Fallout 3 Previews

A website and magazine preview of Fallout 3 have surfaced, both based on the latest demo showing. Gameplayer Australia has a fairly expansive 8-page preview, the last 3 pages being a big list of facts:

Bits & Pieces

* The musical selection and art design shares remarkable similarities with Bioshock. Not to mention theme: the concept of the vaults parallel’s the social experiment that is Rapture. That said, we can see the irony in saying this, given Bioshock’s original inspiration.
* You cannot see your hands in 1st-person view unless you are holding a weapon: the screen is 100% dedicated to the world. It’s a bit weird when your character picks up an object (seemingly) by osmosis.
* Every character in the world has a name, an identity and a personality. There are no random NPCs.
* While in Vault 101 you will be required to take the G.O.A.T. Not for a ride, it stands for General Occupation Aptitude Test and it is a requirement when you come of age to determine which career you will be best suited for. You could be a delivery boy!
* Fallout 3 features the best explosions ever. Period.
* Elements of the game world hold radiation that will affect your character. This may be the wreck of a nuclear powered car, a body of water, the detonation points of nuclear powered weaponry, places where the irradiated ghouls fire up their powers and more. Your Pip-boy tallies your radiation and you will need to find RAD Away pick-ups around the world that will counter the effects.
* There are no drivable vehicles in the game. Only those you can blow to bits.
* The type of armour you are wearing and the weapon you are carrying will affect your ground speed. Towards the end of the game huge power-suits and massive chain guns can really weigh you down.
* Fallout 3 is a massive real-time world, which allows you to see things miles away and walk all the way up to them. However, heading in and out of internal areas be they sewers, bars, or buildings incurs a loading time. It’s very short, but still a bit annoying after the seamless merging of the two states in GTA IV.
* Fallout 3’s world is slighty smaller than Oblivions, but one gaze at the map (visualised in a similar fashion to the land of Tamriel) is stacked with things to do. This includes other vaults.
* The general combat and world SFX are incredibly good. Get that home theatre system cracking gamers!
* Your reputation will follow you around Washington DC: characters will react to you and talk to you in different ways depending on where you moral barometer (or Karma) is sitting at the time.
* Dogmeat is not your only companion in the game. You can also party-up with one other human(oid) character, but the availability of that option will be subject to your Karma.
* You can assign anything to a hot key.
* If an enemy spots a better weapon on the ground, they will drop what they have got and make an effort to get it. We’ve seen this in action.
* Believe the screenshots, this game is gory. A shotgun to the head, in particular, has results which will churn the innards of the weak of gut.
* To help balance combat, you still take damage while in the slow-mo of accessing the V.A.T.S system.
* Can anyone say Havok? The popular physics engine is in full effect throughout the world which makes for some nice toying around. Blow up a car and watch the tyres, bonnets and more go spiling out and rolling across the world.
* Bethesda claim a 25hr experience if you stick to the story quests only, but at least 100hrs for explorers and completists.
* You can pick-pocket from characters around the world. In a nice twist you can also drop a live grenade into someone’s pocket if you are good enough. Funny shit. That said, if you are caught doing it or any crime expect a reaction dependent on your current Karma and the personality of the victim.
* You can switch between first and third person at any time.
* The objects you can select in V.A.T.S differ per enemy. For example, when we were attacked by giant ants, we could aim to shoot for their Antenna. Without these the things lost perspective and went berko, often attacking other ants.
* Weapons will gradually degrade and when weakened will be more likely to jam. But you can pillage other versions of the same weapon for parts to ensure you always have one at full strength.
* You can kill someone with a teddy bear. You have to find the teddy bear, then use it as ammo, and then get real lucky. But still, we love the option.
* You can build your own weapons from scrap you find lying around: all you need is the components, the schematics and a workbench. We heard of one involving a leaf-blower and a vacuum. Weapon, or sex toy. time will tell.
* There are mini-games to enjoy, like lock-picking, and tuning in you Pip-boy to find radio signals which may give you directions to quests and survivors.
* The Bloody Mess perk is in the game, as are a host of others. Pete Hines claimed that you will receive a perk every time you level up. Then later said you level up 19 times to a maximum of 20. Which means around 19 perks by out maths.
* We asked Pete Hines whether the seemingly shelved project Rogue Warrior: Black Razor still existed. (It very much exists) was his answer. So there you go gamers, something else to chew on, maybe for 2009.

NMA has some tidbits taken from the preview/interview of Greek gaming magazine PC Master.

Q: We’re curious regarding how stats work during a first person battle. For instance if the player is, say, half a meter away of the target and shoots, will it be possible to miss for some mysterious reason, just for having low stats?
Hines: Your stats and weapon you use, will definitely affect your efficiency during battles.
How often you hit your target, damage done, all that stuff has to be affected up to a point by the character you made.The factor of that influence is something we’re very concerned about at this phase. We’re playing the game ourselves and watch what seems to have the best, most “normal” feeling.

In a possible scenario you’re referring to, well, you’d hit the target most times, but you wouldn’t damage them so much. The goal is the numbers to have a meaning in a way that seems logical to the player.