Worth your time, and money, just don't expect perfection.

User Rating: 8.5 | Fallout 3 X360
At the beginning of November, I submitted a couple of blog entries regarding this game.

The first expressed my childish excitement and desire to own/play Fallout3, and the second was a short update of first impressions of my early adventures in the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland of Washington D.C.

Yes, the game did have me well and truly hooked!

Just ask any of my poor, unfortunate flat mates, they'll tell you that all they heard until roughly 3am every morning was gunfire and Billie Holiday... Quite a mix.

Fallout 3 was bordering on a Morrowind beater...

...but then it wained.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like in Fallout 3, and I'm not for a moment suggesting that I no longer like it, so I should probably begin to justify my critique.

There ARE a lot of positives to this game, the story (for the main part) is immersive and should definately hold your attention through to the end, I'm sure that the power gamers amongst our ranks will be sucked straight in and probably end up ignoring the side quests. A shame really, considering that some of the side quests are a hell of a lot of fun, and can often end up being more enjoyable than some quests within the main storyline. There is also replayability in attempting to tackle these missions in a good/evil manner, allowing you to observe different outcomes, Megaton being the best example.

The soundtrack is, quite simply, phenomenal. It really does capture the time that the Earth was subjected to the Nuclear Blast, with the only recorded artists heard being those popular in the 1930's, including Billie Holiday, The Ink Spots and Roy Brown, amongst others. It certainly creates an atmosphere and is, in some ways, quite haunting. However, with the 30 track song roster, you are going to be hearing these tracks a lot (if you keep your PiP-Boy Radio on at all times, like myself).

Equipment can break on you at any given moment in the game, wearing quickly with use. This can be a major problem in heated firefights, particularly for those of you who, much like myself, choose not to invest in 'repair' skills, having your beloved assault rifle break on you in the midst of a heated battle can be particularly heart-wrenching. Still, the game's merchants offer repair services, and so assuming you can cough up the caps, this really shouldn't be a problem.

The V.A.T.S system bears good and bad qualities. The good being that allows you to increase your potential of getting a critical hit, and also allows for you to focus on a specific body part. The bad is that by freezing the game and bringing up the body part menu, you are taken out of the action to a certain degree, especially when witnessing the computer take control of your character to fire off rounds at your selected target.

My one major quarrel overall however is the ending. The ending is horrible! It feels so rushed, and so anti-climactic, that I almost guarantee you will be left feeling disappointed, and it really is a shame, because the story is, on the whole, rather strong, making the end feel abrupt, and perhaps not rounded enough. I certainly felt that the main storyline to the game was really short, fortunately it offers enough side quests to add longevity and interest.

Overall the game is still definately worth your time, and money, and will almost certainly keep you entertained whilst it lasts. Just watch out for the ending which is highly likely to disappoint.

I give the game an overall score of 8.5/10, this would have been an 8.0 if not for the prospect of downloadable content in the near future.