Graham Clifford // Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
// Printable version 
Fallout 3 review (PC)
How to survive nuclear Armageddon with a smile on your face...
I firmly believe that should any sort of nuclear device detonate and decimate civilisation I'm pretty much covered. I have played enough S.T.A.L.K.E.R and Fallout to know how to survive a post apocalyptic world so ghouls and mutants better watch out. That is if I survive the initial blast. More than likely I won't. I will probably die sitting on the toilet or something and miss out on all the fun. Reality sucks. Thankfully Fallout 3 sees nuclear bombs unleash mushroom clouds of pixie dust into the sky which transforms most people into super powered monsters instead of instantly killing them or burning them horribly. Some people get all the luck.
Baw-Ball
After Interplay went bust the Fallout series went up for grabs and Bethesda managed to get their hands on it. After nearly four years in development Fallout 3 has finally arrived. The game begins with you as a baby learning how to move and interact as well as creating your character. You progress through the early stages of life into your teenage years as you get acquainted with certain characters. This tutorial/character creation system is cleverly done and eases the player into the story quite nicely. As soon as you are used to life in the Vault your cast out like yesterdays garbage and left to survive in the wasteland that is Washington DC.
Upon leaving the Vault your greeted with a breathtaking scene and a miasma. Vegetation is missing and water doesn't look particularly clean. You get the feeling that life could be tough from here on out and believe me it is. The graphics in the game are particularly good, but not in all areas. While at a distance everything looks great upon closer inspection the Gamebryo engine really starts to show its age. Character faces are also poor and at times they look very cartoon like, especially with Hispanic characters. Overall the artistic design of the game world makes up for these small problems as some the scenery is amazing.
Neither here nor there
Fallout 3 may look like an FPS but it's more an RPG. You can build up any style of character using skills and perks and the development stage is similar to that of Oblivion. My stealthy character proved quite deadly on the battlefield and his charm with the ladies proved quite useful in getting extra info and money (just like his real life counter part). The combat is the game is similar to that of any FPS, but is enhanced with the introduction of V.A.T.S. This allows you to zoom in on your target while the game is paused and select certain areas to attack. This also adds a good tactical experience to the game and doesn't make it feel like just another shooter. However, hardcore FPS fans may be turned off by the inaccurate guns when using the first person mode. Some shots can miss by a good ten feet from only two meters away which can be very frustrating.
Since Bethesda where responsible for Oblivion the layout of Fallout 3 is very similar. Instead of pressing different buttons to bring up the map or inventory it's all handled through a device on your arm called a Pip Boy 3000. All your character states and items are here and navigation is a breeze as well as taking only a few seconds to get to grips with. You can develop skills that can aid you in a secondary role such as medicine, repairing, science and a few more so you never have to feel like violence is the answer.
Women love thugs!
Like nearly every other RPG out there your character can become a great person who secretes daffodils from his anus or a complete knob who would step over his own mother for a few extra pennies. The comes in the form of Karma which is raised by doing good deeds and decreased by doing bad ones. I played through the game as one those goody two shoes mainly because it was easier and I had access to more quests. Being a bad guy never seems to pay off in any RPG for some strange reason. You do notice that your actions throughout the game influence many people within the wasteland as residents of some settlements give you gifts and tell you how lovely you are. Too bad they stop there though.
There are numerous radio stations which mostly play music for the 1940s. While listening to them at first make you feel immersed the effect quickly wears off and you find yourself turning them off and never listening to them again. The game cries out for atmospheric music which provides an eerie sound in the background, however, no such music is present. The voice acting is spot on in Fallout 3, which is something new to Bethesda, as Oblivion had some real problems in that department.
A few niggles
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Despite the epic gameplay on offer here I do have a few major issues with the game. The initial atmospheric feeling is lost after a couple of hours as the game employs dark humor that falls flat. There is no fear of the wastelands and when it gets dark what little fear you have is never heightened. Games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R managed to capture this atmosphere perfectly, but Fallout 3 hasn't. Also, the open landscape level design is fantastic, but every metro station and underground area is identical making them repetitive and boring. The AI occasionally bats for team retard as enemies find it hard to navigate certain terrain and ducking behind cover confuses them. V.A.T.S can also make the game extremely easy if you choose certain perks and weapons. Some friendly AI characters have trouble walking around getting stuck in certain areas. Numerous crashes hampered my playing experience and the right hand side of my screen flickered back to windows on a regular occasion. Only one other game has done that to me and that was Oblivion so Bethesda need to work that one out.
Overall Fallout 3 is a great game hampered by a few problems. Many people will be drawn to the RPG elements while hardcore FPS gamers might sit this one out. The main campaign lasts 20 hours which is easily doubled if you take on the numerous side quests available. The game concludes nicely, but ends after that so any side quests you want to take on need to be done before the last mission. Bethesda has done the Fallout series justice and should be proud of the game they made, unfortunately, the scope of the project was too much for them and the PC game felt unfinished in places, but simply outstanding in other areas.
Channels
Fallout 3 crowned at Gold Joystick Awards
Fallout 3 - Mothership Zeta trailer
Transfixed, but not dead.
Boomtown Staff Writer
----Edited by user 12/11-2008 22:55
Transfixed, but not dead.
Boomtown Staff Writer
Transfixed, but not dead.
Transfixed, but not dead.
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