I think I played Fallout 3 for about 6 hours one night while house-sitting for someone, maybe about 15 years ago. I remember thinking it was ugly, and that Megaton was a dumb place, but that was about it. I've changed a lot since then, and now I'm playing it again. Here are a few quick observations so far:
1. They say "bitch" a lot
Especially compared to Skyrim, but also compared to Fallout 4 and 76, the writing in 3 is way more down-and-dirty. The mean dialogue options are legitimately mean! I think I like it, but I did grow up in the era that this released in, so that might just be a sign of my aging brain.
2. Leveling up
Skyrim's choice to have your skills level up as you use them is a great idea for retention, but not as much of a good idea for role playing. Fallout 3 is old school, where you gain XP, level up, then put points into skills. What this means is that you're intentionally railroading yourself, and possibly making your life harder down the line if you don't end up liking those choices. Two very different philosophies of design. Someone should make a Youtube video about it where the thesis isn't "I hate one and I like the other", but instead "how does each change our relationship with the game, the world, the characters, and ourselves". (You can have that for free. Just link me when you finish it.)
3. Lots of walking, and fewer fast-travel points
I'm generally anti-fast travel, because I don't like how it changes my relationship with the space of a game. Fallout 3 has fewer points to fast travel than I remember from 4 and 76, which is cool. The overworld is really boring and if you don't fast travel it's just a lot of walking and walking and walking.
4. Only clouds on the horizon
This is a cool one: the skybox only has clouds off on the horizon. Almost never above you. I don't know if there's a reason for this but it does give the game a cool vibe. I was also wondering if the sunrise/sunset times change from day to day or if it's the same, and if so, could we figure out what month the game is set in? Probably. Maybe I could make this a Youtube short.
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On a side note, I bought a 12-pack of Celsius from TikTok for $8 and it actually showed up. I'm not sure what to make of that. The world is changing.
See you guys later!