Added DLC packs and content makes this GOTY edition a winner!
The original Fallout and Fallout 2 were rightly hailed as classics of the computer role playing game genre when they were first released in the late 90s. A sort of post-apocalyptic precursor to Baldur's Gate and with a similar gameplay to the Jagged Alliance series, their mechanics might look hideously dated now but the storyline, dialogue and uniquely warped atmosphere still stand up against almost anything out there today.
The challenge for developers Bethesda then, was to create a title that retained the identity of its predecessors while updating the presentation and gameplay aspects and this they've achieved superbly well. The new title doesn't quite have the disturbing quirkiness of the originals but it does come close and Fallout fanboys (and girls) – of which there are many – will instantly recognise the gameworld and many of its specifics. The game starts with your birth deep inside Vault 101 – a long-term fallout shelter that will be familiar to players of the previous games and the brief scenes that follow chart your growth within the claustrophobic confines of the Vault while serving as a device in your character creation. The action proper begins shortly after the PC's 19th birthday, when he must step out of Vault 101 for the first time, in search of his scientist father. What follows is an (irradiated) sandbox type game, with the player free to deviate from the linear mainline quest in order to fulfil side quests or simply explore the ruins and wastelands of the Washington D.C. area and blast the living daylights out of any mutated freak that comes too close. There are obvious similarities between Fallout 3 and Bethesda's previous role-playing big-hitter The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, albeit the newer game is packed with more explosions, drugs, this is definitely a game that earns its Mature classification, and nailboard wielding supermutants. Unlike the previous Fallout titles, Fallout 3 is largely played in real time, with either a first or third person view. The third person animation is perhaps the single worst aspect of the game in technical terms however, with the character almost seeming to skate across (and occasionally partially through) the environment. Yes, you get to see the armour and armament you've kitted the PC out in but the first-person view is a lot less jarring. There is, though, a sort of semi turn-based mode known as V.A.T.S., or Vault Tech Assisted Targeting. Entering this mode will pause the game and allow you to stack a queue of actions, which are then played out in a cinematic and often bloody John Woo style. You need Action Points to utilise this mode. These build up slowly over time to a maximum and so parts of the game play out like an First Person Shooter with dramatic pauses and what amount almost to miniature cutscenes. Character development remains stat based and while this is most apparent during V.A.T.S. or when using non-combat skills such as lockpicking or science (for hacking computer terminals), it also has a bearing in real-time play, apparently even if you're playing the game like an FPS and aiming perfectly, your shots can still go awry if your skills are not up to scratch. Fallout 3 is certainly an evolution of the Fallout series style of gameplay but with much of the atmosphere and recognisable themes translated well, it's a game that should appeal to old and new fans alike. Gameplay in Fallout 3 is perfect, everything runs so smooth.
The Game Of The Year edition has all of this, plus the great DLC packs. I started playing Operation: Anchorage, and it has all the great specalities of the Fallout 3 game, but with even better graphics, and loads more weapons. Overall, a great role playing game, and this newer version is worth anyones money, who still loves Fallout 3's crazy antics!