What game are you playing?

[DavidW]

New Vegas and it's dlcs are awesome! I think Obsidian Fallout games (1,2, new Vegas) are the only true Fallout games. Bethesda fundamentally misunderstands what Fallout is about (plus their writing kinda sucks).

That is not true though.  Fallout was made by Interplay.  And the main guy behind it didn't join Obsidian until 2011, after New Vegas.  Black Isle made Fallout 2.  It is a common mistake to equate Black Isle with Obsidian just because they had some devs in common.  If that was all it took then Callisto Protocol wouldn't have been such an awful game (it had a good number of devs from the studio that made Dead Space).

I'm not the biggest fan of Fallout 3, 4, and will never play 76.  But I'm certainly not going to jump on the myopic "bethesda bad" narrative.  You might not like the direction they took the franchise, but almost nobody played or even heard of Fallout until Fallout 3 was made, probably yourself included.

[Opus131]

I personally can't get on board with Bethesda because while on surface their games appear to be quite complex in reality there's very little depth. I remember someone describe Skyrim as being "wide as an ocean and deep as a puddle" and i think that criticism rings true for most of their games, with the exception of Daggerfall and to a degree Morrowind.

Fallout 3 also had some appalling writing. The Interplay/Black Isle crew had some very good writers as far as video games go so it really stood out.

[Opus131]

Anyway, i'm currently going through a SL1 run of Elden Ring, just got stuck at Malenia and had to give up for a while as i was experiencing a bit of a burn out.

FromSoft is one of my favored gaming companies and i've been hooked ever since i first tried Dark Souls many years ago, but i will say, Elden Ring feels too big of a game for its own good, or maybe i'm just getting too old.

[greg]

finished FF16, was a great entry in the series. Considering the team, seemed inevitable it would be really good. Solid 8.5/10.

The one thing that is missing the most, though, to me, is not the battle system, but the charm of the older games. The whole story is really focused on the main character so much, and the medieval style world is really something I'm tired of by now. They need to go back to purely fantasy games with a colorful cast like the classics had.


Moreso looking forward to FF7:Rebirth and the Silent Hill remakes.

[Opus131]

BTW, in case anybody cares, i was sharing my SL1 run with some friends so i recorded most of it, you can find some examples here:

Too bad i had to crash and burn right as i got to Malenia, but eventually i'll finish it.

[Opus131]

but I will say that the Elder Scrolls series leaves me feeling dry, although, I can't say exactly why.

It's probably a result of the hold over effect from that massive procedurally generation experiment that was Daggerfall.

Ironically, i think this is likely also why those games are so popular. Even though Morrowind introduced a lot of handcrafted content, the sense of "openess" and "immersion" those games tend to promise is something that many gamers find attractive and Bethesda is one of the only companies that do this. That a lot of the experience is somewhat empty is not seen as a problem because whatever is missing in the game is then made up for by the player's own imagination.

A few years ago i played Kingdom Come Deliverance which at face value is supposed to also allow for a lot of sandbox freedom and emergent gameplay where has in reality ended up being a masterclass in handcrafted design, which in a sense makes it the complete polar opposite.

I remember having a conversation with a friend who claimed Fallout 3 was a better game than New Vegas, and when i pointed out to him that New Vegas had better writing and quests he said at at least in Fallout 3 he could strike out in the desert and "find stuff" (his words), where as New Vegas was more limited in this respect precisely because of how better curated by human hands it was.

I think something like Star Citizen, assuming the game is actually real and isn't just a scam to fleece money out of backers, might be the next "big" thing for the Bethesda crowd because of the massive procedurally generated universe it claims to offer.

[DavidW]

I think because I am a "patient gamer" that I have a very pollyannaish view when it comes to video games. Like, I loved Fallout 3 (and all its DLCs), but I will say that the Elder Scrolls series leaves me feeling dry, although, I can't say exactly why.

I'll likely play Fallout 4 when I get my next computer, but the game I really want to play next is Mankind Divided, but that's a game I'll also play in a few years.

I'm the opposite.  I love the Elder Scrolls but Fallout hasn't been my cup of tea, especially Fallout 4 which I thought was incredibly dull.  But then Outer Worlds was a game I loved (played it twice), which many described as being like Fallout so go figure.

Mankind Divided is a great game, that I think has been too often maligned.  It has a dense small open world design that is rare.  You can go into just about any building and there are lots to do and little stories to discover.  The level design is exceptional supporting every playstyle unlike its predecessor.  That was also the first game I played at 1440p when I upgraded to a gtx 1070 (from the 970).

[DavidW]

finished FF16, was a great entry in the series. Considering the team, seemed inevitable it would be really good. Solid 8.5/10.

The one thing that is missing the most, though, to me, is not the battle system, but the charm of the older games. The whole story is really focused on the main character so much, and the medieval style world is really something I'm tired of by now. They need to go back to purely fantasy games with a colorful cast like the classics had.

