I loved the whole wandering, salvaging and repairing aspect of the game. I could have lived without weight limitations and I'd love to have my own personal army I could use to conquer the wasteland with, but overall I frakkin loved that game.

The expansion however, Operation Anchorage was almost a retelling of Metal Gear Solid (Alaska, stealth, overpowered tanks, and a crazy guy with a sword set on a military base with big bombs...), and despite how much I love metal gear, I was disappointed with it. Not enough wandering and salvaging IMO.

Thoughts?

Well, I would have expected that it wouldn't be about wandering and salvaging since it's supposed to be a some sort of virtual tactical military simulation about how the US liberated anchorage from the Chinese.

While some wouldn't agree with me, it sometimes a good idea to try a new thing as you develop a game franchise instead of focusing on all the old parts from the previous game (I know it's an expansion, not a new game). Otherwise you risk becoming stagnant.

More importantly: I loved Fallout 3 to an extent. Is this worth paying for?

I've not played the expansion myself, so I hold no opinion on whether it's worth the cash, however, Fallout 3 was possibly one of my favorite games of all time, possibly because it's got a conglomerate of Bioware and Bethesda's works. There are stories and stuff to do everywhere, a beautiful main story, a fun(!) combat system, which Bioware just can't seem to pull off in its entirety, and humor varying from the quietly absurd to the straight-up satirical. I was a goody-two-shoes pansy with chronic hero syndrome [tvtropes.org], which lead to a lot of questing, and yielded one of the most epic endings of all time, and one of two video game endings that have actually induced any level of personal introspection (Did I just...? Without thinking about it?), but the non-quest related discoveries I made along the way, like the Dunwich building, really make it epic.

After thinking about, and writing that, I have a strong urge to buy the expansion.

Haven't played the expansion either, so no comments on that. but I think Bekefel might have meant the main game.

I love it, a lot. I actually have withdrawal symptoms after not playing for an hour. I like how Three Dog comments on things you've done over the radio as well, even if it does get annoying after he talks about defusing the Megaton Bomb four times in a fucking row. And that quest with the AntAgonizer and the Mechanist had me giggling for days.

It's 800 points, and I don't recall how much money that equates to, but I'd recommend buying it, though don't expect it to be the same fallout 3 you know and love. It's literally nothing but running and gunning, which was cool in its own aspect. I mean, it was basically "How good of a game can we make that's a straight FPS?" There's no looting bodies and no picking up lots of crap to sell later because it's a military simulation. Health and ammo are replenished at glowing terminals in game, and the only things you pick up are grenades, mines and missiles. On the plus side, if you still have a lot of exploring to do in the wasteland, you should definitely get it. I wont go into the details of the story, but beating the sim earns you some sweet gear (arctic T-51B or cyber ninja outfit with gauss rifle anyone?)

I loved Fallout 3. I couldn't help but play the good guy so I had a lot of mercs coming at me but they were never much trouble. I still remember the two cannibal families; they scared me senseless.

I haven't played the first expansion but I have heard complaints about it being focused mostly on action. However there is another expansion coming out soon called "The Pitt" were you can travel from Wasteland D.C. to Wastland Pitsburg and do a few missions there.

DRose
I loved Fallout 3. I couldn't help but play the good guy so I had a lot of mercs coming at me but they were never much trouble.

They come after you when you're bad as well.

DRose
I still remember the two cannibal families; they scared me senseless.

Shit that was a sickening part of the game. I just randomly stumbled upon them and in the first few seconds, I immediately realized there's something ridiculously "off" with this people. Also, did you notice the incest part? The two families had been arranging marriages with their children for at least three generations. Probably longer because that's the way of life that the grandfather knew.

Other things that were disturbing. Whenever I encountered skeletal remains of the following: Couple lying next to each other in bed, hugging each other intimately. A child in an adults arm. An office worker still sitting next to his broken computer. Similar things like that.

Custard Trout
They come after you when you're bad as well.

Oh? For what reason? When you're good they go after you because Tenpenny puts price on your head. If you're bad, then you end up working for Tenpenny so who hires them?

Product Placement
Oh? For what reason? When you're good they go after you because Tenpenny puts price on your head. If you're bad, then you end up working for Tenpenny so who hires them?

Instead of a contract with Burke, like Talon Company, the Regulators are after a bounty that people (nobody is specified as far as I know) put on your head for making their blasted wasteland all the less tolerable.

Fallout wiki link, spoilers and such.

Also, my scary moment for this game was Old Olney.

FoxmanZEO
(nobody is specified as far as I know)

I'm pretty sure it's Sonora Cruz.

