Fallout 3

"For it's 10/10th birthday, Fallout 3 gets a PIP-Boy, a sweetroll, and a Gronak the Barbarian comic book."

This game is one of the top ten games I've ever played. It is Oblivion with guns, that is undeniable. But it is also so much more than that. It's immersive, sometimes too much for its own good. It's thought-provoking, but most of all, it's a great deal of fun.

This game is the most atmospheric and immersive game I've ever seen. Hands Down. It creates a horrible feeling of dread, hen a super mutant has attacked you, you are you of Radaway or stimpacks, and your radiation level is 800. Do you risk drinking out of the toilet to gain health, or do you continue, hoping to stumble upon a safehouse? That can also be detrimental. Imagine hours upon hours of being in situations like that. Then, you go downstairs and have some Fettuccine Alfredo. Feels like you're getting cut off at the best part, all the time.

The combat in this game is one of its weakest qualities. Playing through the game without V.A.T.S. will not be nearly as fun as with, and it will be HARD. Since aiming is controlled by stats, even in regular aiming, there might be a lot of "how the hell did I miss him" moments. That's were V.A.T.S. comes into play. V.A.T.S. is a very clever way to boil down combat into viewable stats and probabilities, a way to differentiate the combat of the game from regular FPS's, and a way to allow you to blow off all of a person's limbs.

The sounds in this game are on the whole good. The guns are nothing special, and the enemies are only slightly better. But again, it's the atmospheric music that wins out. Do NOT play this game without listening to the radio most of the time. You've got the Enclave, with its old patriotic "Yankee Doodle"(They seriously have that) music, and GNR with its Jazzy 1940's music. And here's a twist: The songs are actually pretty good. They can easily get stuck in your heart, and when you are out on the wastes, alone just looking for some radiation, when Yankee Doodle starts playing, it's a somewhat stupefying experience.

The graphics in this game are this games weakest point. Textures are nothing special, and the animation is HORRIBLE. Simply horrible. This is the part where Fallout 3's Oblivion heritage really shines (or fails to shine). Characters move like they're made with 1999 technology, and occasionally, when they get stuck behind something, they'll just keep walking against it, waiting for you to push them out.

The character and environment design of this game was brilliantly done. The characters have varying degrees of uniqueness, and the enemies. Whoahoao, the enemies are well done. They look frightening on occasion even gruesome. The PIP-Boy Interface was well thought out and is easy to use.

The character customization is very similar to Oblivion, however unlike in Oblivion where it was incredibly hard to make a normal looking character and incredibly easy to make a fugly monstrosity, here it is exactly the opposite. Sure you can make a fugstrosity, but it is difficult and you'll have to work at it. I loved all the different hair choices, and totally lurrrved all the facial hair choices; almost all exactly the same but slightly different in a way other than name.

The storyline is good nothing to laugh at. The ending is a slight surprise, so that was fun to see. The beginning, in Vault 101 was a great way to get you set up in the world, and be a somewhat hidden tutorial.

The RPG aspects of the game are very well done, but not really that much of a change from the previous Fallout games. The level cap is relatively low, only 20 levels, so it is tough to decide what to max out and what to leave in the sand.

Let it not be said that this is an easy game. This is a tough game. Not very extremely though, but those of you used to delightful romps through the valley of Double-Doubles and Dr. Peppers are going to be in for a ride. The radiation mechanic I mentioned earlier makes it tough to heal yourself sometimes, and sometimes you are torn whether to go back to the nearest house or to keep going; most of the time it would be an even bigger ordeal to go back.

The karma system is extremely well inputted in this game, and being too good is so difficult, you'll want to be evil. Then being evil is so heartwrenchingly satanic behaviour, that you'll be wishing you were neutral. So you become neutral and nobody cares about you. It's a suspenseful give and take that really adds to the game.

In conclusion Fallout 3 is an exquisite game and gets my Game of the Year 2008 award. If you like RPG's pick this up. If you liked Oblivion, pick this up. If you liked Fallout pick this up. If you like FPS's this is probably a rent for you.(10/10)

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

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