» Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:54 am -My choices change the game. While filled with a considerable number of "gray areas", it's been a blast to see this.
-No more instant health on food and water, and beds are actually pretty sparse.
-hardcoe Mode, though I didn't select it when I started only because I thought it adjusted the difficulty bar. Now that I know, my second game will include it. Yes, I've read it's more of an annoyance than a benefit, but I play this way by default, so it'll strictly be an achievement goal.
-Range of weapons and ammo.
-Better range of armor!
-Binoculars!
-Perks assigned every other level, and the game tries to prevent OP.
-Followers performance, though a little work is still needed. It's nice to have a Passive mode so they're not charging as we're sneaking! About time.
The Cons:
Sadly, this game is forcing my hand at doing things which I dislike. All because, again, levels blow chunks:
-All challenges are divisible by 5. This is been the most annoying feature of the game. Obsidian wants to prevent OP but requires people to round their skills? Boo!
-Currency is laughably ridiculous in this game. I don't sell en masse to collect caps. I find it unrealistic to carry tons of weapons to sell them, but once I hit Gun Runners, I had no choice but to break my own rule just to acquire the weapon (and mods) I wanted.
-Enemies are about as smart as fly paper, so once again, it's quantity over quality. Damn it, I wish developers would stop doing this. Give me one or two enemies with the skills and brains to come after me, not 12 Glowing Ones.
-Since it's quantity over quality, the damage received isn't on par with the damage delivered.
-Skills can't be applied to suit the character, forces players to suit the game. This coincides with #1 on my list of cons, but the point remains: I'm being forced to round my skills because everything is divisible by 5. I don't mind leveling slowly, but it seems half the game is locked out if I don't get them to 40+. That's just insane. I don't expect to have every quest unlocked to me, but I shouldn't fail a challenge of a quest I'm on just because I don't have 2 skill points to meet the divisible by 5 default. Absurdity at its best.
-Too much aid lying in the wasteland. Hey, I know! Why not just make characters indestructible in the next Fallout game. Boo! Once again, I find crap all over the place because only I can see these goods lying in the open of an area long ransacked before I got there. I suppose this is because people would whine the game's too hard? Maybe, but...
-Not enough aid where it matters: More precisely, antidotes. I'm sick and tired of being poisoned to death and antidotes are damn near impossible to find. Maybe it's because I don't know where to get them? Docs and caravans have none, and I've only found two in the entire game, both used. Now, if I face a Cazador that ambushes me (again), I might as well write out my will. I know! I can make my own! *reads skill needed to do so* Screwed.
-Binoculars added to the game but they're no where to be found. I know Ghost has a pair on her table, but I'm curious how caravans wouldn't have this while carrying weapons worth more than their lives. Huh.
-FT forcing my hand to use, once again. I've had several quests where two points are damn near map-border situated, and walking still isn't improved via speed. I heard an increase in AGL in this game gets characters to move faster, but at 8 (7 at start, 1 implant), I see no difference. My Wg is < 100 at all times and I'm wearing light armor. I'd take the 10% increase in speed perk, but I'm going to eventually have no choice but to move to medium armor, since 18 DT seems to be the light armor cap and isn't working against stronger foes I'm now facing. Fire breathing geckos. Now that's rich.
***
Despite the cons, I'll have to say this is the best game Bethesda stamped their name on. Obsidian did a good job, and I'm looking forward to a replay (now knowing what I need to pass a few challenges). I know the replay will be tainted by my current game, but it can't be helped. I thought I was playing by my rules, but it's clear I'm playing by the game's rules.
Before I close, I want to say Vault 34 is the best damn vault I ever had the experience in searching. Not only was the little puzzle intriguing, so too was the constant radiation bombardment. I wasn't impressed with the magically-appearing-out-of-thin-air ghouls, but overall, the entire setting scared the crap out of me. The overseer was a great fight. I suppose my game was "unluckly", because my overseer didn't just stand behind the podium. Thing came after me with all it had.
What really made this memorable was the weapon and mod I purchased at Gun Runners, requiring me to break my "no selling to merchants" rule. Imagine my surprise when I opened the armory.
Spoiler
Two sniper rifles sit in the armory. At least now I have repair backups and don't have to sell Veronica and myself on a street corner to buy another one.
LOL. Yeah, impressive game. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Oh, where am I? I just found Benny and the bastard took off with the chip. Yeah, I could have killed him, but that's not my character. She sort of agreed he and she were nothing more than pawns in the games of others.
A game whose rules are about to change, now that she's tired of being a pawn.
