well, _i_ did finish fallout 1 and 2, but it was in 2001 and 2002 or so, it's always been a "classic" for me since i didn't play it for the graphics or anything like that but for the atmosphere and the turn based fights.

i avoided fallout tactics, because its reviews were so discouraging, and BOS, because it didn't come for PC. so this game is my long-awaited fallout experience for years and years.
maybe the fact that i didn't play oblivion makes me like this game so much more than you do, i simply can't see oblivion's gameplay and quirks in it at all.

Fallout 3 is a good game,
but just not what I see as prequel to the two original titels.
The athmosphere is somehow similar but not really the same.

Things like: "you are not allowed to sleep in this bed, it belongs to someone else" (as if the Playercharacter would give a shit in the original Fallout),
or invicible children, or loosing Karma already by stealing a spoon, or having already a fat gun quite quick.
are just some examples of it.

Also everyone knows that you are a vault dweller, and how it is
to be in a vault. Making this vault thing not mysterious.

This is ok in a new game, but it really bugs me
when looking at the former freedom of the fallout world.

They both do a lot of things right and fail somewhat at bits that didn't make it, obviously for various reasons.

since i have never bothered so much as touching anything "Oblivion", Fallout 3 was my first Gamebryo experience. I finished Fallout 1 & 2 in their uncensored 2.5D beauty and was a bit put off at the very beginning of Fallout 3 (character creation). In retrospective, it wasn't that bad.

However, i don't see myself start that 80+ hours experience all over again just because i happened to get all surprised by triggering the end of the game without me really noticing it - and all sensible prior save point having been overwritten (by me)- my fault, obviously.

The SPECIAL, Perks and VATS systems have been successfully ported from the predecessors. SPECIAL and Perks might put off real-time-action-hungry folks all by themselves, but VATS totally blew off some pre-order gamesters in my vicinity - in VATS, your success to hit (or MISS) is noticeably defined by your character's skills. You'll also notice this during real-time action, but in VATS utterly crap stats will result in utterly crap shooting, even at very close range - and your characters untimely death, inevitably. Overcoming crap stats means leveling up and results in a sense of real achievement, RPG style. This mechanism isn't really "there" in Far Cry 2. The only mentionable 'upgrades' available in Far Cry 2 are "Accuracy" and "Realiability" upgrades for your (favourite) weapons, as well as extending the limitations of how much ammo you can carry around.

Both games have "ally" or "buddy" systems, which mean that virtual friendships with ingame NPC characters translates as a big plus to your gaming experience. In Far Cry 2, that means being given a second chance to get things right when you get downed by the enemy, in Fallout 3, you are no longer running around alone but with a friendly soul with their own firepower, which can facilitate a lot of the close quarters combat going on. There's also a dog you can adopt and bring along in Fallout 3, but if he dies, he's pretty much dead and he stays dead. It's a pleasure to see that NPC characters are far less suicidal than they used to be in the TWO prior Fallout incarnations (the other two that shall not be mentioned have got nothing to do with anything, really). Still, your climbing over rocks can result in your NPC running a million miles around the map to meet up with you again.

However, Your NPC friends can loot enemy corpses, and you can hand them selected weapons to improve their impression on the enemy, if you so wish. You can even discuss tactics a bit, make them wait or dismiss them rudely. In Far Cry 2, your ways are far more solitary. Your buddies don't make use of vehicle-mounted automatic weapons. You can't hand them any weapon to improve their firepower. Sometimes they turn autistic, sometimes they get hurt badly. Sometimes you can fix them with a syringe, sometimes they want you to shoot them in the head to end the suffering. If you get the latter, sysringes will kill them as well and the only way to revive them is to load from a prior save - or lose all the content from that buddy character.

Fallout 3 has you fight against greed with a limit of how much you can carry - loot and weapons and gear, ammo is free - so you could carry but one set of armor (or clothing, if you so fancy), a selection of firearms and 3000 rounds of ammo. you could also carry around 100 missiles, for sale where the price is right or for putting to good use whenever you bump into an enemy that lugs around a heavy missile launcher. kill enemy, grab launcher, blow everything up, drop launcher, move on with life. Fallout 3 offers much more personalized gaming experiences than Far Cry 2. Far Cry 2 has you limited by only being able to carry around one of each type of weapon: Primary, Secondary and "Special". In Fallout 3, you can carry around as much weapons as you like, be it to make better use of the ammo you find, repair your favourite weapon in the field using same or similar weapons, or hold on to them for selling them to a trader later.

although i consider Far Cry 2 to be more repetitive mission-wise, i haven't yet seen the same main story mission the same way twice.

Take, for example, one mission in Far Cry 2: While i took a comfy luxurious Jeep CLOSE to a scenic view spot near the destination, sneaked past guards to assassinate the target, others went in by boat and fought their way up to the target using M249 heavy firepower - others set fire to the compound, which eventually killed everyone inside and around it. The immersive quality of you being able to choose from a range of very different weapons defines the way you experience Far Cry 2 - silent weapons might give you more time undiscovered, heavy firepower might help you blow things up so the enemy really has no time between hearing the first bang and not dying violently, blowing things up will result in utter chaos and confusion - have it your way, really. Far Cry 2 does this bit very, very good. If you're indecisive, stock up on diamonds, go to the arms dealer and try out the different weapons available until you find something that suits your fancy and that you want to stick to for a while. That will be your own flavour of Far Cry 2.

