This is one apocalypse that you won't want to miss.
THE GOOD
-Tons of exploration and side quests
-Innovative combat aided system (VATS)
-Excellent leveling system
-Superb audio
-Great story
-Ability to do whatever you want
-Fun supply of weapons
THE BAD
-Outside of VATS the combat is a little awkward
-Minor frame rate issues
OVERVIEW
Fallout 3 takes place after a post nuclear war in a devastated Washington D.C. The game begins with your birth and you get to customize what you look like before you start playing. As you emerge from your mother's womb, she has sudden complications that result in her untimely death. Now it's just you and your father. From birth all the way up to age 19, you and your father reside, with other people, in a fallout shelter named Vault 101. Most of the people in Vault 101 are closed-minded, especially the leader, and have never been outside of the shelter.
Growing up in Vault 101 is rather boring but at least you have your dad, James (voice acting by Liam Neeson), for company. James is a very intelligent scientist and a loving father. Later in the game you also find out that James was a loving husband to your mother. After 19 years of living in a cramped fallout shelter, James decides to do something that nobody would ever think of doing; leave the Vault. He doesn't tell you his plans but luckily your best friend wakes you up, in the middle of the night, to inform you of what just happened.
When you escape the Vault you finally realize why nobody leaves because the landscape of Washington D.C., or more formally The Capital Wasteland, is a toxic dump. Now you've left Vault 101 in search for your father but there is no direction or hints to tell you where to go and what to do. You'll have to search the entire wasteland yourself, talk to people, and choose whether you want to be a hero or villain in these dark times.
Fallout 3 offers a great main story with plenty of dialog. There are many other side quests to perform which can literally consume more than 50 hours of playing time. Some of the people you meet have interesting side stories and some are boring but that's the case in real life anyways, right? Fallout 3 does an excellent job combining role-playing with first person shooting and creates a vast world for you to explore while almost letting you do whatever you want.
GAMEPLAY
For those of you that have played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, do you remember the first time you left the first village (Kokiri) and started your quest with Link? You probably remember your first steps out onto the Hyrulian field and just being amazed at how large the place was, right? Well, take that same feeling and multiply it by about a thousand and then you'll know how big the world in Fallout 3 is. The Capital Wasteland is so vast that it'll be nothing like you've experienced before. The amount of exploration in this game is mind-blowing. Also, if you've ever been to Washington D.C. you'll notice some similarities with the game and the real place. All the monuments and other key points of interest are here but they aren't in very good shape. I mean a nuclear bomb just tore this place a new one. The game's playable area is probably the best part about this game and you'll really enjoy the amount of time you can spend in it.
The Pip-Boy 3000, which was given to you at a young age, is a very handy tool that you'll use throughout the entire game. The Pip-Boy brings up your main menu where you can see your statistics and skills, level your character up, see your guest log, activate various detailed maps, aid in combat through Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (VATS), and also shine a light in dark places. I'll talk more about VATS later in the combat section but for now let's move to the leveling system.
The leveling system is simple to understand but complex as far as content goes. You gain experience from killing enemies, completing quests, and by carrying out other tasks like hacking computers and picking locks. When you gain enough experience to level your character up, you'll be prompted back to your Pip-Boy to place points into various attributes and pick a new skill. Your attributes range from increasing your speech skills, to weapon damage, and everything else in between. Skill-wise there are plenty of things to choose from like the Sniper perk which increases your accuracy with sniper rifles and the Lady Killer perk which gives male characters a chance to influence female characters through dialog. There are a total of twenty levels to obtain and it's amazing how customizable you can make your character. If you want to create a ninja-like character with great agility and lock picking skills, you can do that. Or, if you want to create a beast of a character with hulking strength and an appetite for large weapons, you can do that too.
Now I mentioned before that there was plenty of dialog and I wasn't lying. There are thousands of conversations to have with the various people that you'll meet in the game and the way you play your character effects how others relate to you. Fallout 3 incorporates a Karma system where your actions determine your status. You can gain good (doing all good deeds), neutral (choosing to be good or evil based on the situation) and bad (doing all evil deeds) Karma. For the most part the conversations are interesting but be aware because there are many pointless conversations too.
Combat in Fallout 3 is one of the more notable features in the game. There are two ways to attack your enemies; through VATS or first/third person shooting. Fallout 3 provides a great bit of detail to fighting and there is a bit of strategy involved. For instance you can cripple your opponents by shooting their limbs. VATS is a unique and splendid feature that pauses the gameplay so that you can choose which enemy you want to attack and where you want to aim. Each body part will have a chance to hit percentage based on your skill, distance and line of sight. You'll only be able to select a limited number of targets based on how many Action Points (AP) you have left. Your AP regenerates fast so that you can use VATS again. Now once you have selected your targets the game goes back to real time and you can see your actions carried out. Using VATS is extremely helpful and fun. It'll definitely feel at home with most RPG players. However, outside of VATS the combat can get a little clunky. Aiming and shooting can feel a bit jerky and it's inevitable that you'll waste ammo.
Aside from the main quest, there are many of other side quests to take on. Most of them are Karma based and the rewards are plentiful. For instance, you can take Mr. Tenpenny's offer and blow up an entire town if you wanted too. There are plenty of side missions to do that add a ton of replay value and can really add to the story which makes you feel more and more a part of.
As far as equipment goes Fallout 3 has plenty to offer, from pistols to mini-nuke launchers and everything in between. Currency in this doomed world is in the form of bottle caps and you can earn some quick cash by selling junk. The old saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" fits this game to a tee.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The lighting is pretty well done for the most part and makes it truly feel like you're in a wasteland. The graphics are decent with a few hiccups in facial movement. There are a few minor frame rate issues that get annoying from time to time but don't worry because they don't happen too often.
The soundtrack is astounding. From the opening theme to some of the more patriotic songs, the music fits the game perfectly. Your Pip Boy can be used to pick up the local radio frequencies which are a nice touch. For the most part the voice acting is well put together and the sound effects rock. You really get a chilling thrill out of hearing bones crack and heads splatter.
CONCLUSION
Fallout 3 is definitely one game that you don't want to miss. A vast wasteland that lets you pretty much do whatever you want is extremely fun. This game basically brings two genres (role playing and shooting) together which will appeal to many people. I would recommend this game to anyone because I guarantee that there is something for everyone here. So, the world as we know it has suffered defeat from a nuclear war. Wild animals and mutants roam around the wastelands of Washington D.C. As you enter this world, will you take part in aiding humanity or selfishly take from it?