Fallout 3

"A great game but one annoying bug I have found"

This is a great game and it's hard to really find any faults. The other Fallout 3 PC review, where the reviewer gives it 5 out of 10, is way off base. This game has no stability issues what-so-ever for me or my buddy.

Gameplay - I would say 7.5 out of 10. Nothing exceedingly good about the controls. Just the standard WASD setup. There is the new VATS system which is used during combat, which is pretty fun. The world has a very vast feeling to it. I was able to wander around for an hour or two and explored what felt like a very small area. My one issue with the game is that twice I have already gotten my character stuck. Once right near the beginning, I got stuck by jumping up onto a table. I was then unable to move or jump or anything. I was able to get unstuck by doing the action of sitting in the nearby chair. Later in the game I got stuck on an edge of a bed and had to load my game. Various different items to wear to change your armor and abilities. They all change the looks of your character. There a few helmets and mask the really make your guy look crazy. You can even put on a hockey mask like Jason. Good variety of weapons and craftable items.Overall very fun gameplay. The adjustable first person to third person view is done well and both views are usable, unlike Oblivion. Maybe I just haven't figured it out yet. But I don't see any easy way to switch between a melee weapon and a gun, requiring you to go into the menus of your PepBoy 3000. The PepBoy 3000 is a neat concept as a way to monitor your characters items, skills, stats, etc. But its really just a bunch of menus.

Story - Story is 10 out of 10. I really enjoy this story, setting, etc. Not far into the game the story already begins to get good and you are faced with making some decisions. While I do not know much about the past Fallout games, I do know many things carry over from those games to this. All the small details are thought out and the whole world is very well done. Characters are well done. Many sides Stories/Quests to do. I really just love it. The whole feel you get from the game is just done great and hits the mark of how the world would be if the Story of Fallout was real.

Graphics/Sound - 9 out of 10. I have dual core intel running at 3.4Ghz and a 512mb 8800gt and 2 gb of RAM. This game runs a bit slow on all max settings when you are outdoors. While not as graphics intensive as Crysis, the requirements are still pretty high here. I turned AA off for this game. Detail and draw distance are great. You can see things like guys fighting off in the distance because you will notice the trace of bullets or a small explosion far away. Sounds is a little bit funny. I don't know if it's the game or my sound card. But when I am talking to someone and they are standing still, or whenever there is sound coming from a stationary spot. I can move my character little bits and will sometimes get drastic changes in the sound. It's trying to do the surround sound and also apply an echo, fading, or any other environmental effects and it just doesn't seem to always get it right. Also, my sound card does not support EAX.

Play Time/Replayability - 9 out of 10. I have not even come close to beating this game yet. I expect a great and loong gaming experience. Seeing how there are multiple endings and you can be good or evil through the game affecting things everywhere you go I'm sure many people will enjoy playing this game through to the end, more than once. It is also very easy to find things to do without actually doing the main quest. As soon as I got the chance I just went off on my own into the wasteland, exploring. There are all kinds of things to come across, and you are always searching for those valuable bobble-heads.

Final Recommendation - 9 out of 10. This is possibly game of the year. My personal fav for sure. Everything about this game is done really well and except for the small bug of getting my character stuck there is really no other noteworthy flaws. If you enjoyed Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and think the setting of a destroyed post nuclear-war world is cool then you will love this game. If you like the old Fallouts then this is an obvious must have. Countless hours of time and effort have gone into making this an absolutely amazing game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/03/08

Game Release: Fallout 3 (US, 10/28/08)