Postcards of a Wasteland

Postcards of a Wasteland

The Stand much?

It may just be a reworking of the engine that powered Oblivion, but Fallout 3 is a startlingly beautiful game. Maybe it’s the whole ‘destroyed beauty’ bollocks Cliffy B (Dude Huge *sigh*) was going on about when Gears of War still looked promising, but there’s something about looking at the wasteland and feeling yourself a little moved.

That seems to be the thinking behind Duncan Harris’ (PCG Writer and Freelancer) set of shots from Fallout. These certainly rival stuff I’ve seen taken in the Great Outdoors, and perhaps, as we move closer to photo realism in games, gaming photography will become more prevailant.

Serene.

I know for me, Fallout 3 has taken up most space on my computer down to screenshots than any other game this year, with Far Cry 2 coming in a close second. While yes, quite a few of those shots involve flying limbs and tumbling eyeballs, just as many are just moments when I saw a breathtaking vista and just had to palm that button. I can imagine the same thing happening with Mirror’s Edge, albiet to a far smaller degree, due to the lack of the Discovery Element. This is the beauty of the open world; seeing things that the developers just did because they felt like it. I’m sure a lot of Fallout’s beauty is accidental, or at least not carefully orchestrated. Yes, there was intention behind it, but it wasn’t deliberately set out like that. It just sort of happened.

A scene to hold hands by.

The rest of Duncan Harris’ startlingly beautiful works can be seen in this slideshow. WARNING; there are some mild visual spoilers from the main quest, but nothing too heavy.

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