Fallout 3 preview for the PC

With Fallout 3 due next year, we've been talking to developer Bethesda Softworks' Peter Hines about the revival of strategy masterpiece Fallout. It's quite a departure from Bethesda's last major outing, Oblivion, as the fantasy world of Elder Scrolls is replaced by a post-apocalyptic universe. Peter tells us what to expect from Fallout 3 and how much it owes to Oblivion in structure and gameplay. Get all the inside info on Fallout 3 in our interview with Bethesda's Peter Hines now!
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Fallout 3 preview for the PC
Out in the Wasteland life is harsh, so why did your father choose to swap the comfort of his post-apocalyptic bunker – Vault 101 – for a nuclear tipping ground? Daft old bugger. On the upside, if pops hadn't legged it we would be getting all excited about Fallout 3, would we?

Oblivion and Fallout have enormous reputations and a vociferous following. Surely you're going to really annoy some of the fans... does that make free-thinking development virtually impossible?
If you were to spend a lot of time worrying about who you're going to please, and how much, absolutely. But one thing we've learned over the years is that if we work really hard on pleasing ourselves and making a game that we really enjoy playing, we can find some other folks who will enjoy playing it too. Morrowind and Oblivion certainly bear that out. No matter what you do or who you try to please, somebody else wants something else and will be annoyed. So we'll stick to what we can control and leave the worrying to someone else.

You're effectively performed a 180-degree turn by reviving the post apocalyptic universe of Fallout after the fantasy world of Elder Scrolls. How many of the knee-shattering weapons were born of your frustration at wielding virtual blades for all those years?
Since we still haven't talked about all the different weapons yet, I can talk about two of my favorites. I like the Fat Man and, honestly, I like the good old Chinese Assault Rifle.