Fallout and 3: A Look Back

Last month, I played Fallout 3 a lot. I liked it and maybe I was even a little addicted. I thought it was a great game. It was. Now though, it's not as awesome after all. This is a long ass post. If you are familiar with Fallout 3 and/or Fallout you may read on. If not, don't bother. I don't make sense.

Fallout 3 was my first Fallout game in the Fallout franchise. Fallout is an RPG centered on a post-apocalyptic America ravaged by nuclear war, an America slowly rebuilding from the glowing ashes, stuck in the fifties as it would seem. The Fallout series has extensive back story and lore as was the tradition of older RPG games. It even has it's own Fallout Bible containing tidbits for those interested in the Fallout universe. Let me just say this ahead that I'm not geeky in particular to Fallout lore.

Fallout 3 got me curious in the older Fallout games so I decided to download the first and second. I hadn't gotten to the second yet as I decided to play in order and finish the original Fallout first. Once I got used to the "slow" game play of the old Fallout, I found that in many ways, it puts Fallout 3 to shame. I liked Fallout 3 but the original Fallout just ruined it for me. Allow me to work backwards and explain.

In Fallout, the character creation system is a lot more, how should I put it, "challenging" in that the points, skills and traits you distribute have such a big impact in game play. The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system in the original really made you think hard in point spending. For example, a character with Perception below 4 cannot get the Awareness perk thus you can't see the enemy's health points. A character with the Fast Shot trait can shoot many more times but cannot make accurate aimed shots thus making Perception, which determines aim accuracy, a bit of a waste. Hilariously, a character with less than 4 Intelligence points can't even make coherent sentences in dialogue screens and is treated as a caveman in the entire game by everyone. Hell, you even get offered some brain surgery by the NPCs because they feel sorry for you. The skills matter a lot too. Tagged skills double up faster than untagged. So tagging Energy Weapons early game is useless since energy weapons come much later but when the game does reach the late bits, you'll be glad you invested.

In Fallout 3 the character building system is just to easy. Fallout 3's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system doesn't have such a big impact. Why? Because, the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points can easily be raised by collecting bobble heads, getting the Intense Training perk or taking drugs. Drugs by the way are a lot more forgiving than Fallout since the there are no negative after effects unless addicted, the addicted penalties are quite small and addiction can be removed instantly for cheap. Tagged skills do not double the increase rate but are rather just one time bonuses. Skills can be raised easily by again, collecting bobble heads and reading books that are laying around absolutely everywhere. It is possible to raise all skills to 100 unlike fallout where only your Tagged skills could make it to the 200 limit and the rest may not be worth it. Even books in Fallout only increase up to about 95 then no more. It's dumbed down. I feel like it's impossible to screw up and no matter how shitty or nonsensical my build is, quests and dialogue are still the same no matter my stats and I can still kick major ass. I can't even play as a moron. Intelligence doesn't determine dialogue choices anymore since it's all there already. Charisma is useless since I can raise speech easily without it as a booster. Charisma-based perks are always shit anyway.

Game play wise, Fallout is dated but still fun. Just for kicks I made a fast, smooth talking shooter character who doesn't aim but just shoots with Fast Shot and runs with maximum Agility so I reduced Endurance since I could just move away from danger. It's turn based and it can be pretty frustrating at times especially since my companion NPC's seem to shoot me instead. There are bugs and glitches, can't say it was that perfect.

Fallout 3 has bugs and glitches too though some of them are really breaking. The V.A.T.S. error from the patch comes to mind. Again, as I reach the level cap, I'm pretty much unstoppable and can go any play style I want with little S.P.E.C.I.A.L. impact. Bruiser, thief or sniper with build having little impact. V.A.T.S. feels like cheating mode since I'm pretty much immune to enemy fire when I activate it but it's always fun for me seeing the heads roll.

When it comes to immersion and storyline, I can say Fallout really had it. The story was great and interesting. Some NPC's had voice overs and they were made by very skilled voice actors like Jim Cummings. The quests had many solutions. Diplomat characters have an easy time squeezing experience and info from people rather than though guys who end up having to punch everything that gets in the way since they can't smooth talk their way out of a fight. For example, In the finale where I met the mastermind who mutated people into super mutants or "meta-humans" as a means to unite people under one "evolved" race, racial superiority, madness, whatever. I simply used my cunning linguist skills, showed him that his creations can't even procreate by themselves thus making them naturally unsustainable and he promptly killed himself after I showed him how retarded his grand plan was. Awesome. I just made the end boss, the Master, the honcho, kill himself by crushing his dreams. Just Awesome.

