Monte Carlo

Was he as garishly colored as everything else in that movie? I mean Ultraviolet the short-lived UK TV series. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_AAdFmm84A Wow, someone else saw it too? To call it niche is an over statement. Being repeated on satellite TV here in the UK at the moment, it was genuinely a bit hammy and a bit creepy at the same time. Recommended.

^ Actually, I was just thinking about Angelina Jolie in a wetsuit and will concede that her posh Lara Croft accent is really quite good. I agree with Clint Eastwood, who argues that her looks kind of detract from the fact that she's clearly a talented actress.

Maybe I'm just an old-fashioned curmudgeon, but my basic requirement is that the game I pay my hard-earned cash for is in a language I understand. If that means that the chainmail-clad vikings talk like Bill & Ted then, hey, that's life. I'm sure if I were Latvian and I bought a game designed for English-speaking markets then I'd accept that the Latvian version might not be as polished from a VO perspective. I certainly accept that when I play CDV titles (for example) which have some pretty dodgy English (both written and spoken). Their games are good though, on the whole, and I can understand them. Voila! I do, however, echo the sentiments regarding American VO talent trying to sound English, and in fact Irish, Welsh and Scottish. This is an important issue because like it or not, a lot of vanilla fantasy has UK and Irish-written stuff as source material. And, like it or not (again), the most culturally important market in the world also speaks English, albeit obviously the new-fangled Merriam-Webster version. This led to the worst ever piece of American - English VO in the history of gaming, that is the person who did Saemon Havarian in BG2. Honestly, I wretch just thinking about it. Perhaps it explains why Americans often mistake London accents as Australian. Curiously, lots of British actors do really good American accents (think about it - most of the cast of Band of Brothers was actually British, for example, or what about Dominic West as McNulty in The Wire? My favourite bit was West playing an Irish American cop trying to do an English accent - the bordello scene from Season 2. Hilarious, as West actually went to a top English private school and has a cut-glass upper class accent in R/L). American actors who can do a convincing English accent? Hmmm. I'm struggling. The one that immediately springs to mind is Gwyneth Paltrow, who has clearly worked very hard and almost pulls it off. So does Renee Zelwegger (Bridget Jones), again I suspect a lot of hard work went into that given that she's Texan. So, for me, is this issue worth the cost? No. I sympathise that getting a Portguese VO artist might be tough, but that's why we pay VO artists - to mimic and imitate. Hey, Obsidian is in LA - I'm sure if you look hard enough you'll find someone from every corner of the planet who wants to act! Cheers MC

As for Newc's point, valid as it is, are you seriously telling me that Atari won't indulge in a bit of tomb-raiding by plundering these old franchises? Look at the evidence as old favourites are disinterred and, er, ruined time and time again.

Off topic, but I saw that Newc could edit his posts. For some reason I can't. Why's that? There's no edit icon.

Why did so many people love Baldur's Gate? Was it the setting? Not really. The FR is campy, generic high fantasy. I hate campy, generic high fantasy but I love Baldur's Gate. and Baldur's gate itself is a campy, generic high fantasy city. Was it the fact that it was a D&D game? Probably not. Over the years I've discussed the series with hundreds of fans on different forums, many of whom never played D&D before. And let it not be forgotten that BG is 2nd Edition, the worst iteration of the game until 4E came along, making 2nd Ed look like a Van Gogh of game design. Funnily enough, many D&D newcomers actually liked the restrictive race / class choice rules and dual-classing and THACO. Dunno why, but they did. Was it the story? Er, no. The 'Chosen One'-orphan meme, hunted by a myriad of evil foes is hackneyed and dull. So, what was it, sport fans? It's not difficult: It was a good game. Expansive, humorous, exciting combat, lovely to look at, NPCs that somebody had thought about, lots of fighting and loot. A whole lot of effort and love had been put into it and it showed. It was also over-developed, an Alladin's cave of things to do, see and choose. In a word, superlative. You could recreate that with any setting, genre and style of CRPG. That not many have achieved it since is, indeed, a MYSTARY but you don't in my humble need to call it Baldur's Gate. Cheers MC

Will they please, for the love of god, just leave Baldur's Gate alone? Having said that, I suppose the success of re-vamping another long-dead, cult-status franchise (Fallout) has got someone thinking about a Q4 2010 release... As for NWN. Meh. I suppose there will be a 4th Ed Pokemon-style, button mashing cross-platform game for people with attention-deficit issues, which I shall happily ignore. Cheers MC

I'm still looking forward to the game, although I suspect I'll enjoy it more when a mod that nerfs cut-scenes is released.

