PlayStation 3

Fallout 3

Probably going to play this again soon, and would like to do things a bit differently this time. So has anyone had any success with a melee-focused character? Always seemed silly to me to... literally... bring a knife to a gun fight. Plus I remember some of my companions in Fallout 2 charging some guy with a minigun and getting absolutely torn apart.

I know New Vegas adds a few special hits and disarms to make melee more interesting, but can it ever be an effective build? Is it just going to be a lot of chasing people and taking unnecessary damage?

I don't recall effective melee gameplay in Fallout 3; I played it entirely with guns. New Vegas, however, is another story... there are a few very powerful melee weapons. I even used one against the final boss.

That special chainsaw thingy (the one where you need to use ingredients to build) deals one of the biggest damages in the game. Though I still wouldn't recommend using it against a super mutant. :p

Other melee weapons are practically useless.

I see you didn't found Sulik in Fallout 2. But yes, miniguns were always frightening, melee or not.

As long as you spend enough points in the proper skills (you may wanna be also good at sneaking and/or throwing, for instance) and you distribute your SPECIAL points properly (besides strenght and endurance, a high luck level might be good) it's entirely possible, there certainly are powerful melee weapons around (especially if you have The Pitt and Broken Steel) (and there's also Jack the Ripper).

And as it's been said, it's even more possible in New Vegas, what with all those special unarmed moves and throwing knives and whatnot.

There are also plenty of perks and special items that can help (here's a nice guide about it)

I didn't try it myself, though, since I think this engine sucks ass when it comes to hand-to-hand contact. In this day and age, if a game can't bring a melee combat on the level of Chronicles of Riddick or Arkham Asylum I won't bother.

Man, Fallout 3 with the melee combat of Arkham Asylum, that'd be terrific...