In Fallout 3 the quests, except a few like The Replicated Man, Tranquility Lane and Oasis, were pretty OK although a little nonsensical. Fetch a violin? That's fine with me, not all quests have to be spectacular but the main quest however felt...weird. I won't go to detail about the whole main storyline but the ending really made me rage. There was a button which had to be pressed to save the world or something but the room had high levels of radiation. The ultimate choice was that I go in and be the damned hero or let the NPC girl, who you didn't see a lot of anyway, do it and be called a coward. Either way the doomed hero dies and the game ends no matter who it was. The game ends just like that. What's worse is that sacrifice wasn't even necessary. I had a mutant companion who was immune to radiation. IMMUNE. I asked him to push the button so nobody would have to die. It was win-win. He didn't because it was "my destiny". I raged so hard. I thought, "But..uh..but, Fallout games had a reputation for multiple solutions to problems!". I even had a companion who was healed by radiation. HEALED. AND was contractually obligated to do my bidding simply tell me to fuck off. Damn. The story sucked and the voice acting was damn repetitive. The expansion pack "fixed" the ending but whatever.

All in all the lore differed too. In Fallout for example, the Brotherhood were tech-heads. In Fallout 3 they were goody two-shoes white knights but enough about lore. I thought playing the original would make me enjoy the Fallout franchise as a whole. Instead it made me sad. A bitter, angry gamer upset over the what could have been for Fallout 3 and I have not even touched Fallout 2 yet. Fallout 3 isn't bad but it's not as good to me anymore. I still like Fallout 3 but I can't say it was the good experience I was looking for and found in the original. Playing the Fallout just ruined Fallout 3 for me. I'm going to the toilet.

Weekend of Lame Scandal

Over the weekend there was a scandal. A scandal of monstrous proportions. A scandal that threatened to tear the very fabric of Philippine society asunder, destroy our cherished moral values, corrupt our innocent children and shatter our hopes for peace in Mindanao. A scandal that threatened to raise the oceans to devour our blessed archipelago in one violent cataclysm. I am of course referring to that stupid, sex tape scandal non-issue that the media can't shut up about.

The story: Some young, rich, hotshot dickhead banged a lot of women including rich famous ones and a renowned plastic surgeon. The guy made about forty sex videos of different women probably without their consent. It seems he got it on with everyone and their mother. Some of the videos got leaked on the Internet including the one with the famous people. DVDs were swiftly made and sold in the dark market and a national shitstorm ensued.

The media was all over it like flies to dog poo. Reporting on it over and over well into the weekend. As usual there were tears and sad piano music. One famous woman who co-starred in one of the amateur productions wanted the guy's Doctor's License removed. Wait a second, oh yeah, the asshole guy was a doctor. And I thought having a degree makes you "smarter" and a cut above the other "losers" in this society. Goes to show having a diploma doesn't cure stupidity even if the diploma is for medicine.

I know why he made those videos. It doesn't take a degree to know why he did it unlike those psychiatrists paraded on TV to try explain it to the "simple folk". He's probably an insecure little prick who made those videos as trophies to show the cool kids he was cool too. "Hey guys! Look who I bagged last Thursday!" Disgusting. Having all those videos lying around, he was just asking for it to be leaked. The psychologists on TV said he had a narcissistic disorder or something. See, that "disorder" bullshit belongs in America. We shouldn't try to excuse the guy. The guy even went on TV "apologizing" weakly and saying he was a victim to. Boo hoo. Please.

Naturally, somehow this rather insignificant incident in the private lives of citizens went to congress, providing our charming congressmen another opportunity to grandstand. Turns out that the law is pretty mum on the issue of sex videos and this new "Internet" thingy. Apparently our dusty old codes and privacy laws cant handle something like this. "Why isn't there a law against this!" the retarded masses cry. You know what? There WAS supposed to be a law to cover crimes like this but congress sat on it's ass as usual and the law got bogged down in the fetid tar pit that is our law-making body. What the fuck have our representatives been doing? What have they NOT been doing? Are you telling me that its the future age with mass communications and the Internet and our laws can't even handle something as minor as this? OH. MY. GOD. I feel secure of my privacy already.