How do you think a party without any arcane spell-casters would do? I find mages, sorcerers (etc) rather boring and would rather slash / bludgeon / karate chop my way through the game. I know D&D usually forces you to do this, but given that this is NWN maybe there's scope for a party sans wizards. Cheers MC

It depends on the weapon (of course), but the more advanced a weapon is, the more likely you're going to have a problem with it. For example, most American made weapons are very advanced and accurate. But as soon as they're dirty they start malfunctioning. The complete opposite, the AK-47, which consists of something like 15-20 parts (!) basically never malfunctions and is so leaky you can even fire it under water (or so the myth says)! But accuracy at 100+ meters is useless. Sorry to be a gun nerd but a few corrections. Firstly, American weapons don't start malfunctioning as soon as they're dirty. In fact, the M16 was deliberately designed to address maintenance issues in tropical climates. It's not a jam-prone weapon, it's got relatively few parts, opens like a shotgun and is made of composite materials. The M4 is better. The peripherals that American soldiers favour (optics, laser sights, grenade launchers etc), that sit on Picatinny rails, are another story. On that one you're mistaken. Although the legendary AK47 is indeed one of the most durable firearms on earth, it's also accurate at ranges well over 100 metres. I find it difficult to slot the receiver back on the rear of the weapon after stripping (yes, it is ludicrously easy to field strip) but then again I'm cack-handed. Technically, most firearms should fire underwater until of course the ammunition is compromised by moisture. As for Fallout, like Walsingham said, a well-preserved firearm should last indefinitely. It's quite simple technology and the most degradable part of the whole deal is the ammunition. That would be the problem - finding ammo thats not home-brewed and likely to explode in the breech. In 2077 soldiers would be better off fighting with a Museum preserved Lee-Enfield .303 SMLE than a laser rifle. Cheers MC

You see, there are reasonable Fallout fans! I don't think Bethseda could ask for anything else from the old-skool fans of the series, but it's still rare praise indeed. Cheers MC

Personally, the fact that: 1. I found all previous Bethseda games extremely unrewarding 2. I prefer party-based games 3. I don't like FPS-style games 4. Fallout (except Tactics) was a bit "Meh" for me Makes FO3 remarkable. Because I think it's an extremely enjoyable, replayable labour of love by developers who clearly thought carefully about what they were doing. They deserve their success, and other developers who were giving up on Western RPGs might want to consider the plaudits given to FO3 and ponder how they might use it to their advantage. OK, there have been a few moments where I thought I might have been playing Grand Theft Auto's Mad Max expansion pack, but thankfully they've stayed on the right side of that particular line. The next phase for me, to cement Bethseda in my mind as a developer I'll start to get behind and buy stuff from is (a) future content and modes and (b) crucially, technical support and patching. Cheers MC

What are you talking about? Are you Trying to play with keyboard+mouse and gamepad at the same time? I'm left handed. My left hand is using the mouse to aim, direct the character. My right hand is for the keyboard, you know walking and picking stuff up and accessing the PIPboy. I've only got two hands, not enough radiation exposure I'm afraid. I'm thinking of buying a five litre refrigerated Camelbak with a drinking tube and filling it with Peroni to add to the wastelands / survivalist vibe. Cheers MC

I know some of these have already been mentioned, but I think they are worth reiterating. Then, perhaps, developers might stop doing them. LENGTHY CUTSCENES - No, you don't work in the movies. I know you might like to, but until you do stop trying to impress me with your screenplay and directing skillz. I pine for the days of the brief "up the stairs to the brick wall in Spellhold" cutscene. MYSTARY! ROMANCES - Just. Stop. It. JOINABLE NPCs - Dear developer. You might think that you've created the best NPC ever. So good, in fact, that they MUST join my party. Trust me, they don't. And, whatever you do, don't compound this heinous crime by giving said NPC (a) a cutscene and (b) a romance. CRAFTING - Why? Let me collect the bits, give it to the Scottish Dwarf, pay him ten grand and bingo! I can get back to the freaking game. Thanks. GAMES WITH MULTIPLE CONTROLS - I love Fallout 3. I really do. I also hate Fallout 3. Why? I can't play and drink beer at the same time. Shame on you. OVER-NERFED BOSSES - So the Orc has 600 hp and is resistant to the "Kill Orc" spell. Why? Because it's easier than developing a level / encounter that uses the rules? OK, we don't mind you taking liberties here and there (Rule Zero) but there has to be a limit. GAMES THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO MOD - I know it's painful for some pros to accept that there are fans who can make the game more fun than they could. Unfortunately, it's a fact of life. Some real pros join in and win undying respect (Gaider springs to mind). Cheers MC