FoxmanZEO
Instead of a contract with Burke, like Talon Company, the Regulators are after a bounty that people (nobody is specified as far as I know) put on your head for making their blasted wasteland all the less tolerable.

Fallout wiki link, spoilers and such.

Also, my scary moment for this game was Old Olney.

Well I said that the cannibals were disturbing. Never said anything about them being scary. Old Olney takes that title hands down.

Heh. I worked for the regulators. I brought like trash bag loads of fingers to their headquarters. I only wish that they had more special bounties. Would have made them a whole lot more fun.

Wikipedia
List of bugs:
Note that the Regulators will target you if your Karma ever goes to "evil". Even if your karma dips to evil (i.e. if you enslave a few Raiders using the Mesmetron), and you quickly get it back up to "good" (i.e. by giving purified water to beggars) without encountering the Regulators, you will eventually encounter hostile Regulators even as a "good" character. Sometimes, a squad of 3 Regulators will even appear alongside a squad of 3 Talon Company Mercs to fight you! Ironically, they usually start fighting each other when you encountered both of them. These Regulators also carry bounty notices against you.

lol!

I actually didn't mind Operation Anchorage. Found the Squad system annoying though.

I absolutely LOVE the Hei Gui Stealth suit.

FoxmanZEO
Also, my scary moment for this game was Old Olney.

My god I hate that place... I always have to set my difficulty back down to normal whenever I go there... I hate the glitch with the medic armour too...

Deathclaws: A very good reason to stay in the southern areas of the game. Though, that might not help you at all as I've encountered one right outside megaton. I swear it was coming in to make a new nest of deathclaws...

Hey, anyone try to run to Vault 87's entrance yet?

Puff_Of_Smoke
Hey, anyone try to run to Vault 87's entrance yet?

I did. Didn't make it too far because I actually accidentally skipped a big chunk of the main story on my first play through and came across it by accident while I was wondering around, I didn't know about Little Lamplight or anything until my brother mentioned it to me.

There and back, bought the box set. No fancy items that I could find, still a little loot, as well as the fun of watching your rad counter shoot up faster than your framerate.

Probably a drinking game to that.

Product Placement
Also, my scary moment for this game was Old Olney.

I never went to Old Onley. After my first encounter with deathclaws (two of them kind of snuck up on me) I rarely went into that part of the map.

One moment that got my adrenaline was when I went to evergreen mills and the raiders set a super mutant loose on me. I dropped it easily enough but it was a jump to turn around and see that things charging in on me.

Still as scary as the deathclaws are, I think that its the people of the wasteland that are really terrifying.

Custard Trout

Puff_Of_Smoke
Hey, anyone try to run to Vault 87's entrance yet?

I did. Didn't make it too far because I actually accidentally skipped a big chunk of the main story on my first play through and came across it by accident while I was wondering around, I didn't know about Little Lamplight or anything until my brother mentioned it to me.

It's funny how even if you get to the entrance you can't get in because of the big lol!

Wait.... Old Olney + Deathclaws... aw crap we're talking about two different places. I never found that place to be scary. Difficult as fuck though. What actually made it the biggest challenge was getting my dog to survive in there for more the 3 blasted seconds.

I was referring to the Dunwich Building. For some odd reason I figured you were talking about that place since you said it was scary. Just goes to show that you should always fact check before jumping in on a conversation.

Puff_Of_Smoke
I actually didn't mind Operation Anchorage. Found the Squad system annoying though.

I absolutely LOVE the Hei Gui Stealth suit.

FoxmanZEO
Hey, anyone try to run to Vault 87's entrance yet?

It's actually possible to reach that place? I packed on my best rad suit, popped a rad x, jumped into the area and watched my rad p/sec go from 2, 45, 369, 830, dead.

Naughtelos
Blablabla I was a goody-two-shoes pansy with chronic hero syndrome [tvtropes.org], which lead to blablabla...

You linked to that site, sir.
You, sir, just robbed me of 3 hours of my life.

Product Placement
It's actually possible to reach that place? I packed on my best rad suit, popped a rad x, jumped into the area and watched my rad p/sec go from 2, 45, 369, 830, dead.

No, because right at the door you get upwards of 2000 rads a tick, so your bar will max out in a single tick at that point.

You CAN get in there later in the game, but that's a major plot point if you haven't don't it yet.



On an unrelated note, I still wish I could find some random, abandoned town, fix up a few buildings, recruit some vagrants and mercs, and start my own settlement.

Hakoshen
On an unrelated note, I still wish I could find some random, abandoned town, fix up a few buildings, recruit some vagrants and mercs, and start my own settlement.

