How similar are the Elder Scrolls games to Fallout 3?

[Bebus]

Thing is, I was rather ambivalent about Fallout 3. On the plus side, it had an absolutely lovely setting and aesthetic. Wandering the Capitol Wasteland actually felt like, well... like exploring a devastated wasteland. Sadly, the combat was dull, the animation was crummy, the RPG elements were meaningless, you quickly ended up drowning in equipment and supplies, and all the dungeons looked the same.

The final and, for me, fatal, flaw was the complete lack of focus. Sure, there a huge map to explore and a colossal amount of content, but it came at the cost of any and all focus. You never really got to know any of the characters or develop any lasting attachments to anything. It made the whole game feel shallow and non-engaging.

Oblivion had fewer of the things you liked and more of the things you did not.

Like you, I vaguely enjoyed Fallout 3, but I absolutely could not play Oblivion. Nothing happened, the combat was rubbish, the scenery was nice for a while but got boring quickly and there was too much random crap. I did not meet a single character I can remember other than a creepy vampire assassin, and I only remember him because once I turned into a vampire I got stuck in a autosave death loop by saving in the sun and lost about 3 hours of game. I even looked online to find the "best mission of the game", played it and thought it was absolutely dull: some "whodunnit" but even when the characters were being knocked off they showed the emotional response of a dead raccoon.

If I find Skyrim cheap some time in 2012 I might give it a go, but if it is like Oblivion I probably won't like it.

 

[plugav]

The final and, for me, fatal, flaw was the complete lack of focus. Sure, there a huge map to explore and a colossal amount of content, but it came at the cost of any and all focus. You never really got to know any of the characters or develop any lasting attachments to anything. It made the whole game feel shallow and non-engaging.

Judging by that statement, I think Oblivion and Morrowind would have bored you to tears. My impression is that any kind of plot in The Edler Scrolls exists merely as an excuse to unleash the players on a huge, unsuspecting sandbox and have them make their own fun. And I say this as a fan of the series.

 

[Zhukov]

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[snipping like a boss]

Thanks for the info folks. Helped a bunch.

I think I'll hold off on Skyrim until the price drops.