Whilst playing Fallout 2, it donned on me that while New Vegas will probably be a lot better than Fallout 3, it probably won't be quite as good as the original games. Not because of any mechanical issues or complete overhaul of gameplay, but because of, ironically, it's writing. Yes, the game is being written and developed by many of the same people from Black Isle who did the first and second game, but there is one reason that it still probably will not come close to surpassing the greatness of Fallout 2: Ratings.

Think about it; if Fallout 2 was made, exactly the same way it is now, today, do you believe that it would get passed the rating board with only an M rating? Personally, I doubt it. Much of what made that game awesome was how "real" and dark it was. Real in that it didn't have any Deus Ex Machina explaining away all the IRL horror that the game shows and dark in that many of these horrors are joked about. Things like [censored], child molestation, six, drug use, alcoholism, murder, gruesome violence and even bestiality. Even with the same graphics the original games have, I really don't think if they went through the rating board, they would get anything lower than an advlts Only (AO) rating; which means that, at least in the United States, no retail outlet would carry it.

Now try to imagine all that same imagery from FO1 and FO2 that was mostly described through TEXT, now shown in all it's modern day high definition 3D glory. Not even gonna fly. The violence will stay, but in order to keep the rating down where it needs to be, other things must be compromised. We have already seen, in Fallout 3, the rating board demolish kill-able children. There is, as far as I can remember anyway, no mention of [censored] at all in Fallout 3. There's just violence and some sporadic use of coarse language. You can't even get laid, even though there is at least one [censored] in the game (maybe you can screw her, but she never wanted me even if I paid). They sure as hell don't have any shady porm studios where you can get poisoned after going in the back and waxing some shafts for 5 caps.

While many of this is true, you credit too much to the rating board. Alot of the reasons why they won't add "Controversial" content is because of the public. Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 weren't mainstream at the time of their release, so you really never had a situation where a stereotypical soccermom found her son playing a game where he could kill children, do drugs, have six, etc. Look at Mass Effect and its "six Scene", that was blown way out of proportion and it didn't even show anything. Blame the 24/7 news channels that constantly need new stories along with the rating boards.

its financial...
Rather than screen every product, outlets like walmart will blanket refuse any unrated title (or title rated above 'M').
Some countries even forbid the advertisemant of games classed as "advlt" (for whatever reason).

I disagree with you across the board here. I think fallout 2 would more or less get the same rating today as it did when it was released, and I think the rating is completely irrelevant to the greatness of the game, as is killing children. Nova does offer you her services for $120 and the game is scripted to put her in your bed when you wake up, pretty much the same effect as a "Fade the black, cut to the bedroom afterwards" if you think about it.

And I think the porm studio was a mistake in New Reno, and the devs afterwards have expressed some disapoitnment in the New Reno end product.

Fallout 2 would probably still be rated M (especially if we take in account the game's graphics. Now if FO2 was made using the same engine and systems Beth uses, then I"m not sure ESRB would be that thrilled with blowing off a child's head or limb), but the public outcry would be horrendous. And that public outcry could cause far more problems for a company than an advlt rating.

Edit: I find the porm studio in New Reno to be hilarious because I truly believe that after the Fall of Humanity, the revival of the porm industry will be a sign of the return of organized, mass-civilization :whistling: