Fallout 3 Preview
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You can play the entire game in first- or third-person, and Bethesda has put extra effort into making both play well. "Much more finely tuned and playable than what we did for Oblivion," says Hines. It's also here where we get a first real look at what playing this RPG as a shooter would be like. So far, we're not convinced.
Let us preface these comments by saying that we didn't actually play the game ourselves. But watching Hines play, we got the impression that the shooter system is still very loose. It doesn't seem to flow as well as you would expect a dedicated shooter to and enemies don't seem to show any outward signs of being damaged by repeated gunfire before they finally fall into a pile on the ground. In one scene Hines fires a chain gun at an enemy who fires back but is otherwise unperturbed until he drop dead.
V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System), too, isn't perfect yet, Hines admits. Those familiar with the original games will feel comfortable immediately with V.A.T.S., which exactly replicates the body-part-specific targeting system. Percentages show your probability of success, taking some of the action out of the mix but allowing you more time to think things through - very helpful if you find yourself in a tough spot. If that's not your thing, don't worry. "You don't ever have to use V.A.T.S.," says Hines.
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That's because, and this is a point that Hines comes back to again and again, Fallout 3 is about choice. It's about creating a real world for RPG and shooter fans alike to have fun in. Sure, it doesn't look anything like the world outside, but it's been designed to react realistically to your presence in it - no matter what you're doing.
"The idea is that we create a big sandbox game where you can create whatever kind of character you want and spend all your time doing whatever it is you want to do," he says. "We're not going to tell you what you have to do. We don't put time limits on it. We don't say you have to do this quest next. Just go have fun doing whatever it is you want to do."
"It's not like we're asking to see your RPG genre card at the door or you can't buy a copy. We're making the best game that we can, that we think is a lot of fun, that is true to what we think a Fallout game should be and should include and is true to the type of games we make."
