Todd Howard takes on Fallout 3 criticisms

by Xav de Matos { Jan 26th 2009 at 2:45PM }

Regardless of how many times its software is contending for Game of the Year accolades, Bethesda isn't immune to criticism and Fallout 3 is no exception. Speaking with MTV Multiplayer blog, Bethesda Softworks executive producer, Todd Howard, discussed three major complaints fans and haters alike have about the recently released Fallout 3.

First criticism out of the gate is that Fallout 3 is only mediocre when judged as a shooter to which Todd Howard quickly agreed. Secondly, each ending of Fallout 3 has been blasted for its quick and dirty wrap up. Howard argues that many people are more upset about the game actually ending than the ending itself and promises the upcoming Broken Steel DLC will combat that by allowing players to continue their adventure. Lastly, critics say that VATS can be rather boring once players are able to almost always get a head shot. Howard says that everyone has a different concept of entertainment and watching a head explode in Fallout 3 never gets old for him, but he admits, "the 'to hit chance' for head shots is probably too high." Three complaints down. So, are you satisfied with Howard's responses to these Fallout 3 criticisms?

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, fallout-3, todd-howard

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

offday @ Jan 26th 2009 2:51PM

Never played Fallout 3, but this guy sounds pretty reasonable. You'd never hear people like Cliffy B or Jeff Minter agree with criticisms about their game, no matter how true they are.

xenocidic @ Jan 26th 2009 2:55PM

Good news fanboys, the fallout DLC is 360-console exclusive

Xav de Matos @ Jan 26th 2009 3:47PM

This was announced a long time ago.

ryan @ Jan 26th 2009 3:49PM

But thanks for reminding the PS3 fanboys. :D

Gloqwi @ Jan 26th 2009 5:39PM

@ ryan

Why man, why!?! The first time I buy I get a PS3 game...and....the agony...

Chin-Poh (I wuv you Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged!) @ Jan 26th 2009 6:02PM

PC version FTW with the G.E.C.K for all the mods created for the game. I played the 360 version to see if I would purchase the PC version and I did. Its so much better to play the PC version with 60fps, 1680x1050 resolution, mouse and keyboard and I barely have to use vats, I can kill more often in real-time.

Of course a PC is much more expensive so yeah. XD

Arkive @ Jan 26th 2009 2:59PM

I am satisfied with his responses. He was honest with his answers which is quite refreshing. I can see a Cliffy B. response being a little different.

Personally, I love the game. There are a few shortcomings, but overall I am enjoying the game immensely. I didn't really mind the endings all that much, maybe some of them could have been more detailed/longer to wrap up the story a little better.

readmore @ Jan 26th 2009 3:00PM

I love Fallout 3. I am 150 hours in roughly. Yep, that's right. I explore every area and I find it almost scary how they created so many small stories inside this one game. Sometimes I'll come across a random house in the middle of nowhere and inside will be several skeletons (one in a bed or one in a tub) and I'll think 'what were they doing when the bombs fell?' Then I realize I'm playing a game and that question is stupid, but that fact that it pulls you in so completely is amazing. No complaints here.

ryan @ Jan 26th 2009 3:34PM

Or Mr. Anderstine's radio transmission about holding up in a nearby drainage ditch with his family and son who needs medical attention.

I wanted to help those guys, but I was surprised and sorta sad when I found they were just skeletons. It was a mini story within it all. Beginning, middle, and end.

baby sea tuna @ Jan 26th 2009 4:38PM

No doubt. It was the little touches like that that clinched it as my GOTY.

Cash @ Jan 27th 2009 1:36PM

Ever notice there were only two skeletons in that drainage pipe? I thought Mr. Anderstine said his kid was sick, so him and his wife holed up in that pipe? Maybe he split after they died, which would explain why the beacon was turned off when the player finds it.

Cafecito @ Jan 26th 2009 3:03PM

I'm pretty surprised on how open Howard is to accept that kinda criticism. On my side of things, I love Fallout 3 just the way it is. I play it not as a shooter, but as what it really is: a RPG. No doubt that the ones that bash the "shooter" aspects of Fallout are Halo or whatever freakies.

I love VATS as well, for the same reasons I mentioned earlier: it's a RPG! Oh, and I really enjoy the head-blowing cutscene thingies too.

joeybeast @ Jan 26th 2009 4:28PM

I found VATS strangely relaxing to use and the short cut scene never got old.

RedSonRising @ Jan 26th 2009 3:03PM

1. its not even a mediocre shooter, the mechanic is unpolished, borderline broken..

2. patching the ending is cool but what about ppl who dont buy the dlc? ppl without xbl?

