Fallout 3 (NO SPOILERS)

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  1. #1
    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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  2. #2
    I don't roll on Shabbos! Timman_24's Avatar
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    Feel free to post your impressions of the game as well, even if you have not completed it!
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  3. #3
    Nerdy.......AND sexy dimmy32's Avatar
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    Read your review - loved it. I have to say this game is almost flawless.
    I dont usually like RPG games, especially third-person views. In Fallout 3 , you can change to either view.
    I played through Oblivion and the expansion pack and loved it as well.
    It seems to me that Bethesda improved their gaming platform from Oblivion to Fallout 3.
    I hope this game gets "game of the year" across the board. It really is a must own game. I also urge everyone to buy a copy. You'll spend endless hours on it.
    It's highly addictive.

    9.5/10 for me.
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  4. #4
    Sleeps with the Fishes
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    Nice interview.

    You say you can wonder around the waste land and just kill. Do they respawn like in Far Cry 2? I think that was lame, you can't clear out an area. After a while, it's like what's the point of killing these people?

    Or, do you risk messing up potential missions like in Morrow wind? I actually prefer this type of game play especially when I heard of people killing every single person in Morrow wind except for a few npc's that respawn. That appeals to me
    Last edited by Freddy part deux; 11-20-2008 at 03:49 PM.

  5. #5
    Mr Zurkon is here to kill PointlesS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Freddy part deux View Post
    Nice interview.

    You say you can wonder around the waste land and just kill. Do they respawn like in Far Cry 2? I think that was lame, you can't clear out an area. After a while, it's like what's the point of killing these people?

    Or, do you risk messing up potential missions like in Morrow wind? I actually prefer this type of game play especially when I heard of people killing every single person in Morrow wind except for a few npc's that respawn. That appeals to me
    I think enemies respawn after awhile, but I think it takes a week (in game time) for them to do that. Regardless they'll be much less of a threat assuming you've leveled up. This is probably the sole reason why I stopped playing Far Cry 2.

    And yes, your actions have consequences. How far that goes I'm not quite sure since I've never really just killed random people. There's a karma system in the game that goes up or down depending on your actions, but I'm not sure how much of that affects potential quests or the reactions you get from people.

    As for the review I agree with most of it. My only major issue is that the real time combat seems a bit clunky. The animation is a bit stiff, and because of that you miss more than you usually should. It's not that big of a deal, but it just doesn't feel very smooth. That and you can tell that the characters are just body types with heads glued on. It's not a big deal, but in conversations you can easily see the seam between the two models.

    I'm about 28 hours in, but I'm taking a break to play some other games ATM. I'll probably finish it during the Thanksgiving break.
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  6. #6
    Sleeps with the Fishes
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    These games should have a no-respawn mod so we can kill everybody in the game

  7. #7
    Nerdy.......AND sexy dimmy32's Avatar
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    I plan on doing that , once I finish the game - I wanna be the only survivor on earth !
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    Sleeps with the Fishes
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    I don't think this is a spoiler..

    I just started playing it and one thing I DO NOT like is that you have to use cross hairs. I had originally turned them off in set up but I just got a BB Gun and it didn't let me aim with the Iron Sights.

  9. #9
    I don't roll on Shabbos! Timman_24's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Freddy part deux View Post
    I don't think this is a spoiler..

    I just started playing it and one thing I DO NOT like is that you have to use cross hairs. I had originally turned them off in set up but I just got a BB Gun and it didn't let me aim with the Iron Sights.
    Hmm I never noticed that. I used cross hairs, but are you saying the iron sights don't work like in COD? That would suck if it just zoomed in but didn't mesh with the iron sights.

    Pointless,

    You bring up a good point about the bodies. I played through the first person view the entire time and didn't notice too much with the NPCs but the player character is very chunky when running around.
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  10. #10
    Sleeps with the Fishes
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    Quote Originally Posted by Timman_24 View Post
    Hmm I never noticed that. I used cross hairs, but are you saying the iron sights don't work like in COD? That would suck if it just zoomed in but didn't mesh with the iron sights.
    I only got the BB gun but nope, Right mouse doesn't allow you to look down the barrel.

  11. #11
    Nerdy.......AND sexy dimmy32's Avatar
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    I dont like that green crosshair thing floating in the air. I never use them on any FPS. Not realistic.
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    Creepy Shark PowerCreep's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dimmy32 View Post
    I dont like that green crosshair thing floating in the air. I never use them on any FPS. Not realistic.
    Unlike the health and armor bars. Those are very realistic. I mean, just the other day as I was walking thru the cities sewers, I was approached by a rat. I had 100 health and 100 armor. The rat attacked me and since I was unarmed it took me a few swings to bring it down. After it was all said and done I was 90/80 health/armor. Who knew those little suckers would pack such a punch? I probably am going to have to level up a little bit before I head back into the sewers.
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  13. #13
    Sleeps with the Fishes
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    Quote Originally Posted by dimmy32 View Post
    I dont like that green crosshair thing floating in the air. I never use them on any FPS. Not realistic.
    Neither do I but you must be using them in FO3? I couldn't aim at all with the bb gun. I don't even see the point having that right click and all that happens is a little bit of magnification.

    (I do use aiming points in America's Army though but I still bring up the scope and crouch simultaneously for better aim when I can).

  14. #14
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    Fallout is one of the best games to get engrossed in. I love feeling like I'm in that time period with all of the nostalgia pieces lying around. So cool. Scares me, most of the time, but so awesome to play.

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