Fallout 3 ... overrated?

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rgratto2

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I picked up Fallout 3 for the PC after seeing the rave reviews and hearing good things from friends. The first few days, I was enthralled and put in some good hours. I had never played Oblivion or anything and I was really enjoying the game. Then I suddenly lost complete interest (partially due to L4D releasing) in the game.

I didn't find the story too compelling at all (weak narrative in my opinion, not much beyond the "go find dad" premise), and the open endedness of the game didn't keep my attention. Some of the optional quests were fun at first, but then I realized that I didn't really care, especially due to the lvl 20 cap.

Am I the only one who felt this way? Everyone raves about this game, and after the initial wow factor wore off, I have been left very underwhelmed.

Thoughs/comments? Keep it civil.
 
Well I think the appeal of the game for me is the ability to just run off and do whatever the hell I please. I can just go explore some random shack or run to the corner of the map, get lost somewhere, stumble into something remote and cool. I like to exploration aspect of it personally. I can just take my time, play at my own pace without any pressure or constant need to have to accomplish something particular.
 
I REALLY hate when someone says "x game is overrated" no it's not. YOU just didn't like it. That's fine. Most people love the game obviously. So how is that an over rated game? Sounds like a really well loved game.
 
I will have to agree with Netrat33. While I didn't feel I got as much out of it as most people, I still feel it was a great game. My view will probably change once I get around to playing through it again. The first time around I went way to fast, and since the game ends once you get to the end, I couldn't keep playing. That part was really a downer now that I think about it.
 
I didn't find the story too compelling at all (weak narrative in my opinion, not much beyond the "go find dad" premise)
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Ever play Fallout 1? ("go find the water chip") or Fallout 2 ("go find the G.E.C.K.")? Thats how they all start.

At first I didn't like it much because I was trying to play it like a FPS when its not. I loved the side quests and exploring. Every little town has its own story to tell. IMO the games good ratings are well deserved.
 
I don't believe in over rated. It's just rated.

I liked it and it's the best game of it's kind.
 
Just sounds like you did not like the game. Lot's of people did like it. I really liked it, just wish the main story was a little more fleshed out. Can't wait for some nice user mods like Oblivion. But hey not liking it does not make you a bad person :)
 
I don't think the game is overrated, it's just that you hear a lot of rave reviews from people who like this type of game.
I didn't know what to expect other than the good reviews, nice graphics and a good storyline. I rented it first to see how the game was along with Dirt ($7.99 for 1, $9.99 for 2 rentals) and played about 3 hours of it before I tried Dirt. I end up returning Fallout a couple days early and was 2 days late returning Dirt.
I'm not knocking Fallout, it's just my personal opinion based on the type of games I'm into. It's just that I like to get right into the action and Dirt did it for me.
 
Fuck anyone that says Fallout3 is overrated. Game's amazing.
 
Chams said:
Well I think the appeal of the game for me is the ability to just run off and do whatever the hell I please. I can just go explore some random shack or run to the corner of the map, get lost somewhere, stumble into something remote and cool. I like to exploration aspect of it personally. I can just take my time, play at my own pace without any pressure or constant need to have to accomplish something particular.
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except there isn't really anything "cool" that you can find by randomly exploring. Much of the landscape is the same, and random shacks have nothing interesting 99% of the time.
 
RailGunRiz said:
Fuck anyone that says Fallout3 is overrated. Game's amazing.
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well me fuck me then because I thought it was boring and stupid as hell. characters had retarded looking floaty movements, combat was lame and awkward, and the game had annoying little stutters when walking around outside. sorry but I just could not get into this crappy(IMO) game.
 
SouLXIV said:
except there isn't really anything "cool" that you can find by randomly exploring. Much of the landscape is the same, and random shacks have nothing interesting 99% of the time.
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I think this is part of what did it for me. There was an initial mystique to exploring, but then after awhile I didn't feel any sense of purpose to it.

Edit: Please try to keep comments constructive. I'm just wondering who else was underwhelmed by the game.
 
rgratto2 said:
I think this is part of what did it for me. There was an initial mystique to exploring, but then after awhile I didn't feel any sense of purpose to it.

