Fallout 3 > Mass Effect


Recommended Posts

You gotta remember that Mass Effect 1 came out about a year before Fallout 3. And at the time it came out, there was nothing like it. Yeah, it had it's flaws, but like Fallout 3 it was easy to overlook the flaws because of the overall scale and production value put into the game. And Mass Effect 2 came out, it fixed the flaws that were present in Mass Effect 1.

With that said, I find Mass Effect 2 far more superior to Fallout 3, in story, characters, presentation, and mechanics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tried to get into Fallout on two occasions... got bored fairly quickly.

Mass effect on the other hand, great games - especially the second one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked Mass Effect more personally. Now, this could be related to the fact that, while FO3 is a great game and I enjoyed playing it, I never liked it quite as much as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I've played FO3 off and on since release and have beated it a couple of times (and explored a substantial amount of the wasteland. :D). The first time I tried playing ME, it didn't grab me. The story was interesting and the presentation was top-notch, but controls and mechanics felt 'off'. I tried it again a few months later, and I was hooked that time. But I will admit ME's controls can take some getting used to, and that the game really hooks you after you

get off the intro planet and get to the Citadel

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both Fallout 3 and Mass Effect have sections in the game which I call "The Hump." This hump is the reason why most people stop playing either games, but if you get over this hump, both games become so much more enjoyable.

The Hump in Fallout 3 is Megaton. In Mass Effect it's the Citadel. Both sections are very long and boring and why most people who decide to stop playing these games do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both Fallout 3 and Mass Effect have sections in the game which I call "The Hump." This hump is the reason why most people stop playing either games, but if you get over this hump, both games become so much more enjoyable.

The Hump in Fallout 3 is Megaton. In Mass Effect it's the Citadel. Both sections are very long and boring and why most people who decide to stop playing these games do.

So true Massiveterra. On my first playthrough of ME1, the first trip to the Citadel was amazing. Talking to all the NPCs, going through all the conversations I could, seeing all the sites. I never realized how much time I spent there until I replayed the game and tried to get through it as fast as I could. Even doing everything speedily, it takes a good hour to an hour or so to get all the quests, squadmates, side missions, and items.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both Fallout 3 and Mass Effect have sections in the game which I call "The Hump." This hump is the reason why most people stop playing either games, but if you get over this hump, both games become so much more enjoyable.

The Hump in Fallout 3 is Megaton. In Mass Effect it's the Citadel. Both sections are very long and boring and why most people who decide to stop playing these games do.

i like your term... i'll have to remember that one :cool:

i couldnt get over the hump in FO3... just terrible to me.

in ME, my hump was the opening planet. once i was past the first mission i was hooked. i thought the citadel was amazing. the scale of it was incredible. i ran around exploring and talking to the characters for several hours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i like your term... i'll have to remember that one :cool:

i couldnt get over the hump in FO3... just terrible to me.

in ME, my hump was the opening planet. once i was past the first mission i was hooked. i thought the citadel was amazing. the scale of it was incredible. i ran around exploring and talking to the characters for several hours.

If you're into exploration and discovery and side missions, then the Citadel is all for you. For more of the action-oriented player, the citadel is too drawn out.

They did a great job reintroducing the Citadel in ME2. The pacing is perfect

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have Fallout 3, although it's never entered my 360. And with ME2 being ?9.95 today, I bought it (and then went and got the first one too).

As for when I'll get to play them I've no idea, but with Halo: Reach out next month and me still to finish Mirror's Edge and the Bioshock 2 Protector Trials, I've no idea when I'll actually get around to it. My biggest decision is which to start first when I do get chance - Fallout, or Mass Effect?

What do the people who've finished both recommend?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're happy with Mirrors Edge and BioShock 2 you'll probably enjoy both.

Mass Effect 2 is easier to dive into, it feels more like an epic journey. Fallout 3 is pretty much about exploration and lots of wandering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Hump in Fallout 3 is Megaton.

Really? You're only there to get info from Moriarty and deal with the bomb. Unless of course you count Moira's quest(s), but they take you all over the place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only two things I really disliked about Mass Effect 1:

You're an elite soldier who can't shoot worth crap

The Mako

Only thing I didn't like about Mass Effect 2:

...wait, was there something? I don't remember anything.

Oh yeah, that I'd finished ME1 on the 360 so couldn't import my saves :(

As for Fallout 3, loved the game but couldn't stand the music

omfg. The Mako. It got so bad, that on levels where the atmosphere allowed it, I would just walk the whole damn way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Playing ME1, I feel exactly the same as the OP, I finished F3 three times (twice on rental, then bought the GotY edition w/ DLC for a second run). I can't see myself doing the same with ME1 (although I hear ME2 is far better, so I'll look forward to that).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fallout bored me to death as soon as I got out of the vault.

thank you, finally someone thinks like me.

maybe i did not stick with it for a long enough time, but after about of 2 hours outside the vault, i could not take it anymore.

mass effect 1 on xbox was a no go from the first 30 minutes, but that was because i did not like the controls. i also heard ME2 has more action, so i might try it on pc.

for sandbox, i prefer stalker by far. i only played the first one, but with all the good patches (original was buggy as hell)

i did not play 2 stalker sequels, so i am not sure if they are any good. (i guess they are, looking at reviews, especially if you add some physics and weather mods, to make it feel more real/crazy)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started Fallout twice and quit in Megaton. The third time I stuck with it, got over the hump, and enjoyed it. I started Mass Effect 1 and quit but when I restarted it shortly thereafter I was hooked. Mass Effect 2 I enjoyed from the beginning.

