Fallout 3
Our Rating
9.2
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Your Rating
9
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Post-apocalyptic role-playing games have slowly carved out a niche for themselves over the years, and perhaps none have been more prolific than the Fallout games. Developed by Black Isle Studios and released in 1997 and 1998 respectively, both Fallout 1 and 2 were well-received and acquired a loyal fanbase. After plans for Black Isle's Van Buren, the series' third entry, fell through in 2003, the franchise's fate seemed uncertain. When the rights to develop Fallout 3 were sold to Bethesda Studios - makers of the successful Elder Scrolls games - concerns over this new studio's ability to create a faithful, cohesive title abounded. Thankfully, Bethesda has offered up a well-crafted and fun experience that will draw in gamers of all different tastes and preferences. Fallout 3 is not just a worthy addition to the series - it's also a fantastic action role-playing game in its own right and a solid contender for Game of the Year.
Set in 2277, long after the events of the first two games, Fallout 3 centers on what is left of the area in and around Washington, DC. Ravaged by a nuclear war 200 years earlier, the land is now inhabited by the mutated remnants of whatever survived the carnage, as well as those handful of souls whose ancestors rode it out in one of several bomb shelters (called vaults) built by the US government in the years before the war. The player, whose name, gender and appearance are all customizable, is cinematically brought into the world when the game begins, and is then reared by his father (voiced by none other than Liam Neeson) through a series of playable segments that take place in one of the vaults. These moments serve, more than anything else, as a basic tutorial. Things finally get interesting when the player - called the Vault Dweller - turns 20, and awakens to find that his father has fled the vault. After essentially being forced to flee as well, he or she is sent out into the ravaged world beyond known as the Wasteland.
After the player leaves the Vault, Fallout 3 opens up in entirely the same way that Oblivion did after its own tutorial/introduction. The similarities between the two games are striking at first. They are both built on the same engine, both have a similar look and feel to them, and both share many commonalities in their interface. Instead of a journal, players now have the Pip-Boy, an electronic device that logs their progress and manages their health and inventory. It's effective, but becomes a chore at times when the player needs to quickly change their equipment or heal (hotkeys are still available, if not well-explained). The Pip-Boy can also detract from the realism, as it is always accessible, even during combat.
Players can expect to do a lot of fighting in Fallout 3. This is not the sort of RPG where a character can talk their way out of any given situation. Instead, the guns do most of the talking. That's not an entirely bad thing. In fact, combat is a pleasant surprise, and the way that it's handled shows that an action/RPG blend of this nature is actually workable. Both first and third person views are available, but first person is almost always preferable, except when it is necessary to be stealthy and have a more complete field of view (which is usually just a means to scout enemies, not avoid them altogether). Fallout 3's combat is nothing like the turn-based isometric approach of its predecessors. It essentially tries to emulate what other shooters have done, and while it's no Call of Duty, it's more than competent. Particularly impressive is how the developers have balanced the genre-standard, fast-paced gunplay with a unique touch of turn-based fighting: the V.A.T.S. targeting system. V.A.T.S. is a tool that the player can use to pause combat, and, at their leisure, select which enemy they want to shoot and exactly where, based on a certain percentage chance of hitting them. It blends flawlessly into the feel of the game, and becomes tactically important in tight spots. Perhaps the best part about V.A.T.S. is the almost over-indulgent slow motion view that it gives of a successful kill, in all its gory detail.
One should not, however, be led to believe that Fallout 3 is simply a run-of-the-mill shooter, as it is not. Instead, it takes a workable combat formula and ties it into a slightly watered down version of the RPG elements present in Oblivion and other games. Yes, there is still XP to be earned, and yes, there are still levels and attributes, but they're a lot less noticeable here than they have been in the past. Leveling is an easy, natural process that doesn't require much thought, and allows for even and steady progression in all of the game's various skills, not just a few. A nice addition to the leveling system is the introduction of "perks", which are special bonuses that open up as the player advances. Some of them are practical and straightforward, offering better performance in combat or a simple increase in skills, while others are far more abstract - such as the self-explanatory "bloody mess" perk - or downright bizarre, like the "mysterious stranger" perk, which will allow for the occasional appearance of an anachronistic, magnum-wielding guardian angel. A word of warning, however: this game is certainly not for the faint of heart. The violence is pretty extreme and sometimes just plain gross. The foul language is to be expected, but even that's over the top at times. Aside from nudity and kids dying, there aren't many mature-rated things you can imagine that don't appear somewhere in Fallout 3.
