Fallout 3 (NO SPOILERS)

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    I don't roll on Shabbos! Timman_24's Avatar
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    Fallout 3 (NO SPOILERS)

    Preface: I've beaten the game and have spent upwards of 30 hours playing the game. I beat the main quest (not really trying to blow through or anything) in 16 hours and went back and played the former parts. All was played on Normal difficulty.

    I will not spoil anything in this review, I HATE it when reviewers give out details that should not be said (Im looking at you gamespot.)

    Story:
    The game is set in the not too distant future after the world erupted in nuclear combat. People survived by locking themselves in vaults in the ground and waiting for the radiation to subside. This is where the game starts. Eventually the player works his way to the surface to see the great city of Washington DC in total ruin. It is quite a sight. I am very familiar with downtown Washington DC, I've been there many times and they captured it perfectly. It is a fantastically eerie atmosphere, they could not have picked a better place to have this game. The entire area is about the size of the Oblivion map and rich with detail. This place is called the Wasteland, where the player can do whatever he likes. Go explore, continue the main quest, or just kill.

    Without giving anything away, the main quest is rather interesting. The story is pretty rich and there is a ton of lore to be found and stories to follow. Although the main quest IMO is not as good as Oblivion's, it is still very entertaining. There are many times in the main quest in which the game allows the player to make certain decisions, but from what I have gathered they do not mean much in the end. There is no real reason to play the game again as the opposite karma to see a "totally different" ending. The ending will be the same except with a slightly different twist.

    Gameplay:
    The game plays like a traditional FPS with an Oblivion style interaction system. There is a ton of depth in the combat system, unlike Oblivion. Guns have a primary fire and the ability to zoom in using the right mouse button. The range of guns in the game is enormous from a BB guns and shotguns to Plasma rifles and rocket launchers. To keep with the run-down, survive by the minute vision of the game, ammo will be hard to come by during the beginning and it can be hard to keep a favorite weapon stocked with ammo. Also guns have a condition rating and deteriorate as they are used in combat. The only downside is that there isn't an easy way to switch between guns, but more on that later.

    The character has a set amount of HP and he/she doesn't replenish points as time goes by, think of it as an RPG take on HP. Keeping the character's health up during the game isn't a huge issue as many stimpacks (used for healing) and food can be found through out the wasteland. Also taking time out to rest will give the character full health, although no enemies can be around to initiate the sleep.

    As with weapons, armor can deteriorate over time but can be repaired using either player skill and a comparable piece of armor to use as spare parts or the item can be taken to a vendor for a hefty fee.

    The HUD in the game gives all the information needed for most any endeavor, I was seldom felt wanting more data up on the screen. Although to be a bit picky a minimap would have been nice. Which brings me to my biggest complaint about the gameplay. The Pipboy 3000 is a computer attached to the arm of the character and most character changes are routed through its use. Bringing up the Pipboy with tab gives the user access to maps, data collected, quests, armor and weapon selections, health items, player conditions (radiation, limb conditions, etc), time of day, and much more. It is a great system, but I did not like how the ONLY way to switch weapons or to heal was to bring up the Pipboy in combat. Run out of ammo with the shotgun? Can't just rotate the mouse wheel. The player must hit tab, wait a bit for the pipboy to come up, tab over to the items tab, tab to the weapons tab, then scroll to click the desired weapon. It kills the excitement of the moment, but it is only a minor complaint.

    As mentioned above, the player can receive radiation poisoning throughout the game. It slowly accumulates until the player gets very sick and must cure it through either a doctor or items. This will be a constant struggle through out the game, although it is NOT hard to keep under control for the most part. As with radiation poisoning, the player can also experience total crippling of limbs. This effects movement, accuracy, and vision depending on what part of the body is crippled.

    Perhaps the most novel gameplay feature in the game is the VATS system. While in combat the player can push the "V" button to enter VATS mode. This pauses combat and turns the fight into a turn based battle. The player has action points in which can be used to shoot the enemies. Usually 4-5 shots can be made per turn. The player chooses which part of the body to target which varying chances of hitting and executes the command. AWESOME awaits as the shots are taken in slow motion. Guts and gore fly everywhere as the gun barks. If the enemy still stands (not likely as VATS is OP IMO) he retaliates and the game goes back to standard mode.

    Graphics:

    The game really shines in the graphics department. Not only are the graphics top notch (PC version), but the art direction is wonderful as well. For a post-apocalyptic world, it is very much alive and interesting. The entire map is packed full of dungeons, small towns, ruined structures, etc that full of loot and enemies. The game looked glorious at 1920x1200 maxed with full AA.

    The armor and weapons look very unique and fit perfectly with the make shift style of human ingenuity that would accompany the years after total destruction. HDR is used in the game but it is very subdued and just about perfect. Devs are finally using it as a secondary tool to enhance the world instead of a showcase for new technology. Blood and gore are nicely modeled in the game. There is just enough dismemberment and splatter that it doesn't seem over the top, but still very very cool.

    Sound:

    I didn't get to enjoy the game with surround sound, but I played it with both an expensive set of studio earphones and upscale stereo speakers and subwoofer. The sound was never lacking and with the headphones it was down right creepy! Especially in certain dungeons that felt more like doom than a Bethesda game!!! Multiple times I jumped a bit from sounds coming from all over. The intensity of the guns sound good, but some of them felt somewhat weak (mainly the shotgun.) The music did get old. There are various radio stations that the player can tune into, but most only have 3 songs. All the songs are from what sounds like the 40-50's. Which, ugh will get very old after 1 or 2 plays. I eventually just turned the radio off.

    Conclusion:

    This is a wonderful game. In my opinion it is definitely a contender for GOTY. The setting, story, gameplay, graphics, and sound are all top notch. Anyone that enjoys Oblivion, sci-fi, FPS, RPGS, or anything in between will like this game. There are a few faults some of which I can not go into with spoiling, but they are very small compared to how great this game is in other areas. From what I have read, to beat every side quest and explore all the dungeons it takes upwards of 90 hours. There is not another new game out this year that gives such a rich and rewarding experience as Fallout 3 does.

    ALL SHARKIES MUST PICK THIS UP!

    9.5/10

    In-game shots taken:




    Last edited by Timman_24; 11-20-2008 at 02:52 PM.
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