Last week, I rented Fallout 3. I've never played the first two Fallout games (although, according to the Giant Bombcast, going back to those might seem like a chore at this point). I dabbled with Bethesda's previous effort, Oblivion, and while I enjoyed the premise, I was overwhelmed, and gave up after I died in a cave and my horse ran away (you can note the measly 50G I have on the game on my gamercard). At this point, you're probably wondering why I decided to pick it up.My answer is simple and twofold. First off, it was the only game that was available at the local Family Video (worth mentioning here that I have since re-subscribed to Gamefly). I went in with hopes of trying out Guitar Hero: World Tour or having a laughable time with Rock Revolution, or giving Fable 2 a try, as my friend Josh has lauded the game multiple times over. However, none of those were in stock, and they just put the copies of Fallout 3 on the shelf. Noting this led me to my second reason for picking it up: because enough people say it's going to be good, it must be good. If every one of those game reviewers that I listen to say enough good things about it, who am I to be the one to disregard it?
So, I headed to the counter to rent it. Just an aside, it is worth mentioning that the man standing behind me in line was also renting Fallout 3, however he was at least twice my age (I'm ballparking in the late 40's). It is interesting to see the types of people that games draw to them. Regardless of this man and his age, I paid my money, and a portion of my late fee, and was on my way.
I got home, I popped the disc into my Xbox, and played through the intro. The beginning of the game, which fast forwards you through your life from an infant to a young adult, serves very well to set up your stats and skills within the scope of the game. You begin to establish your relationships, and begin to establish your karma. Once you become a young adult, the narrative really throws itself into motion with your father's escape from the vault, essentially handing you a one-way ticket out of the vault as the vault's Overseer assumes your corroboration in the crime, and has already murdered one other for it.
This is where it begins. I'm a fan of RPGs of both the Eastern and Western sensibilities. I love Final Fantasy games just as much as I love Diablo games. However, the schism between them is more than just a matter of how macho your main character is (or isn't). Both tend to get down to micromanaging, yet it's just a manner of what you're micromanaging and why. However, I was, like many others, trained by the school of 16-bit console JRPGs. While they often presented you with sidequests, many times they were loosely attached to the story, so it was not too much to branch off. As people are a creature of habit, this is the thing that would come to bite me in the ass shortly after entering the first town in Fallout 3.
Like I just mentioned, I love both Final Fantasy and Diablo games. However, those are third person games. Diablo being an antiquated, isometric, omnipotent view, and the Final Fantasy games often playing out as an interactive tale rather than an immersive experience. Only dabbling in Oblivion, and never before playing a game with that grand of a scope, the moment I set foot outside of the Vault, it hit me. There was simply too much to do. They succeeded in immersing me into the world, but once I went into Megaton and was greeted with a branching dialogue listing the possibilities of things I could do, I buckled. I spent an hour wandering around the town, and gave up. I just wanted the game to tell me where to go next. The last RPG I actually invested time in was Too Human, which is about as linear as it gets. I turned it off, put down the controller, and thought of ways I could talk the FamVid cashier into letting me return it early and get something else.
Due to a funeral, I was unable to play the game for a couple of days. However, it gave me time to acquiesce, to let my shackles loosen. As I mulled over the things the game presented to me, I decided it would be in my best interests to try again. I got into town, went about poking around again, and after picking a few locks, making some friends and some enemies, and getting some critical data for my quest, I suddenly got it. The chains broke free, the shackles slipped off. This was my world. I could be every bit as micromanaging as I was in a JRPG, however this time it wasn't so much a matter of watching weaknesses on enemies and finding the ultimate weapons. Rather than controlling a host of options for an entire party, I controlled a host of options for a single man. I realized the awe-inspiring depth of the world as I began to situate myself along a quest, and within that depth of the world, I found the depths of my character. With skill levels, S.P.E.C.IA.L. levels, and perks, I could create an entity all unto myself. This time, I wasn't just watching the scenes of Squall's whiny emotions play out on screen, I was charting my own course by making and breaking relationships.
I ended up sinking into several 4-hour long sessions of Fallout 3 before it had to be returned. However, in spite of the papers due in the coming weeks, I am going to find room in my schedule and in my budget to purchase the game and make some serious time for it.
