I've only briefly played previous Fallout games but am interested in playing F3. I've heard that there's a deep storyline involved by I'm interested in how the storyline of Fallout games measure up to other story driven games such as Planescape, Deus Ex, Metal Gear and most other RPG games. (given that Fallout is an RPG)

The premise of Fallout3, which pits you to unlock the mysteries of your vanished father sounded extremely cliche and so I've come to wonder if there's anything below this ostensibly shallow premise? I've also heard many comparisons tmade to Oblivion which to be honest was quite a discouragement considering the shallow narrative of Oblivion games.

So is the Fallout series storyline good/excellent/average/bad and how deep is it?

It doesn't matter what past Fallout's have been. It's in the hands of a different developer with a different set of values. So whatever qualities the storylines of the other two games have will probably have no relation to how Fallout 3 turns out.

But if you're interested I'm sure it's pretty easy to find a plot overview of FO 1 and 2. All I can say is that what it's not what it's about, but how it's about it. Don't expect reams of technical information like the MGS series.

Another thing. Fallout 2 had an overarching storyline, but each town/city/area had it's own plot line with relevant quests. Many NPCs had their own plotlines as well. You really can't compare it to many games out there, because the way it approaches storytelling isn't mainstream in the least.

Frankly, Fallout 3 is shaping up to be a mere shadow of the old games, lacking the attention to detail, complexity, and wit.

Thanks. The situation is similar to that of Deus Ex 3 then which is also being handled by a different developer now. (I was hoping for an E3 presence for that one)

Is there a lot of dialogue, optional at least to give you backstory and plot development? What about your character(s) are they well developed and are there any underlying themes like there was in Planescape Torment to discuss and think about after everything is said and done? I usually don't care about NPC's too much but rather about how flshed out the overarching storyline and characters are.

Expect everything that made Fallout 1+2 good to be absent from 3

The dark humor and mature themes will be in Fallout 3 so I don't see what you people are complaining about

The inclusion of similar elements does not signify the depth or richness of those elements.  They're making passes at what Black Isle accomplished in the other games but from what I've seen and read not coming close to nailing it as well

Can anyone answer this?

From what I've gathered with my playtime in Fallout and what people say on this site, you're never going to understand what Fallout is about unless you actually play it. I do believe on paper, the story will seem boring, but it's the many choices in the game and how they can affect the story that really gives life to Fallout, and that's nothing you're going to see unless you sit down with the game yourself.

Fallout 1 & 2 are at the top when it comes to storytelling and writing quality in videogaming (with the exceptions of Planescape: Torment, and maybe Deus Ex). They do not have any linear aspects, however you always begin and end in the same place, but what's important is the journey you make, your choices (you are given more freedom of choice than any other game) and the impact you will leave in the world.

You seriously should finish Fallout 1 & 2, they're masterpieces.

As for Fallout 3... It's Bethesda... they are terrible at making great stories, or even decent stories. They have changed the mechanics of the older Fallouts' Dialogue Scheme, and pretty much dumbed it down and worsened it. The fact that they are hesitant in showing any gameplay with dialogue options further states that the writing won't be anywhere near the quality of the older Fallout games.

Oh, you misunderstand what Fallout is about. In Fallout 1 & 2, you are only given a general impression (from the intro cinematics) of what happened to the world AND a reason for the start of your journey. They do not give backstory of your character, because the character is YOU and not some pre-defined generic jrpg teen, not Solid Snake, not JC Denton, but YOU. The natural vagueness of the main character's past events will help you immerse yourself as him.

You won't be given any backstory about your character but as you journey through you will meet several NPCs that could talk something about their lives, and you can piece some things together about the past if you want (but not your past). As for the "plot development", there isn't a pre-defined story or path... the story/plot is the one you make, the one you go through, the one you choose.

The games themselves touch alot of mature themes such as sex, drug addiction, racism, xenophoby, prostitution, slavery, etc... but all of the themes are properly integrated in the world and do not detract the gamer from the quality experience.

There is one theme that is constant throughout the game, which is the perception of the 50's north-american society: the fear of nuclear threat, the paranoic mass mind, the over-exageration of mutagenic alterations and the visualization of the post-apocaliptic world. Fallout 1 & 2 are basically an entire satire of the 50's perceptions.