Fallout 3

Fallout 3 review by: Quik
War. War never changes...
I have just finished the main game last night and I am about to experience the DLC starting with the Brotherhood of Steel and I will be playing Fallout New Vegas as soon as I get it. What a thrill, what an experience this journey was. This game is everything I have imagined and more. The world is huge and with so many interesting locations it provides weeks of entertainment. I was just walking about, looking for stuff to sell when I have discovered an old snacks factory. As I explored it I have eventually learned (through hacking, exploring and reading everything I could possibly find) that the factory was secretly taken over by Chinese agents before the first nukes were launched. The place was infested with ghouls in Chinese uniforms and as the patriotic songs on the Enclave Radio signal gave me courage I have cleaned that place from those commie bastards. This is just one example of those many, many locations you can explore that do not have a single thing to do with the main quest line (or often even side-quest), but they are so detailed and fun you wouldn't skip a single one. Detail is what makes this game really, it's what drives you to explore this world, learn all you can about it. It's what gives you a sense of danger and understanding of what it is like to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

The graphic details in this game are beyond words. The first time I have exited Vault 101 I just stood at the look-out point and stared at the horizon, taking in the sites and sounds (or lack of them) I imagined for a minute what this world will be like, the adventure(s) I was about to embark on. I know Fallout, I've played the old games (only finished Fallout 2 I'm embarassed to say) I had an idea of what to expect but the actual experience of exploring Fallout world in first person perspective blew my mind.

The only negative thing I can really say about the game is it's infestation with bugs (and I don't mean the radroaches). I played Game of the Year edition for the PC and I had to constantly press F5 to quicksave otherwise most often inside buildings the game would just freeze and if I forgot to quicksave I would have to go all the way back to the autosave when I entered the before mentioned building. It might not sound that bad to someone who hasn't played the game but once you realize how huge some of those locations are you would understand my frustration. The A.I. of the NPCs in combat is also disappointing sometimes,  especially the Raiders running against the walls or the scientists in Enclave's Raven building who run away even though they have laser pistols (maybe my holy karma aura was that terrifying to their evil souls? =p).

In conclusion, this is possibly one of the greatest games I have ever played. It's hard to explain how epic this game is, how detailed, it's not just a game, it's an experience. To all the people who are saying that this game "ruined Fallout universe", "it's not really Fallout" just because it is first person game, you are stupid. World changes, technology changes. I assure you if they could make Fallout and Fallout 2  like this back in a day they would have. Now stop complaining and learn that technology always changes but war... war never changes.

 

Fallout 3 Review by: Fated

The biggest question a Fallout fan might have about the latest game: “Is this essentially an Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Mod?” Thankfully, no, not even close. The game feels like the Fallout games of old, the atmosphere of a post-nuclear struggle for survival among the ashes of civilization is there and then some. The characters that inhabit the world have unique personalities: paranoia, survivalist junkies, cowboys, cannibals, delusional emo-heads, slaves, drunks, addicts, victims of radiation and religious zealots. The game treats its subject maturely and doesn’t go out of its way to insult your intelligence. In addition, the atmosphere itself is just amazing. The wasteland oozes desperation, oppression, the very struggle to simply stay alive is felt in the land itself. It takes a special game where you can become a drug addict, cannibal, murderer and slaver. The game has balls of irradiated steel considering that something like Call of Duty is being banned because you can play as a soldier or an insurgent.

The question of whether you will like this game or not rests on the following points: Do you mind if a game has a slow pace and combat is dangerous? Do you like having long conversations and reading? Do you explore places even though you don’t have a quest to do so? If you answered yes to these, this is a great game for you. As Quik pointed out, the heart of the game lies in just walking off toward the sunset, finding an interesting place and discovering its story on your own. If you just rely on the main quest, you haven’t seen even half of this game.

Considering how realistic and mature the game tries to be in most aspects, you quickly notice an issue with two important apocalyptic considerations: food and radiation. You never feel very concerned about starving to death, or dying of thirst. I mean, look at the landscape, provisions should be the most valued commodity in the wasteland. Hell, the whole story revolves ultimately about drinkable water. Yet you never really feel that pressure of survival unless a mutant is chasing you down with a chaingun. In addition, while radiation is a threat, it is gotten rid of far too easily. Also, am I the only one to think that the Fallout universe missed a big book of fun in NOT having weird mutations change your character? I mean, growing a third arm or something, while difficult to code, would be all kinds of hilarious.

Ultimately, Fallout 3 is a classic. It belongs to a short list of games one simply must experience in their lifetimes. It will be one of those games that you reminisce about when you talk about the good old days when everything was better in the world. It will be one of those games you wish someone made more of, and that is the best compliment I could give it.