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Fallout 3
| Genre | RPG |
| Developer | Bethesda Game Studios |
| Publisher | Bethesda Softworks |
| Modes | Singleplayer |
| Rating | BBFC 18 |
| Released | 31.10.2008 |
The year is 2077 and a post apocalyptic wasteland is all that is left after an atomic war tears the world apart. However, the impending doom did not come at too much of a surprise to the American public who cleverly built a series of underground nuclear bunkers. "You live in the vault, you die in the vault" and the story begins when you are born. Even at this early stage you shape your future by the decisions you make. Several mini levels are played out as your character grows up and you get the opportunities to focus your skills and even decide if you are good or bad by interacting with the other members of Vault 101. It should not be too much of a spoiler to say that you will not spend your entire life in the relatively happy and safe surroundings of your underground paradise. One day you wake up to find that your Dad has escaped and as any loyal son would do, you set off on a quest to find your old man in the desolate wasteland that is Washington D.C.
Fallout 3 is a similar setup to The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion but you might have expected that considering they were made by the same company. Obviously there are differences between the games; firstly instead of fighting with swords and bows you use real weapons such as the plasma rifle or a rocket launcher. Oh, and the tiny fact that it is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland rather than in the heavenly land of Cyrodil. Fallout, like Oblivion is set around an attributive levelling system. In other words you have a list of skills and attributes that you can improve throughout the game by increasing your level. Basic skills such as Strength, Perception and Agility are accompanied by the abilities to use melee, small, explosive or large weapons plus your speech, sneak, medicine and repair skills to name a few. Perks are also available each time you go up a level, they are like bonuses such as being able to gain more experience or uncovering the entire map.
Combat in Fallout 3 is simply painless; the standard aim and fire system that you expect to find in any FPS is combined with something called VATS. It is kind of like an auto targeting feature that is powered by VATS points that recharge when you are not using it. When you are in range of an enemy you can tap the right button, the game will freeze and the screen focuses on the nearest threat. You are then able to select any of the enemy’s limbs to attack and your chance of hitting that area is displayed as a percentage on screen. Seeing a mutant’s head explode in slow motion never gets old and the feature is a great addition to the game. You are also able to queue up attacks which can be very useful when you are fighting a number of foes.
As I mentioned before the game is heavily weighted on the decisions that you make as a character in this wasteland. Your actions and decisions give you either good or bad karma. If you are nice to everyone you speak to, you help people out and generally try not to do anything bad you will get good karma and people will start to like you. If however you go around killing innocent people and basically act like a complete nob you will build a bad reputation. The game rewards you for moving away from the normal, by doing side quests or exploring you can usually find some pretty ace equipment.
Overall, Fallout 3 is an outstanding game that brings the traditional first person shooter model to a whole new level. In terms of graphics the game is more or less flawless. The ruins of D.C and the abyss of the wasteland look truly beautiful. The game contains alot of dialogue and the voice acting is good, that, combined with the sound effects and soundtrack, makes this game sound great. An enthralling story and intelligent gameplay engine make this a game you simply cannot miss.