3. Vats was so boring.. turn based fps gameplay is not for me..

accurately described as Oblivion w/ guns. i didnt like oblivion either

Trevor @ Jan 26th 2009 3:06PM

To say Fallout is mediocre as a shooter is just like saying Dead Space was mediocre as an RPG. It's not what the game is. If you had higher expectations than what you go than you didn't read anything about the game before you played it. I was very satisfied with that aspect, and I'm primarily a shooter fan.

I agree with him. I kinda thought the last quests were a little truncated. On the flip side, I put 90 hours into it up to that point, so it's not like I feel short changed.

VATS, imo, never got old. Slow-mo cut scenes of kill shots were always awesome. I didn't necessarily feel I was getting an abnormally high percentage of head shots with it. If you did, try getting head shots with the Chinese assault rifle from a distance on your own...that should even it out.

ryan @ Jan 26th 2009 3:43PM

I also like how VATS isn't entirely a guaranteed shot even with 95% just due to environment obstruction and animation.

Once shooting a guy, in slow mo he ducked behind a railing and the shots didn't catch him.

Or hitting a guy with a Deathclaw, his animation ducked my swipe. I was like "95% my ass!" but it was pretty cool it happened.

jduke @ Jan 26th 2009 3:07PM

i just really want a flashlight

Trevor @ Jan 26th 2009 3:10PM

...then hold down B for a few seconds.

jduke @ Jan 26th 2009 3:13PM

Really? I never knew. That might make that Oasis cave a bit more enjoyable.

Cafecito @ Jan 26th 2009 3:14PM

The PipBoy Flashlight's really poor tho. I had hoped to find another one, but I kinda grew used to the PipBoy one.

andyface @ Jan 26th 2009 3:17PM

That's more like turning the light on your watch on.

KineticOnline @ Jan 26th 2009 3:21PM

burnt lol

tiremfej @ Jan 26th 2009 3:36PM

Ahh Oasis...I thought it was strange and I almost got excited when I saw "colors and real "live" trees!" That was a surprisingly welcome "little" quest.

Trevor @ Jan 26th 2009 5:54PM

You're right, it is pretty poor. I found myself lookin in all directions hittin RB to activate VATS as soon as I heard a feral ghoul gurgle in the metro tunnels.

The Deathclaw sanctuary in particular was brutal with the Pipboy light. Dark as hell. Had to bring up my local map ever 5 sec just to figure out where the hell I was.

Heimbachae @ Jan 26th 2009 3:13PM

Glad that there is one grounded developer in this inflated world *SNEEZECLIFFYBCOUGH*

Tim @ Jan 26th 2009 3:23PM

We just need to coin a new phrase for Bethesda's most popular games; FPRPG. It describes Morrowind, Oblivion and Fallout 3. This should curb any misunderstandings by the FPS crowd, right? I love both, but I also understand the difference between them.

Cafecito @ Jan 26th 2009 3:28PM

Yeah. The FPS crowd are jerks. Nothing personal.

Ham @ Jan 26th 2009 3:41PM

I only see you two trying to generalize others and put them into little groups. ;]

Cafecito @ Jan 26th 2009 3:43PM

Those groups exist tho, mind you.

Tim @ Jan 26th 2009 3:46PM

Actually, i'm putting games into little groups. Is that ok?

Neuromancer @ Jan 26th 2009 4:00PM

The ending showed me and the dog even though I never found the dog.

?!?

Oh well still a very good game.

Edward @ Jan 26th 2009 4:02PM

Once you kill someone, Their belongings should not give you bad karma. The unwritten law of the land is when you kill someone, their belongings are yours.

Tony Bowman @ Jan 26th 2009 4:20PM

so let me get this straight, until the third DLC pack, Broken Steel, release, you cannot continue to play your character after you finish the final quest in the main quest? or will that option become available with Operation: Anchorage?

also, if you do finish the main quest/story before the DLC, will you be able to keep going with your current character, or will you have to start all over from scratch to be able to play beyond the main story?

basically, should i wait to finish the final quest until after Broken Steel ships, or will i be able to revive my main character?

Odog4ever @ Jan 26th 2009 5:15PM

You should wait to finish the main quest until broken steel comes out. Or you could do like I did and just go back to an old save before you get locked in...

TheWeatherman24 @ Jan 26th 2009 5:19PM

You know, I have not finished the game yet, in fact, I am just working on the side quests for now, so I cannot comment on the ending, however, I LOVE the VATS system.... The fact that it is not sure hit, even when the percentages are high makes it all the better for me. And the different camera views while shooting in VATS is also very cool.
I am more of a Live multiplayer type gamer, and I do not get into campaigns and one player games that much. But I felt that Bethesda really pulled it off for this game. This game gets a HUGE PROPS by me.

