Stolen Pixels #41: Pick a Perk : Stolen Pixels #41: Pick a Perk

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I found the perks in Fallout 3 to be lackluster, and so I offer these humble suggestions for the developers to use in the inevitable expansion / sequel. Don't forget the Ron Perlman one. I've begun imagining I have this perk active in my day-to-day routine, and it has done wonders for my quality of life.

The main problem I have with the perks in Fallout 3 is that the stats-based portion of the game seems to be muted and simplified. The old 2d Fallout games were a number-cruncher's delight. This game has shed much of that depth in favor of simplified skills, diet leveling, and slow-mo gunplay dismemberment.

Let me ask you something: Why is it that PC games always get watered down and simplified when they are adapted for a console audience? Why do developers continually assume that console gamers are drooling spastic killbots with atrophied brains and a contempt for literacy? Aren't these the people that play Final Fantasy, a game that is only slightly less complex than piloting the space shuttle?

If you can junction materia in FFVIII, then you should be able to handle the moderate mental gymnastics required to play the original Fallout.

Why do developers keep selling their audience so short?

Shamus Young is a programmer and writer by trade, videogame nitpicker by inclination. If you have the patience for more of his ramblings, they can be found at ShamusYoung.com.