Far Cry 2 does a great job of bringing you a glimpse of what life (and, inevitably, death) in certain spots of modern day Africa can be like. "Immersion" has been mentioned by The factions and the goals they aim for are sometimes uncomfortably close to reality, really. The ever-replenishing guard posts have already been mentioned - this could be improved, f. e. by patrols finding the deserted posts and then bringing in reinforcements (in the morning). Something like this has already been implemented in a form if you decide to snipe and, preferably, wound a single enemy or setting fire to attract, distract, confuse or start hell on earth - the power's all there for you with decent AI that does manage to surprise at times and fascinating physics.

However, the curse of repetition struck me as being far more prominent in Far Cry 2 than in Fallout 3. The tasks you are asked/required to do are more varied in Fallout 3, BUT in Far Cry 2 you get to use vehicles, which can make exploring the beautiful landscapes and reaching a specific spot faster and more efficient, i. e. run over hostiles using your vehicle, using mounted automatic guns to wreak havoc (and conserve your own ammunition).

After a while of hiking through the post-nuclear world of Fallout, you'll be grateful for the "Fast Travel" option, which can also be found in Far Cry 2 in the shape of "Bus Stations". While "Fast Travel" enables you to quickly move to any location you have already discovered/visited, Far Cry 2's bus stations allow you to move from one bus station to another bus station, of which there are, of course, but a very limited number.

Then again, Fallout 3's open world experience gets a bit less open with lots of debris blocking lots of sensible path decisions, forcing the player to play dungeon master in decaying (but most of the time somewhat inhabited) subway stations, which players have found to be a bit too repetitive. Far Cry 2 doesn't do nearly as much blocking, it only sometimes puts diamonds in places that you will have to figure out how to reach. Doesn't take Einstein's brains to figure those out, still much better than Sudoku.

I've been told that some Oblivion people don't like the Fallout style and that certain Fallout fanboys (and girls) don't like the Oblivion engine. Felt a bit PC vs Mac to me, so i can only say that i hail from the Fallout camp myself. To sum it up - i've been waiting for a 3D Fallout to happen ever since i played the first one. I was worried about Interplay not being no more, i was worried about Bethesda picking up the pieces - but, all in all, i conclude that Fallout 3 definitely is worth its money. I don't like the multiple choice conversation bits, but i didn't like them in the original Fallout either - i can live with that. I haven't really waited for Far Cry 2 to happen, but the first sunrise, the first rain that put out my well placed fires, the first busted car i repaired - they all convinced me that, indeed, Far Cry 2 is worth its money, too. Two really good titles that are definitely worth playing. Go seek out more reviews all over the web to help you in your decision, i say BOTH are good. Fallout 3 will have you off the streets for a significantly longer time than Far Cry 2. Both require current hardware, mind you.

wtf, no XP beyond level 20? or is it just a bug?

oh, and XX09, thanks for that very long, very detailled review of yours. must have taken you ages to hack that i've just completed fallout3, so lat's see, maybe i'll get farcry2, too. i have never been a fan of the 1st one, though. i'm not yet sure about it.

Far Cry 2 is nothing like Far Cry 1. I mean, it still has a lot in common, but sometimes you won't notice it's Africa and not a tropical island in terms of how the game environment feels.

I can recommend Far Cry 2, but there's a bunch of things that might put you off.

I've only played the PS3 version and not that long. It's a good game, but it feels a bit more like playing Crysis without the sci-fi gizmos than playing Far Cry 1. There are some very awesome things, like realistic fire, pretty cool overall gameplay. But the malaria stuff is sometimes very confusing. Going in the wrong direction will kill you almost instantly in some places. Quite a bad design choice if you ask me, as it ruins the feeling of big wide space and freedom of choice as far as going where you want to go.

In some extent it takes getting used to, in others you'll feel very at home if you've played Crysis or Far Cry. I'd say it's a good shooter, but for my taste it has a bit too much console-stuff inside (I've played as said the PS3-version though),

Cheers

I finally gave in and gave Fallout 3 a try and I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed. Some parts still leave something to be desired when you've played 1 and 2 like the much higher dialogue quality from the originals and the painful black comedy elements but for the most part this game delivers. Many side quests to choose from like in the first two and a few nice new elements as well like the advanced npc AI and that immerse experience that only a 1st person 3d game can produce. All in all, I don't hate Bethesda as much now as I did in the pre-developing stages..

/me approves

Yeah, another thing I noticed is that the Fallout 3 world can feel rather empty. It's getting challenging along the way it seems, I'm still quite satisfied with the game,

Cheers

Im just happy because my new videocard can run farcry2 at ultra high, gotta save some money soon for f3

and, finally, yahtzee's comment on fallout3!
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/420-Fallout-3

I'd say he's quite spot on with his critique.