Whylekat @ Jan 26th 2009 6:00PM

Any game that has 100+ hrs of gameplay SHOULD NOT have a lvl 20 cap!! Ridiculous. I refuse to play another second until the cap has been raised and I'm only 36 hrs in.

What's the point of playing anymore if I cannot advance my character.

crawli @ Jan 26th 2009 9:11PM

I have about 150+ hours in, and I think the level cap is high enough. My char is level 20 and has apocalyptic killing power. Ole' Betsy (Lincoln Rifle) pretty much lays waste to anyone or anything.

What do you want to advance to? Nothing in the game at that level poses much of a threat, even on the highest difficulty.

Whylekat @ Jan 26th 2009 9:58PM

I just wish it were like oblivion. hrs of gameplay, lvl cap of 60. With still so much to do left, I've barely even touched the main quest, I feel like there's no point in continuing. The character will never be any better then he is now. I personally think that's dumb in a game that runs hundreds of hours. You should be constantly progressing and becoming more powerful. THey should've instead made the final "bosses" much more difficult so you're forced to lvl up before you get there.

ryan @ Jan 26th 2009 11:06PM

In a way a small cap is good (maybe not 20, probly 30) for building multiple characters quickly.

I only have one Oblivion character, a 180 hour file.

I have about 4 Fallout characters, each about 35-60 hours a piece.

Hotaru Tomoe @ Jan 26th 2009 6:07PM

Personally I'd say the bugs, many of which still exist after the patch, ranks way higher than any of those three criticisms. The "mediocre shooter" part? Its not a pure shooter, as has been mentioned. The game ending? True, and I cant wait for broken steel, but that doesnt help those with PS3s. And as for Vats.. well nothing forces you to select the head every time. Making enemies play "musical guns" by crippling arms and watching the weapons fly off to land at someone elses feet with a sniper rifle is hilarious.

hrolf @ Jan 26th 2009 6:23PM

I cant wait for the DLC.

though a brighter flashlight and a pair of binoculars might have helped "slightly"

Christopher @ Jan 26th 2009 9:03PM

Fallout 3 is amazing. Over 180 hours invested over 2 characters. I can't wait for the DLC.

His comments are fair and pretty accurate. But, that's not why you play it or Oblivion, it's for all the content put into the game. Every nook and cranny of the map has something to discover. I'd be walking through the rubble of D.C. and stumble across some random building, only to enter it and find another 3 hours of exploration inside. I didn't play the game to get to the ending or reach level 20 - I played it for the sheer degree of exploration found at every curve in the road and shack in the middle of the wasteland. Some glitches and problems occur, but are they game breaking? Certainly not. It's hands-down the most thoroughly enjoyable game that I've played in a long long time. It refreshed my hope in the gaming industry after seeing so many titles launched in the last year that were supposed to be spectacular but turned out to be quite unpolished and frustrating.

Cafecito @ Jan 26th 2009 9:54PM

Well said mate. Cheers!

TheWeatherman24 @ Jan 27th 2009 12:08AM

Wow, I totally agree!!! You are right on track man.... Kudos to that comment

stinger503 @ Jan 26th 2009 11:22PM

I find it kind of cheap that they don't just patch it so you can continue after the end. What if you don't want to buy the DLC?

ryan @ Jan 27th 2009 12:21AM

Yeah, it is a little disheartening considering PC users can mod a level 30 cap. But with a 30 cap comes new perks I'm sure, and that's some content I wouldn't mind buying.

JCP @ Jan 27th 2009 1:36AM

well it would have been nice to have a slightly bigger aiming
reticule because sometimes I have to shoot manually, but they did say
from the beginning that they didnt want regular FPS players just
thinking that they could breeze through the game like they would with
your run of the mill FPS, it was a nice change of pace and he's right,
head shots are entertaining.

oh by the way.... the new site layout.... is Sexy,

more frills, all function.

Chaozz2k8 @ Jan 27th 2009 6:12AM

My only complaint was the small level cap. Just too used to RPGs that have a 50-100 level cap. Not saying its a bad thing but its my only complaint. About the mediocre shooter part I can see people saying that who rushed into the game thinking it would be a straight shooter but its not. I couldn't even imagine playing the game without VATS.

Reboot @ Jan 27th 2009 8:04AM

I've put only about 30 hours into the game so far, and I absolutely love the game! My only major complaint is with the text, particularly on the PIP-BOY. Yeah, I'm getting older... I'll freely admit that, but when I have trouble reading the text on the PIP-BOY on a large screen HDTV from 8 feet away, regardless of what color I put the text in, that's an issue to me. I guess I just wish the font were just a little crisper, if not slightly bigger.