Great game to be played by all!!!
Fallout 3 is an action role playing game by Bethesda Softworks. Along the lines of Oblivion, Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic, Fallout 3 places a huge emphasis on making the player carry out a slew of moral choices throughout the game. If you enjoyed playing some of the aforementioned RPG titles, than you will find yourself playing Fallout 3 for hours on end to view as much of the available content within the game.
The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic Washington DC in the year 2277. The main protagonist of the game is you (as the vault dweller) and the focus of the story is following your journey in the wasteland in search of your father. Along the way you are confronted by many interesting individuals in various living establishments and settings. Choices are made by the player in regards to how you want to deal with these individuals and this aspect (in my opinion) is the true reason why this game is amazing. Acting hostile towards individuals will make them act hostile towards you, on the other hand, taking the diplomatic approach will usually result in peaceful solutions and interactions. In addition to using "Shotgun Diplomacy" or more conventional peaceful methods, Bethesda seemed to hit it right with including a plethora of in between "grey area" solutions and choices.
The main story arc can be completed in about 20-25 hours (if you don't stray off the path too far), however, having such a huge world that is filled with great content at your disposal, you will easily become side-tracked while exploring random dungeons and areas which will easily add an additional 30+ hours to your total playtime! The visuals are wonderful as the developer understood and conveyed the idea of a true post-apocalyptic setting in convincing fashion. The pop-in on long distances is more apparent on the PS3, however, it is not bad to the point that it warrants anybody to skip playing this game. When creating and populating such a huge world, minor technical issues and bugs always rear it's ugly head similar to what was prevalent in the three RPGs mentioned above.
The audio is great as your Pip Boy receives radio stations that convey the 1950s era in American history prior to the big nuclear blast going off. You can also receive additional stations depending on your completion of specific side quests. If you don't enjoy listening to the radio stations you can turn it off all together and listen to the atmospheric music that truly captures the sound and feeling of being in a barren wasteland. Definitely a good job on that one Bethesda! The controls and mechanics of the game allow you to switch between third person and first person view allowing the player the choice to play in either view (however, it is recommended to play in first person). The game can be played as a full live action game, using the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System or a combination of the two. The V.A.T.S. system is a throwback to the action-point system of previous Fallout games, in that it lets you pause the action, spend action points by targeting a specific limb on your enemy, and watch the bloody results unfold in slow motion.
With one playthrough completed and a second and third coming in the near future, this game will keep anybody who is into RPGs, making morality choices and exploration busy for over 100 hours easily!!! If you enjoy any of those three aforementioned gaming aspects, science fiction, a post-apocalyptic setting or good engaging gameplay and story, than Fallout 3 on ANY platform is a must play for you.
Final Score: 9.6
The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic Washington DC in the year 2277. The main protagonist of the game is you (as the vault dweller) and the focus of the story is following your journey in the wasteland in search of your father. Along the way you are confronted by many interesting individuals in various living establishments and settings. Choices are made by the player in regards to how you want to deal with these individuals and this aspect (in my opinion) is the true reason why this game is amazing. Acting hostile towards individuals will make them act hostile towards you, on the other hand, taking the diplomatic approach will usually result in peaceful solutions and interactions. In addition to using "Shotgun Diplomacy" or more conventional peaceful methods, Bethesda seemed to hit it right with including a plethora of in between "grey area" solutions and choices.
The main story arc can be completed in about 20-25 hours (if you don't stray off the path too far), however, having such a huge world that is filled with great content at your disposal, you will easily become side-tracked while exploring random dungeons and areas which will easily add an additional 30+ hours to your total playtime! The visuals are wonderful as the developer understood and conveyed the idea of a true post-apocalyptic setting in convincing fashion. The pop-in on long distances is more apparent on the PS3, however, it is not bad to the point that it warrants anybody to skip playing this game. When creating and populating such a huge world, minor technical issues and bugs always rear it's ugly head similar to what was prevalent in the three RPGs mentioned above.
The audio is great as your Pip Boy receives radio stations that convey the 1950s era in American history prior to the big nuclear blast going off. You can also receive additional stations depending on your completion of specific side quests. If you don't enjoy listening to the radio stations you can turn it off all together and listen to the atmospheric music that truly captures the sound and feeling of being in a barren wasteland. Definitely a good job on that one Bethesda! The controls and mechanics of the game allow you to switch between third person and first person view allowing the player the choice to play in either view (however, it is recommended to play in first person). The game can be played as a full live action game, using the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System or a combination of the two. The V.A.T.S. system is a throwback to the action-point system of previous Fallout games, in that it lets you pause the action, spend action points by targeting a specific limb on your enemy, and watch the bloody results unfold in slow motion.
With one playthrough completed and a second and third coming in the near future, this game will keep anybody who is into RPGs, making morality choices and exploration busy for over 100 hours easily!!! If you enjoy any of those three aforementioned gaming aspects, science fiction, a post-apocalyptic setting or good engaging gameplay and story, than Fallout 3 on ANY platform is a must play for you.
Final Score: 9.6
