me nothing more than goofy little Easter eggs. One such locale, which I found on my second run through, is the Roach King. Besides finding it incredible that I never managed to stumble across the crazy hermit before, I could only laugh at his inclusion - much like the garden gnome playing chess or the birthday celebrating ghoul, Gallo.
And finally, with the aid of Broken Steel, there was a final breath of redemption for everything that went so horribly wrong. For as much of an anticlimactic disappointment the original ending turned out to be, Broken Steel proved to be the epic, guns-a-blazing genocide that the original final battle should have been. Broken Steel took the game home in a true blaze of glory. I don't know if it was by design or as an acknowledgement and apology for the game's initial shortcomings, but it treated us to a battle for the ages. Even the Liberty Prime battle was a massive step up. After playing through Broken Steel, I just couldn't understand how they could get it so wrong on their first attempt. All I can say is thank god for Broken Steel, otherwise my final opinion would likely be skewed because of a few short minutes of idiocy.
Or...I'd still affix the title of perfect video game, overlooking obvious flaws with an air of flippant nonchalance. Yea, turns out Broken Steel just managed to further accentuate the game's obvious eminence.
There's so much more I could discuss, but I think I'll call it here, though morality is one aspect I'd hate to pass up. The short of it: Lionhead Studios, take note. This is how you properly inject a morality system. Let the player decide through the course of his actions without heavily influencing said actions or favoring one over the other. Let morality take a back seat, yet remain enough of a subtle influence that the player is mildly aware. It shouldn't dictate every foreseeable event throughout the entirety of the game as a purely mechanical device but as a seamless and natural character element.
But wait! Music! How can I forget? Well, there's not much to speak of regarding music - a whole lot of low decibel ambiance, but the opening song by The Ink Spots, I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire sets the tone better than anything else could have ever hoped to achieve. Love it!
Rating: 5 naughty nightwears out of 5*
Love Lug-Nut's harrowing demand for the leopard print nightie.
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