I've been playing Fallout lately; it's probably the first RPG that I've played seriously. I mean, I've tried World of Warcraft, but I much preferred Counter-Strike and other shooters. However, there's something to be said about Fallout 3. The fact that it makes me want to reconsider my decision to stay away from RPG probably speaks about how good it is. Yet, it makes me wonder...should we not perhaps classify it as "Action-RPG", considering the solid action mechanics of the game?

Whatever it is, let's not forget one thing. I've always loved games with a solid storyline; it gives the game a reason to be played. Maybe that's why I preferred Max Payne 1 to 2. Max 2 had an oversimplified, seemingly cheaply strung together story. Anyway, back to Fallout 3. Yes, it does have an engaging story, but what makes it even better is how much the story revolves around the player's decisions. There's always an element of "What if..." involved, which makes you want to either quicksave and quickload before every dialogue to see how each decision pans out, or to replay the game with a different character.

And while we're on the topic of character, I think it's one of Fallout 3's greatest strengths that it allows you to shape your character. Having read some of the reviews and guides, I'd been advised not to spread my skill points out too wide across the spectrum, and to focus more on the skills that would benefit my character, which is exactly what I did. It makes things a lot more fun because you're capable of doing things that you ought to be able to do, rather than unnecessarily raising skills for things you might avoid doing, like using explosives or big guns.

Having finished about two-thirds of the main storyline and numerous side-quests, I can safely say that majority of the game is probably behind me, but I'm yet to discover quite a few locations, and I can't wait to reach Level 20, at which point I'll be taking the "Explorer" perk, which marks out all locations on my map. More importantly, I can't wait to finish this off, and start a new game, this time as an evil, sneaky character, quite unlike the one I'm playing right now.

What else have I got in mind? Well, I think I'll look more into some RPGs now. I noticed that a couple of RPG games have got really good scores... Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of them. I'm also thinking about Neverwinter Nights, though that one released about six years ago. And then, of course, there's Dead Space, which looks quite interesting too... Hmm... choices, choices!

Cheers!