When I saw Fallout 3 at last year's E3 I thought it looked cool but not being one of the cult of Fallout, I viewed it with the same sort of interest that I do most games I know nothing about: Curious, but not what I would call overly excited. All this changed however, this past Tuesday when I headed downtown to check out the new build of the game that Bethesda was showing off.
From a training system tied to a child's development to the fifties-meets-Steampunk look of weapons, Fallout 3 may not have a solid 날짜 yet, but after seeing this build, I can honestly say I am well and truly smitten.
After skipping through the opening cinema which we had seen previously, we got straight to the beginning of the game which I have to say was one of the cleverest set of training levels I have ever seen. 당신 start the game as an infant just being born. Once 당신 have been birthed, 당신 meet your father who had the pleasure of delivering you. A series of dialog choices allow 당신 to choose the sex of your character and his/her name. Then a "Growth Projection" machine is brought over to show what your character will look like when they "grow up." Here 당신 can customize the look of your character 의해 using the many features 또는 simply choose a pre-made character. In an interesting mechanic, the choices 당신 make in creating to your character will be used to create the features of your father, who's face (at this point) is covered with a surgical mask. While in this infant mode, pressing the A button will elicit crying from your character.
Soon 당신 have grown up and you're are now a 년 old. Your mother is nowhere to be found, but your scientist father is at the ready to care for you. (Pressing the A button will give 당신 baby's first word, Dada) After a series of simple tasks like playing with your toys and opening your playpen, 당신 can explore the room a bit. Now it's time to start picking your character's base attributes. This mechanic is accomplished 의해 the ingenious use of a baby book 당신 find lying on the floor. Each page has a different attribute along with an explanatory rhyme. Here 당신 can add 또는 take away attribute points to suit the way 당신 want your character to advance.
Look at that. Our little boy is growing up so fast! It is now your tenth birthday and it is celebrated 의해 your father and 프렌즈 with a party in one of the rooms of 둥근 천장, 금고 101 where 당신 currently reside. The momentous occasion is marked 의해 the receipt of your Pip-Boy 3000, a wrist accessory that will remain with 당신 for the rest of the game. The Pip-Boy 3000 has many of uses for interacting with your character as well as emitting light for use in those darker areas of which there are many. Apparently there is another training level where 당신 turn sixteen and are presented with a BB Gun which will help 당신 train up in your shooting. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see that one but instead, fast forwarded to check out some of the real meat of the game.
The 다음 level we were privy to was a Junkyard scene where 당신 meet the dog who will soon become your companion. Once acquired, your best bud can help 당신 find food, chems and weapons. He can also come in handy in a pinch 의해 helping 당신 attack enemies. But, be careful to keep him healthy because he can die if not properly taken care of. If things get too dangerous, 당신 can always have him wait nearby 또는 send him back to 둥근 천장, 금고 101 where his safety will be assured.
Growing Up With Fallout 3Now we get to the really fun part, the combat and enemies. As any of 당신 who are familiar with Fallout will know, your enemies are mostly radiated mutants 또는 "ghouls" as they are called in the game. There are various strata of ghouls ranging from simple ones who still have some of their functions and can actually be spoken to, to glowing ghouls who are so infected that they practically leak radiation. The ghouls can use this radiation power to harm 당신 while simultaneously healing themselves and other ghouls around them. But ghouls aren't your only worry, the Brotherhood of Steel is roaming around causing trouble as well and 당신 will often come upon two factions locked in battles of their own.
Taking down these enemies is a snap (well, maybe a few snaps) when 당신 make use of the myriad weapons at your disposal. Weapons can be purchased, stolen 또는 taken off of conquered enemies and it would behoove 당신 to get as many as 당신 can. I really loved the 디자인 of the weapons themselves, they really exuded a sort of "SteamPunk" style melded with an almost fifties style. Everything looked as if it was cobbled together from what could be found around the devastated environment. (The Fat Man Rocket launcher was a particular 가장 좋아하는 of mine) And of course, as 당신 all know 의해 now from seeing the screenshots, the environment is a fictionalized Washington DC that has been ravaged 의해 nuclear war.
