Fallout 3 Review
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 6:13 am
"War. War never changes."
To any veteran gamer those 4 words spoken in Ron Pearlmans gravely voice send shivers up their spine. It's no wonder Game Informer voted the intro to Fallout as one of the Top Ten game intro's of all time. And it's just one of about a hundred reasons I can't seem to stop playing Fallout 3.
Being a huge fan of the series it bothered me to see it travel from the gritty, World of Tomorrow dark future of the first game to the hack and slash tripe that was "The Brotherhood of Steal". Whoever was responsible for that game, I'm sure there’s a special place in Hell for them. So imagine how anxious I was when I heard Bethesda had obtained the rights to what is, in my mind, one of the top 10 gaming franchisees of all time.
Much like an expectant father I was filled with both a sense of excited suspense and fear of the next entry into the Fallout franchise. Would he be a bundle of joy, full of all the excitement that made the original 2 games so fun? Or would he be a terror, like BoS or in some ways Tactics. I'm pleased to say it's a healthy baby boy! And his name is GamBryo!
If there's one thing the people at Bethesda know how to do, it's make a game feel down right huge. Anyone who's played Morrowind or Oblivion knows what it's like to trek through the MILES of landscape between settlements and towns. And it's like that here as well. Emerging for the first time from Vault 101 you’re greeted with magnificent desolation. Ruin and rock, crater and crack for as far as the eye can see. In front of you, off in the distance you can make out a destroyed suburb and a rusted out, decaying water tower. It's only after you have a second to adjust to the size of the world that you notice the sign, twisted and bent professing "Scenic Overlook". From that moment on you know this is your world.
I'll avoid delving into the finer points of the plot but I will throw out a few words for veteran fans to let you know Bethesda's been paying attention.
The Brotherhood, Navarro, Death Claw, FEV.
It's a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. World
I'm pleased that the developers of the new game kept the SPECIAL system as it just wouldn't be Fallout without it. The character creation system (told though a series of flash forwards) is easy to manage for first timers, and a new take on an old friend for those of us who've played the series. They've trimmed the skill set back a bit to eliminate certain unnecessary skills like Traps. In this world, either you see the trap, or you die. It's pretty simple really!
The one complaint I have about character generation is the same I had about Oblivion. It's damned near impossible for you to create a character that isn't hideous looking on your own. I found myself using the random character generator about 40 times until I found a face I could live with.
Another change to the previous Fallout games, and indeed Elder Scrolls series is V.A.T.S., the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. Looking at in on paper I wanted to hate it. It sounded so clunky. What do you mean pause the combat? But having logged over 20 hours I can safely say... VATS rocks! Here's the scenario. You pop around a corner and there's 3 Super Mutants. They're all in close range, but there's no way you're going to make all three shots in time. Easy! Use VATS. VATS takes a time out, lets you choose the targets, and then makes the shots for you based on percentages. Think of it as Bullet Time with a targeting feature. The camera pans to show your character dishing out the pain, then quickly pops back into proper position so you can continue the mayhem. Be careful though, like Bullet Time in other games VATS only works for so long. Don't have enough action points pooled up and need to take that critical shot and you may find yourself out of time!
The PIP Boy 3000 is extremely useful. Here, you really get a feel that this is based on the Oblivion engine. Quests are presented logically and with HUD waypoints to help you find your way. You can fast travel if you've been there before which will save a lot of time when you start covering large areas of terrain. Equipment is easy to manage as are your skills and conditions. One of the best features is the radio option. Lets just say that it pays to "stay tuned" to the news.
It's A Brave New World
The ruins of D.C. and its suburbs are beautifully detailed. Gas Stations, grocery stores, schools, playgrounds... the playgrounds are particularly haunting. The second I saw one I couldn't help but flash back to Sarah Conner in Terminator 2 watching in horror as the playground was bathed in nuclear radiation. And that's how it should be. Gone are the goofy set pieces of BoS and the 3rd wall breaking humor of the second game. This is gritty, its dark, and the game never lets you forget that.
Bethesda fixed one of my main complaints with Oblivion in this game, the number of voice actors. How am I supposed to believe this is a huge world if everyone sounds like thier brothers or cousins because they're voiced by the same guy. I may be wrong, but I don't believe I've heard any two named PC's have the same voice in the game, and that makes me happy!
In closing I think all the guys at Black Island would be VERY happy with how Fallout 3 turned it. It got everything it needed to right. It's dark, it's gritty, and it's Fallout. So Vault Dweller, suit up. Because "Life in the vault is about to change."
