The Fallout series which was originally introduced and developed by black isle studios and published by interplay with their release of Fallout 1 in 1997 and Fallout 2 in 1998. The series was very successful and gave a new meaning to the turn based RPG(role playing game) genre. Since then the company went through liquidation and interplay split away from black isle. Bethesda has recently acquired the license to the series and will continue the fallout franchise. Although a sequel, fallout 3 is a non turn based first person role playing game.
Fallout 3 takes place 36 years after fallout 2. Set in a post apocalyptic America, you play as the main protagonist in search of your father who disappeared from the vault that you have lived in all your life. Now it’s time for you to leave and travel across the capital wasteland fighting off mutated and radiated creatures, animals and slaves that were heavily exposed to nuclear radiation. You will make friends and assist them by completing quests in order to gain information and knowledge about the whereabouts of your father.
Fallout 3 is a game based on decision. Through dialogue options, your actions and decisions will determine who your foes and allies are, how you are seen by other npc’s through attaining good and bad karma, the outcome of each side quest as well as the main quest and the ending cinematic that follows.
The weapon selection in fallout is nothing other than mind boggling. Not only are there a massive number of weapons to find, steal and/or purchase but you can create weapons from various items as long as you find the blueprint to create it.
The combat system is very unique. Unlike the previous fallouts, Bethesda has replaced the turn based system with one that’s more appropriate for its first person perspective. V.A.T.S, Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, which is more of a violent assisted targeting system, allows the player to almost pause the combat scene, and depending upon how many action points available, target different areas of the enemies body, giving more accuracy and damage per shot and ending with a slow-motion visual effect that will literally wipe the grin off of every mutant in the game. If that is not enough to please all those blood thirsty, body part popping gamers out there, what would Fallout be without the original, bloody mess perk? Not only have they included it, there are all the old favorites and more.
Not every battle has to start with someone losing an eye, except the irrefutable and extremely hostile super mutants. There are multiple ways to achieve an object, either through stealing, bartering, repairing or by completing smaller tasks, it is all up to you depending on the skills, and traits of your character.
The game may seem tough at times depending on your characters current level, assigned perks and skill attributes, although, you are not alone. Depending on your karma level and dialogue options, there are NPC’s that will join you on your journey and assist you in those difficult grinding battles. Bethesda has also included some familiar companions from fallout 1 and 2.
Using the gamebryo engine from oblivion, Fallout 3’s graphics and physics allows the game to feel, look and play exactly as it should. The environment has been created with perfection in terms of how a radiated, war stricken world should look. The enemies are grimy, gritty and mean, and resemble exactly what they look like from their Fallout 1 and 2 counterparts. The draw distance is amazing as you can see miles of land and destroyed infrastructure ahead of you.
The new navigation system built into the pip-boy is a great help for travelling around the wasteland. Although many fans of the previous games will argue that it is taking away the fun and adventure of having to navigate your own way around the wasteland.
The sound effects are immensely realistic and unique to each object and creature, whether lock picking an ammo box, impaling a super mutant through his eye socket with the crafty railway rifle, to the scanter of the radscorpions sneaking up behind you.
Survival of the fittest, or in this case, survival of the pip boy carrier. Your pip boy is the vault dwellers, as the bible is to humanity. It’s attached to your left forearm and gives you vital information on character stats including radiation poisoning, serious injury, inventory items, quest objectives, and a very helpful navigation system that pinpoints where you need to travel for each part of a quest. It also stores all your notes, quest items and allows for detailed information on weapon damage, current condition as well as carry weight.
Depending on which quests you will focus on and your characters chosen traits, the game could take anywhere between 40 to 150 hours to finish.
Fallout 3 is an RPG built on an epic scale. Big guns, big muties, big violence, addictive gameplay, a massive map, enjoyable story and intriguing side quests as well as already announced DLC that will not only extend game play but somehow improve on the amazing nuclear torn wasteland that is fallout 3.
Fallout 3 has not only proven itself to be considered worthy for my annual fallout pip boy prize, but has given hope to all those that thought that they would never have had the opportunity to climb back into their blue and yellow vault-tec suit. Long live the vault dweller and as they say, ‘war… war never changes’.
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