Fallout 3: The Review

So, I have been playing Fallout 3 now since release and am on my second play through. I find myself coming back to it all the time and often thinking about it when not playing it. It is not a perfect game, but it isn't too awfully far off.

The action is fast and over the top. Even with the VATS (Vault Assisted Targeting System) that freezes time and allows you to pick your target and then isolate a body part if wanted, it always seems nearly frantic. There are bullets flying, grenades bouncing and lasers just whipping around. The action is also very gory, and I don't care how much I sound like a thirteen year old boy when I say it, which is very satisfying in a primal way. It is nothing to see blood and body parts just shoot across the screen, all in an over the top stylized way. I actually blew the limbs off a raider with a BB Gun, so don't expect realism.

The game is HUGE. There are so many places to go, secrets to find and quests to complete. In my current play through, I am almost level 10 (halfway to the level 20 cap) and I haven't even completed the second mission for the main plot. I have spent the time searching for weapons, followers and other goodies I missed the first time. Luckily, there is a fast travel option that will be familiar to anyone that might have play Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Every place you explore feels different and usually have a story to go along with it. You will find old police and military buildings with computer logs to read, notes left by those before you and many other things that will make you feel like this isn't just your world.

The story is brilliant. Set in an alternate earth where after World War II we actually made "The World of the Future" that people thought we would have in the 50s. That's why everything has a strange post-nuclear 1950's feel to it. The style just helps with the overall juxtaposition that is this game. You will feel compelled to seek your story and find out what is hiding in the backlog of this world.

The leveling system is a lot of fun. Each level you get to pick a perk. These perks will grant you special abilities that range from general stat increases, new abilities or even the ability to eat corpses to regain health. Yes, that is correct. If you don't mind being an evil person that people dislike, you can eat the dead. Some of the perks truly make the game stand out above all other games. Unlike other games, Fallout 3 is not afraid to give you the ability to be an uber character in this world. By level 20, you will find few creatures that can give you trouble. I don't mean this in a bad way either. By the time this game is over, you feel like you have come so far that it's only right that you can take someone's head off with a BB gun.

There are only a few complaints that I have and they are short. First, I would have like to have seen an actual weapons customization option. Adding scopes, silencers and what not to improve your weapons. In general, I just wish some events were a little bigger. Without giving any spoilers, some of the battles at the end of the game are really cool and feel epic, but I wish there were more of them. I really wish I felt like I was fighting with a band of people for a great good more often.

Overall, this was a great game and is a must play for just about any sort of gamer out there. It has something for everyone and the execution is pretty damn smooth.

Carl's Rating: 9/10
Ryan's Rating: pending