thefalloutlegacy
Before I begin: Current listening is the Chillout In Paris CD (the first one) from The Buddha Bar, DJed by David Visan. The Buddha Bar is on my list of "Bars I must visit"... and mostly because these chillout tunes are wonderful. Now onto the meat of this post...
I don't often do this... a video game commentary is just not my thing. Music, movies, certainly, but though I've been an avid gamer all my life, I dislike giving reviews about games and screwing up the experience for people. Nor do I ever speak about the industry, about my personal heroes, unlike in movies and music where I'll publically worship certain actors/directors and musicians. All I'll normally say (say, in the case of Max Payne 2) is that it's a sweet game, and well worth playing, with a brilliant storyline.
But then, there's the occasional time like this, when I've just got something on my mind that wouldn't satisfy unless I mentioned it. Hey, I've got two exams tomorrow, I'm not keeping anything on my mind but German and ancient great works.
It's common knowledge for those of you who talk to me about games that Fallout is undoubtably my favourite game ever. No game since, RPG or otherwise, has come close to breaking new ground and producing a brilliant storyline unprecedented for its time. (I do say since. Some of the old DOS games were brilliant) It, of course, now lays only in the memories and treasured collections of a few dedicated fans, but with a Game of the Year award to its name, it can't possibly be forgotten.
Which is why some of the development staff are some of my video game heroes. (No relation to my friend's comic, Video Game Heroes *runs from shameless plug*) When Black Isle shut down and the crew dispersed, I had lost all hope in ever seeing a third Fallout. (I do not include, of course, Fallout: Tactics or the console thing that I hope never came to light as true Fallout games)
Then I heard the contract was up in the air. Interplay needed cash, being bankrupt and all, and they were willing to sell Fallout 3.
This is where I believe pencil-pushers killed any hope for Fallout 3. There are (or were) two brilliant companies with Fallout members as founders. Troika Games and Obsidian Entertainment...
Troika has since died a miserable death. They closed down this year, after releasing Vampire: Bloodlines (which, despite its bugs, was a beautiful game). Obsidian Entertainment at the time was still a small company, and wouldn't have been able to afford the rights to Fallout. Since then, they've done Knights Of The Old Republic II, an above-average sequel to the first. (I won't get into the details... but production seemed to be rushed) That was, as any game attached to the Star Wars franchise, widely bought.
Neither of these companies got the Fallout franchise. This was alright, in some ways, since I had hopes that either Fallout would die at 2 or live on gloriously with one last sequel... to make it a beautiful trilogy.
What saddens me is that Bethesda bought the franchise. This isn't a judgement on Bethesda, since I know many people who enjoy Bethesda's games... Morrowind being the huge example of one of the better known games, but the whole premise of Fallout does not match anything Bethesda's done. It's not that I don't respect Bethesda, it's like having a creation carted off completely after its creators are dead and having mediocre sons work on it. Something like Frank Herbert's Dune series and its tragic fate at the hands of his son.
And yes, that WAS a rip on Brian Herbert's books. I don't like making gaming industry stabs, since they're all great, hardworking folks (well, most of the ones I've met, low-end guys. I wish I could meet Feargus or Chris Avellone... and marketing departments suck big balls), but novellists I will rip on quite happily. Like Salinger. Ooooh, I hate Catcher In The Rye.
It's not that I don't respect Bethesda. I didn't like Morrowind, but still. It'd be different if they hired some of the old Fallout Guys as "advisory contractors" or something, or even project heads, but that's likely not going to happen. It may still be a great game, it just won't be the Fallout I knew.
And that makes me sad.
(I am looking for a better PIPBoy image, as my good quality ones seem to have disappeared. If anyone has the old Interplay release B&W PIPBoy pictures, please send them to me! The Interplay site, as should be expected, is dead)
Farewell, PIPBoy... Farewell.