To any veteran gamer those 4 words spoken in Ron Pearlmans gravely voice send shivers up their spine. It's no wonder Game Informer voted the intro to Fallout as one of the Top Ten game intro's of all time. And it's just one of about a hundred reasons I can't seem to stop playing Fallout 3.
Being a huge fan of the series it bothered me to see it travel from the gritty, World of Tomorrow dark future of the first game to the hack and slash tripe that was "The Brotherhood of Steal". Whoever was responsible for that game, I'm sure there’s a special place in Hell for them. So imagine how anxious I was when I heard Bethesda had obtained the rights to what is, in my mind, one of the top 10 gaming franchisees of all time.
Much like an expectant father I was filled with both a sense of excited suspense and fear of the next entry into the Fallout franchise. Would he be a bundle of joy, full of all the excitement that made the original 2 games so fun? Or would he be a terror, like BoS or in some ways Tactics. I'm pleased to say it's a healthy baby boy! And his name is GamBryo!
If there's one thing the people at Bethesda know how to do, it's make a game feel down right huge. Anyone who's played Morrowind or Oblivion knows what it's like to trek through the MILES of landscape between settlements and towns. And it's like that here as well. Emerging for the first time from Vault 101 you’re greeted with magnificent desolation. Ruin and rock, crater and crack for as far as the eye can see. In front of you, off in the distance you can make out a destroyed suburb and a rusted out, decaying water tower. It's only after you have a second to adjust to the size of the world that you notice the sign, twisted and bent professing "Scenic Overlook". From that moment on you know this is your world.
I'll avoid delving into the finer points of the plot but I will throw out a few words for veteran fans to let you know Bethesda's been paying attention.
The Brotherhood, Navarro, Death Claw, FEV.
It's a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. World
I'm pleased that the developers of the new game kept the SPECIAL system as it just wouldn't be Fallout without it. The character creation system (told though a series of flash forwards) is easy to manage for first timers, and a new take on an old friend for those of us who've played the series. They've trimmed the skill set back a bit to eliminate certain unnecessary skills like Traps. In this world, either you see the trap, or you die. It's pretty simple really!
The one complaint I have about character generation is the same I had about Oblivion. It's damned near impossible for you to create a character that isn't hideous looking on your own. I found myself using the random character generator about 40 times until I found a face I could live with.
Another change to the previous Fallout games, and indeed Elder Scrolls series is V.A.T.S., the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. Looking at in on paper I wanted to hate it. It sounded so clunky. What do you mean pause the combat? But having logged over 20 hours I can safely say... VATS rocks! Here's the scenario. You pop around a corner and there's 3 Super Mutants. They're all in close range, but there's no way you're going to make all three shots in time. Easy! Use VATS. VATS takes a time out, lets you choose the targets, and then makes the shots for you based on percentages. Think of it as Bullet Time with a targeting feature. The camera pans to show your character dishing out the pain, then quickly pops back into proper position so you can continue the mayhem. Be careful though, like Bullet Time in other games VATS only works for so long. Don't have enough action points pooled up and need to take that critical shot and you may find yourself out of time!
The PIP Boy 3000 is extremely useful. Here, you really get a feel that this is based on the Oblivion engine. Quests are presented logically and with HUD waypoints to help you find your way. You can fast travel if you've been there before which will save a lot of time when you start covering large areas of terrain. Equipment is easy to manage as are your skills and conditions. One of the best features is the radio option. Lets just say that it pays to "stay tuned" to the news.
It's A Brave New World
The ruins of D.C. and its suburbs are beautifully detailed. Gas Stations, grocery stores, schools, playgrounds... the playgrounds are particularly haunting. The second I saw one I couldn't help but flash back to Sarah Conner in Terminator 2 watching in horror as the playground was bathed in nuclear radiation. And that's how it should be. Gone are the goofy set pieces of BoS and the 3rd wall breaking humor of the second game. This is gritty, its dark, and the game never lets you forget that.
Bethesda fixed one of my main complaints with Oblivion in this game, the number of voice actors. How am I supposed to believe this is a huge world if everyone sounds like thier brothers or cousins because they're voiced by the same guy. I may be wrong, but I don't believe I've heard any two named PC's have the same voice in the game, and that makes me happy!
In closing I think all the guys at Black Island would be VERY happy with how Fallout 3 turned it. It got everything it needed to right. It's dark, it's gritty, and it's Fallout. So Vault Dweller, suit up. Because "Life in the vault is about to change."
a voice in the back of my head screamed ''FINISH HIM!"