Editorial: Letting Go of Fallout

If clinging to our gaming past impedes our enjoyment of gaming present, why do we do it?
3/21/2008 12:00 AM | 1 Comments | Page 2 of 2

I believe Fallout 3 is going to rock. I'm telling you this not because a developer asked me to, or because a publisher paid me to. I can't name a single member of the development team, nor do I have any further information than what is publicly available. I've never seen the game in action, and I know next to nothing about the plot. I work in the gaming industry, yes, but in this instance I am simply a gamer, analyzing what I know and what information is available to make a conclusion. I've spent time thinking about it, looking back on the experience of playing the first two titles (let's avoid talking about Fallout Tactics or Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, shall we?) and analyzing what I know about the people working on this latest installment, and I've come to my conclusion.

It's not going to be a third-person isometric game. It's not going to be primarily comprised of a few shades of grey and brown. It's not going to exclusively feature a turn-based combat system, nor is it going to star a descendant of the original Vault Dweller. It's not being written by the game's original writers or designed by the game's original designers. It's not even going to be set in California!

I've decided I'm fine with that, because here's what is happening: The game is being created by a group of designers who by all indications loved the original Fallout just as much as I did. It's being produced by a company that believes in lengthy development schedules so that they can cram their games full of content. It's using an engine that, with some texture upgrades, is still visually stunning on modern machines and based on the screenshots I've seen so far can definitely handle "post-apocalyptic" as well as it handled "swords and sorcery." Best of all, the first trailer they've released absolutely nails the Fallout feel.

I'm excited, and it's a rare occurrence these days for this particular Crispy Gamer to get too excited about any particular game. It took a conscious effort, though. It took pulling off the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia and looking the bogeyman of progress in the eye. Scary, I know, but it was something I think I needed to do. Disagree if you want, but I'll tell you this: It's a lot more fun to be excited about Fallout 3 than it was being worried about it.

And like I said: if we're not having fun, why the hell are we playing games in the first place?

Christopher Buecheler started gaming with the Atari 2600. He co-created GameSpy.com, where he went by the name "shaithis," and wrote their popular Resident Cynic column. Now the principle UI developer for Crispy Gamer, he still writes when the mood strikes. Stop by the Crispy Gamer Development Group, where he goes by "CaptainHomeless," and say hello!