This seems relevant to my interests.

I saw a mudcrab the other day,....disgusting creatures.

There were some pretty interesting conversations in Oblivion. I can't wait for this game.

Why do so many gret games have to be so big? I want this game but I don't have time to play through something as big as oblivion, Mass Effect, GTA4, etc.

I really want this one. :)

I know this game is going to be awesome, but, for some reason, that in-depth interview killed any enthusiasm I have for Fallout.

I just hope it is not as big as Elderscrolls. It was just too much for me. I just finished doing some of the guild quest lines but i dont see myself doing everything in the game.

Less but more interesting missions work best and for the love of god make the experience system easier to understand than the Elderscrolls one.

One thing that Ill miss is the insane random encounters of the PC version. Man some of those were funny shit.

Suggestions from fans?
I want my Monty Python encounter. That will be all.

@dropoff: @SAKY:

The nice thing about the Elder Scrolls series was that you didn't *have* to go and do everything, but more was there if you wanted it. If you just followed the main plotline, the game wasn't any longer than a standard RPG.

GTA IV is the same way, and can apparently be completed in around 35ish hours. All the extra content is available only if you want to pursue it.

I'm all for them making the world as big as possible, since that's how to add replay value to a single-player game.

@elocanth: Exactly.

Dont tell devs to make shit smaller just to suit your own needs.

Just dont do the extra shit in game and follow the main storyline.

Nobody forces you to do all the extra stuff or wander the world. Not to mention oblivion catered to those who bitch about SI WARLD 2 BEIG with the instant travel feature also. You know.

@SAKY: @dropoff: I concur with others here - no one is making you explore each nook and cranny. Do whatever you want, but don't ask devs to make the worlds smaller.

@Witzbold:

What about the tongue in cheek humor? The gray morality scale that appears to be missing from this version ("Set" good and evil factions, super mutants gone, etc)..THOSE are what I'll miss. I'm willing to give them a chance but my hope is not high.

@Witzbold: I am not telling devs to do anything, just ranting on a forum.
@elocanth: I agree with your comments, i should of elaborated better. There is much to do in ES but i find most of the quests underwhelming. The guild quests were a lot more amusing. Still, ES is a great game.

I've heard these lines all before, back with other games they got their grubby mits on.

They don't care about Fallouts old fans at all. I know it's cyncial but what they are making is Oblivion with guns because they know it'll sell well.

"Hines says that while you can't please 'em all, they try to think of the fans as much as they can."

You'd better be fucking thinking of us core Fallout fans or we're going to find out where you live and kill your family before your eyes, you soulless bethesda crony!

*froth*

*snarl*

*twitch*

You can join the fighter's guild and make a good bit of gold!

But really want this game now... but I think most of "listening to the fans" is a wakeup call from all the good mods from Oblivion, and they don't want to be outclassed by them again.

Have you heard about joining the fighters guild?

I hope this game is huge. I want to wander a vast world for days sniping zombies.

Dear Bethesda:
I loved Oblivion. I really did. However, this time around, could you spend a little less development time on making the AI smart enough to do things like buy groceries on their own and a little more time on making them smarter in more relevant areas? Ambiance is great and all, but it got a little stupid when I could kill a much stronger minotaur because it refused to go in the water while I was hurling spells at it.

Can we also get a leveling system that doesn't require us to plan out skill advances to build our characters properly?

Lastly, modders will do this if you wont, but how about a setting that doesn't scale the entire world to your level?

@Tiber:
Totally agree. It was annoying that you never felt stronger after leveling up, since everyone else did too.

Hopefully they change this for Fallout.

Oblivion's Radiant AI wasn't convincing, because they weren't doing anything. Sure, the blacksmith sells you weapons, but you never see the guy actually doing any work. He just stands there. Shivering Isles had animated blacksmiths and holy smokes, it added thick layer of immersion.

