Fallout 3 review

Reviewed by David Farrier

I like my shooters to be fast, furious and to the point, so playing Fallout 3 was a bit off-track for me. Firstly, it’s not a shooter, it’s a role playing game (albeit a rather action packed, shootery type one). I’d seen the trailer at E3: An old radio playing a merry tune, camera slowly zooming out to barren wasteland of, well, Fallout proportions. Happy to see they’d kept the sense of humour inherent in Fallout games, I was keen to get stuck in – and for the last 2 weeks I’ve been doing just that.

Fallout 3 is set three decades after Fallout 2, and 200 years after the nuclear fallout that caused all the fuss in the first place. You play a resident of the Vault, designed to protect humans from mutations and nuclear fallout. Your dad escapes without you knowing, and you go outside to see what the HECK is going on, sending you into the wastelands of Washington.

First off, points have to go to the “training” level. Instead of being trained as a fully fledged man (who should, surely, already know how to walk and run and jump and shoot) you start life as a baby, then a teen, then finally an adult. For once, a training regime that actually makes sense in the realms of the game.

Fallout 3 is a completely different kettle of fish to the others. From what I’ve seen (and there’s HEAPS to see, believe me) it is far superior. Big thumbs up to Bethesda Studios. The main thing that blows your mind with this game is the massive scale. I’ll be honest and admit I’ve never played Oblivion, but I understand the hype, and can assure you Fallout 3 blows it out of the water. Exploring the outside wastelands is an absolute joy. You can walk for hours, everything is new, and everything looks amazing. See that point on the horizon? You can go there. While certain ‘themes’ pop up (the office, the shop) they’re all slightly unique and make you feel like this is a real (once breathing) world. What’s more, there’s reason to go there: You never know where that med pack is going to be, or where you might find some more ammo, or a bed to rest (and heal) in.  To be honest, the magic they’ve created here is pretty much the reason for the rating I’ve given this game: There’s nothing else like it. You can lose yourself for days.

Now I said this in my Fable 2 review, and I’ll say it again: points systems annoy me. But they don’t annoy everyone (obviously fans of RPG games), and the points in Fallout 3 are vital. They’re not some silly tagged-on thing, they’re essential to play the game properly. You simply can’t start the game and expect to hack a computer, or fix your weapons. This creates a real yearning to learn (and as WHAT to learn), so you find yourself really agonising over ‘point’ decisions. It can be the difference between life and death. In a similar way, you find yourself desperately searching for items in lockers, and seriously have to weight up whether fights are worth getting into or not. Do you really want to trade that health for a bigger, sexier gun?

The creatures are all genuinely amazing and also add to the overall sense of the world. I found myself genuinely scared walking through train stations, panicking about what was around the corner. Sure, it’s no System Shock 2, but it’s close in the “OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT” factor. Which is what you’d expect in a post-nuclear world with mutants frolicking about. Most of the character interactions are quite engaging, and you find yourself wanting to talk to villagers and people in the wastelands - except for the annoying woman who calls you a 'peach'. But generally, dialogue is A+ in my book.

Now as I mentioned, I’m primarily a shooter fan, and this is where my complaint lies with Fallout 3: at times, the combat sucks. Controls can be annoying and feel unresponsive, which is really frustrating when you are panicking for your life trying to shoot things. I am sure this won’t be a problem for some, but it was certainly an issue for me. This however doesn’t detract from my insanely high rating for this game, because shooting isn’t the focus. 4.5 stars would be too low.

And so… I add Fallout 3 to my list of “games that will wow you on the PS3”, along with Heavenly Sword and Metal Gear Solid 4. Of course Fallout 3 isn’t exclusive like the other two, but you get my point. Fallout 3 is awesome, and for the amount of time you’ll spent playing it, fantastic value for money.