The combat moves beyond the simple point and shoot with the use of Action Points. Your character has a set number of these points that can be used for various actions that target certain parts of an enemy's body. Once an enemy is targeted and the proper buttons pressed, the various body parts of said enemy will light up showing 당신 the percentage chance 당신 have of hitting that body part. Then 당신 are free to deploy those Action Points and watch your enemy's limbs and head fly off in all directions. This mechanic is made even 더 많이 interesting 의해 pulling 당신 out of your regular first person mode into a third person camera mode that will allow 당신 to see 더 많이 of the delicious mutant killing action. Once the Action Points have been spent, they will regenerate over time, but using your weapons and running around like a madman will slow that regeneration down.
Growing Up With Fallout 3Of course, Fallout 3 isn't all killing and nuclear mutations. 당신 also have the added pleasure of being able to upgrade 당신 character using experience based skill points to bump up your various skills. There are also Perks that can be used to add to your base abilities and allow 당신 to beef up parts of your character that might have been neglected when 당신 first created it. 당신 max out at level twenty though, so be sure to spend those points wisely.
Everything I saw about this game was impressive, but what really got my attention was its 사무용 겉옷, 전반적인 art style. The optimistic fifties 디자인 juxtaposed against the destroyed landscape is a great choice and is seen everywhere from the HUD to the atomic 디자인 of 둥근 천장, 금고 101. Seeing it sprinkled around the world gave me the same feeling I got the first time I saw the art-deco wonders of BioShock. It's nostalgic yet at the same time seems so fresh and new because we rarely see that style of 디자인 in modern games, especially FPSs. It also gave the 디자인 team a chance to inject the game with a subtle humor that is evident throughout, even seeping its way into the dialog choices and sound.
The team is still on target for a release in the fall of this 년 but we still weren't able to wrangle a solid 날짜 out of them. One thing we did hear however, was a promise of a hands on at E3 so 당신 can bet I will be signing up for that one.
From a training system tied to a child's development to the fifties-meets-Steampunk look of weapons, Fallout 3 may not have a solid 날짜 yet, but after seeing this build, I can honestly say I am well and truly smitten.
After skipping through the opening cinema which we had seen previously, we got straight to the beginning of the game which I have to say was one of the cleverest set of training levels I have ever seen. 당신 start the game as an infant just being born. Once 당신 have been birthed, 당신 meet your father who had the pleasure of delivering you. A series of dialog choices allow 당신 to choose the sex of your character and his/her name. Then a "Growth Projection" machine is brought over to show what your character will look like when they "grow up." Here 당신 can customize the look of your character 의해 using the many features 또는 simply choose a pre-made character. In an interesting mechanic, the choices 당신 make in creating to your character will be used to create the features of your father, who's face (at this point) is covered with a surgical mask. While in this infant mode, pressing the A button will elicit crying from your character.
Soon 당신 have grown up and you're are now a 년 old. Your mother is nowhere to be found, but your scientist father is at the ready to care for you. (Pressing the A button will give 당신 baby's first word, Dada) After a series of simple tasks like playing with your toys and opening your playpen, 당신 can explore the room a bit. Now it's time to start picking your character's base attributes. This mechanic is accomplished 의해 the ingenious use of a baby book 당신 find lying on the floor. Each page has a different attribute along with an explanatory rhyme. Here 당신 can add 또는 take away attribute points to suit the way 당신 want your character to advance.
Look at that. Our little boy is growing up so fast! It is now your tenth birthday and it is celebrated 의해 your father and 프렌즈 with a party in one of the rooms of 둥근 천장, 금고 101 where 당신 currently reside. The momentous occasion is marked 의해 the receipt of your Pip-Boy 3000, a wrist accessory that will remain with 당신 for the rest of the game. The Pip-Boy 3000 has many of uses for interacting with your character as well as emitting light for use in those darker areas of which there are many. Apparently there is another training level where 당신 turn sixteen and are presented with a BB Gun which will help 당신 train up in your shooting. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see that one but instead, fast forwarded to check out some of the real meat of the game.