You can't just have the AI to convince the player. You need the NPC to actually do what's going on in his head. Fine, I see a librarian, but if all he's doing is staring off into space, then his AI means nothing.

I love GTAIV but all bets are on this being *MY* GOTY.

OMGICANTWAAAAIIT

@Witzbold: You Didn't like Fast Travel? That was great IMO.

@OGHowie: I third that.

What I'm hoping is lots of voice actors. Since everyone is comparing this to Oblivion, I will too.

Oblivion had 11 voice actors for literally hundreds of roles. It got soooo repetitive. It really broke the immersion. More voice actors. That's the easiest thing I can think of that would have made it better.

I still can't wait for it to come out.

Of course, I'm sure it'll be divisive for lots of folks who call themselves hardcore Fallout fans, whether they are or not, no matter what Bethesda does. Such is human nature: some people would rather be upset about what a game is not than experience it for what it is.

If that happens to be Oblivion with guns, more or less... so what? Am I supposed to be pissed that time didn't stand still 11 years ago to deliver me a replica of the game I've already played 2-3 dozen times?

Anyone trying to force expectations on the title based on earlier games is likely to be disappointed on some level, which is why I'm personally giving the title a wide berth, even as a longtime franchise fan. I can understand not wanting things to be "screwed up" (as subjective as that is), but honestly, listening to some of the folks that call themselves fans on the Bethesda boards and elsewhere sometimes makes me ill to actually be a real one. I've seen some pretty hateful stuff from the "fans" that lacked any constructive value or sense that they were interested in giving it 10 minutes of play before passing judgment.

That they've listened to some of us at all is nice, considering, but I'm kinda glad they haven't let it run their lives. Because, well, it's not 1997 anymore... and I've played those games many times... I'm kinda enjoying the idea that it can be re-imagined in a new way, even if it's not quite as good as the first time.

If the only point was to do the same thing over again, we'd never have had Fallout 1+2 either. We'd have Wasteland 3+4. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, it's worth pointing out that F1+2 were pretty damn amazing on their own without needing the earlier tie-in.

Though I imagine if the internet were as pervasive through the early 90s as it is now, we'd have heard all kinds of "what's this more than 4 colors shit? why do I only control one guy? Isometric? But why isn't it top-down? 3d rendered conversations? ew! Interplay should have never given the project to Black Isle!"

I'll judge it when it's in my hands... based on what it is, not on rose-colored memories of what could not be. Excellent or mediocre, I'll at least appreciate the effort in trying to keep the franchise alive... because I'd likely have nothing at all if not for their attempt.

Besides, it can't possibly be as far from the original as the PS2 Brotherhood of Steel dungeon hack. :/

No matter what they do, I'm still looking forward to Fallout 3. I could end up with disappointment, but it isn't new to those who looked forward to Van Buren.

I just hope that Bethesda keep the easter eggs in some form - Finding weird-arse things in the middle of nowhere was one of Fallout's greatest charms. The crashed Federation shuttle, the Monty Python references, the subtle pisstake of Scientology, and The Brain - I remember these more than I do what happened in Vault 13 in Fallout 2, or how I got into the Enclave.

The little things have always been Fallout's charms - I still remember hearing Richard Dean Anderson & Charlie Adler playing voice roles in the game. Or what happens when you finish the first game with the Bloody Mess trait...

If anything, I hope that Bethesda keep this little touches in - If only as a nod to the old fans, or simply to lighten the mood at times. As long as they do that and not majorly screw anything else up, I'm content. :)

Side note, I have two words for anyone who thinks that Oblivion's quests were boring - Dark Brotherhood. ;) The Whodunit quest in particular was one of the most original & entertaining quests I've played in a long time.

I would like to play through an RPG soon... Its just GTA is taking up so much time, I can't replay mass effect or anything.

This games gonna kick ass.