Edit: Please try to keep comments constructive. I'm just wondering who else was underwhelmed by the game.
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to be honest most games are like this to me anymore. i mean you get that initial rush of learning and seeing a new game then you get bored with it.

i'm in the midst of playing 5 games right now and it helps keep my interest up in each individual game.

i play cod 4 mp regardless, then some nights and weekends i'll play the withcher, oblivion, crysis, or painkiller. they are all good games but as one starts getting "old" i'll just switch to another game.

btw from what i've played of fallout 3 i'd have to say NO it's not overrated. i'm dying to play it on pc.
 
Game isn't overrated, some people like rgratto2 just don't get into the mood of the game, thus not enjoying it.

One big gripe I have about the game though is the ending, and how not-so-in-depth the main storyline was... but otherwise the 60+ hour I spent doing side quests and stuff was well worth the $35 I spent on the game.
 
It petered out for me eventually. After about 7 hours worth of play I found the whole thing boring.
 
Hell yes it's overrated. It's a good game with a lot of flaws and potential. I imagine it will be a lot better after some overhaul mods this coming year.
 
cannondale06 said:
well me fuck me then because I thought it was boring and stupid as hell. characters had retarded looking floaty movements, combat was lame and awkward, and the game had annoying little stutters when walking around outside. sorry but I just could not get into this crappy(IMO) game.
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This, and he only mentioned the smaller flaws.

The game is pretty bad but hopefully JUST like Oblivion after a year or 2 of mods it will be worth playing on PC.
 
I was gutted when I finished it.
It came as a huge surprise because I didnt realise I had left only the last core mission for almost the whole time I had been playing.
Had to momentarily adjust what I do with my free time , I'm ok now though :p

Superb game.
 
Speaking only for myself, I was very disappointed in FO3. I really wanted to like the game and hoped it'd follow closely in its predecessor's footsteps. Instead, FO3 felt like a virtual carbon copy of Oblivion. I lost interest and quit playing after about 10 days. :(
 
Short answer: no. Longer answer: nooooooooooooooooo..........

LoL. It's a great game, but like all games, not everyone will like it. For what it is, it is very well developed and deserve all the praise it gets.
 
I'm a big fan of Fallout 1 and 2. While I knew 3 would be drastically different, given the decade between titles, I still expected a little more from it. I wouldn't say it's overrated, but it certainly could have been better. I would have liked to see at least one large city to explore (like New Reno in Fallout 2) and a bit more depth to the good/evil aspect.
 
yes

the game is fun for 10hrs then it becomes a cut and paste job

at most it feels like a mod for oblivion
 
Having never played Oblivion, I find Fallout 3 addicting.

I guess as an advid RPG player and former MMO addict, I love the aspect of "hoarding" and I have actively gone out of my way to do a lot of sidequests and have every weapon and piece of ammo.

The sheer amount of stuff to explode is astounding. The minor glitches (floaty physics/3rd person, flickering outside, FPS drops until restart, etc) are minute and bearable and definitely are worth it for playing the game.
 
Vincenz said:
I would have liked to see at least one large city to explore (like New Reno in Fallout 2) and a bit more depth to the good/evil aspect.
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... you just wanted fallout 3 to include the option for you to star in a few porn films.

admit it.
 
rgratto2 said:
I picked up Fallout 3 for the PC after seeing the rave reviews and hearing good things from friends. The first few days, I was enthralled and put in some good hours. I had never played Oblivion or anything and I was really enjoying the game. Then I suddenly lost complete interest (partially due to L4D releasing) in the game.

I didn't find the story too compelling at all (weak narrative in my opinion, not much beyond the "go find dad" premise), and the open endedness of the game didn't keep my attention. Some of the optional quests were fun at first, but then I realized that I didn't really care, especially due to the lvl 20 cap.

Am I the only one who felt this way? Everyone raves about this game, and after the initial wow factor wore off, I have been left very underwhelmed.

Thoughs/comments? Keep it civil.
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Funny enough, much to the disbelief of my friends, the game didn't hold me either. The desolate landscape was boring. Conversation trees aren't my thing. The animation and art style lacked. Nope, you're not alone. It still is an impressive piece of software. You have to respect the things Bethesda did get right.
 
Maybe it's because I never played Oblivion, but I'm 43 hours into the game and still completely enthralled. I've really enjoyed discovering many of the DC landmarks for one thing; and I've still only explored downtown DC for the most part. I've been to Arefu and Tenpenny Tower, sure, but the North part of the map is completely unexplored. hopefully the DLC that removes the 'end' part of the 'ending' will arrive before I finish the main quest.
 
