Fallout 3

The third in what was a virtually unheard of series of games; Fallout 3 is an open-world RPG operating with free choice as the primary objective behind its original creation. The creators (Bethesda Software) clearly put more effort into this game then just about any other game I have ever played.

The game takes place in the year 2277 on the East Coast of what used to be the United States of America, mostly in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. The game play features include real-time combat and first or third person perspective, in contrast to the previous games, which were turn-based and isometric.

When one begins playing FO3, which begins with the birth of your character, you are immediately presented with an array of customization options for your character’s appearance and base attributes. While your options are somewhat limited for the introduction level, which takes place inside of Vault 101, an underground bunker built to preserve humanity prior to the nuclear war with China in 2077, once you exit the vault you will not be forced to follow the main storyline whatsoever. This is a relatively new experience for me, though I have played similar games in the past. There is no rival for the freedom that Fallout 3 presents as far as your character’s actions. The game has an actual storyline which includes 10-15 hours of game play if it is followed without participating in any other quests or side missions, but the real experience is in playing through all of the missions. There is enough content to entertain for days, literally, of play. If you somehow complete the game with a feeling that there should have been more, you’re in luck. FO3 has five expansion packs which can be purchased separately or with the deluxe edition of the game. While the game itself has a level cap (level 20), the expansion Broken Steel allows your character to advance to level 30.

Gameplay: FO3 presents an open world in which to explore. You could walk for hours or fast-travel between discovered locations. The large selection of missions and quests allow for upwards of 72 hours worth of gameplay. The 1st and 3rd perspective allows you to play as the character or as a floating camera. There are two combat systems included in FO3, the V.A.T.S. system and blind firing. Blind firing is what you would expect, aim and shoot. The V.A.T.S. system is interesting by itself. The game explains it as a function of your Pip-Boy 3000 (essentially a computer attached to your arm, and apparently a pack capable of carrying hundreds of pounds of equipment) in which you slow time to a fraction of normally speed and target your enemies, multiple at once or just parts of a single person. This allows you to conserve ammunition and inflict more damage for each attack, and improves your accuracy if you’re on the move.

As you advance in level, you can improve your skills (13 of them, ranging from lock picking to explosives) as well as gaining "perks" that improve your skills or allow you to perform better in any aspect of the game. The freedom presented by the game means that you can decide to heal people in a clinic or enter a town and kill every single person (except kids). This freedom means that even after you completely finish the game you will want to start over and play through with a new outlook, evil instead of good, sneaky over running in shooting. There are some limitations on the game, certain characters that are essential and therefore invincible, and areas you can’t reach. This will not have too much impact on your experience.

Graphics: The game designers knew what they were doing with this game. The environments you will find throughout the game are skillfully designed, with believable conditions for the post-apocalyptic world of the Capital Wasteland. The darkness and grime of the world help to make the FO3 experience what it is.

Storyline: Due to the freedom of FO3, the storyline is hard to explain. If you follow the main story straight through you may find it confused or unconnected. This is because FO3 is not intended to be played this way. FO3 is a story of discovery, presented from the point of an abandoned son lost in the remains of America. Your decisions in the game really do impact the experience of the game. Complete emersion into your character is essential to the game. Or at least to understanding what the creators intended.

The central storyline of FO3 is the story of the lone wanderer’s search for their father and coming to terms with reality after growing up in the most sheltered of environments. Whether you seek to complete your father's work, help to restore the US government or simply destroy every living thing you meet, your experience with FO3 will be your one, which to me makes it one of the most compelling storylines of any game I have played.

Rating:

Gameplay: The game is engrossing and addictive while maintaining a high quality and host of possibilities. While combat may take more time then I would like, the game still manages a nearly perfect level.

3.75 Out of 4.0

Storyline: The story is compelling and intricate, though it sags in places from its own weight. It is surprising how such a complex storyline can keep up the pace throughout its entirety. The confused aspects are marginal and don’t detract much from the overall experience.

2.75 Out of 3.0

Graphics: A beautiful game that comes together well and creates a believable world two hundred years after it ended, though I didn’t get why Super-Mutants were all bald and green.

2.0 Out of 2.0

Wow Factor: Awarded, primarily for the open world and range of freedom within the story, but also for the talking tree, and it screaming while I burned it down.

By Hegemon

Date: July 2, 2010