Beyond the leveling is the core of what makes any good RPG worthwhile: story and interaction with the game world. Fallout 3 performs unevenly here. It has a decent-length main storyline to tred through, and, while there aren't as many sidequests as would be found in some other RPGs, there are still plenty (perhaps just enough). The good and evil paradigm is of course ever-present, here in the form of "karma," which has scant impact on how the game progresses, aside from the ability to recruit a few overpowered companions. While most decisions are black and white in this sense, there are some that are more complicated and intriguing. On the whole, however, Fallout 3 lacks certain things that many will wish it had put more effort into. Most characters seem one-dimensional and forgettable, the main storyline feels condensed and is one of the game's weaker points, and there is no real literature available to expand the Wasteland's backstory. While there are several extremely durable computer terminals in the game that offer some insight, they usually need to be hacked - albeit through a minigame which is actually satisfying in a cerebral sort of way - and their purpose tends to revolve around opening safes or turning off security systems. So while the game will likely leave an impression, that's not because of its RPG elements, but because of its surprisingly strong combat elements and its excellent presentation.
Fallout 3 is a stunning technical achievement. The Oblivion engine is admittedly beginning to show its age (it's hard to believe), but the sheer scale of what it can and does put onscreen is still staggering. There are some minor complaints: textures look dated when compared to something like Crysis, character animations can be jerky, and the general behavior of the AI often looks strange. Still, the amount of detail that has been put into the game's art design, combined with an intelligent use of lighting, gives it a compelling, unique feel that creates a post-apocalyptic atmosphere so immersive that it will leave some gamers feeling like they need a shower. The technical demands are relatively high, but performance is actually better than in other games built on the same engine, likely because the world is so barren and not teeming with trees and foliage. Fallout 3's wasteland is considerably smaller than Oblivion's Cyrodiil, but the burnt-out atmosphere makes it feel larger than it actually is, and for the most part, it's just big enough. Of course, the immersion factor would not be complete without a world that sounds as good as it looks, and fortunately, that's not a concern here. Gunshots, explosions and even the creepier elements - some of which have to be left to the imagination - all sound fantastic. The voicework isn't always that convincing, but it gets the job done, and while there is really no original soundtrack, there are a handful of vintage tunes that can be heard over the radio, as well as some entertaining, if repetitive, "original programming."
The main attraction of Fallout 3 is its single player campaign, and once it's over, it's over, meaning that a character can't continue after finishing the main quest. Of course, it's easy to load a saved game and keep going, and the replay value is certainly there, mainly for those looking for things that they missed the first time through rather than those wanting to experience them again. Even though the main quest can be finished in 10-15 hours, there's several times that amount's worth of content elsewhere, and that's where the real value lies. There is no multiplayer to be found here, and while the addition of Windows Live access so that PC users can track achievements like Xbox 360 players do is nice, it creates some technical problems of its own. Many players may simply avoid it altogether. The real (and perhaps only) benefit of Live access is the prospect of some minor patches as well as downloadable content for Xbox 360 and PC owners - something that PS3 owners likely won't receive.
Bethesda Softworks certainly had a tall order to fill with Fallout 3. Luckily for gamers, they were more than up to the challenge. The end result is a well-rounded title that finds a good middle ground between traditional role-playing and the modern action formula. Quite simply, anyone who is the least bit interested in the idea of an "intelligent" shooter or an action/RPG hybrid owes it to themselves to try this game.
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Reader Reviews
"Pretty good so far"
by Luke
It's as if Half-Life meets Elder Scrolls. So far in the little amount of time that I've played the game I can see there are tons of options and missions, much like Elder Scrolls series. I'm looking forward to completing the game. So far I have definitely been very, very impressed...especially with all the hype that has surr... more
Visuals 10 Audio 10 Fun Factor 9
Gameplay 10 Overall 9
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9.3