Like many gamers, I enjoyed the classic Fallout and Fallout 2 computer games. When I heard Fallout 3 was in the works, I was both interested and worried. Interested, because I thought it would be cool to play a new Fallout game with all the graphic coolness that today’s computers can provide. Worried because I still remember the dismal and blah nature of Master of Orion 3. When it comes to games, the third time is often not a charm but a curse.
Based on all the awesome reviews, I bought the PC version of Fallout 3. I installed it and then tried to play it. At first, it simply loaded up a black screen with some music playing. The lock up was so complete that not even ctrl-alt-delete could set my PC free. I tried it a few more times (reboot…reboot…reboot) and finally got it to run. Once. But, the game didn’t recognize my keyboard. Since it is keyboard and mouse driven, that was bad.
Naturally, I tried installing all the latest drivers for everything and hitting all the game forums and googling like mad. The main thing I learned is that despite the glowing, gushing and gooey reviews of Fallout 3, many users were running into the same problems as I. Some fixes have been found to some problems, but none of them applied to me. One of them is if you have ffdshow installed. A fix is posted here. Gamespot has a forum on these problems as well. Bethesda’s own forums are also awash with posts about crashes, freezes and bugs. In my desire to play Fallout 3, I made a classic error: trusting the reviews, not Googling for problems, and not waiting for a month to see what patches would be out. Normally I do that. Shame on me for deviating from my usual approach to the “hot new” games.
Apparently the 360 version has some problems as well. A fix is posted here.
Based on the screen shots and reviews written by folks who apparently could get the game to run, the game looks good and is supposed to be fun to play. However, all I get now is a black screen and some repeating music. That is somewhat less than fun.
Based on my experience, I have to give the game a 0 out of 10. I’d post some screen shots, but I’m sure anyone reading this can picture a black screen in their mind. That has been my game experience so far.
Perhaps there will be patch for the game that will allow me to play it. If so, I’ll evaluate it again.
Obviously, some people can run the game fine, but there seem to be significant problems for many users. As such, I’d suggest not buying the game now (unless you feel lucky or know your system will work). If Oblivion is any indication, Bethesda will patch the game in the near future. Once the patches are out, then it might be less of a gamble to buy it.
Sorry to hear it, but you did mention making the single biggest mistake many PC gamers make…buying a game the weekend it comes out.
I got the 360 version because my PC is a bit below the curve right now, and the game is amazing. If you like the first 2, you’ll probably enjoy this, once it gets working. I dunno how beefy your machine is, but if it ran Oblivion fine, you’ll be o.k.
One of my friends got the 360 version and another got the PS3 version and they have had no problems. So, I also forgot the other basic rule: if a game is available on a game console, buy that version instead. 🙂
I’ve got it working now in windowed mode. Less than ideal, but I’m hoping a patch will be out soon.
My first rule is to never play anything on a console if I can play it on my PC. I have played Elder Scrolls Oblivion from Bethesda and It is far superior to the console versions. A construction set for it gave many mods and new adventures made by creative people out on the net. For instance, I downloaded a helm that was a model of the Witch King’s from the Lord of the Rings. The “mod” placed the helm in a dungeon and was just a regular helm that could be enchanted.
You aren’t running Vista are you? I would rather budgeon my fingers off with a mallet than switch from XP. I will be buying the game and give you my experience on getting it running. I too loved Fallout.
I had a similar experience, got a little bit further than you – the first hour is quite simply the best RPG character creation method ever (you start by being born) – but I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing because the crashes started as soon as I got outside the Vault. They seemed to be linked to the music; I got long pauses at the change of songs and quite frequent crashes.
Uninstalling some codec and installing the patch helped a little but i think I’m going to have to wait another month or so before it’ll be playable – shame because I can tell it’s brilliant.
I had a problem with a blank screen, but I set up Fallout 3 to play in a window instead of fullscreen.
However, I do have the controller problem as well. My mouse works, but the keyboard or X Box 360 controllers don’t.
I never had a hitch. I’m not sure what the problems are without more info.