If you haven’t heard of the Fallout series then you’re really out of touch with the PC gaming world. Welcome to the present! Have an assault rifle. Anyhow, There’s been a lot of static about Fallout 3 since it was announced, most of it came from No Mutants Allowed, or NMA, which are a group of Fallout fanboys that were brought to tears upon hearing Bethesda was developing Fallout 3. NMA was afraid that Bethesda would tinker the formula that Black Isle (the original developers of the Fallout series) had made. To be clear, Fallout was an instant classic for it’s dark humor and dynamic gameplay and brought you different endings based on how you played. Does Bethesda live up to the previous Fallout games, and if it does, is it a good game? Let’s see.

First, Fallout 3 has dark humor in it, you can find it as soon as you escape the tutorial part of the game, but to the level of Fallouts 1 and 2? Maybe not but you can’t deny that Fallout 3 doesn’t bring at least some of it to the table. Second, Fallout 3 lacks on the dynamic endings, sure there are some variations depending on the path you take but ultimately it ends the same. So in some perspectives you can say Fallout 3 has changed from the originals.

Does that make Fallout 3 a bad game? You best be joking. If this game was released as a different name people would eat it up like no tomorrow. Of course I might be writing with a bit bias at the moment, let’s check out the key features so you can decide for yourself.

The game looks wonderful, and the colour scheme for the game matches it perfectly. No longer do you have brown and gray without a reason! The character models and the monster models are well-detailed, though there are graphical issues, as with all releases. With such an immense world you can expect to see people walking awkwardly on certain surfaces (feet floating in mid-air) and everyone’s favourite: clipping issues, along with stiff NPCs that lack expression in body language. However, you probably won’t notice them all the time with all there is to do in the world of the Capital Wasteland.

As lovely as a wasteland can be.

Gameplay – Here’s the part where you expect to see “OBLIVION WITH GUNS”. Yes it does seem like Oblivion, now drop it you troll. Fallout 3 may be similar to Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but it feels like more of an independent game than a mod for Oblivion.

With that out of the way, let’s move on to some gameplay mechanics, namely combat. Standard combat (first person shooter style) is clunky, but Fallout 3 brings a new style of combat to the table, the V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) which is essentially a system where you pause combat and select where you’d like to strike an enemy. After you pick your locations you engage in a mini cut scene where you see yourself in the third person shooting at your target from different angles with slow motion. It’s quite awesome.

Getting headshots has never been easier

The V.A.T. System works really nicely in Fallout 3 but makes the game a bit easy if you aren’t playing on a hard difficulty, especially because it’s more than possible to be rich and have all the guns and artillery to kill anyone in sight by level 5.

The story isn’t anything you’ll love to bits but its entertaining enough that you’ll play along with it, the main thing going for Fallout 3 is its environment. There are over 30 locations to explore over an immense map, each offering its own little value into Fallout 3’s overall appeal. Exploring alone will take you 30 hours, the story will add about 6 hours to your time.

The RPG (roleplaying game) elements of Fallout remain top tier, the leveling system is standard but fair and along with each level comes a perk. There are numerous perks with its own advantage and its own application. None of the skills are left out in gameplay so you won’t get screwed over by picking the wrong skills. In addition to skills you also have a set of statistics that you decide in the very beginning of the game called S.P.E.C.I.A.L. (Strength, Perception, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck) points that allow you to choose how you want to play. One thing Bethesda might have gone wrong with was a 20 level cap, that’s right, after you hit 20, you’re maxed out unless you use the PC in-game console to reset your level.

Everyone is S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

Music in Fallout 3 is also very well done, you can listen to a radio in game at all times, even though the range of stations is very limited, you’ll fall in love with the music being played. I had to find the soundtrack for Fallout 3 because the sounds were so catchy, I would hum them and sing them during my daily routines. 50’s music is the bomb.

Last but definitely not least, the vast amount of replayability. Having 4 distinct endings ensures 4 playthroughs, but there are also different moral choices in the game that can have a varying effect on how NPCs treat you, so you’ll want to play again to make different choices. You’ll also want to play again to try out different play styles. Say you were a gun-toting bad boy the first game who didn’t take no bull from other people, the next game you can be a hand-to-hand expert with a heart of gold, or a thief that steals from the rich and gives to the poor (Robin Hood with a Laser Rifle anyone?). The possibilities are vast.

Then when you’re done with everything in-game, you can expect to see mods being released that will give you extra quests, extra content, more locations, more radio stations, and probably fix the game for the better in general.

One last note (down here because it’s a problem that can be fixed), Fallout 3 has the tendency to crash on PCs. I’m not 100% sure on consoles but I’ve heard that its the same story, I’ll only include this until a patch of some kind can be implemented to fix these issues.

The Pros:

• Very immersible
• Amazing music
• Creative and entertain Combat System via V.A.T.S.
• Well-implemented RPG elements
• Wide world with loads to do
• Lovely Environment
• Realistic to what it aspires to be
• Great level of customization
• Great level of replayability
• Modifiable with mods to add more to the game

The Cons:

• A bit on the easy side
• NPC interaction feels stiff
• Graphic glitches here and there
• The ending is less than satisfactory
• 20 Level cap
• Tendency to crash

Ahaha, eat lead.