I remember back in the olden days of IRC there were a couple of guys from here that were as into Fallout as I was.  Have any of you played Fallout 3?  So far I've beaten it twice, and bought every DLC expansion (my favorite was Point Lookout with the mutant hillbillies, I think).  Well they're already almost done with the next one, and not only is it as big as Fallout 3, but it's being made by Obsidian, the same dev crew as the original Fallout games, so I'm getting ready for even more Awesome Plus.

I read a great review of it on The Escapist: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/previews/7505-First-Look-at-Fallout-New-Vegas

What, then, would be the most unexpected development in the history of Fallout games? What could Bethesda announce for its next Fallout title that would both mystify casual observers and potentially satisfy the hardcore fans of the franchise? How about announcing that the next title in the series, Fallout: New Vegas, would be developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the studio created by veterans of Black Isle, and headed up by Feargus Urquhart, the team leader on Fallout 2?

It's going to have two modes, normal and hardcore.  Normal is like Fallout 3 was, and hardcore mode will have differences like ammo having weight, healing happening over time instead of instantly, having o keep track of water rations to stave off dehydration, and taking an hour nap in a bed not fixing a broken leg anymore.

It's gonna be great, I think.

I fucking loved Fallout 1, 2, and Tactics but I hear Fallout 3 is a completely different beast.
It's like the equivalent of Doom 3 as compared to Doom 1, 2, and Final.

The ads looked great for it so really I do intent on playing it. Heck I played the freaking dungeon crawler Brotherhood of Steel even though I knew I'd regret it. But I've got too much school at the moment. I have to graduate before I look at anything funner than casual games. Ironically I keep buying the new releases even though I'm abstaining. I'm more of a console game fan these days but I have numerous games for a system I don't even own yet.

Suffice to say I've been slacking on my gaming but I'm good at coming up with excuses.

Fallout 1 & 2 were top down or side scrollers, Fallout 3 is a FPS. It's pretty good, you can keep playing even after you beat the main quest.

Fallout 1 & 2 were top down or side scrollers, Fallout 3 is a FPS. It's pretty good, you can keep playing even after you beat the main quest.

That's only if you have the Broken Steel expansion.

I'm one of those guys that beat the original two fallout games over a dozen times each, and I loved Fallout 3.  It is a good bit different, though.  The engine is a lot like Oblivion, if you played that, except instead of swords and bows you have taped-together hunting rifles and lasers and miniguns and cobbled-together rifles that shoot railway spikes and make a choo choo train sound when you fire them.  And a flaming sword powered by a motorcycle gas tank.  And a rocket launcher that shoots mini-nukes.  And another rocket launcher powered by a vacuum cleaner that shoots whatever trash you put in it, like pool balls, coffee cups, clothes irons, and teddy bears.  I got a critical hit on a super mutant and sheared off his head with a teddy bear.

And running from Super Mutants past the Museum of Natural History to take cover at the Washington Monument because BoS guys in power armor are guarding it was just made of awesome.

I'm one of those guys that beat the original two fallout games over a dozen times each

If you liked Fallout 1 and 2 I'd seriously recommend Tactics. I'll admit that it's lacking a bit in terms of plot, but it's got everything else. Same capacity to totally fuck with in-game variables, SPECIAL system, 2D isometric viewpoint. I finally bought it despite the negative reviews a few years ago and it was as if Van Buren had been completed but better.

Also for any true Fallout nerds, has anyone tried Wasteland or Fountain of Dreams? I got about a quarter of the way through Wasteland before all hell broke loose. The game has some incomprehensible plot twists. The part that made me quit was when I came to this town where they wanted me to clear out a clutch of bandits. I accepted the mission and after much search I finally located a cave in a garden area and fought my way through hell only to arrive outside of the city in the Wasteland again. But with the cave cleared I returned to town only to have the townsfolk pelt me with rubbish that took off lives. And they all said things like "You abandoned us in our time of need! GTFO!" At that point I'd had enough. It's a very similar game stylistically but the graphics are comparatively primitive and I hate to say it but I think the thing I love about Fallout most is its game engine.

I loved Fallout 3 but haven't played any of the DLC.  I've been playing Dragon Age or Mass Effect 2 when I play games lately.  Now that the weather is nicer and my wrist is starting to get better, I'll probably be spending more time outside than playing games.  I may revisit Fallout 3 come fall.

Most of the DLC for fallout 3 is pretty good.  Most people didn't like The Pitt but I loved it, where they take away your laser rifles and power armor and all your hi-tech shit and make you fight your way through a steelyard using only your wits and what you can scavenge.  Point Lookout was fun but it was really just another place to wander around in.  Mothership Zeta sounded really fun at first but it got pretty banal and repetitive early in.

I've been thinking of playing Fallout Tactics after I finish this run of FO2 I just started, but I dunno.