I look forward to playing it, as soon as I finish Forbidden West!

Moreso looking forward to FF7:Rebirth and the Silent Hill remakes.

Agreed on both accounts.

[DavidW]

I think something like Star Citizen, assuming the game is actually real and isn't just a scam to fleece money out of backers, might be the next "big" thing for the Bethesda crowd because of the massive procedurally generated universe it claims to offer.

What!? lol?  Where have you been?  Starfield is releasing in September, that is the next big thing not Star Citizen (which really seems like vapor ware for pc enthusiasts not mainstream gamers).

[Opus131]

I'm working under the assumption the downward spiral Bethesda has been undergoing this past years isn't going to stop with Fallout 4 and 76.

[Opus131]

also the best soundtrack, as it is straight-up a string quartet.

I once forwarded one of Faure quartets to Tim Cain and suggested he'd use something like that if he ever decided to make an Arcanum 2. Sadly, he never replied. He probably thought to himself, who the hell is this wierdo sending me crap.

[greg]

I look forward to playing it, as soon as I finish Forbidden West!

Nice, looking forward to your thoughts on the game.

[DavidW]

I'm working under the assumption the downward spiral Bethesda has been undergoing this past years isn't going to stop with Fallout 4 and 76.

I would think the same, but I know that MS forced Bethesda to spend an extra year polishing and improving the game.  I'm cautiously optimistic.  I received a copy for free due to recently buying an amd card.  So I'll get to see for myself.

[DavidW]

I started playing Disco Elysium, I like it but if I can't fix the crashing issues I might have to move on.

[relm1]

I think something like Star Citizen, assuming the game is actually real and isn't just a scam to fleece money out of backers, might be the next "big" thing for the Bethesda crowd because of the massive procedurally generated universe it claims to offer.

I paid for that!  I still have no idea what I actually bought.  These days I'm playing Star Wars Jedi Survivor (hate the name, makes me think Jeff Probst will say "Cal Kestis...the jury has spoken").  Great game with a good star wars story.

[Ganondorf]

Just started Dead Money, and I don't know if I'll be able to finish it, as I do not like paranoia or scary, so I might skip it as it is already making me feel uneasy.

Too bad.Personally I think thats the best dlc. I understand, however.

[DavidW]

I paid for that!  I still have no idea what I actually bought.  These days I'm playing Star Wars Jedi Survivor (hate the name, makes me think Jeff Probst will say "Cal Kestis...the jury has spoken").  Great game with a good star wars story.

[Opus131]

Too bad.Personally I think thats the best dlc. I understand, however.

Avellone is one of the truly quality writers in the industry (for whatever that's worth) but he is a "deconstructionist". His stories are not necessarily dark but he likes to turn standard conventions on their heads in an attempt to add depth by turning on the unconventional.

Planescape: Torment is a primary example and probably remains the best thing he has ever written. One of the few games i've ever played where the writing was actually interesting and wasn't merely intended to be light entertainment, even though ultimately it is still just a game and doesn't measure up to a real novel. Still impressive by the standards of the medium all the same.

[Ganondorf]

Worst case is I can watch someone else Let's Play of it, but I'll give it the good college try. I'm most excited for Lonesome Road (the other two dlcs, I've already played and liked).

Dead Money is definitely a kind of hit or miss dlc so I wouldn't guarantee you'd like it even if you did play it. Dont feel bad about getting uncomfortable with playing Dead Money, I myself am frightened by Internet screamers (Even though Dead Money is a bit different) while able to watch the worst horror films with ease. Personally, however, I think Dead Money is largely worth it.

[Ganondorf]

Avellone is one of the truly quality writers in the industry (for whatever that's worth) but he is a "deconstructionist". His stories are not necessarily dark but he likes to turn standard conventions on their heads in an attempt to add depth by turning on the unconventional.

Planescape: Torment is a primary example and probably remains the best thing he has ever written. One of the few games i've ever played where the writing was actually interesting and wasn't merely intended to be light entertainment, even though ultimately it is still just a game and doesn't measure up to a real novel. Still impressive by the standards of the medium all the same.

If I recall correctly, Avellone wrote New Reno in Fallout 2 as well which is definitely one of the darker and seedier locations in it while still having plenty of humor (he may have also designed Vault City?). Fallout 2 still remains my favorite Fallout game even while recognizing at the same time that it is one of the least Fallout-esque (after all, it can be a bit immersion-breaking when random events include bridgekeeper from Monty Python and The Holy Grail and most of the game is kind of a big joke which definitely was not the case with 1 and New Vegas).

Have to check out Planescape:Torment in more depth which to this day I still have not played. Other than Fallout I really like Avellone's writing in Star Wars KotR 2.