The more I hear about this game, the more nervous I become. The Fallout games, particularly in my opinion Fallout 2, are some of the greatest rpg games of all time. The level of freedom they allowed remains to this very day completely unequaled. A partial list of some of the things you could do in the game included: 1. Becoming a porn star 2. Becoming a slave trader 3. Selling your companions into slavery 4. Performing targeted shots to the groin...with excellent results. 5. Becoming a drug addict 6. Buying and selling drugs 7. Prostitution - Both buying and selling 8. Genocide 9. Convincing a little kid to kill his father by giving him a pistol and telling him to go wave it in his father's face and pull the trigger 10. Planting live explosives on people and then walking away so they blow up and you don't get blamed 11. Becoming a made man for the mob 12. Having sex with the wife and daughter of a mob boss 13. Grave robbing 14. Child killing I could go on and on with this. The sheer amount of freedom that these games was incredible. It was mind-boggling. And, I fear, that Bethesda just isn't willing to go the distance on this. The following things are said to be on the chopping block: 1. No groin shots 2. No eye shots 3. No prostitutes (Seriously?! A post-apocalyptic setting with women not selling their bodies so they can survive another day?!) 4. No drugs (Tentative) 5. Possibly no kids, and if kids are included they are likely to be unkillable 6. No slavery Things that are, apparently, going to be added are ridiculously idiotic things like: 1. Portable nuclear missile launchers...what? 2. Portable nuclear missile shelters 3. Toilet drinking Now, I understand, from a business perspective, that Bethesda wants to maximize potential profit. I get this. That doesn't mean that I have to be happy about what I am hearing. Imagine if you will that the Fallout series is a stunningly beautiful virgin woman (odd analogy I know, but hang in there with me for a second). The Fallout series is pure. It has been, thus far, uncontaminated by the dumbing down of video games that we've seen in recent years. It includes actual, honest to god, mature content and realistic themes. This is why I view it as a stunningly lovely, and virgin/unviolated, woman. Now imagine that Bethesda is a damned dirty ape. Now imagine that the ape comes up and starts raping the poor Fallout, shouldn't something be done? You raise your voice and try to stop the ape since you know, physically, you are helpless against the ape. But the ape ignores you and you are helpless. You can't stop what's happening, but at the same time there is an awful fascination with watching the proceedings. It's like why people watch train wrecks or whatever. I know, I know...we're still a long, long way off. The game could be stupendous and I could be jumping at shadows rather than actual substance. But I will be heartbroken if this game ends up like Oblivion with guns instead of swords. Don't get me wrong. I loved Oblivion for what it was. It was an extremely wide, but incredibly shallow, lake. But it wasn't a true rpg. Your moral choices had zero impact on the game. Combat was extraordinarily simple and straightforward. Character development was non-existent. The storyline was weak and cliche. Oh, and your own character had all the personality of a grapefruit. I loved Oblivion because it was beautiful and captivating and simple and mesmerizing. It was not, however, a role playing game. To me, the words "Action Roleplaying Game" are a vulgar obscenity. It is either an action game or it is a roleplaying game. It is not both. And that is my rant for the evening. I am going to go pout on my couch and drink heavily now.