User Review : Fallout 3

Bethsada's masterpiece fallout 3

Few games have had the burden of expectation that Bethesda’s epic has endured once they decided to produce an update to one of the biggest cult PC games of all time. The setting of the Fallout games, a nuclear Wasteland in case you haven’t yet guessed, may be the common plot for various films and books over the years but the genre is much harder to pigeonhole. More on that later but for now let me set the scene for the game, Nuclear war between the US and Chinese has come and gone and the majority of the humans left alive are now faced with a radioactive environment, grotesque physical mutations and hordes of mutated creatures who want to feast on their flesh.

This is not the case for all however, some of the (richer, presumably) people of Washington were able to live out the nuclear war in underground bunkers known as Vaults, isolated from the suffering going on outside and under the false impression that leaving would mean instant death from radiation poisoning. Our character was born and raised in such a place and this is where you will spend the first hour or so of Fallout 3. It is here where you will determine your own sex and physical appearance under the tutelage of your scientist father, Liam Neeson, err I mean ‘Dad’. One day dear old father mysteriously leaves the vault and you decide you must follow and this is where Fallout 3 TRULY begins. The moment you step out from Vault 101 and take in the almost endless landscape which surrounds you is one of the game’s more liberating moments. Which way did he go?

The scope for exploration is massive, make no bones about it Fallout 3 is an enormous game which will take the best part of 100 hours to complete if you want to finish every side quest, collect every trophy/achievement and visit every location. The main quest itself is certainly shorter than that of Bethesda’s previous epic Oblivion but it does at least allow you to wander from the beaten track at will to check out a new settlement or battle some ferocious super mutants-in fact even the main quest can be completed in a number of different ways. Yes, non-linearity is one of Fallout 3’s most endearing qualities, you need not always follow the same path to a goal, missions can be tackled in a variety of different ways depending on how evil or good you want your character to be.

Bar a couple of standout set pieces during the main quest, most of Fallout’s truly memorable moments come from the more obscure corners of the Capital Wasteland. One such moment [Minor Spoiler Ahead] involves the discovery of two families living in the middle of a devastated town named Andale. Both clans are far too wholesome for the Post-Apocalyptic setting and an old man a few houses down the street warns you to leave for your own good…cue macabre conclusion [Minor Spoiler Ends]. Yes, this game is anything but PC in its outlay and certainly warrants the 18 rating.

Gameplay System

The game itself plays like an FPS when it comes to exploring and whilst it is possible to enter combat in this guise it is by no means the most efficient or fun way. Fallout 3 utilises a battle system called the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System [or V.A.T.S.] in which everything stops for a moment as you decide which limb of an enemy to target, you can attack this way as long as you have the required number of Action Points, then everything slows as you watch your character dismember your victim in slow motion. It is a system you will become very familiar with as you traverse the Wasteland and, importantly, it is one which never really gets boring. Of course the drawback to V.A.T.S. is that you must be fairly close to an opponent to maximise the potential damage and at higher levels it does somewhat take the challenge out of fighting as you are virtually invincible during the process.

Morality

As previously stated, the role of Karma in the game is fairly prevalent throughout. A hidden in-game counter keeps note of all the positive and negative deeds you undertake as you travel around the Wasteland. It is not just for show either, many characters will respond to you differently depending on your moral standing throughout the Capital. For example, some of the city’s more colourful characters like Slavers may not want to be associated with you if you have a reputation as something of an emancipationist. The only real criticism that can be levelled at the Karma system is that it can sometimes be rather difficult to determine what the actual ‘good’ action is as you may be faced with choices which seem evil either way-murder bigots or help bigots murder would be an appropriate example.

Culture/Soundtrack

Much of the game’s charm lies in the little cultural references associated with Capitalist America that are littered throughout the game, billboards portray the perfect family, the nationwide infatuation with a cola drink, a new ‘red’ menace-everything is reminiscent of Cold War America yet set over a century later. The soundtrack is pretty spot on in this regard; the songs which play on the main radio station are synonymous with 1950s America whilst a GTA style disc jockey will announce your deeds to the nation after you complete specific quests. Bar the odd repetitive song (which is hard to criticise in a game this long) the soundtrack stands up to scrutiny in more ways than one.

The RPG aspect of WRPG

The role-playing elements are constant throughout but are never smothering, you gain experience points for defeating foes and completing missions and you do choose which of your various stats and abilities to upgrade but the customization of your abilities never threatens to take over the game. The number of weapons and items on offer is massive, perhaps overly so, many of the items and ammo which occur around the Wasteland are repetitive and pointless. Indeed the world map can feel artificially large at times with the distance between one location and another on foot feeling rather large and pointless, and whilst this is helped somewhat by the ability to instantly revisit locations you have already discovered you are left with the distinct feeling that the map would benefit from being around one-third smaller.

Overall it is hard to issue this game with a label other than recommend. The story is nothing special but you will spend the majority of your time in Fallout 3 off the beaten track in any case. The game can feel a little monotonous in between discovered towns and quests but at the same time there are more than enough of these to keep you occupied if you are willing to search for them. There are a number of gameplay glitches on all the formats but to be honest I only experienced three at the most and the game’s regular autosave function can usually take you back from the brink of having to redo large portions of the game. Fallout 3 is an enormous undertaking that won’t appeal to everyone but its unique character and near subterranean depth will ensure the rewards or there for those who persevere.