What I've learned from over 500 hours of Oblivion and Morrowind:

Bethesda has no idea how to make an RPG. Elder Scrolls games have the absolute worst leveling system of any games I have ever played. And your power at end game is just ludicrous. Also, they don't seem to care about bugs. There are like 20000 between Oblivion and Morrowind. In fact, I'd say the Elder Scrolls games are some of the most flawed games ever created. They have more flaws than E.T. and Superman 64 combined. But they are just so fucking great! It's the environment. Make environments that big and detailed, add awesome spells and weapons, and just let players go nuts. I know Fallout 3 will be the same, and I can't wait for it.

This is gonna be the most intensely scrutinized game in recent memory...

@Guild_Navigator:

lol.

Oblivion was one of the best RPGs I have ever played. I loved how you could do your own thing, be what you wanted. The Spell system was pretty lame but I got a solid 150 hours+ from that game. I'll have to get a new video card to run this bad boy.

Fallout was never about realism. :(

@jambe: I concur about the leveling system, although at times it isn't the worst. Just in morrowind jumping for levels was lol.

"if you're going to break a tie, you go with our instincts."

Sounds like

"We cut something we promised because of time constraints, and what we picked may not be the popular choice."

If my corporate-ese is still fluent.

And this: "Oh, this happened two towns away from you!" Just, hey, by the way. That doesn't mean anything.

Sounds like:

We went with Oblivion's "it doesn't happen until your in the vicinity, time means jack" instead of our original "living world" style. Some fluff character interaction that will get repetitive and ignored 1/4 of the way though the game has been added to hide this.

@SAKY:
would you not rather get value for your money? i know i was a bit pissed when i spent £40 or $80 on heavenly Sword for it to only last 4.5 hours. i am all for 40+ hour games. I demand more.

@SAKY: Amen brother. Some of us game playing people actually have lives.

@SAKY: @Thorax: No one's forcing you to play, or abandon your life. I'm married and work full time, and I still had time to beat Morrowind, Oblivion, Lost Odyssey and other 50+ hour games.

Why do people assume playing games has to be a marathon? If you want to see a huge game to completion, play it in smaller chunks. Don't play for 8-12 hours straight; play for 2. It might take you longer, but you will still get there.

I can't believe there are gamers out there asking for less content. Boggles the mind.

@Thorax:
i do have a life i have a full time job as a manager of a video game store i also have a wife and 3 kids. So don't preach about having a life i probably have more of a life than you dude.

@Captain Impulse: well said dude

on another note this is "kotaku, gossip and news for the obsessive gamer" not the casual asshat.

I just hope that "referring to each other by the first name" doesn't go like:
"Hey! Joseph, How have you been?"
"Oh, hey John, just fine thanks, you?"
"Well Joseph, I have been doing good."
"That is great to hear, John."
"So how is Mrs. Joseph, Joseph?"
etc. etc.

@kipperminge: Thanks. I guess I'll never get the "make games smaller" argument. It's like paying for an all-you-can-eat buffet and then complaining that there's too much food.

@Ghede: Terrible dialogue begets a Shenmue reference:

"Hey John, how about a game of Lucky Hit? Would you like to play Lucky Hit, John?"

For the record, I love Shenmue. That was a loving jab. ^_^

@Captain Impulse: yes but in this glorious world of capitalism your always gonna get somebody who ain't happy when people try give them more. Sometimes i think the russians had a few things right. "in soviet russia car drives you" lol

@kipperminge: Man, I wish my car drove me.

On topic, with 500 endings and this focus on improved realism through player/NPC activity, I hope they're not sacrificing game play or story. A pretty world to muck around in isn't fun if the rest of the experience is lackluster.

@Captain Impulse: I'll bet you dimes to dollars that "500 endings" means there are 500 choices/actions/events, the repercussions of which will have a gritty flash card and accompanying dialog line to clue you into what happens after the game is over.

I know I'm sounding cynical, I am really looking forward to this game, I just always see the corporate/marketing fluff for what it is and it annoys me.