It seems that Bethsoft has outsourced a new Fallout project to Obsidian Entertainment, a studio made up of several former members of Fallout and Fallout 2's development team, BlackIsle studio. So, what does this mean and what can we expect? Well, from my point of view, it's more than likely a move on Bethsofts point to try and please the hardcore Fallout fans and keep making Fallout games and keep public interest in the series high, while they make a another McRPG in the Elderscrolls series. So, I will offer my views and thoughs on this in a mock Q&A session.
Q: What is Fallout: New Vegas?
A: Fallout: New Vegas is a spin off in the Fallout universe that takes place around or in Las Vegas. Very little is know about the game, other than it has a rumored release date of June next year.
Q: Who's making New Vegas? Bethesda?
A: No. New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment.
Q: Who are Obsidian Entertainment?
A: A California based development studio made up of former Fallout and Fallout 2 developers, BlackIsle Studios.
Q: Why is Bethesda letting Obsidian develop New Vegas?
A:Personally, it's for two reasons. 1. So they can keep the Fallout brand going and in the public light. 2. So they can try and appeal to the hardcore Fallout fans by having a studio closely related to some of the guys of BlackIsle.
Q: What will the game be like?
A: It's more or less a glorified Fallout 3 mod. It still uses Bethsoft's outdated version of the Gamebryo engine, is more than likely to use the same broken S.P.E.C.I.A.L and skill system, and will more than likely have the same broken third person view.
Q: Who much creative control does Obsidian have on this project?
A: No one really knows, but given the fact that Bethsoft is the one over seeing this project, I doubt Obsidian has much control.
Q: Well, What are some of the things you want to see in the game?
A: Better animations, better writing, skill and S.P.E.C.I.A.L checks that make sense, better voice acting, better third person mode, and less rehashed story elements from the past games.
Fallout 3 related:
Q: You and several Fallout fansites are very hard on Bethesda and Fallout 3, why?
A: Because as a Fallout game, it's just straight up awful. It's riddled with inconsistency (Fallout 2 and tactics where quilty of this as well, but FO3 takes it to a whole other level), the Capital Wasteland was a haphazard mix of ideas, factions are totally different, raiders are suddenly cannibals that wear crude and ineffective armor, the writing is just flat out bad, and the list goes on.
Q: Fallout 3 won an award for writing, so it can't be all bad.
A: No, it's terrible. I was shocked it won an award for best writing as that's a slap in the face to games with actual good writing such as Grand Theft Auto 4. The writing in FO3 was done by various people but most of the writing was done by Emil Pagliarulo, a designer for the overall visual theme of the game, and while I do think Emil is a great designer, he's a god awful writer. The writing in Fallout 3 was all over the place, some was decent, some ok, and most of it was just flat out insulting to any writer and to make matter worse, Emil has said that they hate hiring writers because they won't play the game, and I have to say it's attitudes like that which make me dislike Bethsoft even more.
Q: You said they changed Factions, what do you mean?
A: The biggest example is the Brotherhood of Steel. They have changed greatly from being a group of technology hording recluses to white knights that protect people and shout annoying pseudo-knightly nonsense like Hail sir knight, or the classic, Steel be with you. The Super Mutants are no longer the threat that they once where, the raiders are, like I mentioned before, are just your generic bad guys that for some reason eat people and wear ineffective armor. Seriously, take a look at the Raider Sadist armor, it's just pants with some leather bits and pieces while the upper body armor is just a leather shoulder pad with a strap that holds it on at the waist.
Q: Well, the game also had top notch voice acting like Liam Neeson-
A: Yeah, so what? Oblivion had Patrick Stewart, and he was in the game a grand total of 10 minutes, a total waste of time on his part and a waste of money on Bethsofts. Most people seem to forget that the non big Hollywood talent in Bethsoft games tend to vary in quality greatly. Ranging from good (Wes Johnson), decent (Greg Sechler) and just flat out awful (pretty much everyone else). Also having big name talent doesn't always equal good voice acting, just look at Odette Yustman. Her deliver as Amata was just flat out stilled and dull.
Q: The music was also priased, what do you think?
A: Inon Zur's music in Fallout 3 was boring. It wasn't particularly bad, just boring. Inon Zur however has done good music before.
Q: Fallout 3 really nailed the 50's theme-
A: Yes, and they over did it. If Bethsoft played the first two as much as they claim they did, they would know that the 50's thing had more to do with the the optimism of a nuclear powered age, and less to do with pointless 50's songs, 50's styled clothing, and basically over doing it.
Q: Well, the first two had some of that stuff as well...
A: Keyword is some. The first two games focused on the choice and moral decisions in a post-apocalyptic world, where as Fallout 3 is about ultra cool gore, swearing, and over doing the 50's setting.
Q: But, Todd, Pete, and Emil said they played older games...
A: Oh, of course they SAID that, but having played Fallout 3 all the way threw numerous times, I really have to question their statements. Hell, Pete Hines never heard of the games until the picked up the license for the series and Emil has flipped flopped on weather or not Fallout Tactics is canon or not, however I'm glad they do at least consider it semi-canon as FoT is very underrated.
Q: Do you think Fallout 4 will be any better?
A: Doubtful. The best way to find out how Fallout 4 will turn out is to see what the next elder scrolls game is like.
Q: Last question, It has been said that Tenpenny is from England, what do you make of it?
A: It's makes no sense. Europe is even worse off than the United States, and to make matter worse, the EC (European Commonwealth) was already on the verge of collapse with the war between them and the Middle East, and once the bombs started falling, it wasn't a pretty picture. That's not to say the EC or other areas didn't have place to hide from the bombs and radiation, it's not the fact that Tenpenny is from England, it's just that it's never explained how he get to the D.C area. Foreigners or surviving nations are not a new concept Fallout as Tyco from Fallout has been to Mexico, and Marge Lebarge is from Canada as are a few people in redding. Mexico and Canada make sense as they are close to the US.
Peace!
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