Choice of four. Picking one.

Sulphur on 15/4/2009 at 14:01

It seems like you really should have made this a poll, Digi. :D

My vote is for either Dead Space or Fallout 3, depending on where your tastes lie. They're both absolutely fine games in the genres they represent. Which do you prefer? Survival horror shooter or open-world RPG?

I won't go over all the pros and cons as that's already been done for you. However, do bear in mind that while Dead Space looks and sounds absolutely brilliant, it suffers from "random crap malfunctions on ship; go fix it!" syndrome.

FO3 also features some of Bethsoft's trademark wooden writing, but it's immeasurably better than anything else the company's put out to date. Still, don't expect much actual depth like there was in the original Fallout or Planescape.

Digital Nightfall on 15/4/2009 at 15:40

I didn't make it a poll because I have an irrational bias against them. I'd rather see discussion than an easy-to-tally vote count. :)

As the situation may be, I still have Oblivion largely unfinished with Shivering Isles (which I hear is some of the best work Bethesda's done) and Knights of the Nine (which as far as I am aware has generated almost no word of mouth, but still has more hours of gameplay than your average FPS) untouched. Should that even be an issue? Is Fallout 3 really just Oblivion with a new wrapper, or would it feel like a totally new game?

I have not player Butcher Bay, no. I've also not played the original FEAR. The number of games I've played over the past four years is disgustingly small.

I think the problem is that the more real-worldy a game is the less it just seems to draw me in. I didn't even mention FarCry 2 here because, even though it was a Christmas present from my brother, I've just decided I am not going to play it. (He didn't waste his money, he got two free copies and gave me one.) I didn't just dismiss it offhand... I've watched him play it many times (he loves it) and simply decided that it looks boring. Similarly, I was given a copy of Farcry 1, and likewise stopped playing after the first level, finding it boring. I didn't even finish the Crysis demo... boring.

The most compelling recommendations are for Dead Space, which surprises me. I didn't think it was that popular around here. I think that if it's at least as good as Bioshock (which I liked, even though it took me a year to finish it) then I'll be happy with it.

Morgoth on 15/4/2009 at 15:44

I found Dead Space shallow and boring.

I'd go for Fallout 3, it's clearly Bethesdas best game to date.

the_thiefster on 15/4/2009 at 16:00

Quote Posted by Angel Dust

I found Falllout 3 to be a complete and utter bore after my initial 3-5 hours of wasteland exploration. I just couldn't get past the writing which prevented me from getting as immersed in it like some here. Dead Space however was a complete surprise and quite fun indeed. Not earth shattering but a highly entertaining survival horror pastiche with a few Shock echos as well.

While the reviews for Riddick haven't been too strong you didn't mention whether you had played Butcher Bay. If you haven't I would strongly recommend you pick up Dark Athena then.

Zeno Clash is, of course, a complete unknown at this stage but it's obviously much cheaper than any of the others so you might be able to even pick that up as well as one of the others should the reviews and general consesus be positive.

Heheh I had to quote the entire post because this about summed up my sentiments. Being a huge fan of games with good writing, once I reached Megaton, I found it even harder to accept that this is the 3rd in the franchise. Also, unlike other users here, I found combat tedious, and dialogue was laughable at best. Even if Bethesda had used another name, I would probably rate it a 7. But if action RPGs are your thing, I'd say well take a look

I would recommend Riddick if you haven't played the Butcher Bay campaign before. And like Angel Dust, Dead Space was a complete surprise to me. It's quite possibly the best game that EA's made since Battlefield 1942. Then again, I haven't played Mirror's Edge, but DS really is good. It's scary on the hardest difficulty, and the customisation has an impact on how you want to play the game, even though the impact is quite mild compared to System Shock 2

Xenith on 15/4/2009 at 16:04

Quote:

Is Fallout 3 really just Oblivion with a new wrapper, or would it feel like a totally new game?

IMO there are some things which are unmistakably taken from Oblivion. However F3 left me with the impression of something different. Basically, you'll notice the Oblivion elements (you'll see an animation and you'll say "hey I've seen this before"), but no doubt the surroundings will remind you that this is not a "blade and magic" game. Personally I've played way too much Oblivion and sometimes I'm expecting an elf to come out from a corner and say "good day". I doubt you'll have any problems with this though.

june gloom on 15/4/2009 at 17:19

Fallout 3 is different from Oblivion in that I found it actually compelling to play. And what's this "Stalker and FO3 aren't at all similar" bullshit? They're very similar in terms of setting and basic gameplay (focus on exploration of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.) Sure, the atmosphere's different (Stalker's Zone is a very beautiful place, whereas FO3's Capital Wasteland is dry and hostile) but they share a lot of similarities. And lest you forget, Stalker was supposed to be "Oblivion with guns" while Fallout 3 started arguments over whether that was a good or bad thing.

Anyway, like I said before, don't get Fallout 3 right away. You'll definitely want the DLC, but you'll also want the DLC's bugs to be ironed out. Fallout 3 is one of those games where it either runs flawlessly or you tear your hair out, and the DLC only compounds that.

Jason Moyer on 15/4/2009 at 19:02

Stalker isn't really post-apocalyptic though, unless there's something in there about the rest of the world having been annihilated that I missed. My general feeling is that it's some sort of bizarre Russian version of new age wankery, but whatever. I do agree that the atmosphere/mechanics of FO3 were basically the way Stalker should have been, even though I've come to appreciate SoC for what it is in its own right. I'd love to see someone do an open-world Bethesda style game in that sort of setting with the RPG elements, questing, dungeons, etc. but with Stalker's gunplay.

One thing that I don't like about FO3 (or most other RPG's really) is that you really have to cripple your character to get any sense of vulnerability. My last playthrough I was working on I was trying to focus entirely on sneak/unarmed/science/lockpick and found it to be a challenge, but given the ability to play however I want I'm going to naturally gravitate towards the sneak/small guns/science/lockpick character who ends up being practically invincible - despite having strength and endurance of 1, which means my character should have a hard time just getting out of bed, but whatever.

Renault on 15/4/2009 at 20:42

Deadspace is a good game, for sure, but Fallout 3 is one of those huge, rare, and epic (!) titles that only come around once every five years or so. Plus, it's tons longer and you'll get way more bang for the buck. I'm surprised dethtoll's even talking about DLC, the straight out-of-the-box game will give you 50-60 (or more) hours of gameplay, you can worry about the DLC later.

Mercurius on 15/4/2009 at 21:09

Dead Space really ought to be played with a controller. Its controls actually kinda make sense that way.

Also F3's DLC is kinda crappy. Operation Anchorage is just a mindless shooter with some of the shittiest dialog in the game barring the main quest. The Pitt on the other hand is pretty damn good and presents you with a difficult moral choice but is far too short and easy for a mission that forces you to ditch all your gear at the beginning.

Broken Steel will be good for the level cap and amendment to the awful awful main quest, if anything. None of them are worth waiting for though.

bukary on 15/4/2009 at 22:45

Definitely Fallout 3! :thumb:

Dead Space is great, but it will only take you 10 hours to finish it.

Besides, Fallout 3 is much better.