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When Bethesda Softworks announced it had obtained the rights to develop the third game in the revered Fallout series, gamers everywhere quickly took sides. “Heresy!” some cried. “Awesome!” cried others. Why the polarization? It’s not like Bethesda was a stranger to role-playing games. The various volumes of their Elder Scrolls series had won rafts of awards, and the most recent two – Morrowind and Oblivion, were big sellers as well.
And yet, those of us who were happy about Bethesda getting the gig recognized some key synergies as well. Both series emphasized wide-open game worlds with enormous freedom in movement, character development and role-playing. And, of course, those of us in the “Awesome!” camp turned out to be right. Actually, we turned out to be really, REALLY right, because Fallout 3 has turned out to be a spectacular game. The game is the happy offspring of Bethesda’s RPGs and the earlier Fallout games, and manages to shine with the virtues of both parents. Character Flexibility. The game maintains Fallout’s famed S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system, whereby the player character is governed by seven customizable statistics: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. You get to distribute a certain number of points among these stats, creating the type of character you’d like to play. In addition, the player can build a variety of skills, from combat-oriented disciplines such as Small Guns, Energy Weapons, or Unarmed, to more technical abilities such as Science, Repair, Lock pick and Sneak. Each skill is regulated by one of the primary S.P.E.C.I.A.L. statistics, and in addition the player can tag three main skills which level up faster than the others. Also, each time you level up you get to pick a Perk, which augments your abilities in some special way. Furthermore, the choices you make on your adventure not only affect the game world in important ways, but they affect your Karma level. Having a high, neutral, or low Karma level can affect what quests are available to you and what characters you meet will be friendly or hostile. Thus, there are no set “classes” – you are free to create any type of player you like. You can create a fast-talking lady-killer with a fondness for big guns. Or a sneaky thief who takes out his enemies with unarmed skill.
In addition, you’re running around the remnants of a real place. If you have any familiarity with the DC area, this will give the game an extremely creepy, yet compelling verisimilitude. During my adventures I’ve found myself in Metro stations and famous buildings that I have actually visited in real life. It’s wild! Visuals. There’s a lot of things you can say about the original Fallout games, but calling them pretty isn’t one of them. Bethesda knows a thing or two about creating visually stunning and compelling game worlds. (I still think the Island of Vvardenfell, the setting for Morrowind, is perhaps the coolest game environment ever.) And, while the environments depicted are grim indeed – a post-nuclear urban landscape littered with ruined buildings, mutants, creepy subway tunnels and hardscrabble survivor settlements – it all looks amazing. The draw distance is enormous, so as you run around adventuring you can often see recognizable monuments, such as the ruined Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial, in the distance. Questing. Like both the Elder Scrolls and original Fallout games, there is enormous freedom in the quest structure as well. There’s a rich and varied main quest that you can follow. Plus there’s lots of other optional quest lines you can pick up. Or, if you feel like it, you can just roam around the fascinating (but very dangerous) landscape of the Wasteland, getting yourself in and out of trouble. The optional quests are not too numerous, but each is a complicated and multi-step affair, creating real and satisfying storylines that are fun to get involved with. You’re free to choose sides constantly. And the moral choices you make aren’t always black and white, either. The end result of this is that Fallout 3 turns into an extremely rich role-playing experience. No two people playing through this game will have anything like the same experience. Obviously this lends the game tremendous replay value as well.
It’s in combat the Fallout 3’s tribute to the turn-based nature of the original games shows its face. It’s called V.A.T.S., which stands for Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. It allows you to accumulate “action points” that you can use to freeze time and carefully target a particular part of your foe’s anatomy. Want to slow down that big mutant brute? Shoot him in the leg. Want to make that giant ant go berserk and attack his fellow ants? Shoot off its antennae. The system is easy to use and lots of fun. Story. I’m not going to spoil much here. You’re raised underground in Vault 101. When you’re 19, your father mysteriously leaves the Vault. You follow him to find out what’s up. That’s all I’m telling you about that. Other Cool Stuff. Have I even mentioned that you can create your own weapons? Or that the game begins with your BIRTH, and you get tons of choices about your character’s looks . . . and then the game extrapolates your choices and makes your father look like you? And have I mentioned that you can have a dog who adventures with you and follows your orders? Downloadable Content. Since the game’s release, Bethesda has already created three patches of downloadable content, which add new adventures, quests, areas, weapons and leveling opportunities. And there’s more content on the way, evidently. One Tiny Word of Warning. The PS3 version of the game is inferior to the PC and XBox 360 versions. I’m just sayin’. It’s not as sweet graphically and it’s a bit more glitchy.
The deranged fiends at Bethesda have built a landmark game, and I think you’d be crazy not to play the damned thing.
System Requirements: *Minimum System Requirements (PC/Windows):
*Recommended System Requirements (PC/Windows):
Supported Video Chipsets:
This review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link back to Just Adventure. |
(version reviewed)
Play: well, play Oblivion, Morrowind
and Fallout, of course!
Watch: the 1994 television mini-series “The Stand”
Read: The Road by Cormac McCarthy|
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