The gamble that Bethesda made in acquiring the rights from Interplay seems to be paying off. The fanatical outcry from the incredibly vocal Fallout fans has died down. The game is finally out and available for the masses to judge for themselves. And yet, as I log yet another hour in this wonderfully crafted, post-apocalyptic vision of Washington D.C., heading into the credits of my second playthrough, it’s apparent that the game lives up to every bit of the hype and then some.

Destroyed Beauty

There’s just something about the meticulous attention to detail of Fallout 3, how the environment was lovingly created and just as lovingly destroyed, that gives it that personality that is so rare to find in games. The Fallout series has always had a brilliant art style, mixing old 1950’s-inspired culture with the futuristic technology of tomorrow. With Fallout 3, Bethesda truly outdid themselves by presenting a world of hauntingly beautiful structures that spell a cautionary tale of nuclear war at every turn. Every corner of the game’s world is enriched in amazing little touches; torn-down walls, pieced together suits of armor made of shopping carts and old tires, tons of humorous, fake products and advertisements. There are even a handful of in-game radio station broadcasts with a wonderful selection of music from the ’40s and ’50s that help in immersing you in the alternate-history dystopia that the series is known for.

The characters themselves offer an incredibly rich selection of voice-acted dialog, whether or not you recognize the Liam Neesons or Malcolm McDonalds of the bunch. And just like Oblivion, there are naturally some repeats here and there (for example, three ghouls outside a vault all had the same exact voice and slightly different thing to say), but it’s never quite as noticeable, possibly due to the smaller amount of settlements and survivors that the Fallout setting lends itself to.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Open-ended choices have always been a staple of the series and this one is no different. Well, maybe not quite to the extent that Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 speed runs allowed, where with a little character tweaking and a bit of luck and you could be done and watching the credits in a matter of minutes. The main story is fairly linear and rather short if you focus your efforts solely on that, but the side quests are where the role playing elements really shine. You’ll stumble across many smaller tasks requested by some of the minor NPCs. The real side quests (the ones you get achievements for) work more like quest chains in MMOs and can involve a number of different branching objectives, across multiple locations. The way you handle these quests can have a significant impact on the game world, for better or for worse, often times with irreversible consequences.

You don’t have to brave the harsh wastes alone though, as there are a number of potential NPCs ready and willing to keep you company. However, most of the companions you will come across have a particular moral compass and may only accompany you if you both share a similar karma ideology (be it good, neutral or evil). They’re definitely worth the effort to recruit since they can offer great assistance in combat if given the right weapon and they also double as invaluable pack mules. Sadly, you don’t have much control over them, but you can suggest behaviors. Whether or not they obey you is a different story; for example, my ghoulish compatriot kept pulling out the flaming sword I had stowed on him, rather than the more effective combat shotgun I had instructed him to use. Some quests (especially ones involving sneaking) just don’t seem to work with NPCs tagging along. Thankfully, you can always order them temporarily wait or return back to the safety of their normal, ordinary lives.

The sheer freedom of the game can be a double-edged sword at times. Many NPCs can be killed, even in towns, although the truly essential ones will simply become unconscious and return back to full health, if killed. In some situations, quests can be altogether bypassed or eliminated by others. A good portion of the game requires discovery, therefore, most of the side quests and locations can be easily missed upon first playthrough, which is why Fallout 3 is definitely a game that warrants replayability. Many of the more interesting locales aren’t even referred to or encountered during the main quest, so you will have to take it upon yourself to explore the world thoroughly. At the outset, that task is a rather difficult one, as you begin life quite underpowered and ill-equipped, and it may seem like every enemy encounter is a potentially fatal one. Log a few quests under your belt and the game begins to have a bit of a snowball effect, and you may soon find more things to do than you’ll know what to do with.

Circle Strafing or Die Rolls

The biggest departure from the previous games is undoubtedly the combat, which mixes real-time, FPS, ranged gunplay with turn-based actions. The system, known as V.A.T.S. (or Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System), is actually a hybrid of the two and thus it’s not recommended to play the game entirely one way or the other, but as a combination of both. Combat is primarily in real-time and has a familiar FPS feel, but you can spend AP (action points) to take a few targeted shots that number crunch your stats to let you know if your attack hit, missed, or critically demolished your foes’ skull, all in glorious slow-motion. The points replenish over a few seconds, so you’ll likely end up mopping up the enemy like any old first-person shooter. The shooting itself is rather weak as modern shooters go, since this is really just a modified version of the Oblivion engine, and not the polished FPS-gameplay of Bioshock or squad-based third-person shooting of Mass Effect. But this is Fallout we’re talking about, an RPG first and foremost, so stick with the balanced gameplay and you should be fine. There’s also a third-person view, but it’s virtually unplayable, so I won’t waste time mentioning much about it.

Just like the original games, targeting limbs makes up a vital part of combat (unfortunately you can no longer go for the groin). Force firing on a weapon toting limb or the weapon itself will usually knock their firearm or blunt instrument away for a moment. Taking out an enemy’s legs works wonders for a coward that’s fleeing the scene. Most of the time you’re going to be aiming for the head though.

The Bottom Line

Whether you’re the biggest of Fallout fans or a newcomer to the series, there’s something here for the RPG-fan in all of us. Dissected separately, the game is part Oblivion, part Fallout, but taken together the experience becomes so much more than a hybrid of the two. This is a game that fully immerses you in its world if you allow it to, but be prepared to spend countless hours once your there. You won’t find a better RPG this year, let alone one quite as rewarding as Fallout 3.

Sleepy Gamer says.. BUY IT!

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