Maybe you could find or make a mod for that?

Hakoshen
You CAN get in there later in the game, but that's a major plot point if you haven't don't it yet.

Oh, I know all about that. I was just stunned to hear that some of you guys actually reached the outside door.

Now since you reminded me of that.. I have one giant criticism for Fallout 3. If you decide to make a game where you can't kill children, then please, please for the love of god, don't make a settlement populated only with children that just so happen to be the rudest, most arrogant and annoying individuals in the entire area. I know someone made a "patch" for that little problem but seriously...

Also the good ending was annoying because it didn't... hmm.. turning on spoilers...it offers you the choice of sacrificing yourself or that Paladin captain by being bathed in deadly radiation. However, at the time I was given that choice I was partnered with a super mutant that could stand this type of radiation and I couldn't use him..... just because. I even found out that you couldn't even use the Ghoul that you could partner with or even the frigging robot. Why not use the dam robot!?

I think nearly everyone complained about that little problem.

Oh hey, Fawkes is repaying his debt to me by letting me kill myself! AWESOME. What's even better is that he'll follow you in if you don't tell him to wait. And if you do, he'll say 'duuuuuhr I can't repay my debt to you back here'. Which is true, you could have repaid your debt to me by not being an arsehole. Last time I save your worthless life.

Custard Trout

Hakoshen
On an unrelated note, I still wish I could find some random, abandoned town, fix up a few buildings, recruit some vagrants and mercs, and start my own settlement.

Maybe you could find or make a mod for that?

I bought the game for PC after already beating it on 360 for the sole reason of making that mod. I had dozens of pages of things and plans written up and had even begun programming the layout. Then there were certain complications and other things not well explained in the tutorial (or ANY tutorial), such as weapon or item creation, which is possible but certain files can only be opened with certain other applications not included with the program and... if you're gonna give people the ability to make a mod, at least give me EVERYTHING I need to do it, or at least point me in the right direction.

But yeah, I had a gripe with the ending too. Because it calls you a frakking coward for not going in there yourself, even if you have maxxed positive karma and have settled every debt in the wasteland peacefully and willingly charged headfirst into dozens upon dozens of firefights. That and you can't send anyone else to do it for you, despite the fact that pretty much all the people who you recruit owe you their lives. I don't see why the vault dweller HAD to be a martyr or go down in history as a disgrace.

I know, long bitch fest from me but it's over.

Hakoshen
I know, long bitch fest from me but it's over.

Oh no. We're not done yet.

I mean how hard would it have been to create an alternative endgame narration where you place a follower that can withstand the radiation in this situation. Since I can think of at least 3 such followers from the top of my head then it's not that unlikely that you end up with one of them in the situation. Especially sine one of them comes running to you wielding a Minigun in one arm, asking to team up with you moments before you go and do said mission (that is of course, if you saved him)

And of course if you have the Ghoul as a partner... the man has been fraking brainwashed to follow your orders. He worked for his previous employer for years doing horrible things, no questions asked and once you gained that power over him, he goes and shoots his former employer for all the horrible things he made him do. That sounds to me like you have pretty powerful control over him. Why is he refusing you know?

And why can't you order the robot? It's a robot! What does he have to lose?

This game sounds awesome - I didn't even know there was an expansion already! That's great.

There's another one coming out near the end of March.

Custard Trout
There's another one coming out near the end of March.

And I can't wait!! I have to go around to all the places in the capital wasteland and hunt down all the books I never picked up as preparation.

Well, the pitt was nifty. Auto axes are awesome, Laser Shotguns are handy, and steel knuckles are queer. Midea became a complete asshole when I told her that she was just going to have to go steal the damn baby herself because I happened to like Ashur.

Oh and the infiltrator, especially the advanced form of it, the perforator,, was the best idea yet for a stealth based character like me. I took out an entire Outcast base without them even knowing I did.

I really wish Trogs would spawn in the wastes at night, though. or at least in subway tunnels... Oh well.

I can't wait for Broken Steel.

--------------------------------

I could actually survive the radiation in the end if the game would let me. It's only +14 rads for me... and I can even survive the +512 I get for activating the purifier... But, nooooooooooooooooooo...

I just recently started playing the game. I actually find it quite dull, but oddly compelling. So far, I haven't really made any "connections" with any of the characters, so I don't generally care whether anyone lives or dies, etc. I dunno, I just have this consisten feeling that I'm playing an MMORPG and the servers just happen to be empty. Still, I find myself coming back, going out of my way to play and explore.