GameSpotting Includes Fallout Discussion
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Together, the first two Fallouts had more story than the whole Mad Max film trilogy combined. Yes, the graphics weren't the greatest, but their narratives were winding and twisting, like a novel--if that novel had multiple endings and hidden chapters. The games brimmed with thought-provoking concepts like neoprimitivism and man-machine symbiosis, and they had a cheery, antiestablishment skepticism I wish more people shared (especially nowadays). Plus, Fallout and Fallout 2 also had some of the coolest side quests in memory. How many games let you be a postapocalyptic porn star who shoots beach-ball-sized holes into opponents with the .223 pistol from Blade Runner? Not many. Certainly not Fallout Tactics, the franchise's squad-combat bastard stepchild.
In light of the new article, Black Isle's Damien Foletto stopped by Interplay's forums to provide some feedback about it:
It all goes back to announcing too soon. Let's say, for example ONLY, that we announce tomorrow, but the game won't ship for at least another year or so. The big buzz that came with the announcement would simmer down to a light fizz by the time the game is ready for release. Most people might not even care by then. Announcing is all about timing. Usually, most developers like to announce within six months of release so the fires stay hot throughout the whole six months. This gives plenty of time for magazine previews, online designer diaries, screenhot exclusives, etc. Valve had the right idea when they announced, and if it weren't for the pinheads who stole the source code, the game would have shipped six months after announement - while the fires were still hot about HL2.
Bottom line; if we want to make an announcement, we want to do it with great stuff to show and not keep the fans waiting for months on end for shipment.
