Fallout 3

Fallout 3... A phenomenon.

Fallout 3 has proven itself as a one of the best games of all time. It's story and gameplay is only matched with the top of the list in gaming history. The game is a viewing to a post-apocalyptic world that will make you understand what the madness of the human species can cause.

The game grasps you in to a very violent world with the perfect type of gameplay to complement it. You make a character of your choosing and decide how he or she will change the face of a dystroyed D.C. Be the hero or be the villain, it's all your choice. There is also an amazing arsenal of weapons to choose from with the possibilities of making heads fly off with one bullet or even one beam! The game is also enormous with endless possibilities with the expansions making it bigger (which are recommended).

To such a masterpiece, it also has it's faults. There are quite a few glitches that pop up randomly, but are easily fixed with the reloading of the save file. The AI of your partners can easily get "lost" when they follow you and are obstructed by a rock. But these are only minor faults. Fallout 3 is a game that should be put on your shelf and must be experienced.

Fallout 3 - Buy it

Fallout 3 is a phenomenal game. Although the game came out several months back, i don't think anyone should pass this one by. I purchased the collectors edition on the first day, and was very satisfied.

While the first two games took place in western America, Fallout 3 throws you into Washington D.C. 200 years after the nuclear bombs fell. Bethesda did just about everything right with this game. Graphics, combat, item maintenance, character attributes, storyline, dialogue, and sheer size of this game are just a few things that come to mind when considering what aspects of this game are stinking awesome.

This game looks beautiful. The nuclear war torn landscape pleases the eyes and creates a feeling of unmatched depth. The stunning graphics contained in this game enhance the whole Fallout experience, especially when it comes to destroying your many, many foes in the wasteland.

The combat system was very well designed in Fallout 3. It feels like a solid first person shooter, but with the addition of V.A.T.S. (Vault Assisted Targeting System), it enhances the experience exponentially. While in the V.A.T.S mode, time stops and you can then strategically select a certain body part of your foe that you wish to do damage to. Although i am slightly dissappointed that you cannot target the crotch of Super Mutants and other enemies like you could in the first two games, i think i can get over it. Using the V.A.T.S. will save ammo and give you a fuzzy little warm feeling in the depths of your heart when you score a critical hit and blow the selected body part off of your enemy in an amazing cinematic mini cut-scene. But you must use this system wisely, because a certain number of action points are deducted each time. But fret not, because if you do use all of your action points, you can always just shoot them in real time while your valuable A.P. regenerate. And just as it should be, with each subsequent shot of your firearm, and with each hit you take, your weapons and apparel take damage and slowly breakdown. So in order to keep them in tip-top shape, you must find the same type of weapon or piece of apparel to repair the item properly.

The story in this game is similar to the first two Fallout games, but has it's own distinct feeling and gets you interested right away with what's going on in the wasteland. The dialogue and character interaction is basically identical to The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. As with Oblivion, the voice acting is top notch and definitely adds to the depth of the Fallout experience and the enjoyment of playing the game. You could easily spend upwards of 30 hours exclusively doing side missions, exploring what look to be abandoned buildings, and blowing the heads off of your foes. This game is nearly perfect.

But unfortunately it does not reach total perfection. The difficulty of the game could definitely be more challenging. You level up a little too often to feel a real sense of accomplishment, and the gaining of a perk at every level, although nice, certainly does not equal the amount of excitement gained in the first two games when you acquired a perk at every third level. Another thing that annoyed me is the level 20 maximum. Although that will soon be changed with the Broken Steel downloadable content, it lowers your desire to kill enemies after you reach 20 because no experience points are gained.

But please do not let the details i just pointed out deter you from buying this game. This is an incredible game with a staggeriing amount of depth and satisfaction that you definitely do not want to pass up. I also suggest you play the first two Fallout games, although they are radically different from Fallout 3, they are amazing and challenging games that were and still are incredible. So go buy all three games right now and prepare to spend several months playing through them and enjoying every minute of it. Snee ya.

Highly addictive

Minor flaws do not detract from this wonderful experience

In a nutshell - epic

What's there to say about Fallout 3 that hasn't been said? Though I'm shocked there's no PS3 review for this game, I can attest to the fact that it's the same fine game on both systems.

However, on the PS3, make sure to sign out of the PSN before you pop this game in. A nasty glitch makes the game pause for a few seconds whenever a PSN friend signs in OR out, and that can just kill any pleasure outright.

Aside from that, enjoy Fallout 3 again and again. The world can't end just once!