The 다음 level we were privy to was a Junkyard scene where 당신 meet the dog who will soon become your companion. Once acquired, your best bud can help 당신 find food, chems and weapons. He can also come in handy in a pinch 의해 helping 당신 attack enemies. But, be careful to keep him healthy because he can die if not properly taken care of. If things get too dangerous, 당신 can always have him wait nearby 또는 send him back to 둥근 천장, 금고 101 where his safety will be assured.
Growing Up With Fallout 3Now we get to the really fun part, the combat and enemies. As any of 당신 who are familiar with Fallout will know, your enemies are mostly radiated mutants 또는 "ghouls" as they are called in the game. There are various strata of ghouls ranging from simple ones who still have some of their functions and can actually be spoken to, to glowing ghouls who are so infected that they practically leak radiation. The ghouls can use this radiation power to harm 당신 while simultaneously healing themselves and other ghouls around them. But ghouls aren't your only worry, the Brotherhood of Steel is roaming around causing trouble as well and 당신 will often come upon two factions locked in battles of their own.
Taking down these enemies is a snap (well, maybe a few snaps) when 당신 make use of the myriad weapons at your disposal. Weapons can be purchased, stolen 또는 taken off of conquered enemies and it would behoove 당신 to get as many as 당신 can. I really loved the 디자인 of the weapons themselves, they really exuded a sort of "SteamPunk" style melded with an almost fifties style. Everything looked as if it was cobbled together from what could be found around the devastated environment. (The Fat Man Rocket launcher was a particular 가장 좋아하는 of mine) And of course, as 당신 all know 의해 now from seeing the screenshots, the environment is a fictionalized Washington DC that has been ravaged 의해 nuclear war.
The combat moves beyond the simple point and shoot with the use of Action Points. Your character has a set number of these points that can be used for various actions that target certain parts of an enemy's body. Once an enemy is targeted and the proper buttons pressed, the various body parts of said enemy will light up showing 당신 the percentage chance 당신 have of hitting that body part. Then 당신 are free to deploy those Action Points and watch your enemy's limbs and head fly off in all directions. This mechanic is made even 더 많이 interesting 의해 pulling 당신 out of your regular first person mode into a third person camera mode that will allow 당신 to see 더 많이 of the delicious mutant killing action. Once the Action Points have been spent, they will regenerate over time, but using your weapons and running around like a madman will slow that regeneration down.
Growing Up With Fallout 3Of course, Fallout 3 isn't all killing and nuclear mutations. 당신 also have the added pleasure of being able to upgrade 당신 character using experience based skill points to bump up your various skills. There are also Perks that can be used to add to your base abilities and allow 당신 to beef up parts of your character that might have been neglected when 당신 first created it. 당신 max out at level twenty though, so be sure to spend those points wisely.
Everything I saw about this game was impressive, but what really got my attention was its 사무용 겉옷, 전반적인 art style. The optimistic fifties 디자인 juxtaposed against the destroyed landscape is a great choice and is seen everywhere from the HUD to the atomic 디자인 of 둥근 천장, 금고 101. Seeing it sprinkled around the world gave me the same feeling I got the first time I saw the art-deco wonders of BioShock. It's nostalgic yet at the same time seems so fresh and new because we rarely see that style of 디자인 in modern games, especially FPSs. It also gave the 디자인 team a chance to inject the game with a subtle humor that is evident throughout, even seeping its way into the dialog choices and sound.
The team is still on target for a release in the fall of this 년 but we still weren't able to wrangle a solid 날짜 out of them. One thing we did hear however, was a promise of a hands on at E3 so 당신 can bet I will be signing up for that one.