A poll here would probably be interesting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fallout 3 was really frustrating for me in the beginning for two reasons, even though they're somewhat related. First, I could not make sense of the waypoint system when the route to get somewhere involved a subway - such as the early mission to Galaxy News Radio. This ended up with me going all over the eastern part of the map, even to areas containing a ton of super mutants that I was too weak to handle by myself at that point. The second reason was that I wasted so much ammo and health fighting these super mutants early (at a level where I didn't have access to Commando perk or anything like it) that I was always poor, out of ammo, and/or stuck somewhere and had to run.

However, I grinded my way up in a bit in these areas, eventually made sense of the waypoint and subway system, and my enjoyment of the game skyrocketed. Fallout offers what I call an "exploration addiction", where you're just constantly encountering new places off the beaten path with something to do. Some of the best moments in that game are the sidequests; in particular, I loved the one involving the Temple of the Union/Lincoln Monument. Even 9 months after release, I came across a door near the satellite dishes when I was taking fire from the balconies above in the dishes. I opened it, hoping to find cover inside for the moment, when all it lead to was a wall about two feet in that had the message "**** you" spray painted on it. And I know a bunch of friends who never found Oasis, the Dunwich building, or that secret underground armory that you need the five codes to open.

I loved Mass Effect for other reasons. The relationships you build with your party in both games, the sci-fi nature of it, how much attention to detail in the backstories and history of the galaxy, etc. Mass Effect, to me, was the perfect narrative game, whereas Fallout 3 was the perfect exploration based game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They did a great job reintroducing the Citadel in ME2. The pacing is perfect

I was totally disappointed in the Citadel in Mass Effect 2.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked both games for different reasons.

I loved Mass Effect 1&2 for the epic storyline. Obviously any game has issues, but the story and RPG elements of Mass Effect kept me playing through those problems. And the "world" just seems so full of life and acts like a living thing. The voice acting and converations really sell the story and keep you immersed. I played 2 different characters through ME1 to level 60 (that's at least 2 playthroughs each) and had 2 other characters complete the game at least once. In ME2, I've got 2 characters that have completed the game once and am now doing an insanity playthrough with a new character.

I loved Fallout 3 for the incredible open world wasteland to explore. As someone said before, there's always something new to see or discover. The story of F3 was deinfitely the weak point, but there was so much else to do and many of the side quests were more enjoyable than the main story. Regarding the hump theory above, I think that Megaton is not the hump, getting to GNR the first time is the hump. Since you are such a low level at that time, getting to GNR can be a pain and I can see that turning you off, Once you get there, the game really starts moving. I've got 2 characters to max level in F3 and both have 60+ hours on them.

By comparison, Oblivion was one of the worst RPGs I've played. I just can't get into it. I've tried on both PC and console, and sunk several hours into both and just can't stay interested in it. The game doesn't feel epic, the story seems weak, the characters are very wooden, and the world seems very empty and lifeless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both Fallout 3 and Mass Effect have sections in the game which I call "The Hump." This hump is the reason why most people stop playing either games, but if you get over this hump, both games become so much more enjoyable.

The Hump in Fallout 3 is Megaton. In Mass Effect it's the Citadel. Both sections are very long and boring and why most people who decide to stop playing these games do.

Oh, so true. I hate Megaton with a passion now. Every time I go there to repair or whatever, I grumble under my breath and leave quickly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, so true. I hate Megaton with a passion now. Every time I go there to repair or whatever, I grumble under my breath and leave quickly.

That's why the first thing I did was blow it up :laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems I may have warmed to Mass Effect as I have just finished it. For me the game started getting good when you discover the Thorian. After that part I found the game much more enjoyable. Enough so that I have now started Mass Effect 2 (Why EA decided to change the controls is beyond me). I still stand by the Mako as it was terrible to drive and fighting enemy combatants was way too easy. Unlimited ammo and not having to maintain your weapon didn't exactly raise the stakes either. Teammates continued to be useless and I guess that's the point because you don't want them playing the game for you. While I appreciate the level of detail that went into the galaxy, I still found little incentive to complete the side missions. The story was good, but I didn't like the fact that you could see a cliff hanger ending from a mile away. I also loved the music.

I'm a pretty big fan of the Mass Effect games. I think the story, characters, and combat are top-notch. And, I have to disagree with the opinion of the OP about the voice acting. Mass Effect 1 and 2 have some of the best voice acting in the whole industry. If you consider the voice acting in Mass Effect to be bad, which game do you think have good voice acting?

Godfather II. :p

I found some of the voice acting strong and some parts wooden. Overall it was good and it's just my opinion. Off the top of my head I would say Red Dead Redemption has excellent voice acting as well as GTA IV. Metal Gear Solid has good voice acting, but I'm sure some find it cheesy and long winded.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.