Chams said:
Well I think the appeal of the game for me is the ability to just run off and do whatever the hell I please. I can just go explore some random shack or run to the corner of the map, get lost somewhere, stumble into something remote and cool. I like to exploration aspect of it personally. I can just take my time, play at my own pace without any pressure or constant need to have to accomplish something particular.
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I agree with this. The OP has some legit criticisms but he seems to be missing the one area where the game really shines, exploration. Some of my favorite parts of the game have come from just picking a random direction to set off in and seeing where it leads me.
 
rpkelly said:
I really enjoyed it, although the ending sucked IMO.
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This did annoy me especially after having such awesome endings for Fallout 1 and 2. I kept expecting that everything I did would be updated at the end of the game and stating what happened to certain areas I visit. (Megaton survived to be growing metropolis or...Megaton was soon to be taken over by raiders...surviving mutants ransacked it ect)
 
Netrat33 said:
This did annoy me especially after having such awesome endings for Fallout 1 and 2. I kept expecting that everything I did would be updated at the end of the game and stating what happened to certain areas I visit. (Megaton survived to be growing metropolis or...Megaton was soon to be taken over by raiders...surviving mutants ransacked it ect)
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LOL. Rubbles of whats left of Megaton are still rubbles of whats left of Megaton. That's how my ending would be for the remains of that city.
 
Everyone is different, some people like it some people don't.

However I think it was a clever strategy for Bethesda to release it towards the end of the year to keep it fresh in people's mind for possible Game of the Year awards.
 
Different strokes for different folks. I love RPG type games but began to detest them when I was getting tired of random encounters that forced you to another screen. Then they fixed that and I loved most of the RPG's that came out again. There are things about the game you don't like which will color your view of it. But saying the game is "overrated" because you don't like it isn't exactly fair.
 
no, its not overrated. it just came out in the year of lack luster games.
 
Itchyeyes said:
I agree with this. The OP has some legit criticisms but he seems to be missing the one area where the game really shines, exploration. Some of my favorite parts of the game have come from just picking a random direction to set off in and seeing where it leads me.
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Well that was the thing. After exploring for a bit (which I initially enjoyed), with some of the quests like the log book (for... Moira? I forget its been 2 months) just didnt entice me. I felt more that I wanted to have them completed already rather than going to need and do it.
 
There are some people who will not like this game. Just like there are some people who don't like sprts games. Or shooters. Or RTS. Name your poison! :D

I liked FO3, simply because it made me not want to stop playing it. "What's over that hill", kept me going. Yes, the main quest line is weak. Yes, i wanted to punt the vast majority of the NPCs in the head. But i could not stop playing. I think that says something. :D
 
rgratto2 said:
I think this is part of what did it for me. There was an initial mystique to exploring, but then after awhile I didn't feel any sense of purpose to it.

Edit: Please try to keep comments constructive. I'm just wondering who else was underwhelmed by the game.
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Spoiler Warning:

Sure there is, the Alien Blaster is really cool when you find it.
 
One, Bethesda needs to employ talented writers. The dialogue was excruciating to read at times.
Two, gameplay is far from challenging, even on Very Hard. I attribute this to a "let's not punish the player, but hold his hand everywhere he goes" mentality.
Three, it's nigh impossible to shake the feeling that you're not playing "Oblivion with Guns".

That being said, I give the game a 7/10. With the mods I have now installed, an 8/10. Hopefully the modding community and the DLC can ultimately push the game into the 9-10 territory.
 
The game has so much potential but it feels rushed. Like there is hardly any content. The main story is made up of like 10 missions only.

There are big areas where there is lot of of potential but it is literally a wasteland with nothing to do. I mean, Megaton hardly has any personality and only has like 4 quests associated with it. What a waste. The same with Rivet City. A great place but it's almost like they made these cool places and then rushed it out and forgot to actually make anything real to do with most of the characters.

Oblivion made you go back to cities over and over again for various things. In fallout 3, I have almost no reason to visit cities aside from selling and even then, there's no point since all the good stuff and money are on the roving traders.

The game was great when I started but I lost all interest after 20 hours (and reaching level 20 so quickly). It is a very hollow game, a cheap total conversion from Oblivion.
 
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