Fallout 3 Review

Fallout3, sequel to the legendary Fallout, brought to you by Bethesda. Bethesda famous for the legendary Elder Scrolls series, notably Oblivion, and it should come as no surprise that Fallout3 makes use of the Oblivion game design. In many surface ways, rather heavily.

And that's not to say this game isn't excellent, but as you first enter into the field and interact with NPCs.. it's Oblivion style, and it's noticeable. Wait for X amount of hours for this or that business to open. Find a bed to sleep in that doesn't belong to someone else, make this your active quest? etc. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, but anyone who's sunk hours into playing Oblivion might get a little deja vu at first.

After that wears off, you notice what you have is a beautiful free-roaming adventure with acid wit and a nifty little combat system. Fallout3 allows you to use the turn based clinical targeting system of the original game, or play it as a first person shooter, your choice (this gamer gets a kick out of the Sam Peckinpah slow motion gunfire, but that's me). PARENTS: this game is no slouch on the gore. Some really gnarly visuals, here.

And as you roam further and scavenge the DC wasteland, you will come to find out that this is not Oblivion with guns after all... it is in fact a smaller, denser game, with alot more detail. Hearing the local radio newscaster commenting on the exploits of that brat from Vault 101, recounting the details of a quest you pulled off is slightly humbling, and your first meeting with the Brotherhood of Steel is imo one of the better 'gaming moments' of this past year. Finding schematics to build new weapons is a kick, and figuring out which perks you wish to use when you level up becomes a real exercise in strategic thinking. This really isn't a game you play once and beat... it's a game you go back and try again, differently. That's what made the first Fallout a classic, and they've kept true to that, which is nice to see.

The scenery is breathtaking in a way Oblivion isn't. There aren't too many games that have such a continuity visually. Miles of trees and lakes and huts is one thing, but this is Washington DC. There's miles of wrecked city streets, but they're neighborhoods that all have landmarks and individual character. The face models and skin textures are much higher quality too. First videogame I can remember with female characters having the occasional freckles around their cleavage.. little things! Dawn daylight being a little different than dusk daylight.

This is a solid action RPG, not kiddy friendly, definitely darker and more adult than Bethesda's other offerings, but a excellent addition to any gamer's collection, on any console.

Here is a gameplay video.





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