I was playing Fallout 3 last night and realized that it kind of feels like a chore. I love the RPG mechanics and combat (especially the aimed shot feature), but the UI is horrible and the vistas are just so bleak! Oblivion was gorgeous. I would run around the landscape enjoying the virtual nature that surrounded me. I realize that Fallout is set in a post-apocalyptic future, but does everything have to be half-destroyed? The first half of “I Am Legend” shows New York becoming reclaimed by nature. In Fallout, I haven’t seen a plant YET! If you blame a nuclear explosion, there would be less buildings, more rubble. If you blame disuse, there would be less rubble, more buildings. The balance is just off. Everything is too dark and gray to be believable.
I also played Gears of War 2 a few days ago. This game suffers from the same bleakness. In this case, however, it’s a little more believable since an alien race destroyed everything. Surprisingly, though, there is more vegetation. I found myself actually hoping to see a battle taking place in the landscape, among the trees. That would feel so out-of-place in a Gears game, but could be very fun.