Well there you have it. The worst part of this little circus was that for a moment, the only thing everyone could talk about in this Christian country was the so called "sex tape scandal". Everyone. "Hey did you hear about the sex tape scandal?" "He really porked her good didn't he?" Really folks, are we that shallow and droll that this is the subject of national discourse? Do we really have nothing else to talk about? Crime, economy, the future of our country, nothing? Damn it. The videos weren't even that good.

The Youth Boat

Time to rant. You know what irritates me? All the yapping about the youth vote. I hate listening to media asshats talk about how the educated youths in colleges and whatnot can vote to affect the country or how change can happen when the youth "express" their views for a better country. It's all nonsensical gibberish.

The youth don't care. They just don't. They would rather sing that stupid "Umbrella-ella" song than the anthem. They would rather wipe an old man's ass in New Zealand as a nurse that give a shit about the country. That's what you get growing up in a culture of cynicism where even our parents and teachers remind us about how much we suck and how we used to be number one or how better Singapore is at everything. That's why voter registration is only a trickle and you actually need TV networks and programs to coax the new meat out of the mall and into the poll booths.

The media love to spew phrases like, "love of country", "make a difference", "speak your mind" and other touchy-feely bull crap. Somehow if you register and vote this election, you are showing love for your country. This is wrong. Which is why to counter the youth vote program, I propose the the youth boat program. I propose that the youth simply hurry up, get on the boat and leave. The culture of cynicism has claimed me too you see and I'm still pretty young too. You can't fight the system. Rizal was wrong. Don't wait for a messiah because he will never come. So pack your backs, youths of the nation and flee, flee...to America! You know what they say, Filipinos who make it abroad are "heroes" who love their country. Don't you love your country?

Weekend of Disappointment

I feel like ranting this Sunday instead of pretending to be smart. I went to watch that X-men Origins: Wolverine movie.

First I was in the theatre back row near the toilets since all the good seats had been taken. I didn't mind. I wanted to see this movie but I hate going to the theatres since people are generally inconsiderate assholes that ruin everything. Sure enough there was this couple beside me that were snuggling and I knew this was gonna be a problem. Sure enough, the girl, who was pregnant, kept asking stupid questions like, "Who's that guuuy?", "Is that his brotherrrr?" And the moron who I assume knocked her up with his moron seed answered, "Oh, that's his brother, who will also grow up to be his rival. I hope everyone heard me." Great. So that's how it's gonna be, giving away details. She kept asking questions. She wouldn't have to if she, I don't know, paid attention? Worse, she had to go past me to go to the bathroom often since she was pregnant. They still wouldn't shut up and the movie sucked too.

The movie was a convoluted pile of shit. At first Wolverine as a kid was like, "I killed you for killing my dad." and then he was like "Wrong move son, I AM your dad." And then Wolverine runs to the forest, fights in all major US wars, joins secret government organization, pussies out and becomes Canadian as a result. And then it was like, "They killed my Wife!" and then she was like, "I'm not really dead, I was just using you." And then they really loved each other. ZOMG GAMBIT, XAVIER Whoop! MEMORIES ERASED. The End. Seriously, It moved too fast. It sucked and then I stepped on some shit on the way home.

Today I watched the over hyped match between Filipino Boxer Manny Pacicantspellit and some Brit named Hatton. On round one, Manny Pacwan knocks down hatton TWICE. I was like WTF? and then round two, boom, Hatton leaves in an ambulance and Manny Pacman buys another house. Crap, Hatton eats it in just two rounds. What a disappointment. See, I'm not like those almost-patriots celebrating Manny Pacistani's "victory" as a victory for the whole Filipino nation somehow. I wanted action. I wanted a real fight that keeps me at the edge of my seat. Instead, I get two rounds and thirty-minute commercials. I kinda felt sorry for Hatton and his numerous fans that came out to see him get served but still, the bastard still walks away with a nifty sum for only two rounds which is more than I can say for the numerous pay-per-viewers and ticket buyers expecting to see Manny Packedlunch in the fight of the century.

What a weekend of disappointment. Oh, and this post has spoilers.