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Imhotep Evil · 10-27-2008, 08:09 PM

Fallout 3 Review
by Nick Breckon Oct 27, 2008 6:23pm CST

Fallout 3 is a PC game.

Sure, it's an Xbox 360 game, too. And it's a PlayStation 3 game, I guess. It's also an RPG, technically.

But when you get at the heart of it, Fallout 3 feels like a game designed for the PC. It has the soul of a big-boxed, full-manual, five-CD game from 1998. It has all the complexity and addictiveness of a System Shock, or a Deus Ex--or, yes, a Fallout.

And when I say "game," I mean it in the most ambitious sense. It's the kind of title that rekindles that 90s spark of imagination, when the borders of gaming were less defined, and anything seemed possible. From the opening moment, it's the kind of work that has you thinking: "Goddamn--this is a real game."

...

Fans of the original Fallout games will admire Bethesda's franchise faithfulness right off the bat. The same post-nuclear, 1950s-era style informs both the art and the sardonic humor. In fact, a surprising amount of the same themes found in the original Fallouts are presented in this sequel. You'll run across sentient computers and governmental remnants. You'll face down racist isolationists and disenfranchised ghouls, blood-thirsty raiders and sympathetic super mutants.

Of course, Bethesda also puts its own spin on things. Signature Fallout entities, such as the armor-clad Brotherhood of Steel and the Ghoul Underworld, are explored in detail.

...

Now, if I was looking for a reason to dock percentage points from a great game, I could pick out some flaws in Fallout 3. The stiff character animations that often lead to embarrassing mid-hallway collisions. The repetitious dungeons, in the form of the ghoul-infested metro tunnels.

But despite its flaws, the game more often surprised me with its polish. Every time I tried to creatively "break" Fallout 3, it defied me. When I jumped into a slave pen from above, trapping myself inside, a guard was triggered that opened the door from the outside before attacking me. When a quest took me deep into a dungeon, and then left me wandering all the way back out after completing it, the game interjected with a scripted sequence that whisked me off to another location--one of, if not the only time this happens in the game.

As you may read in other reviews, the ending of Fallout 3 is an abrupt, unsatisfying halt to a fantastic experience. But as with all good things, the journey is the important part, and it simply should not be missed. This is a game that can be played and replayed. Even the plodding nature of your character's movement speed seems to be Bethesda's way of telling us to slow down and smell the Brahmin.

So get out there and explore the edges of the wasteland. Take your time. Games like this don't come around every year.

Fallout 3 is something to savor.

10-27-2008, 08:09 PM	#1
Imhotep Evil Devotee Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 3,328 Thanks: 25 Thanked 21 Times in 15 Posts	Fallout 3 Review Fallout 3 Review by Nick Breckon Oct 27, 2008 6:23pm CST Fallout 3 is a PC game. Sure, it's an Xbox 360 game, too. And it's a PlayStation 3 game, I guess. It's also an RPG, technically. But when you get at the heart of it, Fallout 3 feels like a game designed for the PC. It has the soul of a big-boxed, full-manual, five-CD game from 1998. It has all the complexity and addictiveness of a System Shock, or a Deus Ex--or, yes, a Fallout. And when I say "game," I mean it in the most ambitious sense. It's the kind of title that rekindles that 90s spark of imagination, when the borders of gaming were less defined, and anything seemed possible. From the opening moment, it's the kind of work that has you thinking: "Goddamn--this is a real game." ... Fans of the original Fallout games will admire Bethesda's franchise faithfulness right off the bat. The same post-nuclear, 1950s-era style informs both the art and the sardonic humor. In fact, a surprising amount of the same themes found in the original Fallouts are presented in this sequel. You'll run across sentient computers and governmental remnants. You'll face down racist isolationists and disenfranchised ghouls, blood-thirsty raiders and sympathetic super mutants. Of course, Bethesda also puts its own spin on things. Signature Fallout entities, such as the armor-clad Brotherhood of Steel and the Ghoul Underworld, are explored in detail. ... Now, if I was looking for a reason to dock percentage points from a great game, I could pick out some flaws in Fallout 3. The stiff character animations that often lead to embarrassing mid-hallway collisions. The repetitious dungeons, in the form of the ghoul-infested metro tunnels. But despite its flaws, the game more often surprised me with its polish. Every time I tried to creatively "break" Fallout 3, it defied me. When I jumped into a slave pen from above, trapping myself inside, a guard was triggered that opened the door from the outside before attacking me. When a quest took me deep into a dungeon, and then left me wandering all the way back out after completing it, the game interjected with a scripted sequence that whisked me off to another location--one of, if not the only time this happens in the game. As you may read in other reviews, the ending of Fallout 3 is an abrupt, unsatisfying halt to a fantastic experience. But as with all good things, the journey is the important part, and it simply should not be missed. This is a game that can be played and replayed. Even the plodding nature of your character's movement speed seems to be Bethesda's way of telling us to slow down and smell the Brahmin. So get out there and explore the edges of the wasteland. Take your time. Games like this don't come around every year. Fallout 3 is something to savor.

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