Maybe it's because I'm a klutz, but I'm finding the inventory / barter system (designed as it clearly is for a console game pad) a pain in the arse. Apart from that, having a ball. Cheers MC

OK, it's taken me all day to get the thing working, but now it is I suggest that it's a game of rare beauty. It's like an Italian sports car... horribly made but definitely worth the ride all the same. I finally realised why I spent the extra money on a decent video card - first time in ages I've just walked around a game just enjoying the scenery. Anyway, it does beg the question - why couldn't they make their fantasy RPGs as good as this? Am looking forward to VATS with axes, shield bashes, horned helmet goring (etc). Cheers MC

There are a number of common issues, not least SecuROM, the need to run MSConfig and disable all startup apps and renaming your install shield manually... I think I'm making some progress, but lots of people have had install issues. And I'm running a higher-than-minimum-specs gaming rig with a GeForce 9800 video card and bags of memory... Cheers MC

I'm sure I'd enjoy this game if I could actually install it. Been trying all day and am now going to buy an Xbox instead.

Could Bethesda outsource Fallout to Obsidian? I'm not a business school graduate, but let me ponder this question anyway. You've just spent a great deal of blood and treasure taking on a dormant, controversial, not-very-easy-to-understand IP. The fan base hates you. The mainstream's response to Fallout is, by and large, "Huh?" and nobody really seems to rate your ability to pull it off based on your history of sandbox fantasy games that look nice but are full of cardboard NPCs. In the real world, we call this a risk. Anyhow, you release your game and guess what? By and large, people love it. Gamers who were sceptical have been magnanimous in admitting they were wrong and extend their respect. Hell, you even turn a profit. In particular, the console crossover works and is pulling in the dollars. The franchise is alive and well and a potential cash-cow. In the office you pop open some champagne and, not unreasonably, pat yourselves on the back. What do you do next? Hmmm. Well I'll tell you what I'd be unlikely to do, and that's offer up my new-found and hard won success to a third party to keep some backwoodsmen fans happy. Cheers MC

I'm picking the game up today or tomorrow. This is a really good thread, helped me make my mind up, thanks to all who've contributed. I like marksman / stealth characters with some diplomacy skills and maybe a tiny smattering of tech ability. Any ideas for a character build? Because to be honest that manual will kill me and I haven't played anything using SPECIAL for a couple of years. Don't mind minor spoilers, power-gaming or meta-builds either. Cheers in advance, MC BTW: Most surreal moment of the week? Walking through a small rural English village on a frosty autumn morning to be confronted by a 3' high picture of a BOS trooper at a bus stop ad. FO3 advertising has gone massive here in the UK, presumably because it's a big console title.

An expansion pack that completely turns on playing evil characters. From over-the-top Mwu-ha-ha comic book evil to sinister, pretending-to-be-someone-else evil. Choose the path of the evil warlord, dark mage aspiring to lich-hood, spy-master rogue or demonic cult-building cleric. To make it even better, and unlike vanilla D&D, try stuff like: the fighter / warrior path might involve leading the orc horde as an orc PC. And I'm not one of those people who usually plays an evil character, either, I just think that Obsidian would take this ball and run with it better than most other developers. No Drow though. Or Underdark. Please. Cheers MC

^ BTW, anybody else remember the Morrow Project and Gamma World? I'm wondering if MCA or Scott Bennie were influenced by them or played them? The Morrow Project (i.e. vault-frozen government specialists defrosted to tame post-apocalyptic America) is a bit Fallout-esque. Cheers MC

You, sir, are a genius. After all, Tactics showed how the setting could be used to make a solid squad-based wargame, and be more fun that the pure RPGs to boot (the best RPG in Fallout should be a grenade launcher). A strategy game set in a quirky PA setting like Fallout's would be groovier than Austin Powers wearing a pimp's hat whilst driving a segway scooter. Indifferent as I am towards FO1 & 2, you really can't fault the setting behind Fallout. Am buying FO3 out of idle curiosity, mainly because I've not bought a game for almost a year and I need a distraction until SoZ comes out. I'm hoping I like it. Cheers MC

Apparently, from the smug left-wing rubric on the side of their ice cream cartons, Ben & Jerry's have a soul. It almost puts me off eating their otherwise suplerlative 'Phish Phood' which is easily one of my favourites, alongside the amusingly titled 'Cherry Garcia.' Sorry, please continue discussing Dragon Age. Cheers MC

Full Spectrum Warrior = Problem was that it was a thinking person's game wearing a sexy, button-mashing disguise. Not for me, perhaps, but it might explain why it wasn't as big as it deserved to be. I find myself unmoved by the prospect of a WW2 version, though, for some reason. Probably because there have been so many WW2 FPS / squad tactics games.