Well folks, it's true. I CAN update blogs! Who knew! I will make no excuses for my un-bloggish behavior. I only hope that this humble offering will appease my friends, well-wishers, and internet based stalkers.
There is so much to cover, that I will simply start with what has been devouring my time in the recent past. I could talk about Seascape, Literature of the American West, school, Gordon Ramsey, James Bond, but no! None of it! Instead, let's spend our time in the D.C. Wasteland talking about Fallout 3, Bethesda Softwork's latest venture into the gaming world.
I have to say, first off, that no game spawns semi-plausible conversation like Fallout 3. I can't tell you how many times friends have overheard me talking about seeming mundane things, like talking to people, getting soda, listening to the radio, only to be shocked awake by a phrase like, "Then this Super Mutant came out of nowhere! But I liquefied him with my plasma rifle."
Tonight, I finished the main storyline. Which was excellent. I will say it panders to its audience, but why not? If you have a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi setting with strong 50's overtones, playing things up is more than acceptable. And really, the setting is ambitious. The whole game is set in a bombed out Washington D.C. and has HOURS of voice acting. Sure, you'll hear a lot of the same actors again and again, but the quality and quantity of it is amazing. Bethesda works very hard to immerse you in the world, and they do a fine job. The first person perspective is also a really unique vantage point for a roleplaying game, and aids in the immersive experience.
While there are a lot of great things to say about the game (graphics, story, gameplay mechanics, sense of humor, weaponry, art style), I was most impressed by the non-linear nature of both story and character development. Yes, there is a main set of quests, that are followed in a one after another fashion, but this is interspersed with a giant wasteland to explore, side quests up the wazoo, and many choices to be made in how to carry out these quests. This leads into the extremely varied character development. A friend of mine purchased the game a few days before me, and we played the game through at roughly the same pace. The amazing thing was, our experiences were extremely different! Skill choices make a HUGE impact on the game, as well as perks, bonuses gained at each level. My friend's character was hacking computers at every turn, and I was picking locks and charming people. The most impressive part of this system to me was the Karma indicator. Depending on your actions, you receive good or bad karma. This affects your interactions with certain NPCs, companions, quests, it changes everything! Not only that, it has a profound effect on the player. I started out trying to play somewhat morally neutral, but it got to the point that I couldn't make some of the bad choices without feeling guilty! My character ending up making a moral turn around part way through the game! I've never had a game tug at my psyche in quite the way that Fallout 3 has.
All around, the game is wonderfully constructed, and open for several playthroughs. I spent over 40 hours on the game, and if I saw half of the content I was lucky. Despite a few nagging graphical bugs, the game is a joy to play, and oozes cool. I mean, your dad is
Liam Neeson. Sweet.
So, I know it probably wasn't what you were expecting from an update, but it had to be said! Expect more in the coming weeks, as I have considerably more stress free time available to me. This is Three Dog, signing off!
Give thanks for Thanksgiving! Mmm...food. I insisted on participating in the preparation, and even made my own Sweet Potato/Chestnut mash! It was alright, and a good venture into cooking this break.