Fallout 3 Review (PC)

When Bethesda Softworks announced their plans to develop Fallout 3 back in 2004 many die-hard fans had their doubts that it could live up to the high standards set by previous Fallout games. After all, they were changing the core gameplay format from a traditional turn based RPG into a real-time action RPG. While doubts may have eased since then, in all but a few nostalgic, hard-core fans, the question of whether the final game would live up to the months of building expectations still remained. With the release of Fallout 3, any remaining doubts can be put to rest and the game summed up in a single word. Fantastic.

• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
• ESRB Rating: M for Mature
• Genre: Action RPG
• Theme: Post-Apocolyptic
• Series: Fallout
• Game Modes: Single player, multiplayer
• Pros: Excellent sandbox gameplay - do anything you want; Environments gorgeously detailed and enormous; Intuitive game-play and controls;
• Cons: Game crashes; Too many "Pros" to list

Goodbye Vault 101, Hello Capital Wasteland

The year 2077, the world as we know it was forever changed by a war that lasted just a few short hours. Stories surrounding this Great War and it's aftermath have circulated Vault 101 for 200 years. It is in this fallout shelter named Vault 101, that you have lived with your scientist father for the first 19 years of your life. That is until one day, in the year 2277, when you wake to find that your father has left the safely of the Vault for reasons unknown. Upon learning of this you immediately set out in search of him, into the world outside Vault 101. What was once the greater Washington DC area is now known as Capital Wasteland a barren landscape with shattered remnants of life long ago before it was destroyed by Nuclear War.

As your eyes adjust from the dim light of Vault 101 to the bright outdoor sun you'll immediately see what you're up against. Finding your father in this immense and daunting world will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But don't let that stop you, straight ahead will be your first encounter with the inhabitants of Capital Wasteland; Super Mutants, festering Ghouls, Raider gangs and folks just not fortunate enough to have been chosen for life in the Vault await you.

Choose your own adventure is the best way I can describe the storyline for Fallout 3. There are many games released that claim to have open ended, non-linear gameplay, also known as sandbox gameplay, but very few actually accomplish it as successfully as Fallout 3 has. In defense of those other games, sandbox gameplay is quite difficult to accomplish, after all the game needs to come to an end. Eventually players will need to be directed (or pushed) through some part of the story to get to there. Fallout 3 has exceeded my wildest expectations in terms of sandbox gameplay and storytelling. Dialog, voice overs and writing are supurb and players are free to do as they please. Don't like the residents of Megaton? Then go ahead and try to detonate the nuclear bomb in the center of town.

That's not to say Fallout 3 doesn't have objectives, because it does. As you talk with inhabitants of Capital Wasteland you'll pick up information and be offered quests. What makes Fallout 3 work so well is that it's entirely up to you how, or even if, you want to accomplish them. One sentence from the game's manual that stuck with me, sums up the game perfectly "...it's your game, so play it the way you want. There's no 'right' way to play."

The Pip-Boy 3000 Manual

The opening sequences in Fallout 3 serve as both the tutorial and initial character setup/customization, it is also the most structured or "linear" portion of the game. Here you will select your character's skills, assign attributes and decide on a look. It's also when you'll learn to use the Pip-Boy 3000, an oversized electronic wrist computer that is vital for your survival in the wasteland. The Pip-Boy 3000 is the basic interface you'll have for managing your character. It contains all sorts of statistics and information such as hit points, radiation levels, experience points, skills, perks, and many others. It also doubles as inventory management, contains world and local maps, as well as general information on your quests.

One common use of the Pip-Boy 3000 is to monitor your current radiation levels. Take in too many rads and you'll end up with radiation poisoning. As should be expected there are quite a few places in Capital Wasteland that are highly radioactive and nearly every piece of food you ingest will be contaminated to some degree. Weighing the options of restoring hit points by eating food while increasing your radiation levels can present quite a dilemma at the most inopportune times. At the least it will ensure that you use the radiation treatment packs more efficiently.

The Pip-Boy 3000 is one example of how well designed the interface is for Fallout 3. Everything from weapons and inventory management to the basic movement controls and V.A.T.S. combat are extremely intuitive. Every feature and control has a real and useful purpose in the game. One such example is the Auto Move button. During the opening scenes inside Vault 101, I thought to myself, "what is the point of that feature?". Trust me when I say, once you get outside and have to travel from the town of Megaton to Tenpenny Tower, the auto move feature will quicky become your best friend.

Much like Bethesda's previous release ElderScrolls IV, the world created in Fallout 3 is enormous. The highly detailed environments will hold you captivated with unique models and visuals around nearly every turn. That's not to say you won't grow tired, the world is so big that you'll become quite familiar with the Pip-Boy 3000's world map function that allows you to jump instantly from one previously discovered location to another.