I’d like to start out by saying I’m a big fan of the Fallout series. If you haven’t played them do yourself a favor and put them on your list of “Things To Do When I’m Not Reading Blalab”.
Just to fill you in, Fallout is set in an alternate history where humanity is plagued by war. A select few enter large fallout shelters just before a nuclear holocaust and are locked away in until it is safe to return to their battered world. These vault dwellers emerge 25 years later to find that others had survived in the radioactive wastelands. These survivors include mutants, gangs of scavengers, misguided robots and armor-wearing vigilantes. Hilarity ensues…
The original titles were turn-based strategy games which utilized a system of action points you could allocate to moving and shooting much like the early Jagged Alliance and UFO series. The whole game is set in retro 50’s style with decor and music to boot. You even get to lug around your dial-faced ‘Pipboy’ wrist computer which has everything from your vital signs to the nearest radio station.
Now I nearly blew a fuse when I heard Bethesda were opting for a new FPS approach for F3. “Heathens!”, I yelled. How could they do it to us? Taking it from its original top-view, turn-based strategy format and making it into a generic shooter would essentially destroy everything that made it unique. Despite my many reservations I purchased F3 and prepared myself for the worst.
Controlwise, F3 is very much like Bethesda’s earlier title Oblivion with the added bonus of the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (VATS). VATS essentially allows you to pause the game mid fight and allocate points to targetting particular enemies and body locations. You can also us the system to melee and throw grenades which is very handy when there’s a bunch of fighting going on.
Character customization throughout the game really does allow you to play how you want to play. You can alter many aspects including physical attributes, crafting skills, weapon specialization, character ‘Perks’ and even your Karma level alowing you to play good or evil.
As an example, my first foray into the wastelands I decked myself out in the best power armor I could find and carried a tonne of guns around everywhere. Sadly though, I found that I’d approach most situations in a predictable way i.e. just shoot the hell out of everything I came across. I’d always feel a little bad when I hopped off a mountain of corpses only to find some magical switch in a side room that did something really cool. I don’t like to spoil plot elements but releasing a hoard of pissed off zombies in a crowded hotel is always good for a chuckle.
Keeping this in mind I created a second ‘Geek’ character and intentionally gimped him for a challenge. I started by lowering most of his stats and just increased my intelligence/agility – only allowing wearing spectacles and flimsy vault suits. The game plan was to basically run away from anything that could hurt me (a scorpion and robot conga line is pretty amusing as you’re legging it through the wastes) and find more interesting ways to complete the objectives. Because my strength was so low I had to be selective about what I scavenged but, on the flip side, as my speechcraft and science were so high I could make heaps of money without having to play pack-mule. I found this second character build to be much more enjoyable as the Fallout 3, like Oblivion, does well to provide multiple ways to achieve goals. My suggestion is to play a character type that you wouldn’t normally use and dont stress too much about gear – hell, my roommate did most of the game in sexy sleepwear and the AntAgonist suit.
Now I have to say I dont mind violent games but F3 is pretty graphic. I took the ‘Bloody-Mess’ perk as it was kind of funny in Fallout 1 but it was pretty over the top in F3. I mean, you shoot a guy in the head and his arms and legs fall off. It kind of removes you from the game a little when you’re like “wtf” after every round of combat. I’m no biology expert but i’m pretty sure the neckbone’s not connected to the knee bone. They should have had a gore level slider for the younger people ranging from “Rainbows & Kittens” to “Intestine Sprinkler”. But in their defense, I picked that Perk so I had it coming. But you can judge for yourself in the following vid (and yeah, warning you there’s some graphic violence):
As far as graphics go you can always count on Bethesda studios to do a decent job. The stunning landscapes and music work well to draw you into this wasteland world. The many small environment dioramas created by the level designers really do add to the story. Even though multi-player games have an added social value there is no denying that this single player gaming experience is a bucket of fun.
Fallout 3 is simply a great game. I think Bethesda did very well in keeping the turn-based charm of the series with the VATS system and i’m so glad it didn’t become a generic first person shooter. I’m giving Fallout 3 a resounding PEWPEW.
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