feel the radioactive love
Before you play fallout 3 or read this review there’s one thing you need to know. Fallout 3 is the single buggiest game I’ve ever played. And its also one of the greatest games ive ever had the chance to enjoy.
During the game i've seen deathclaws (the games uber monster) fall directly up into the sky, beaten protectrons slowly and staidly start to stretch across the room and the outside world literally start to break up into intangible squares in the sky. None of these things affected my fun in the capital wasteland. To be fair the glitches that I did experience happened in about 1% or less of my time in the game.
Fallout 3 is absolutely massive, not just in how expansive the game world is, but all of the things you can do within and choices you can make are quite nearly limitless. Every problem can be attempted with any solution. Someone blocking your way into a gang hideout? Try to bargain with them, trade, give them good info or just shoot them in the head and steal the key from their body.
There are effects to your choices. Commit a crime in some town and people will react negatively, save a slave and they will return to their home town and their friends may give you gifts as thanks.
The whole fallout 3 world is teaming with visual splendor and striking sights. The first few moments after you leave your starting vault (wont ruin the story here) as you come up over a small hill and finally see the view into the distance, its probably the only time in your life you’ll find a barren wasteland taking your breath away.
The story is easily completed in a day or two to the dedicated player, but the story only makes up 10% of the world at most, much less then that with all the available download content.
There are side quests and collectibles everywhere. 100's of different ways to develop your character and expand upon your experience.
Gameplay is also full of choice and can be played just as a simple fps or using the vats lock on system more like a strange irradiated RPG. And this game is an RPG. Now i’ve seen people turn down buying this game in stores the second they hear its an rpg and in their tiny little minds they see people in castles standing still taking turns to hit monsters with swords. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, I quite like it myself, it’s no way a description of this games experience and definitely not something you should expect from it.
Once you've spent 100 + hours playing in the capital wasteland and seen almost all fallout 3 has to offer, you'll know that your game is coming to an end. This leaves you with fallout 3's greatest achievement sadness at having to leave the world and a longing to visit it again. Here's hoping for fallout new Vegas to be able to live up to this.
